Chapter 2

C H A P T E R _ 2

Episode 2

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[ About a year ago, Eusley Castle. ]

“Excuse me.”

A woman with shiny, cob-colored eyes and luscious cream-colored hair tied into a bundle, knocked lightly on the door. However, the person she was supposed to meet did not even reply after waiting for a long time.

Elsia was not disappointed.

Ian Cypris, the owner of Eusley Castle, was once the commander of the Holy Knights from Tyr Church. He was the subject that Elsia had to take care of in the future.

He, who was the commander of the great battle expedition, fell into deep despair after losing the saint who accompanied him on a noble mission three years ago. The saint was revered as a hero who saved the world. But they held a funeral without her body, which was the beginning of another tragedy.

Ian, who had taken the saint from the temple, could not accept the sad reality and eventually showed abnormal symptoms of madness.

As a result, Ian, who was originally a good example for others, disappeared, and became a madman who could not overcome the sadness of losing his saint. Even though he was injured enough to be unable to hold a sword, he punched the metal board while he was being awarded by the imperial family.  In the end, he refused treatment and locked himself away.….

He was forced out from being the heir to Cypris’ Marquis title as well as being the commander of the holy knights. Ian Cypris was exiled to Eusley Castle. If left as it is, it was impossible to predict the Empire’s stability, and if the disturbance became known, there was a great concern that the title of the last remaining hero would be taken away by someone else.

Being concerned meant that poor Ian was not yet abandoned by the world.

Elsia, a puppeteer, was directly selected by Prince Conrad, the crown prince of the Empire. He took advantage of his recent break half a year ago to secretly ask Elsia.

[ -Elsia Bennett, go to Ian Cypris, who fled to Eusley Castle. He was my close friend, a faithful servant, and a great talent for the Empire. Will you please help me so that he can fully return? ]

The crown prince vowed that he would grant any wish if she could heal Ian. Even if that wasn’t the case, Elsia would have been eager to help Ian because she admired the reputation of the Great Battle Expedition.

In fact, curiosity about the leader of the expedition, Ian Cypris, led Elsia to this point. As soon as she heard that she would be able to see the great knight enshrining the saint, she suddenly accepted the crown prince’s offer. If it were others, it would have been first to ask what compensation they could give, Elsia just had no interest in that.

Elsia, who went to Eusley Castle with the crown prince’s letter, faced Ian’s knight, Sir Seiran. He checked the letter containing warm encouragement and immediately spat negative remarks.

“It’s something I’m really grateful for, but I don’t know if it will turn out well. Did you say you were a puppeteer?”

“Yes. My doll will heal the hand of the lord here. Where should I go?”

He looked very perplexed.

“In fact, a few people came before with this letter. A therapist, a famous new building, and formerly reclusive druids.”

“Yes, and?”

Elsia was very surprised. He even found a druid, she really thought that Conrad’s tenacity was amazing.

“All of them failed. It is common for our master not to even open the door when an outsider comes.”

“Maybe, it will work out this time!”

Behind Seiran, a young boy, who was holding his breath, bravely stepped out. Then, Seiran pressed the boy back with a stern expression.

“Be quiet, Haden. Who told you to step out?”

Elsia became curious and talked to a child named Haden.

“Hello, my name is Elsia Bennett. I’m a puppeteer.”

Haden waved his hands.

“Oh, don’t use honorifics! I’m a servant of Eusley Castle. Hehe, Elsia-nim is like an older sister and above all, she is the crown prince’s guest. Please be at ease and talk informally with me.”

“Is that really okay?”

Elsia liked this cute servant so much that she wanted to treat him like her younger brother. Haden smiled and shouted.

“Of course!”

Sir Seiran intervened in the good atmosphere.

“Pardon me, Ms. Bennett? But there’s a problem. Only men live in Eusley Castle, including my master and me. I don’t think I could even persuade my master to hire a maid, moreover a treatment from the young miss. Will you persist for a few more days? Or, should I send you back?”

“No, it’s okay. His Highness, the Crown Prince, said Count Ian didn’t even hire a maid for the palace. Plus, I already heard some rumors about the lord here.”

“…Did you?”

Seiran seemed quite impressed by Elsia’s determination. She spoke bravely to Haden this time.

“That’s it then. Haden, can you guide me? I’ll go in and tell him my business myself. If I keep waiting, he won’t come out on his own, right?”

“Yes!”

In this way, Elsia was guided in front of Ian’s bedroom door, she took a deep breath as she stood alone.

‘Come on, Elsia, shall we get started?’

Without knocking, she bravely opened the door and entered.

Squeak!

“…Wow.”

As soon as Elsia opened the door, she breathed a sigh in astonishment. The room was filled with a strong smell of alcohol, and it was too dark to tell the time even though it was daytime. She clicked her tongue as she headed to the window, trying to find Ian somewhere in the bedroom.

To get rid of this strong smell of alcohol, you have to quickly open the curtains and ventilate the room.

“Oh my god!”

Someone grabbed Elsia’s ankle without warning and blocked her way. She almost fell forward but managed to hold on to the edge of the curtain. The unbalanced body shook dangerously between someone’s ugly hand and the curtain.

“……Don’t bother me and get out. Seiran must have gotten a new maid, but I don’t need it.”

The low-pitched voice seemed to be in pain and the touch of the dry palms like an old tree was surrounding her ankle. Elsia bravely replied back with a trembling voice, intuitively realizing that the person who held her was the rumored madman, Ian Cypris.

“I’ll go out.”

“…….”

“An hour after cleaning.”

“… What?”

She flipped the curtains to the side and grabbed the hand on her ankle. The white sun poured dazzlingly through the window where traces of raindrops remained.

Elsia outstretched her hand to open the closed window, only to gasp in shock.

“Oh my god!”

Ian pulled her ankle with strength so she fell on the carpet. The floor was so soft but her buttcheeks were tingling. It wasn’t the end. Ian’s blue eyes glared at her from above.

She was lying on the carpet and he was looking down with his arms stretched out from above her.

He looked very displeased, as if he was extremely angry.

Elsia stared blankly at him with her eyes wide open like a rabbit.

The man’s cool eyes eased a little after confirming the opponent’s vulnerability, but the words from his mouth were still harsh.

“I told you to leave. Are my words a joke to you? Eusely Castle is a place where only men resided, how can a woman enter without fear?”

When he opened his mouth, an unfamiliar breath mixed with a strong smell of alcohol hovered over Elsia’s face. Having very little contact with men, she protested with her face dyed red.

“I, I’ll see you later, then.”

“Don’t be stubborn, I’m the owner of this castle. I don’t need a maid, ask Seiran to write a letter of recommendation and look for work elsewhere.”

Ian fortunately stepped aside, but Elsia’s heart pounded more than before. Rumors secretly called him a madman, but isn’t he sane enough to communicate?

Above all, the excitement did not subside when she finally saw the man she had admired.

That may be the reason why her calm heart was beating erratically.

“His Highness, Conrad personally chose me to be sent here.”

At the words, Ian’s back flinched as he leaned away from the sunlight and headed toward the wall. Elsia didn’t miss the opportunity and chattered.

“I’m a puppeteer. Although I only have two dolls, both of them are useful. In the future, White Bunny will take care of Count Cypris’ wounds. Shall we start with your treatment tomorrow?”

“I don’t need it…”

Ian, who heard Conrad’s name after a long time, cut off his sentences. Just because he drank alcohol to soothe the sorrowful suffering he could not tell others and hid himself under that rude way of speaking, Ian did not forget the name of the master who cared deeply for him. Elsia, whose legs were shaking badly due to the recent ankle attack, regained her energy and stood up to make a declaration

“I have another doll left, Woody! Come out and clean everything in this room except for the castle owner.”

She opened the bedroom window wide before summoning a wooden doll. The stuffy air, which had not been ventilated for a long time, escaped to the castle’s garden.

Now, Elsia can borrow the power of sunlight to see Ian in more detail.

The jet-black hair, which is equivalent to the darkness when the light is blocked. The shaggy beard that grew because it was not shaved in a long time, and his cool blue eyes.

The pale complexion similar to a freshly carved marble, it showed how much he avoided the sunlight. The white pajamas with torn off buttons and fluttering seams should be taken off immediately to be thrown on the laundry basket.

And…

Elsia spoke quietly, trying not to openly look at his ugly right hand, which had dislocated and broken bones.

“You have to wash up and eat.”

Ian sat on the floor with his left elbow on the wall. Elsia might have treated him like an immature younger brother if it weren’t for the bottle of wine rolling at his feet.

“Pardon, I’m passing by.”

The wooden doll made a dull sound and collected a bunch of dust from the carpet, clumping them inside a sphere. At this rate, Elsia was worried that Woody, and Ian, who sat blankly on the floor, would collide. Elsia approached him and readily reached out her hand.

“Move over here.”

He turned away from Elsia’s slender hand and muttered with his head down.

“What did his highness tell you?”

“Well, he asked me to heal Count Cypris’ wounds.”

“I’m asking for his orders.”

When Ian’s clear eyes sharply swept Elsia’s face, the ears covered by the creamy hair heated up without knowing. Ian somehow had that strong charm despite being locked up in his room for a long time. She quickly replied, turning away from the man’s intense gaze.

“That is…. He asked me to bring you back once you are healed?”

“There’s nothing urgent for me to do there.”

“Yes?”

Surprised by the rapidly gloomy tone, Elsia quickly looked towards Ian. However, his pupils, which had shone slightly immediately after he spoke Konrad’s name, were clouded again. The wider and stronger male shoulders than hers looked pathetic as if they were about to break.

“I’m ashamed, but tell your master to give up on me. There’s no point in going back like an idiot when I can’t even hold a sword.….”

He looked very troubled while talking about the situation he was driven out of.

“Count?”

[ Oh, don’t stop me, Ugh! ]

Ian jumped up and went out of the bedroom by crossing the carpet, disregarding the fact that he was drunk. It was so spontaneous that Elsia had no choice but to simply stare at his distant back.

The reason for not moving was simple. She was still a beginner puppeteer and Woody was the first doll she made, making it a doll with many drawbacks. It would be a big problem if the puppeteer and the doll were far from each other, the doll would completely stop moving.

“Cleaning comes first, right? I can’t go out and let the Count come back in a suffocating room.”

Elsia justified her choice by muttering to herself.

Cleaning was not as easy as she thought. She didn’t realize it when she first came in, but mold was everywhere in the wall and the condition of the sheets was a mess. It was better to throw out about half of the things inside the bedroom. Elsia didn’t leave all the work to Wood. She rolled up her sleeves and cleaned with it.

It couldn’t be helped, she had to finish as soon as possible because she didn’t know when the Count would return to his bedroom.

It was not until the sun went over the wall that the clean-up was almost over. Elsia, who had weak physical strength, felt utterly tired while wiping the sweat on her forehead with her sleeves, and her bent knees.

“Ouch…”

She grabbed the dropped towel and tried to stand up. She found something tucked away in the corner under the drawers in front of her. Elsia’s eyes widened when she inadvertently pulled out the object being tucked, thinking it was trash.

“Who is this?”

END OF EPISODE 2

[TL/N: I almost forgot to mention but this story’s chapters have several pages on it so I divided them into smaller sub-chapters, labeling them as ‘Episodes’ to make my Tling easier. Each Chapter has several Episodes, I will note them at the beginning of each episode update. I hope this clears up confusion.]