CH 113

Flicking a finger, he furrowed his brow.

Where in the world did he seem to have human feelings? Zagnac jumped to his feet and stepped down from the window sill. Then, Baharf, who had been quietly waiting for his master’s command by his side, handed him a handkerchief.

As he wiped his hands with the handkerchief that was handed to him, he turned his head to look at the butler, Baharf.

“Do you have anything to do?”

“No, more than what I have to do…”

Pausing his words, he licked his dry lips before raising his hand and twisting his hair, which tickled his forehead. It wasn’t like his usual appearance, but Baharf was calm.

“In your eyes, do you think….”

As he frowned and closed his lips, the words stopped. ‘In your eyes, do you think I like Azela?’ The question, which he couldn’t bear to say, lingered like a lump in his heart. He scratched the back of his head and uttered in a nervous tone.

“…No, it’s fine. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”

“Are you trying to ask me if I think you like Miss Vellista?”

Zagnac, who passed by Baharf and was about to eat a sweet dessert to soothe his flustered mind, looked back, startled by his butler’s words. Meanwhile, Baharf still stood still with a benevolent smile, and his hands clasped reverently.

Zagnac hurriedly ran in front of him again.

“How, how did you know?”

“It’s just my feeling.”

“Tell me the truth, I’ve been suspicious since the last time…! You’re not a human being, are you!”

Grabbing Baharf’s arms, he shouted loudly. His face was burning bright red. Even in the face of such a master, Baharf was just smiling like a grandfather watching his grandson.

“I am human. Didn’t I grow old enough to have my hair turn white by Master’s side like this? They say that non-human beings do not age.”

“Th-that’s true! Still, appearances are made, so you can alter it to age.”

“Haha, it would be great if my appearance was made too. Getting older is good, but on the other hand, it is lonely.”

Hearing his bitter voice, Zagnac gazed at him with narrowed eyes.

Is he human? If he’s really human, how could he know what I didn’t say?

He stared at Baharf and let go of his arms. And after tidying up his crumpled clothes, Baharf opened his mouth with a smile.

“I thought that the Master was welcoming Lady Vellista as the Mistress.”

“What…?!”

“Perhaps not only me, but everyone in the mansion was treating Lady Vellista thinking that way.”

Zagnac frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed. Did everyone think that? Everyone…? In his calm mind, the question Azela asked caused a wave.

“Do you like me?“

Zagnac sighed and raised his hand to cover his eyes.

“Baharf.”

“Yes, Master.”

“What is the feeling of liking someone?”

“Well.”

“I don’t know that feeling, but everyone looked at me and thought I must have felt that way.”

Zagnac spat out as if he was muttering to himself, then let out a big sigh. His chest felt strange as if his identity as a devil was disappearing.

“…It’s embarrassing.”

Baharf, who saw Zagnac’s complicated appearance, prepared warm and bitter tea and held it out in front of him, answering in a calm voice.

“Probably no one can really explain the feeling of being in love.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t express the feeling in words. Among the many emotions, that emotion is like the realm of God.”

“…It is the realm of God.”

God had created a very strange realm.

‘Next time we meet, I’ll have to say something.’

Zagnac thought to himself and took a sip of the tea Baharf handed him. Fortunately, it seemed that drinking warm but bitter tea seemed to calm his excited emotions as his butler continued.

“To express it by borrowing numerous books out in the world, your heart beats when you see her.”

“The heart is originally beating. If the heart stopped, it would be death… What a strange word, next.”

“Seeing her makes you feel better.”

“It is not polite to look at the other person and feel bad first and foremost. Next.”

“You want to do everything for her.”

“Wait.”

Want to do everything for her? Zagnac raised his hand to stop Baharf from speaking. Silence settled in the dark bedroom as Baharf, at Zagnac’s command, stopped him. Zagnac flicked his finger with a serious face. But soon, with a brightened face, he put down the teacup he was holding and said.

“No, I have something to ask of her so I just did that. There is a reason why I want to do everything for her. Go on.”

“When other people touch her, you get angry inexplicably.”

It was something that had been happening lately. Zagnac, who just a few hours ago had felt a rage so uncontrollable that he couldn’t even comprehend it, lowered his head. Seeing his troubled face again, Baharf stopped his words.

This time, silence passed for quite a long time.

Eventually, Zagnac lightly clapped his hands and lifted his head.

“It was a scene that would make anyone angry, not just me. It’s not polite to treat a woman like that.”

“Is that so?”

“Right. Next.”

“When she’s sad, you get sad or angry with her.”

“That is inexplicable. When a woman is sad, it’s always something to be mad about!”

“You want to touch her.”

“That’s…!”

‘That’s because I need human energy!’

Zagnac lifted his head up with a bright face and, remembering that he couldn’t utter the words to Baharf, pressed his lips together. As he waved his hand, Baharf closed his mouth and smiled.

“Is that it? The feeling of liking is not a big deal.”

Saying that, he stretched his arms straight into the air and put on a relieved look. At the same time, Baharf, who watched Zagnac speak in a cheerful voice, quietly opened his lips.

“There is one more.”

“One more? Tell me, I can explain that as well.”

Zagnac laughed out loud with a spirited look. That laugh was different from usual, and it sounded like it was made up somewhere. Seeing his master desperately denying it, Baharf slowly opened his mouth.

“If there’s someone who comes to mind while listening to the story I told you…”

“….”

“You are in love with her.”

He hardened his relaxed expression, hearing Baharf’s words. Zagnac, who had boasted that he could explain as much as he wanted, was unable to open his mouth this time and just stared at Baharf for a long time with a dumbfounded look.

Meanwhile, Baharf politely greeted his master, put away the teacup, finished the bedding and tidied up the surroundings so that Zagnac could have a good night, and quietly left the bedroom. By the time he walked out of the bedroom doing so much work, Zagnac was just staring into space with a dumbfounded look on his face without saying a word.

“…Nonsense.”

Even though he shouted with a trembling gaze, no one could answer him. Zagnac jumped up and moved his steps from side to side, biting his lips with his fingers.

“This is impossible! Why would I?!”

He tried hard to think about it, yet he couldn’t understand it so Zagnac shouted loudly. His loud shouts were heard through the closed bedroom door, but Baharf did not return. He just put away the teacup that his master had been drinking with a hearty smile, prepared a cart with new tea and teacups, and walked to Azela’s bedroom.

* * *

It was a sleepless night. There were no stars in the night sky. Somehow, it seemed that she could hear Zagnac shouting, “Nonsense!” from over there. Azela smiled and shook her head. He wasn’t the type to do anything so inelegant.

“Am I hearing hallucinations now?”

When she asked if he liked her, it was obvious that he would desperately try to deny his feelings. It was enough just looking in the carriage. Rather, it was a good thing. It would be a good thing if he denied his feelings by doing so and then gradually distanced himself from her.

Knock, knock.

Azela was combing her hair with a sad smile when she heard a knock on the bedroom door. As she opened the door, she saw Baharf standing with a cart.

“I prepared a good sleep tea before going to bed. I was afraid that you might not be able to sleep deeply because of the incident that happened a while ago.”

“Ah. I’m an escort knight, so it’s okay if I can’t fall asleep. That’s for Zagnac…”

She could say it lightly to all the maids in the mansion, but strangely, it didn’t work for Baharf.