Everything became certain because of yesterday’s events.

The reason why the Le Pelique ducal family paid such high wages was because it included hazard pay.

Fortunately, I had been able to receive high wages and save money because I had lived without any incidents for 10 years.

But the problem was that now it seemed like trouble was about to arise.

First of all, Ianathas had found out my true identity.

Reniel knew that Ianathas, despite his cheerful outward appearance, was an extremely cold and cruel person.

From what I saw in the original work, there were a few scenes that I remembered.

Like how he mercilessly killed someone suspected of being a spy, or how he tortured someone to make them talk.

Although it wasn’t mentioned much, there were certainly some terribly memorable parts.

Moreover, at the casino he was entrusted to run, he trained female assassins.

‘If Reniel had been a woman, she would have been the most popular dealer at our casino. What a shame.’

And because he had a history of occasionally saying such things.

Reniel had tried to keep her distance from Ianathas.

And then there was her master.

Felix Le Pelique was truly a dangerous person.

It was clear that his kindness towards her when intoxicated was due to the sleepwalking caused by the sleeping pills.

Felix’s cruelty was even more frightening because it was outwardly visible. It meant that he couldn’t even pretend to hide it like Ianathas.

The information Reniel could access as the deputy head butler of the Le Pelique ducal family was of considerably higher quality compared to what she knew when she was just a regular servant.

Most of it was about how rich the Le Pelique ducal family was.

If one looked closely, one could even predict how they handled the imperial family’s affairs.

Duke Le Pelique was truly working like a cold-blooded person with an icy heart.

He had no hesitation in eliminating political opponents and seemed to issue cruel orders without reservation.

If it were discovered that Reniel was actually a woman and had been deceiving Felix all this time.

“Your Highness already knows my secret, right?”

“So what?”

“If you tell my master about it, I’ll probably be killed as an example. Maybe I’ll be executed in front of the other servants.”

Reniel said this, although she wasn’t certain. Of course, in the case of other servants, they were generously transferred elsewhere, but.

Lying about one’s gender was a different matter. It meant there was a problem with the employment itself from the beginning. There was a clear difference between deliberately deceiving to get in and accidentally committing a crime.

Moreover, she was currently in the highest position among the servants and receiving the highest salary.

The mistake of a mere servant and the mistake of the deputy head butler, or even the head butler position that was being discussed for her, were vastly different matters.

There could be no better excuse for making an example of her.

Moreover, as someone who had come from an orphanage to this position, the sense of betrayal would be indescribable.

Such an incident would occur where they’d say, “We trusted someone with an unclear background and gave them a good position, but as expected, they were an ungrateful black-haired beast.”

“So you’ve changed your mind?”

Thanasis understood her words to some extent, but he didn’t feel good about it.

It was because of her appearance, looking at him with concern but not approaching.

Ever since he found out she was a woman, no matter how much she looked like a man, she felt like a woman to him.

He disliked this strange feeling, but every time he saw her beautiful purple eyes looking straight at him, he felt like he was softening.

“Caress me.”

“Yes.”

Reniel, perhaps because she had been hearing this order often lately, stroked Thanasis’s cheek without much hesitation.

Thanasis, covered in blood, once again felt annoyed remembering that Reniel had tried to knock him unconscious by hitting him on the head twice.

Yet, seeing her eyes looking at him with concern, he let out a sigh.

“Do this every time you’re with me from now on. And take off the ring.”

“Yes, I will.”

Reniel quickly took off the ring. Instantly transformed back into a woman, she caressed Thanasis’s cheek.

Thanasis’s anger had now completely subsided.

While Reniel had a delicate appearance as a man, as a woman, she was certainly radiant.

Even in a simple butler’s uniform, her glossy hair flowing over her noticeable shoulders, her sparkling purple eyes, and her peach-colored lips stood out.

Add to that her purification ability that suppressed the side effects with every breath she took.

Thanasis felt that just by being in contact with her, he could forgive this level of rudeness.

Yet, he found himself pondering whether it was fortunate that she feared Felix more than him right now.

“If you leave here with me, you’ll have to move together with me.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Why? If not, should I open my mouth when Duke Le Pelique comes?”

“Our master might not believe you.”

“You don’t think that subordinate will say anything?”

Reniel knew that Ianathas hadn’t said anything to Felix yet. If he had said something, there was no way she would still be safe.

Moreover, Duke Le Pelique’s insomnia was quite famous, and Reniel had known that he lived on sleeping pills since she was an apprentice servant.

So he would take matters related to sleep seriously.

Reniel thought she understood a bit why he slept well when he was with her. Maybe he could sleep with anyone as long as someone was with him. Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.

She herself clearly had no special abilities.

It was probably just that Felix was reluctant to have someone by his side, so he had never tried sleeping with anyone until now.

She needed to run away quickly before Felix found out the truth.

At this rate, she really felt like she wouldn’t live out her natural lifespan.

“Not yet.”

“That’s funny.”

“Isn’t Your Highness’s ability unstable?”

“…That’s right.”

Thanasis couldn’t deny it because she had seen everything last time.

His ability was certainly unstable. Sometimes it flowed out as if about to go berserk, and sometimes it didn’t come out at all.

It was all because of the fire mana stone he had forcibly absorbed.

“I know how to stabilize it.”

Reniel remembered Felix’s actions in the original work that helped Thanasis use his ability properly.

“I see…”

Thanasis wasn’t surprised. He also knew that the more he came into contact with the Duchess of Nirnberg, the more his mana would stabilize.

But he trailed off, wondering how Reniel could make such a promise while not knowing well who she really was.

“From now on, I’ll teach you that method. In return, please make sure to treat me as dead when we escape from this mansion.”

“Alright, but promise to follow me for sure.”

“Okay. But, um… I want to live as a woman when I get out. Is that alright?”

“Should I make you a palace maid then?”

“Really? Is the welfare there good too? I know the salary is high, but… Of course, I know it’s not as high as at the Le Pelique ducal family.”

Thanasis shook his head in disbelief and sighed. Yet, he found her pragmatic attitude quite appealing and said with a smirk.

“I’ll make you the head maid.”

“I can’t be a maid because my background is unclear. How about head housemaid?”

“Do you think it’s possible to have an unclear background as a maid entering the imperial family? I can buy your background. If we pass you off as the daughter of a suitable noble family, you can be a maid too.”

“Then I’ll be the head maid. Please pay me a lot.”

Reniel’s naive request was amusing, but thinking that was the only way to take her out.

“Alright then. I’ll pay you twice as much as here.”

He said, smiling. In reality, he was planning to hand Reniel over to the Duke of Nirnberg once he took her out.

Of course, he would imprint on her before handing her over, not letting her fall into the hands of another man.

And just as he had waited for her, longing for her while he was trapped in darkness like this.

He wanted to create a time for her to long for him too.

Every time her mesmerizing purple eyes looked somewhere other than at him, he felt a strange impatience, wanting to call her name over and over.

He didn’t know what this strange state was. While wondering if it might be a desire to monopolize the person who purified his mana.

“I’ll work hard.”

Because it was cute too.

He came to think that there was no need to handle her only through coercive methods. Even though he himself was being handled in a bad way.

****

“Do you take this many sleeping pills?”

Reniel had come to Felix’s room to see him, as he had unusually waited for her without falling asleep until 2 o’clock.

“I can’t sleep without them.”

Reniel became very curious about how he would be if he didn’t take sleeping pills.

Seeing her holding ten sleeping pills in her hand, he took her hand and said.

“Then shall I help you until you fall asleep?”

“Why, are you going to tell me to quit sleeping pills too?”

“Hehe, yes.”

Felix truly felt strange. He had never thought about being able to sleep without sleeping pills until now.

It would surely be painful.

He knew better how painful a morning was when he woke up without sleeping even for a moment.

Yet, looking at her eyes staring at him, he felt strangely reassured.

“Let’s try reducing them, then.”

Saying that, he gave the sleeping pills to her.

Soon, she put the sleeping pills back into the medicine bottle and led Felix’s hand towards the bed.

“Is it okay if I reduce them as I see fit?”

“Sure.”

Felix sensed it at this moment.

Having the same reaction to looking at a man as when looking at a woman was surely.

A sign that he might be homosexual.

He reached a strange state where he felt self-loathing rising, but at the same time, when Reniel smiled at him, he reflexively relaxed while also tensing up.