Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After a long time, the door of the Commander’s office opened wide. In front of it were two men in black uniforms: Max and Hizen.

As they watched the sky gradually getting darker, they had different feelings. Max was anxious, but Hizen was relieved, and even had a sneer. Recently, the red-haired girl’s track record had been very unusual. Indeed, he had never seen such a maid. The only thing he could do quietly was to widen the scope and difficulty of the tasks he was giving her, which made him lose his mind. The result was not bad, but he felt bad.

Hizen became more uncomfortable as time went by. He tried to ignore it, but it did not work out. It was not because of what his doctor had told him, but purely because of the maid.

She was a senseless woman who consistently followed him even if he showed signs of being uncomfortable. Her eyes, glistening happily everytime they found him, could never be understood. She looked foolish beyond naivety. How much she met him, how much she did not know, and how much she made that face.

People even misunderstood her as a long-time lover or friend. In fact, Jason came to him in the middle of the night to ask him about his relationship with her and was kicked out.

He had a headache again when he thought of her. Hizen touched his forehead with one hand. He could hear her voice in his ears. At the end of each of her sentences, the words ‘Count-nim, Count Dratius-nim’ would add a scab in his ears.

He was more uncomfortable than happy. It was annoying. He hated it. The voice sounded like a sticky fly paddle.

She was an easy woman who wagged her tail at anyone. It was even more unpleasant to be swayed by such a woman. The innocent Neren and his knights also fell into the woman’s shallow entanglements, but he was not easy like them.

Hizen’s expression looking out of the window hardened subtly. It did not matter if her kindness was sincere. The static Hizen did not feel very good about dynamic people. This was his instinct to reject people who were opposed to him.

There were many other reasons to hate her. There were so many that it was hard to explain them one by one. Well, it would be over now.

Max looked nervously at the clock. There were only a few minutes left.

Creak. The door opened.

“We… We’re back!”

The first that came in was Jason gasping for breath. Behind him were Leasis and Owen. Unlike the two exhausted, she looked calm.

Hizen’s lips twisted strangely.

“…What about the mission?”

“We succeeded.”

No way. Hitzen asked again, stunned.

“…Succeeded?”

“Yes, we did.”

No way. It was a confident answer, but he could not believe it. Hizen strode toward Jason.

Surprised by the appearance of the grim reaper, Jason tried to step back. But he could not escape. A great pressure was put on his shoulder.

“Ugh…”

Jason bit his molars tight and held back the pain. Hizen called him in a hideous voice.

“Sir Jason.”

What was it? Hizen, unlike usual, added a title. Jason was worried if he had done anything wrong again. His ears heard a serious voice.

“Answer honestly with all of your honor.”

“Yes, yes…”

Nervous, Jason nodded several times. Hizen asked in a hard voice.

“You really succeeded in your mission?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Are you sure you saw the Commander Ramashter?”

“Yes, but…?”

Shouldn’t he like it if they succeeded? Jason raised his puzzled eyes. No matter how much he looked at him, he did not look happy.

Hizen’s insides were boiling. He turned his body around, bitting the inside of his gums unnoticeably.

“Well done. Today… Go back and rest.”

“T-thank you!”

“Of course, Jason, you’re not concerned.”

A black aura seemed to come out of Hizen’s shoulders with his back turned. Jason, tactless, swallowed the question ‘Why?’ that he was going to ask. It was thanks to Max’s hand covering his mouth.

He lost again this time. Max’s heart was complicated and he had a cold sweat. It was a good thing for Leasis, but he could not say the same for Hizen.

Max lowered his hand from Jason’s mouth. For now, it was time to let people go before the fire broke out.

You. Leasis said abruptly.

“Hizen, you dumb bastard.”

It was a cheerful voice. Everyone in the Commander’s office opened their mouths wide. Leasis did not care about their gaze and spoke out.

“Listen carefully. From now on, I’ll answer the annoying magic letters, so keep my words in mind. Don’t do anything you’ll regret. Be kind to this child.”

Unlike the chilly atmosphere, Leasis’ smile was very bright. She shamelessly added the last words.

“This is what Ramashter-nim asked me to tell you. Then, bye.”

She left the room in a flash. Hizen turned around, but she had already disappeared. Then Owen and Jason rushed along.

Thud.

Max, who was standing foolishly, was awakened by the sound of the door closing. As he turned his head, Hizen had stiffened.

Max approached Hizen and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Commander-nim, if you start accepting the reality, it would be…”

Shut up.

“…best.”

Max immediately lowered his eyes at his fierce look. Staring at Max smiling awkwardly, he sat on a chair.

Squeak.

The old chair screamed. Ignoring it lightly, Hizen searched the desk drawer. He felt a lot of round gold coins. He took out the gold coins and put them on the desk as soon as he got them in his hand.

Clink.

What, money? Max’s brown eyes blinked with wonder. Hizen closed his desk drawer and said casually.

“You’re going to give new clothes and shoes to that strange woman by the end of the day.”

“What? It hasn’t been a month since she got her clothes. Is that necessary?”

Max cared about Leasis, but he had to obey the rules of the Imperial Palace. He could not make the other maids feel discriminated against because of her.

Hizen did not answer the question. He inked the pen on the desk and only issued other commands.

“Let the rest of the money be used for her medical treatment.”

“What’s wrong with you? She looked fine.”

Max kept asking because it was a strange order. However, Hizen did not respond kindly to the question.

“Don’t talk and do what I told you.”

* * *

There were only two people in the cafeteria when the night fell. They were drinking coffee with a small lamp between them on a wooden table.

How did she persuade the old man? Max’s face was full of curiosity. His gaze was so strong that Leasis felt it. She scratched her itchy cheeks.

“Max-nim, is there something on my face?”

“No, no, haha.”

Max smiled awkwardly and raised his cup. The steaming coffee tasted perfect. A proper amount of water and a skill that made the coffee smell good. His nose was stuffy because he could not do it so well.

Max, who was savoring his coffee, wondered. The girl in front of him did her job with a gentle and innocent face. Staring at her, he suddenly asked.

“Miss Leasis, what the hell can’t you do?”

“What?”

“Honestly, tell me who you are. You could actually be a magic doll made by the Ichrissen family.”

“No, that can’t be true.”

“Haha, I guess so.”

When Max laughed, Leasis laughed along. The two smiled amicably and drank coffee.

Oh. Max thought of his mission and lowered his cup. He handed her a pre-arranged cloth. The cloth was quite thick but light. It felt like clothes or fabric.

“Is this a new delivery?”

“It’s Miss Leasis’ clothes and shoes.”

“My… clothes?”

“Yes. And there’s plenty of money inside, so you can spend it on medical treatment.”

“Thank you very much! I’ll use it well.”

Leasis was genuinely pleased. She was feeling inconvenient here and there. This was because she had big bruises all over her body due to the impact when Owen and her fell. Ramashter had used healing magic, but the bruises could not be healed. Furthermore, because she had touched flowers after a long time, she had small cuts all over her hands.

‘Did you mean this?’

Max smiled strangely at the delighted Leasis. No one but Hizen had noticed her condition. He had made such a hateful face, but looked like this from behind. It was a very Hizen-like sense of observation, but the consideration was totally not like him.

‘You could have just given it to her yourself.’

Max was a little disappointed in the Commander about that. Leasis, who knew nothing, kept lowering her head.

“Thank you.”

“…Thank you.”

Max was a little uncomfortable because they had separate objects of appreciation. He spoke up naturally.

“Work hard, Miss Leasis. Let’s go.”

“Yes! I’ll wear this and work harder from now on!”

Her red eyes burned like flames. Max got a little scared when she clenched her fists.

He said it was enough like this, but she could not hear it.

*

“What the hell is that?”

“Oh, my God…”

Hizen and Max, who were heading to the training ground at dawn, stopped walking. An unbelievable scene appeared before their eyes.

In the middle of the training ground, there were hundreds of black horses that could be seen far beyond. They looked muscular and tall. They were part of the fastest imperial horses.

All the famous imperial horses were of pure blood. The horses they knew were very picky and not concerned about people. Should they give them luxurious carrots so that they can catch their eyes once or twice?

However, their condition was unusual. One of them was rubbing its body against someone, even acting cute, which did not suit its personality. Max spoke in a serious voice.

“Commander-nim, I’ll have to get my glasses ready soon.”

Something like a red thread shone in Hizen’s eyes, as he remained silent. She had fiery red hair and was that woman.

She must have used some kind of magic to have the horses follow her like gentle sheeps. She had a small wooden comb in her hand. She must have been brushing the horses.

Hizen’s expression hardened. He strode up.

“Oh? Hello, Count-nim! Hello, Max-nim!”

Leasis stopped brushing and smiled brightly. But Hizen took the wooden comb out of her hand.

In embarrassment, a voice full of anger hit her ear.

“What stupidity is this?”

“What?”

“Some of these guys have skin problems. If you brush them with a comb made of Kalmu wood foolishly, you can get a lot of hives.”

Hizen threw the wooden comb on the floor and looked at her.

“Don’t be cheeky. Your mission is chores. Clean up or mop properly.”

Leasis bowed her head reflectively. Was she crying? Max, who followed him belatedly, was restless and wary.

She slowly raised her head while catching her breath. Contrary to Max’s concerns, she looked calm.

The eyes of the two were intertwined in the air. Leasis did not avoid Hizen’s eyes again this time. She was more shameless than expected.

Hizen flicked up his eyebrows and showed off his displeasure. A soft voice confronted him.

“Count Dratius-nim, have you ever lived in a small cell that was hot and not ventilated?”

“…What?”

“Of course not. Count-nim, how could a noble man do that?”

Is this woman crazy? His handsome eyebrows wrinkled. She calmly unpacked a package on the floor.

A lot of wooden combs came out of the package. Dark brown. Light beige, white, etc. Various types of wood from Mount Neches were used to make them. Most of them were trees that were also used as therapeutic agents.

The eyes of the two grew bigger. A voice full of anger echoed through their ears.

“The weather is hotter than a steamer these days, so it’s hard to bear. If humans are hot, then animals are the same, right? Moreover, for animals who live in groups, cramped spaces such as single rooms are even more frustrating.”

There was a strong accent on ‘even more’. She grinned, squeezing a white wooden comb. A blue tendon wriggled over the back of her hand.

“I need to take care of other things, but this is more serious. After a hellish training in the sun, they can’t help but get skin disease because the wet saddles and pads are not dried correctly. They are thirsty, but they don’t even get water properly. The water tank is not changed often, so moss gets on the bottom of it, so the horses can’t even drink clean water. Are you going to do something about it?”

“All imperial horses are managed by excellent stable keepers. And you’re wrong because they’re being taken care of in a stable bigger than this training ground.”

“Hey, Commander-nim.”

For the first time, Max cut off Hizen’s words. He whispered in an awkward voice.

“I heard this just before coming. A few days ago, all the Imperial Palace stable keepers left their duty to go help with the extension of Princess Ashley’s palace… I’m sorry. It started suddenly…”

Recognizing the situation, Hizen’s eyebrows soared up. After catching his breath for a while, he put his hand on his forehead and thought. Rather than feeling defeated, he had to fix what was wrong.

“We’ll stop the construction right now. All those stable keepers will be punished fairly.”

“Okay.”

“And.”

His blue eyes, which became a little darker, captured her. Hizen was a man who valued every principle, and there were no exceptions. He applied it even more strictly to himself.

He should apologize if he did something wrong. After hesitating for a long time, he opened his heavy lips.

“I misunderstood. This… I’m sorry.”

What did she just hear? Leasis could not believe it easily. She was embarrassed and raised her head up. She saw Hizen biting his lips. He apologized one more time and left.

Max and Leasis, who were left alone, exchanged surprised eyes.

“Hey… Max-nim. The Count-nim just apologized to me… right?”

“I… I think so.”

*

The Imperial Palace was in a frenzy that afternoon. All the palace stable keepers were severely punished, and the construction of the extension of Princess Ashley’s palace was cut short.

Leasis’s mind became uncomfortable. She sighed at the ‘fair reward’ she had received. Countless gold coins were filled her hands. Fiddling with them, she regretted it.

She felt like she had been venting her anger for no reason. Actually, she was not mad at Hizen. She was angry with the stable keepers and Princess Ashley. Moreover, the horses of the Imperial Palace seemed to rather like Hizen.

He seemed to have cherished every horse, and have not treated them carelessly. As proof of that, the horses were very welcoming every time they saw Hizen.

“I’ve gone too far…”

She was sorry to have twisted something that she could have explained in a good way. He had done something wrong, but she did not have to do that. The more she recognized her mistake, the heavier her sigh became.

Leasis jumped up. It was better to do something for him than to regret it in the corner of the room like this.

This time, a plan was needed not to make mistakes like before. As she was agonizing over it around the room, she clapped her hands.

Come to think of it, she had soaps made of flowers picked from the garden with Ramashter’s permission. A hot summer shower would soothe the mind and body from fatigue. And it would be more likeable with a fragrant flower soap, instead of regular soap.

Leasis headed straight to the Commander’s office. However, as always, the brown door was tightly closed.

Troubled, she looked alternately between the pile of soaps in her hands and the door of the Commander’s office. Since the quantity was enough, it was a good choice to change all the soaps in the shower room of the training center. Most of the knights were close to her.

She went straight to the shower room of the training ground to change the toiletries. Everyone was training now, so no one should be there at that time.

There was no one in the shower room as expected. Humming, she swapped the soaps one by one.

Then, it was the last soap’s turn.

Step.

She turned her head reflexively and saw someone. It was Hizen who had finished training first to prepare for the Emperor’s visit.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell on the two people. The soap on her hand slipped and fell into the bath.

Plop.

Leasis, awakened at the sound, hurriedly covered her eyes with her hands. Her face got red, and she could not think of what to say. Having forgotten how to speak, she opened and closed her lips several times.

It was not until a long time later that words came out.

C-Count-nim… Count Dratius-nim has a perfect body, like a sculpture… the best… No, Count-nim! I didn’t see anything!”

To make matters worse, her soap-stained hands pricked her eyes. Leasis screamed, rubbing her eyes with her hands.

“Oh! Count-nim. Please give me a hand! My eyes are burning! Please help me!”

Screaming, she moved to find water to wash. Then she suddenly sprained her foot and fell into the bath.

Splash.

As she managed to wash her eyes, she let out a sigh of relief. She lifted herself up, completely soaked.

“Phew… I’m alive.”

When she opened her eyes, she saw something blurry. Still in the middle of the shower, Hizen was as stiff as a stone.

There was a silence between the two people.

“…”

“…”

As if laughing at them, only the soap in the bath floated around.

“Well, then… I’m going…”

Laughing awkwardly, she walked sideways like a crab and left the shower.

It was only a long time later that Hizen came to his senses.