The Servant in the Horror Game is Suspicious Chapter 21

Perhaps that was why reading fairy tales as an adult was so incredibly fun.

How many children’s books could there really be in an abandoned villa? There weren’t even five. Because of that, he ended up reading the same books over and over, yet they were entertaining every single time. Perhaps because it was a fantasy world, even the fairy tales were extraordinary.

Unlike Jade, Ian acted like he was barely listening. Still, seeing as he sought Jade out this late at night, he clearly didn’t hate the storytelling sessions.

“I was just about to head over, and here you are, sir!”

“It’s not like I was waiting for you.”

Ian lightly tapped the floor with his toes and fidgeted with his fingers. Seeing him talk like that, it was obvious he had been waiting for Jade. After all, isn’t a strong denial usually an affirmation?

Jade gave a bright smile at the sight of Ian, who was still adorable despite growing ten centimeters taller than he was two months ago.

“I’m just happy you came to my room, young master. Truly happy.”

Perhaps because they had lived together for about two months now, Jade felt like he finally understood Ian a little. Ian was clumsy at expressing himself. Even when he liked something, he didn’t let it show.

Tucking the book he had pre-selected under his arm, Jade headed to the next room with Ian. As always, Ian lay down on the bed with proper posture, and Jade sat in the chair beside him, opening the book.

As he did, a thick book sitting on Ian’s table caught his eye. It looked like something brought from the study.

While cleaning the villa, Jade had also organized the study, which had been neglected for a long time. There were a few fairy tales similar to the one Jade was currently holding, but most were difficult-looking academic texts and ancient books. He remembered opening one once, only to close it after failing to get past the first few pages.

“That book looks really difficult.”

And those difficult books were often found in Ian’s room. It was fascinating that he was already reading such complex material. Jade himself couldn’t make heads or tails of them no matter how much he read.

“Ah…”

Ian’s eyes wavered slightly. Looking back and forth between the book he had brought and the fairy tale in Jade’s hand, Ian’s lips parted. It was a habit he had when choosing his words.

“It’s good to read a variety of things.”

“Well, yes.”

Ian seemed flustered for some reason, so Jade intentionally changed the subject.

“By the way, I don’t see Buster around today.”

“…”

“You two didn’t get into a fight, did you?”

“No.”

Ian shook his head. Certainly, as time passed, the two of them bickered less and less.

In Jade’s eyes, they seemed to have become close in their own way, but they both stubbornly denied it.

“Buster can be a bit rude, but he’s still young.”

“…Young?”

“He is, isn’t he? He only woke up two months ago.”

“Well, I suppose…”

“And he’s a cute little guy, so please go easy on him, young master.”

“…”

Jade tucked the blanket around the silent Ian and opened the book. Ian was naturally a man of few words, but strangely, whenever Jade started talking about Buster, he became even quieter.

“Jade.”

“Yes?”

Ian, clutching the blanket pulled up to his neck, called out to Jade. However, no words followed. He looked as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

“Oh, do you not like this book? I thought the part about the talking mushrooms looked fun.”

Jade thrust the cover of the fairy tale forward, pointing a finger at the mushroom illustration. Then again, they were eating so many mushrooms that they might be sick of them; seeing them in a fairy tale might be unpleasant. But Ian slowly shook his head.

“No, it’s not that…”

Ian’s cheeks flushed as red as an apple. Just what was he trying to say that he was stalling like this? Seeing him hesitate with a face as red as a child groom who had just finished his wedding ceremony made Jade intensely curious.

“How about… calling me by my name, too?”

Fidgeting with his small hands against the blanket and hesitating for a long while, Ian finally spoke. This was the first time Jade had seen Ian make a request with such a gentle expression. Usually, his face was somewhat dry and cynical.

“Would that… be okay?”

His eyes darting around, Ian glanced at Jade as if checking his reaction and asked once more. Ian’s face was now red all the way to the tips of his ears. Realizing this himself, he pulled the blanket up to the bridge of his nose. His eyes, fixed on Jade, blinked innocently.

“Hmm, your name?”

“Yes…”

“Why so sudden? Do you not like your title? It’s a good one, ‘young master.'”

Jade shrugged. What better title was there than “young master”? It wasn’t even a title just anyone could hear. Jade had always envied the “young masters” in dramas. It meant they were children of prestigious families.

“Just… I think I would like that better.”

When Jade’s reaction remained lukewarm, Ian slumped his head. After thinking for a moment, Jade shook his index finger from side to side.

“No way, that wouldn’t be right. Since when does an attendant just go around calling their master by their name?”

He might not know the rules or etiquette of this world, but he knew that much. What employee would just call their boss by name? Even at a part-time job, you’d get fired for that.

Jade flatly refused, saying it was out of the question. Ian, fiddling with the blanket, bit his lip and looked away.

“Actually…”

After a long while, Ian spoke again, as if he had been agonizing over something. His downward gaze shifted toward Jade. Unlike before, his eyes were now pitiful and forlorn. He looked like a young angel fallen into sorrow, and Jade’s heart softened instantly.

“I have… no one who calls me by my name.”

His lips trembling, Ian looked down again. His golden eyelashes cast downward and quivered slightly; he looked the picture of sorrow.

“That’s because, young master…”

“Jade calls Buster by his name. But I’m… not like him.”

Ian’s voice sounded exceptionally lonely and mournful. Was he upset that his name wasn’t being used? Ian looked so much like a puppy about to be abandoned that Jade felt as if he had committed a great sin.

“I’ll do it…!”

Grabbing Ian’s hand, Jade shouted with a voice full of determination. This was an irresistible force. How could anyone refuse a request from an angel smiling so sadly?

He was clearly weak against cute, young things.

And thinking about it, Ian was right. The only living beings in this villa were Ian, himself, Buster, and the mop ghost. Among them, Buster and the ghost couldn’t speak, and Jade only called Ian “young master.”

There was no one to call Ian by his name. Even animals forget their own existence if their names aren’t called; how sad must this young child have been? How much must he have longed for someone to say his name to have even brought this up?

Thinking that way, young Ian seemed so pathetic and pitiful that a sense of compassion surged naturally.

“I should call you that! Yes, of course. I can call it a hundred times.”

“Really…?”

Ian asked back like a single forget-me-not, his watery eyes sparkling. Those untainted eyes looked truly innocent. He didn’t know Ian could make an expression like that.

“Of course. I’ll call you as much as you want, Ian.”

“Okay.”

Having received the answer he wanted from Jade, Ian turned cold again. He slipped his hand out of Jade’s grasp and tucked it under the covers with a prickly air. His sorrowful expression reverted to its original blank state.

Jade blinked at the rapid change. He was dumbfounded. Where had the delicate forget-me-not from a moment ago gone?

However, Ian was naturally introverted and had a cold side. Since he was a child who was bad at expressing himself, Jade just brushed it off.

He must be shy.

Still, he was glad he got to see a new side of him today.

“Then you’re okay with the book, right?”

“Yes, I like it.”

“Understood. Then, Ian. Today, let’s read the fairy tale about the Mushroom Village…!”

With a determined glint in his eyes, Jade flipped to the first page.

“Yes…”

Ian nodded and looked at Jade’s hand supporting the back of the book. The hand that had been holding Ian’s just a moment ago was long and straight.

Why did I do that?

A sudden surge of irritation had driven him to put on a ridiculous act. It wasn’t like him. But when Jade talked about Buster—who was easily a hundred years old—being young or cute, it inevitably sparked annoyance. The fact that he only called Buster by a friendly name had been particularly grating today.

Jade was a warm and good person. And that kindness was impartial toward everyone. Ian hated that impartiality.

Still.

There was an advantage. The fact that Jade was particularly weak toward young and miserable things. Just as he had immediately accepted the proposal today when Ian acted a bit pathetic and let his eyes well up.

“In the Striped Mushroom Village, there lived a yellow mushroom.”

Unaware of Ian’s adorable acting, Jade’s calm voice echoed softly through the bedroom. Ian didn’t even swallow his saliva, fearing he might interfere with the reading, as he listened to the voice.

In truth, the fairy tale didn’t matter. No matter the content, they all felt similar, so he didn’t feel much of anything.

This was a story Jade had already read about five times. When Jade first started reading fairy tales, he had read the words dryly, but lately, his voice had developed a rhythm.

From the moment he reached the middle of the book, he showed a noticeable level of immersion. When a touching part came up, his soft eyes would fill with tears; when a villain appeared, his eyebrows would slant upward.

Fairy tales with similar plots were boring no matter which one was brought out, but he never tired of the calm voice and the various expressions that accompanied the reading. Even a predictable story sounded quite plausible.

“The yellow mushroom had an unusually large cap…”

Along with Jade’s cozy, continuous voice, Ian’s eyes slid shut. He definitely hadn’t been sleepy a moment ago, but now he felt drowsy and relaxed. And so, their night passed, just like any other.