“You could do anything if you don’t die soon. You’re a Blanchet after all.”

The face looking at me is filled with bewilderment.

Understandable. No one has ever dared to talk back to the young master like this before.

Everyone bows their head before a Blanchet.

“Interesting.”

A faint smile flickered across Callian’s face and disappeared.

With a sneer, he met my gaze.

“But in the end, you’re here to pick up even a drop that falls from Blanchet too.”

One who scavenges for a single drop falling from Blanchet.

That fits my situation perfectly. It means this is the kind of unremarkable comment I would normally just let slide.

Many commoners, or at least all the Alphonse people in this Cleonleaf territory, live like that – what’s so special about it?

A servant should just move according to their employer’s wishes.

Like someone attending to the young master, I try to coat my words with the sweetest honey without offending him.

Why would I think that way? I’m different, I could say.

I came here to save you.

Such flattery would be enough.

But my tongue moved on its own.

“…That’s right. I came here to pick up whatever I can get.”

It was closer to an impulsive decision.

The man’s eyes looked so empty, with a hint of deep resignation mixed in, that I couldn’t bring myself to say sweet words like cotton candy.

Truly, it was a foolish choice.

Why admit to that here? What was I trying to accomplish by irritating the young master?

I’ve always thought that mixing emotions with work is something only fools do, and for a moment, I felt like one of those fools.

As expected, one of Callian’s eyebrows rose perfectly.

As if he’d heard something distasteful.

Then he let out a small “Ah” and smiled mischievously.

“But you don’t seem very desperate?”

Unlike his sarcastic words, his tone is straightforward. Almost as if it’s a simple question.

Of course, it couldn’t be.

My throat tightened.

There has never been a time in my life so far when I wasn’t desperate.

Even at this moment, even coming here, every moment had to be desperate.

That’s the kind of life where I could barely survive day by day.

To maintain what little life I had with my mother.

I suppose my rash behavior today was unlike me.

Perhaps that’s why it seemed far from desperate.

The desperate ones dig their own wells and kneel before those who throw them scraps – that’s the way of the world.

In that sense, I had made a big mistake today.

Those red eyes stare at me piercingly, without the slightest waver.

Every time I see those eyes, I feel like my body is pierced to the bone. Even sitting up straight, he overwhelms others just by his presence.

His head is held high, as if daring me to show my desperation.

Before him, I began digging a belated well.

“There’s no one in this village who isn’t desperate.”

Callian’s eyebrow lifted slightly. As if he’d heard something unexpected.

“The amount that’s just a drop to Blanchet is life-sustaining water that could help someone like me survive for a day, no, a month.”

“…”

“Of course, you hold the tap to that life-sustaining water, young master.”

“Do I need to know about such circumstances?”

The cruel words take on a completely different meaning coming from the young master’s mouth.

It’s harsh to ask a terminally ill young master to interpret others’ lives.

“You don’t need to know.”

“…”

“I just wanted to tell you that everyone is doing their best.”

A suffocating silence lingered in the air.

I think I should have just thrown out a few honeyed words instead.

It seems I’ve come to expect too much “sympathy” from him, for whom even asking for understanding would be a luxury.

But looking closely, I could see that one corner of Callian’s mouth was slightly raised.

‘Does he find this situation amusing?’

The sharp voice that came out in an instant wiped away such thoughts.

“Do you think I’m asking about the desperation of the people in this village?”

“I’m one of those people too.”

“Ah, then I could just use another desperate person. Is that what you want?”

I felt breathless at his scathing words that cornered me.

I’ve been through countless things before, dealt with people several times greater than this young master, yet such simple words corner me.

Is it because this man’s position is so high?

No, I didn’t act like this in front of the nobles I encountered before.

There were many tourists who briefly visited this place, and many of them were leisurely nobles, so it wasn’t uncommon to encounter them.

Most of them didn’t openly show their dislike in front of others. They were the kind of people who would just note it and cut you off later if they didn’t like you.

But this man feels like he’s toying with people.

As if enjoying the fact that everything depends on his finger, he’s placed me on that pale palm of his and is tormenting me.

Clutching my desperation in one hand.

Why did I tell the truth? I regret it now.

Not knowing it would fuel this man’s arrogance. No, it was a foolish thing to do even knowing that.

Having said everything I wanted to say, it’s only now that I feel such emotions, which is absurd even to myself.

What can I do? It’s already done.

Cleaning up is the responsibility of the one who made the mess.

Humiliating and degrading words lingered on the edge of my lips before being spit out.

“What do you want me to do?”

Callian’s gaze, which had been quietly observing me, soon shifted to the bookshelf.

The movement of the fluttering pages is slower than before.

“Why? Will you really do anything?”

The young master’s gesture of wiggling his finger was languid.

Having no choice, I approached the bedside, and he gently grasped my chin.

The pale, clear hand held a strength that was hard to believe from his previously pale complexion.

The red gaze that slowly lowered sparkled like the sun. That gaze scanned me up and down.

From a distance so close that even our breaths touched.

“Seems like you want to do a lot with me. Alone in the room.”

The young master’s finger slowly traced over my lips.

Startled, I tried to pull away, but my stiffened body wouldn’t move easily.

My body trembled. I wasn’t foolish enough to not understand what the young master was saying.

They say that in the lord’s mansion, women’s screams are occasionally heard, and the next day, the maids disappear without a trace by the mistress’s hand.

This young master is a self-centered being.

Numerous thoughts flashed through my mind.

Even in the midst of this, the shame that flushed my face made my heart feel tawdry.

At the end of that moment that felt like an eternity.

Callian finally let go of my face.

After that, he just turned pages without even looking in my direction.

As if what happened just now had already disappeared from his memory.

I could only stand in the same place and watch him.

Because that was my duty.

Frustratingly, unlike before, Callian was deeply engrossed in one book, not even giving me a reason to move.

Time passed as I stood blankly in one spot. In the midst of clear disregard.

Callian’s face, occasionally visible between the pages, was dry beyond comparison.

It was even more shameful that I alone had trembled with strange imagination.

The time passing miserably was painful and distant.

Treading on the shame, anxiety slowly rose above it.

‘Will I be kicked out now?’

Even in this situation, I hesitated whether I should say something.

Wondering if I could possibly turn the heart of the noble young master.

Thinking that perhaps one mistake could be made up for.

Should I beg for forgiveness?

Or should I explain my circumstances in detail?

Time passes meaninglessly like that.

The time spent standing in worry choked my breath every second.

The thought that all of this seems to be because of me rushes in like waves.

If this is the torture he chose because he didn’t like me, then he had chosen a successful method.

I resented that languid face visible beyond the single book being turned.

This unbridgeable distance seems to strictly explain my position and Callian’s.

At the same time, it feels like a stern warning not to forget my place.

The shame that gradually crept in turned into humiliation, and it was enough time to objectively recognize my situation.

Ah. Now I understand.

From the beginning, he had no intention of taking me in.

This arrogant young master just needed a toy to play with today.

It’s laughable that I tried to show sincerity for even a moment without realizing that.

Once I realized that, the time of torture came to an end.

A knock sounded, and the butler who came to fetch me glanced around.

He looked somewhat surprised.

He seems to think I lasted quite long.

Well, according to what I heard from Aunt Mary before coming here, it makes sense.

She said others didn’t even last one hour before leaving this place.

That’s why I had hope. Though it’s all in vain now.

The butler, who soon turned his gaze to check on his master’s condition, seemed to reach the same conclusion as me and hardened his face.

Judging by the butler’s reaction to that extent, it seems he is indeed quite angry now.

I couldn’t tell because he was completely stiff.

What does it matter? I’ll never see him again anyway.

No one is stupid enough not to understand what it means to be left standing without a word for this long.

The butler’s gaze, which returned, instantly became stern.

Just looking at that gaze, it seemed like I had done something terribly wrong.

“Young master, it’s time for you to go to sleep now.”

As Callian waved his hand, the butler quickly led me out.

As if foreign objects like me should quickly disappear from his sight.

The brisk steps only stopped after turning from the doorway to the distant second corridor.

A sigh mixed in on the face that turned to look back.

The furrowed brow was no different from when he brought me here.

I understand. He must have had some hope, but now he has to go find a new person, so it’s a headache.

Anyway, knowing that the problem lies with his master, he handed me an envelope without saying anything else.

“It’s your daily wage. The exit is over there.”

His tone was somewhat heavy as he pointed out the nearest door.

There were no more questions about whether I made a mistake, or why the young master’s expression was like that.

As if this was just everyday life in this mansion.

Despite hearing Aunt Mary’s words, I had confidently said I would be different, but it seems I too have become one of those countless applicants. My mouth turned bitter.

The pitch-black sky visible as I stepped outside revealed the passage of time I hadn’t noticed.

The cold night air at the end of winter brushed my face chillingly.

Just like my heart.

As heavy as the generous daily wage I couldn’t receive anywhere else, my heart was infinitely heavy.

I could have done better – such regret followed too.

That added a deep weight to each step.

Before crossing the bushes towards the main gate, standing on the cliff boasting a spectacular view, I could see colorful roofs clustered in the distance.

Our house must be one of those colors among them.

My mother would be brewing soup there by now.

Not thinking of herself at all.

My steps moved hurriedly.

Unaware that someone was watching from above.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.