Rivanu walked into the next room that Grace had cleaned and stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock.
It was hard to believe this was the same annex he had been living in until just a few days ago.
The wallpaper had been torn to shreds, spiders had built webs everywhere, and insects had infested the room.
Just cleaning away all the dust looked like it would have taken several days, yet it had not even been a full week since Grace became Rivanu’s maid.
“You cleaned all of this in just a few days?”
“Yes. The wallpaper was falling apart, so I asked around and got some leftover wallpaper to replace it.”
“…Wallpaper? By yourself?”
“Of course. This is easy.”
There was still more wallpaper left, so she planned to clean the room with the fireplace and replace its wallpaper as well.
That room was bigger, so it would take more time, but she was not worried.
“Anyway, if I’m going to clean it properly, I need to move the furniture first. I’ll move the bed now.”
“…Seriously?”
His gaze was full of doubt, as if wondering whether she was serious or had worked herself crazy.
Grace decided that actions would speak louder than a hundred words. She rolled up her sleeves and walked back into the bedroom.
Rivanu hurried after her like a nervous puppy, unable to hide his worried expression.
But Grace confidently lifted the bed that Rivanu had practically lived on.
Her expression did not change at all, and she did not even look like she was struggling.
She even carried it while walking.
Rivanu could only stare in silent disbelief.
“W-Wait… How…?”
“This is nothing.”
In just a few minutes, Grace had successfully moved the bed into the next room. She dusted off her hands and grinned.
“There! Now you can rest here!”
After saying she was going back to finish her work, Grace left.
Rivanu sat silently in the spotless bedroom.
The familiar silence surrounded him.
It had always been normal.
But now, sitting there alone again felt strangely uncomfortable.
The maids had always neglected Rivanu, so he spent most of his time alone. Even when they came, they rarely exchanged more than a single sentence with him each day.
The past few days had felt unusually lively.
Now he realized it had all been because of the new maid.
That, too, was a kind of talent.
Just one extra person had made the place feel so full of life.
Still, he instinctively understood something.
If he let her get close, and then Grace disappeared without a word like the previous maids, he would never be able to go back to treating it like it was nothing.
Now that he knew what it felt like to have someone by his side, returning to the way things had been would take a long time.
Just like when his parents abandoned him.
I don’t want that.
He was already afraid.
He had grown used to her in only a few days.
What if Grace eventually decided it was too hard and left?
Judging by her strength and personality, she did not seem like the type to quit.
But Rivanu had a habit of always expecting the worst.
What will I do then?
Besides, every maid assigned to him before had quit the moment they completed one month.
Rivanu did not know the details, but every maid assigned to him had disappeared exactly one month later.
He had come to believe that they all accepted the job under those conditions.
Grace would probably do the same.
There was no reason for her to stay by his side.
Rivanu had never thought about things like this before, but now his mind was already becoming a tangled mess.
His life had not been very long, yet almost no one had ever shown him kindness.
Grace never reacted to the awful smell.
She faithfully did her work without complaint.
She was the first person to nurse him when he was sick.
The first to bring him every meal.
Everything was a first.
Before that, when he was hungry, he simply took medicine.
Taking medicine on an empty stomach made his stomach ache, and he would groan in pain for hours.
Still, the pain was enough to make him forget his hunger.
When the pain subsided, he went outside to eat grass.
He drank water from an old well in the corner that was nearly dried up.
During spring and summer, he could sometimes gather wild berries.
But in autumn and winter, even those disappeared, making survival difficult.
Sometimes he wanted to die because his life was so miserable.
But then he imagined the people who would be happy if he died, and that thought made him too resentful to give up.
He wanted to survive.
To live for a very long time.
To make them regret everything.
Of course, it was only a fantasy.
Looking down at his decaying skin, Rivanu let out a sigh.
Ever since he had been abandoned in this annex as a child, he had never looked into a mirror.
He did not need one to know how horrifying he looked.
Then why did Grace treat him so normally?
How could she?
Any normal person would have flinched at least once.
Grace never had.
It amazed him.
And for the first time, he found himself wanting to believe…
…that maybe she was different.
But at the same time, he was afraid.
Afraid that she would become just another person who passed through his life.
***
Grace spent half the day focused entirely on cleaning.
She stopped in the middle to bring Rivanu his meals, then went back to work.
Little by little, the endless cleaning was finally nearing its end.
Still, there was not enough time to clean the chimney before the day was over.
By the time dinner came, Grace finally straightened her aching back.
“Hmm. I’ve finished most of the dusting. Next, I’ll clean the chimney and put up new wallpaper.”
After admiring the freshly cleaned room for a moment, Grace hurried to the kitchen to collect the ingredients the head chef had saved for her.
She reheated the stew she had prepared earlier and baked fresh bread.
She even added a fresh salad.
“Young Master! It’s time for dinner!”
As soon as the door opened, Rivanu immediately stood up.
It seemed he had been staring toward the entrance the whole time.
Their eyes met.
Only for a moment.
Rivanu quickly looked away.
Grace smiled.
“You must have been hungry.”
“…That’s not it.”
“Then… were you waiting for me?”
“No.”
“Alright, alright. Eat first.”
Rivanu glanced at Grace.
She looked just as energetic as she had that morning.
She had spent the whole day cleaning by herself.
Was she only pretending she was fine?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Grace asked after noticing his stare.
Rivanu immediately looked away as if nothing had happened.
“When did I…?”
He could not hide his expression at all, yet he still acted innocent.
He really is just a kid, Grace thought with a small smile.
Then she suddenly placed her hand on his forehead.
“Your fever has gone down a lot.”
“…Uh…”
Flustered, Rivanu quietly leaned away from her touch.
Then he said,
“I want to be alone. You can go.”
“Oh. Okay.”
While Grace had been busy cleaning, Rivanu had made up his mind to keep some distance.
He still could not trust how long her kindness would last.
If he believed in it too quickly and got hurt, he would be the only one who suffered.
It might be better to take things slowly and watch.
Thinking that, Rivanu secretly looked back at Grace.
“I’ll leave you alone. Finish eating, and if you need anything, call me.”
Grace left without showing even the slightest disappointment.
For some reason, Rivanu’s shoulders drooped.
****
After several more days, Grace finished cleaning the chimney and replacing the wallpaper.
Rivanu moved back into his room.
Now that the fireplace worked, the room was warm, and his cold disappeared completely.
However, after seeming to lower his guard, Rivanu started putting his walls back up.
Grace was not discouraged.
After all, she was still the only person by his side.
Day after day passed.
Before they knew it, it had been two weeks since Grace became Rivanu’s personal maid.
“Hm?”
After finishing her usual work and heading back to rest, Grace spotted Rivanu leaving the annex.
It was the first time she had ever seen him go outside first.
If he had walked out openly, she would have assumed he was taking a walk.
But he was sneaking out.
Curious, she quietly followed him.
It grew darker the farther they went.
Instead of heading toward open ground, Rivanu kept moving deeper into the shadows.
Then Grace saw him meet someone.
She leaned forward to get a better look, but the person was wearing a black robe that completely hid their face.
Who is that?
She moved closer, hoping to overhear their conversation.
“…Rivanu… …”
“…already… …”
She was still too far away to hear clearly.
The two of them spoke naturally, as though they had met many times before.
Grace had thought she would be the first person Rivanu allowed into his life.
She had never expected someone was already there.
She had believed winning Rivanu’s trust would simply take time.
But depending on who this mysterious person was, it might not be as easy as she had thought.
Frowning, Grace promised herself she would work even harder.
She shifted her footing.
Crunch.
She accidentally stepped on a dry branch.
The sharp sound echoed through the darkness.
The figure in the black robe instantly snapped their head toward the noise.
“Who’s there?”
A metallic voice, harsh enough to send chills down her spine.
The moment Grace heard it, her heart dropped.
She still could not see the person’s face.
But she would never forget that voice.
It was Grino Eggpara. There was no doubt about it.
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