Expectation was the last thing she should have been feeling.
“Hnghh…”
Even while writhing in agony, Rivanu never once asked Grace for help.
“Young Master.”
Even when Grace tried to help him, he coldly pushed her away instead.
“S-Stay away!”
He recoiled from her approach as if she were someone trying to hurt him, refusing to let even the edge of their clothes brush against each other.
“…No.”
At least throw a tantrum.
Of course, she understood.
As far as Grace knew, Rivanu’s childhood had been utterly miserable.
Much later, Prince Cabel, who was well-versed in medicine, discovered that Rivanu’s condition was not an ordinary skin disease but Infinito Danio.
By the time the Foret family regretted everything and beat their chests in remorse, it was already too late.
They should have at least done nothing if they couldn’t do better.
The moment Rivanu started succeeding, they completely changed their attitude and began flattering him. If Grace had been in his place, even the last shred of affection she still had would have disappeared.
Though, from the Foret family’s perspective, it would have been a waste to lose someone with Infinito Danio.
If that was the case, they should have treated him well from the beginning.
Infinito Danio was a congenital condition of excessive mana.
Unlike ordinary people, those born with it possessed far too much mana. Unable to release it properly, the mana accumulated within their bodies and caused the illness.
Yet if someone with the condition learned to control their mana correctly, they could become an unmatched genius—whether as a swordsman or a mage.
Unfortunately, one of Rivanu’s greatest misfortunes was that House Foret was a family of scholars, not warriors.
“Young Master, does it hurt that much?”
Even after taking medicine, he was suffering like this.
Watching Rivanu quietly groan in pain, Grace had to admit his face was frightening to look at.
But it stirred nothing in her.
His flesh was melting away, giving off a sickening odor.
Even so, Grace was used to smells like this. She had long since become immune to them.
She had smelled them endlessly during the days when she herself had been a test subject.
She had even smelled things far worse than this.
***
As expected, the moment the medicine wore off, Rivanu suffered even more than before, helpless against the pain.
“Haaah…”
“Should I… should I go get more medicine?”
He had clenched his fists so tightly that the flesh on his pale hands was melting and dripping off like water.
“It’s fine… so leave. Hngh…”
“Young Master, I…”
“You’re only making me more uncomfortable by staying here, so please leave.”
Now he was practically begging.
Grace was only a maid, so he could have lashed out at her if he wanted.
But Rivanu never did.
If anything, he was overly humble.
Seeing him act like this caught Grace off guard.
She had expected him to be irritable from the pain, but he was much calmer than she had imagined.
Still, she couldn’t exactly blurt out, “I can cure your illness.”
She had to earn his trust somehow.
“Hmm…”
What should she do?
“Young Master… could I stay?”
For now, she just had to slowly break down this wall between them.
“Why…?”
“Ngh…” Rivanu groaned in agony and gripped the headboard tightly.
“Young Master, please let me do something. Like I said, I have absolutely no intention of leaving.”
I can’t go back like this!
Despite being rejected again and again, Grace remained firm, never losing heart.
Finally, Rivanu muttered as though he had given up.
He had already taken the medicine, and not enough time had passed. He couldn’t take another dose yet.
“Why not?”
“They said… it’s too strong. Two bottles a day is the limit.”
“Ah… Then I’ll stay with you.”
Perhaps because she stubbornly refused to leave despite being told to, Rivanu frowned deeply at her.
“It’s miserable to be alone when you’re in pain.”
Grace quickly came up with an excuse.
“I’m not.”
As expected, it didn’t work.
Grace almost wanted to cry.
What an iron wall.
This wasn’t how she had imagined their first meeting would go.
***
Rivanu kept telling her to leave.
Grace kept refusing.
That was how their tug-of-war began.
After arguing several more times, the first one to give in from exhaustion was Rivanu.
“Ahhh…”
If it still hurt this much even after taking medicine, it seemed there wasn’t a single comfortable moment in his day.
Feeling a little sorry for him, Grace stayed by Rivanu’s side and diligently tried to nurse him.
Or rather, she tried to.
Since he couldn’t take more medicine, all she could do was wipe the sweat from his forehead while watching him suffer.
But even that was rejected.
“Don’t… touch me…”
Grace began to worry that at this rate she wouldn’t just fail to become close to him—she wouldn’t even earn his trust.
“Then… why can’t I touch you? Did I do something wrong? Or is there at least a reason?”
Caught off guard by the rapid-fire questions, Rivanu blinked before finally answering.
“It makes you uncomfortable…”
“Huh?”
Grace blinked in confusion.
“…I’m disgusting. And I smell.”
“Young Master, I’ve never thought that.”
“You’re lying.”
She knew that praising him too much would only make her sound unbelievable, so she mixed in a little honesty.
“You do have a smell, but I don’t think you’re disgusting.”
“…What?”
Perhaps because her answer was so bluntly honest, Rivanu stared at her in disbelief, blinking with eyelids that had half melted away before letting out a hollow laugh.
“I mean it.”
As if he couldn’t believe her, he glanced at Grace cautiously before speaking again, his voice softer than before.
“Don’t lie. You won’t gain anything by doing this.”
“I’m not expecting anything. Right now, I just don’t want you to be in pain.”
Grace blinked, trying to look as sincere and innocent as possible.
Rivanu looked genuinely flustered.
It made sense.
The maids who had served him before had only done so unwillingly.
Even among maids, the way they were treated depended on the status of the master they served.
Naturally, everyone wanted to serve someone powerful.
In fact, Grace had simply asked the previous personal maid if she could take over the position.
The woman had handed it over immediately.
She had even asked Grace how much money she wanted in exchange.
She must have hated the job so much that she had been willing to pay extra just to be rid of it.
Besides, the detached residence was practically empty.
Only a bed sat inside a building so old it looked ready to collapse.
Every breath came out as white mist from the cold.
There wasn’t even any firewood.
The only options were chopping logs herself or wearing thicker clothes.
Grace had expected poor conditions.
She just hadn’t expected them to be this bad.
Still, she didn’t mind.
If anything, she believed the bond built under circumstances like these would be genuine.
“…Do whatever you want.”
Rivanu spoke as though challenging her to try.
“Really? Then… can I stay by your side?”
“You’re saying that now, but you’ll disappear after a month anyway.”
Looking at her with wavering eyes, Rivanu let out a cynical scoff.
It was the first time since they met that he had shown open bitterness.
Grace had never expected him to believe her after a few words.
“…I guess that’s how it’s always been.”
Without answering, Rivanu continued scratching his forearm over and over.
Pieces of melted flesh fell away, but the itching seemed even worse than the pain.
He scratched until he bled, unable to stop.
She wasn’t allowed to help him.
And there was nothing she could do anyway.
Watching it happen was torture in itself.
“…Young Master, if you ever need anything, please call me. I’d really like to stay with you, but honestly… I don’t think I’m much help right now. And I’m sorry for refusing to leave when you asked.”
That was enough.
She had accomplished part of what she came for.
After all, Rivanu himself had said she could stay by his side.
“…”
As expected, no answer came.
Still, Grace smiled to herself as she looked at his wounds one last time before quietly leaving the bedroom.
Standing in the hallway, she glanced around.
The detached residence was used almost like a storage building.
Random junk was piled into every corner, and because no one maintained it, cobwebs and insects were everywhere.
Even Rivanu’s bedroom was little more than a pit of dust.
It seemed his previous maids had never cared about keeping the place clean.
After all, no matter how hard they worked, no one would notice.
There was no reason to bother.
But to Grace, whose goal was crystal clear, this place looked like a treasure trove.
A treasure trove that would help her win Rivanu’s heart.
“Hehe.”
He might be prickly now, but if Grace was still here a month later, diligently taking care of him, he would surely begin to see her differently.
Instead of making things worse by pestering him, she’d do something else!
Grinning, Grace hoisted the cleaning tools onto her shoulder.
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