“I don’t know if you’re fearless or just stupid.”

“Last time you said that, you told me it was both.”

Reniel was recalling when she first met Felix as a mere servant.

‘You dare to act familiar with me first?’

‘I’m your servant, Master…’

‘I don’t know if you’re fearless or just stupid.’

‘Either way, I’ll agree that you’re right, Master.’

‘So it’s both.’

Reniel had bumped into Felix while moving quickly at that time.

However, back then she mistakenly thought Felix was actually a good person, unlike his appearance or reputation, which was why the servants’ welfare was so good.

But now she knew he was just someone who mechanically tested people and checked if they could be kept by his side or not.

If they couldn’t be kept by his side.

For men, he would write a letter of recommendation to another noble family. But for women? He would make an example of them by executing them for the price of deception.

And now that she knew many secrets of the Le Pelique duchy.

He would definitely kill her for the added crime of insolence.

If nothing else, she knew about Thanasis Avein Apentina.

The thought of him sent chills down her spine.

“Then what should I take the medicine with?”

“I’ll grind it for you. Just take it with water.”

Felix nodded at her words.

Soon, Reniel laid out tools to grind medicine from a nearby table.

“Is that clean?”

“Of course. I clean and set up all the tableware in your room every day, Master.”

Reniel said that and then took his bottle of sleeping pills. She took out just one pill and placed it on a square glass plate.

“You’re not saying to take just one, are you?”

“How many do you usually take?”

“I don’t know. Probably ten.”

“My goodness, that many? If I’d known, I should have taken out all the pills and counted how many you take every day…!”

Felix chuckled at Reniel’s words.

“Can’t you take just three today? And slowly cut back, okay?”

“…Alright, I’ll do that.”

Reniel’s expression seemed truly sincere.

“No, rather than that, I’ll stop taking sleeping pills starting today. How’s that?”

Felix didn’t know why he was making such a proposal, but seeing Reniel’s expression noticeably brighten, it didn’t seem so bad.

And he was still… investigating.

Of course, Reniel could really be an assassin sent by the imperial family to target him.

If she had been waiting for an opportunity for 10 years, it would be truly dangerous, or the imperial family might have tried to win her over recently.

Because Felix had been betrayed by people for such a long time.

He knew well the value of someone who could truly be trusted.

That’s why he intended to treat this careless servant as usual until he was sure whether she was really an assassin or not.

Moreover, looking at her again, she seemed too careless to be an assassin.

The reflexive eye smile whenever their eyes met, and the lips that trembled slightly at the ends while trying to hide fear by pressing them together.

Along with eyes that sparkled strangely like amethysts, deep-colored lips, and a delicate neckline that didn’t suit a man’s Adam’s apple.

Reniel seemed to put him in a deadlock.

Moreover, when he focused on her face, he had the illusion of seeing a woman’s body, and when he looked at her body, he had the illusion that her hair had grown longer.

It wasn’t that Felix had never seen beautiful men before.

The businesses he ran were overflowing with beautiful women and beautiful men.

But this strange situation where they all seemed trivial compared to Reniel in this plain butler’s uniform.

He really couldn’t comprehend it.

He even thought she might be using charm abilities by absorbing magic stones.

“Master? Is it still difficult for you to quit right away?”

“…”

“Your expression has darkened.”

“No. Didn’t I say I’d quit? I can quit.”

Felix answered harshly and then sighed, brushing back the hair that had fallen over his forehead.

Thinking his tone might have startled her, he gently looked in her direction.

However, whether oblivious or not, Reniel was already looking at him with an expression where fear had considerably subsided.

“Then… shall we lie down?”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

She put the sleeping pill bottle on the bedside table and watched as he climbed onto the bed.

Soon, Felix tightly fastened his robe and lay down on the bed.

“…I can’t believe you really put me to sleep like this every time.”

He said that as he watched her naturally come to his side.

“Should I just stay beside you? Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, come here.”

Felix sighed when he saw Reniel hesitating with only her knees on the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to take off my clothes. You find my clothes uncomfortable, Master. I’ll just wear my shirt.”

She took off her vest and placed it on the bedside table. Then she went to Felix’s side wearing only a thin shirt.

“Master, you said you fall asleep listening to heartbeats, right?”

“You sure said a lot.”

He couldn’t remember saying such things.

But it was true.

Felix often mistook himself for dead due to constant death threats, so he would fall asleep listening to his heartbeat with his hand on his wrist, wanting to feel alive.

To him, this life was not living.

It was just an ongoing hell, worse than death but impossible to break free from.

While desperately enduring to live, there was almost no reason left to live.

That’s why he had kidnapped Thanasis.

Thinking that if he got revenge, things might get a little better.

But thanks to Reniel helping him sleep well recently, his desire for revenge against Thanasis was feeling rather trivial.

“I hope you have good dreams, Master.”

Reniel naturally placed his head on her chest and embraced him.

Felix didn’t particularly restrain her audacious behavior.

“It’s certainly disturbing. Undo some shirt buttons.”

“I will.”

She was about to do as he said. Then Felix easily undid her buttons. He then placed his ear against her bare skin and closed his eyes.

“Stay still.”

“…Yes.”

She slowly stroked his hair, trying to subdue her fear.

“Until I fall asleep.”

“Of course.”

Felix felt his body becoming more and more drowsy from the hand stroking his hair.

Perhaps due to her steady heartbeat and gentle touch, his body was gradually finding stability.

His body, which had definitely become languid, was losing strength more and more.

As time passed like that.

By the time the grandfather clock in the distant hallway chimed three times to mark the hour, Reniel had also fallen asleep.

****

“I’d like to get some information about Reniel Beila.”

Ianathas was at the poorhouse where Reniel had stayed. It was very early morning now.

Early enough that the poorhouse director was still in his bedroom.

“I-I’ll give it to you! I’ll give you anything!”

The poorhouse director immediately got up from bed as soon as he saw Ianathas, recognizing who he was.

He had come like this before, threatening lives and gathering information about someone.

And the people he gathered information on always died.

The poorhouse director hurriedly headed to the director’s office in his pajamas out of fear.

Ianathas followed him, smiling leisurely as he walked, but.

Soon, the poorhouse director who was looking for files organized by name handed over Reniel’s entire file to him.

Ianathas smirked, pleased with his submissive attitude.

Then he examined the contents inside.

“How long have you been the director here?”

“I… I’m just starting my 10th year.”

“What about the previous director?”

“He died in an accident.”

Ianathas thought it was quite suspicious that the part indicating Reniel’s gender as female had been blacked out and changed to male in red letters next to it.

“Has anyone else come looking for Reniel Beila besides me?”

“No, there hasn’t been. That child was… very self-sufficient.”

The poorhouse director recalled that Reniel was the most successful person from this poorhouse, and thought it would be a bit regrettable if that child were to die.

“I see. Can I take this?”

“Of course.”

But because Ianathas was frightening, he didn’t say anything more and just stayed like that.

****

Ianathas headed straight for the Le Pelique duchy.

It should be about time for his lord to wake up. Then Reniel should be up too.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to go to his lord’s bedroom, so he headed to Reniel’s 5th floor on-duty room.

The moment he casually opened the door and entered.

“Ah! Kn-knock! Don’t you knock?”

Reniel had just finished showering. Of all times, without even wearing her ring.

“Why are you bathing at this hour!”

As Ianathas said that in surprise, the towel wrapped around her body came loose.

Ianathas quickly turned his body away in embarrassment.

He had never done this before, but in his flustered state, he ended up showing his back.