Ianathas seemed to understand why I was confused.

He had mixed feelings, wishing for Reniel’s death while also hoping she wouldn’t die.

If she died by his lord’s hand, her ability to stabilize magical power would go to his lord Felix.

Then Felix, who suffered from insomnia due to the curse of absorbing magic stones, would find stability.

But if she died, Felix wouldn’t be able to smile with such a relaxed expression as he did now.

Though it was unclear how close they had become while sleeping together, their relationship seemed very intimate.

But it was still complicated and confusing to say that those two feelings were all I felt.

He thought Reniel didn’t seem to regard his lord as a lover or deep relationship, seeing her tremble while looking at Felix.

On the other hand, he felt strange seeing her tightly hugging his head and trembling like a rabbit out of fear.

He couldn’t tell if he wanted to protect her or kill her with his own hands.

And then when he saw her plump lips…

“…”

He sighed, feeling that his body, which had troubled him by not responding, seemed to have found its function in an unexpected situation.

“Put this bill on my tab,” Felix said.

Reniel smiled brightly.

“I’ve already paid for it.”

“Why?”

She pondered a bit on how to answer his strange question.

“Because I wanted to give it to you as a gift, Master?”

“Is that why you’re so late?”

“I got late choosing carefully. I selected it meticulously.”

Reniel looked into Felix’s eyes.

She was very tense, thinking he could throw her to the ground at any moment.

From the moment he picked her up, she had been trembling like a doe caught by a predator.

She thought him not killing her now was just a predator’s whim.

“Still, you’re quite late.”

Understanding what he meant, she touched his black hair.

“I’ll come early next time. I was having so much fun choosing that I lost track of time.”

Ianathas, listening to their conversation from behind, felt his heart race when she said the time spent with him was enjoyable.

Thinking this palpitation was also her ability controlling him, he glared at her with resentment.

“From now on, if you need anything, put it on the name of House Le Pelique.”

“Really?”

“Should I give you the family head’s ring?”

“If you give that to me, how will you work, Master?”

“It’s not difficult for me to work without such things. I have my signature.”

“No, no. The aides will have trouble.”

Reniel spoke cheerfully and laughed.

She knew well that Felix wasn’t a person who enjoyed jokes, so she was firmly declining.

If she had said she’d accept it even as a joke, it would be troublesome if she really received the family head’s ring, as it wouldn’t be easy to return.

“What’s the gift?”

“Earrings. Since you said you’d pierce my ears, I thought I’d pierce yours too.”

“Alright, that sounds good.”

Ianathas, still guarding from behind, felt strange about how close the two were.

“Ianathas.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Go do your work. Are you going to follow us to the room?”

“…My apologies.”

He came to his senses, realizing he was about to follow them to the bedroom on the third floor.

Unlike him, Reniel entered the bedroom with Felix.

Ianathas felt guilty when he saw Reniel mouthing ‘Thank you for today’ and waving her hand before turning back.

After all, he had moved entirely according to his own calculations today.

****

“Oh my.”

Reniel exclaimed as soon as she returned to Felix’s bedroom.

“Who cleaned the room?”

“The Knight Commander.”

The room wasn’t extremely clean, but it had been tidied up a bit.

Before she left, this place was a mess due to the objects Felix had smashed with his sword at dawn.

Now it looked more like a place where people lived, compared to when it resembled a haunted house.

“You didn’t use other servants?”

“Who could I trust to do it?”

“Then you should have waited for me. I could have cleaned it.”

Reniel knew well that Felix was wary of people.

Yet, she opened her eyes wide, looking at him, thinking it was too much that he called the Knight Commander, who was busy training the knights, to clean.

“I should have done that.”

Felix, answering dryly, actually thought he’d prefer if Reniel didn’t do such work anymore.

If he wasn’t going to keep her as a servant, he wondered what pretext he should use to keep her by his side.

He felt like he had lost Reniel to work, as there seemed to be more tasks for a servant than he had thought.

“What does a servant do?”

“Well, they assist their master. When you’re in the mansion, they make sure you’re comfortable.”

“What else?”

“And they also manage the budget.”

“I see.”

“Don’t I submit reports to you every time?”

“That’s right.”

Felix thought it might be better to promote Reniel to head servant so she wouldn’t have to do trivial tasks like cleaning.

Yet he hesitated, remembering that he had only entrusted room cleaning to the head servant he trusted all this time.

“I like cleaning your room, Master.”

As if knowing his concerns, Reniel answered perceptively.

“Why do you like it? Isn’t it bothersome?”

“As I’ve told you before, it’s for you, Master. That’s why I like it. I want you to feel how much I care for you through the room.”

Felix closed his mouth at her words.

He thought that perhaps it wouldn’t be good to take away the duties of assistant head servant from her.

He nodded at her words and said,

“You seem to have a lot of pride in your work as a servant.”

“Of course.”

At her answer, he concluded that even if he promoted her, he shouldn’t take away her work.

Felix knew from long experience.

What people cherish varies, and some people might break if that is taken away from them.

He was comfortable being with Reniel as she was now. So it would be right to refrain from doing anything that might break her.

Thinking this, he put her down on the bed.

“Go wash up.”

“Have you washed, Master?”

“Yes.”

“What about work?”

“I finished it already.”

Reniel chuckled at Felix’s words.

“Then I’ll go to my room for a moment.”

“Wash here.”

“I don’t have my clothes here. I’ll wash in my room on the 5th floor and come back.”

He couldn’t refuse her pleading tone.

“How long will it take?”

“20 minutes will do.”

“I’ll wait, then.”

Felix didn’t like having to wait again.

But seeing her smile while looking into his eyes made him think it might be worth waiting.

“Pat my head before you go.”

“What? Oh… alright.”

Reniel was a bit surprised but stood up on her tiptoes from the bed. She tried to pat Felix’s hair.

He bent his waist to make it easier for her to reach.

“Your hair is amazing, Master.”

“How so?”

“All the hair on your body is like thorns, but your head hair is really soft.”

He laughed at her honest words.

“What about the eyebrows?”

“Can I touch them?”

“Go ahead.”

She then touched his eyebrows.

“Oh my. They’re like rose thorns.”

“Haha.”

She was genuinely surprised to find that even his eyebrows were stiff.

“Can I touch your eyelashes too?”

“Go ahead.”

Reniel smiled brightly and put her hand on his face. As he closed his eyes defensively, she touched his eyelashes.

“How are they?”

“The eyelashes are soft. I guess hair grows here too.”

He chuckled at her naive remark.

“Ouch.”

Perhaps because his face was too close, she inadvertently poked his eye.

“I’m sorry!”

“…It’s fine.”

His eye hurt a bit, but he tried to squint and check her face. He saw a pale, worried expression.

“You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

“Pfft.”

He laughed again at her words.

“Just go wash up.”

“Yes!”

Reniel grabbed her large shopping bag and ran out of the room.

As she fled like a runaway rabbit at full speed, he laughed again, finding something amusing.

While rubbing his eye, he noticed the small shopping bag she had left behind.

Curious about the earrings she said she’d gift him, he opened the shopping bag.

Inside, he saw a small card. Without hesitation, he grabbed the card.

“How cute.”

Thinking Reniel might have written him a letter, he opened the card.

“It was nice meeting you today.

I didn’t know Assistant Head Servant Reniel had a sister.

Ren, you’re exactly my type. Let’s have a meal sometime.

−Rosalind

p.s. My number is…”

Ianathas telling everyone that Reniel had a sister today, and taking her to the jeweler in a woman’s appearance.

The reason for all those actions was to reveal her identity to Felix.

Ianathas’s reason wanted his lord to know that Reniel was a woman and that she had deceived Felix.

Regardless of how his heart felt about her.

“…”

And Felix was a very perceptive person.

Seeing Rosalind’s letter, he realized that Reniel might be hiding something from him.