‘I don’t want to hear such words from the strongest person in the world!’

When I kept my mouth shut and said nothing, the rascal Edan placed one hand on top of my head.

I felt like my height decreased by about 0.1cm due to the weight of his heavy muscle.

“Should I get you a cook?”

“What?”

What is he talking about now? A cook for me who just finished cooking.

As I just blinked blankly at the incomprehensible words, Edan suddenly applied pressure with his fingertips. My head started to throb painfully.

“Ah! It hurts!”

“See this.”

Edan quickly released the pressure at the groan I couldn’t hold back. But his large hand was still resting on top of my head.

“Skinny and small. Feels like I could crush your skull with one hand.”

You jerk. Why are you thinking such things about someone else’s head?

Irritated, I tried to remove his arm pressing down on my head using both of my hands.

I wanted to dramatically swat his hand away saying something like “Don’t touch me so casually!” but reality wasn’t so accommodating. Such cool lines were impossible for me.

“…Ugh!”

A strange sound effect burst from my throat and Edan’s hand didn’t budge at all.

Flustered, I looked into his eyes, and Edan slightly raised one corner of his mouth as if to say ‘of course’.

“Try a little more. Give it your all.”

No way. You madman.

Edan Dietrich’s end is an even more horrific death than mine.

While I dried up into a mummy after using up all my healing power working as an errand girl for the temple, Edan was dismembered while still alive. And the ones who killed him were Male Lead 1, 2, and 3.

You might think it’s cowardly for three male leads to attack one person at once, but… given the situation, they had no choice.

Edan was already the strongest in the world, and he even dabbled in black magic to possess Ivy.

The combination of strong innate abilities and black magic. Thanks to that, Edan gained unbelievable power, and the only ones who could stand against him were the male leads. Even then, it took all three of them working together to deal with him.

A bloody massacrer who spared no one, young or old, truly rampaging just to possess Ivy alone.

In the latter half, Edan was a monster who had given up on being human.

The reason Edan went so mad was because Ivy’s healing power acted as an incredible painkiller. The innate abilities possessed by the male leads and Edan came with terrible pain in proportion to their powerful strength.

The Empire, where monsters appeared, had frequent wars for peace, and those with innate abilities were essential.

There were knights with abilities other than the male leads, but they were too weak, so the male leads’ activities played a huge role in the wars.

Heroes of the Empire, but at the same time, ability users suffering from pain.

Because of this, the Imperial family was always looking for women with healing powers.

The temple was tasked with this mission, and the temple priests traveled throughout the Empire gathering women.

In this way, there were always Holy Maiden candidates in the temple, and for a while, things seemed to be going well.

However, problems arose when the most important Grand Holy Maiden lost her power.

The Holy Maiden’s healing power is depleted in proportion to the size of the pain brought on by the innate abilities.

Recovery is possible given time, but the war with monsters had been going on for a long time, and even the Grand Holy Maiden couldn’t handle it, losing her power and dying.

There were many Holy Maiden candidates, but the difference in power from the Grand Holy Maiden’s healing was too great, and it was unreasonable to expect the Holy Maiden candidates’ healing power alone to heal the ability users’ pain.

So after the Grand Holy Maiden lost her power, the women who entered the temple as Holy Maiden candidates died one after another. They all dried up into mummies after using their power without a chance to recover.

Nevertheless, the Imperial family and temple continued to find and recruit women with healing power for the sake of the male leads. Especially since the Crown Prince who would succeed the Emperor’s throne was an ability user, the Grand Holy Maiden’s healing power was needed more than anything.

For nearly five years, no woman appeared who could take the position of Grand Holy Maiden.

Just as despair was about to consume both the temple and Imperial family, Ivy appeared.

Found in a tiny rural village, she was truly a light for everyone.

As soon as Ivy went to the temple, she began treating the male leads, and they naturally became addicted to her strong healing power.

To be precise, Male Leads 1, 2, and 3 did. Except for Edan, who was dragged off to war in the north.

Edan met Ivy after she was officially appointed as the Grand Holy Maiden.

The reason for the delay was Male Lead 1, the Crown Prince who disliked Edan.

Having experienced Ivy’s healing power before anyone else, he felt how quickly the pain subsided.

Ivy’s power was unprecedentedly powerful healing. Not only did the pain subside, but her entire body became comfortable. Therefore, the Crown Prince who wanted to possess her all to himself did not want to share the healing power with Edan, whom he had a bad relationship with.

That was the root of the problem.

Just before meeting Ivy, Edan was suffering from terrible pain that felt like his whole body was burning up after using great power in the war against monsters. When he was suddenly freed from the pain thanks to the blessing, he fell madly for Ivy.

She was Edan’s only salvation.

“But why is the Grand Duke of the North alone in a castle in the East?”

This is the eastern region of the Empire, the place furthest from the original story.

When life wants to go wrong, it finds a way to go wrong somehow.

I thought I could escape the death ending by not going to the temple, but here’s another death route.

“Haa.”

Since that day, sighs never stopped coming from my mouth.

Edan keeps watching me. No. To be precise, I didn’t realize he was watching me before, but now I’ve noticed.

‘I’ve been watching you all along.’

It wasn’t a lie.

As soon as I became alert, I could feel Edan’s gaze from here and there.

Does that man not sleep?

When I’m sweeping, he’s on the second floor terrace. When I’m cleaning windows, he’s at the end of the hallway. When I’m cooking, he’s next to the door.

When I’m not doing anything, he seems to not come out of his room, but whenever I try to go near the castle walls, he comes out of his room and looks down at me from the second floor window.

‘Do you know you’re a scary person too, so you’re watching me in case I run away?’

But I’m not that stupid! I may be acting like a clumsy character, but if I run away right now, I’ll only arouse suspicion.

For now, I’ve diverted attention by saying the headache effect was due to the pepper, so I was in the midst of more carefully planning.

A plan to quit the job in the most natural and smooth way possible.

“Miss Latieana, are you alright?”

Smith, the food delivery man, asked me with worried eyes.

As I was receiving bread and sausages as usual, I smiled at him with sunken eyes and dark circles.

“Huh? Why?”

“You look pale… Is something wrong?”

“I haven’t been able to sleep much. I’m fine.”

I’m not fine, but I had to pretend to be because Edan was watching from afar.

As I was about to send him away after finishing the calculation, Smith suddenly placed a carrot in my hand.

“Huh? Smith, I didn’t order this…”

“Miss Latieana.”

As I looked puzzled, Smith came close to me with a rather serious face and whispered.

“If you’re in danger, please wave the carrot.”

“…What?”

“I couldn’t say anything because you seemed to be working so happily all this time, but there’s always been another man watching from behind. Something’s finally happened, right? Am I right?”

“…”

Smith, you knew all along. About Edan’s surveillance.

Something has happened. Something big that’s hard to handle. But I pretended not to know for now. I have a separate plan to escape, you know.

“What are you suddenly talking about? I don’t understand…”

As I shook my head as if I didn’t understand the intent of his words at all, Smith grabbed my hand and shouted.

“Miss Latieana, I like you! I’ve wanted to say this all along. So if you wave the carrot, I’ll take responsibility!”

Wait a minute. How did the flow of consciousness come to this?

“Um, Mr. Smith. Please calm down and…”

I tried to pull my arm free, but Smith gripped my hand even tighter.

“I’m serious! I sincerely like you, Miss Latieana…!”

At that moment, a large hand covered my hand and quickly separated Smith’s arm from my hand.

At the same time, Smith flew to the side and crashed mercilessly into the castle wall. Bang!

“Ugh!”

“Kyaaa! Mr. Smith!”

I screamed, covering my face with both hands.

“Ugh, uugh…”

Smith, who had collapsed at the bottom of the castle wall, fortunately wasn’t dead, as he was groaning and whimpering while clutching his side.

Whisk, as I turned my head, Edan, the owner of the kick, was standing there with a prickly expression.

“Why are you confessing in someone else’s house?”

I looked at him with a shocked expression and then turned back to Smith.

Smith was curled up more than before, clutching his side.

Oh my god. To be hit by Edan’s kick.

“Mr. Smith! Did you get a hole in your side? Let me see!”

“Don’t touch him.”

I was about to run to Smith and reach out to check if he was alive, but I had to stop at Edan’s cold words.

“What?”

“I’m in a bad mood.”

Suddenly? What for?

“I was just trying to help him up.”

“I clearly said I’m in a bad mood.”

“…Why?”

“This is a no-confession zone. Lawbreakers are irritating.”

“…”

This man… does he think everything he says goes! Don’t talk nonsense!

You just don’t like that Smith confessed to me! You’re definitely upset that someone insignificant like me received a confession.

“Ugh…”

Smith groaned painfully as he tried to get up.

I turned to him. I wanted to at least help him get up, but seeing Edan’s fierce glare that seemed to be growling, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

As I stood there unable to do this or that, Edan slowly opened his mouth as if he had no choice.

As if he was doing me a great favor.

“Fine. Help him if you want.”

“Really?”

“But this time, I’ll really put a hole in him. In his side.”

“…”

I can’t follow the thought process of a madman.