He had immediately come to check who it was when he received the letter of introduction from the Niriel family. Normally, he wouldn’t personally attend an interview, but he wanted to see who it was.
Seeing her enter the waiting room, Laches almost stood up in surprise.
“Looked sickly, terminal illness? Never happened before.”
No, many unprecedented things had happened lately.
“Is it a variable, or…”
He vividly remembered her brazenly hiding her identity and lying.
“Why come to Violentus castle?”
Despite looking fragile enough to break with a flick, she seemed bolder than any man.
It was his first time talking to her directly, and he felt odd.
“Alive, yet having a memorial service and living under a different identity.”
Whatever her scheme, he thought he would find out by keeping her close.
“And she’s surviving longer this time.”
Laches smiled as he put the letter in the drawer.
“Wonder how long she’ll last this time.”
I became a maid at the Violentus mansion, as planned.
Fortunately, I was assigned to the laundry room, not the brewery, which seemed easier at first. However, the reality was different.
The weather was still cold, the wool blankets to be washed were thick, and the well and stream water were freezing.
‘Did he send me to a worse job?’
Remembering Laches’ mocking face, it wasn’t impossible.
“Passed without the housekeeper’s interview.”
“Got a recommendation from a guardian family.”
“Why come to the North, of all places? It’s cold and plagued by monsters.”
“It’s a bit pitiful… The housekeeper deliberately assigns her more work.”
“Shh, be quiet. We don’t want to incur her displeasure.”
Since I passed without an interview with the housekeeper, the glances directed at me weren’t welcoming.
In practical terms, the housekeeper wielded more power than Laches. Therefore, the maids naturally had to be wary.
I wasn’t included in meals, and my bed was positioned at the coldest spot near the window.
‘Anything is better than dying.’
I steeled my resolve, looking at my hands blistered from just a few days of work.
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, I moved quietly so as not to wake the other maids. I took out the medicine Pessor gave me from my luggage, swallowed it, and returned to my place.
My eyes reflected in the window were still a light purple.
‘…Places with less sunlight still have some snow left.’
Sitting on a somewhat hard mattress made of straw, rags, and a bit of wool, I looked out at the dark night sky through the window.
The cold winter wind seeped through the window gaps as there were no curtains, sticking to my body.
The desolate North.
Here, more inhospitable for human habitation than anywhere else, I felt more at peace than ever, living in a world that thought me dead.
‘Not so bad.’
The time of my death varied every time.
Death always started around the wedding date, but sometimes I died the next day, other times a week later.
The longest I survived was just two months.
Two agonizing months of anxiety and fretting about when I would die.
‘This time, I’ll live much longer… much, much longer. I won’t go back and repeat it.’
I hugged my knees to prevent my body heat from escaping and listened to the peaceful sounds of the night insects.
Even the cold North had its night insects.
As I looked down from the sky, I noticed a man standing below my window. Laches, who had been there who knows how long, was muttering to himself.
Of course, I couldn’t hear him.
‘What’s he doing there?’
Then, suddenly, he looked up. Our eyes met for a moment, or so I thought.
It was a very brief moment.
With the lights off in the room, he shouldn’t have been able to see inside.
Laches, standing motionless, was gazing straight at my bedroom window.
‘I’ve been watching you for a long time, Lepherentia. Why don’t you realize that I love you? When will you recognize it?’
The murderer’s words echoed in my ears as I saw Laches watching me.
At that moment, I impulsively reached out my hand, a completely spontaneous act.
Pushing aside the cold sensation, the closed window opened effortlessly.
As if it had never been shut.
“Duke. What are you doing?”
I leaned out as far as I could, whispering quietly so as not to wake the other maids.
Laches, hands in his pockets, didn’t respond. Instead, he raised his head higher to meet my eyes, acknowledging he heard me.
“Everyone’s asleep.”
I leaned out further, worried he might not hear me. Laches hastily withdrew his hand from his pocket to stop me.
“Don’t fall out. I won’t catch you.”
“If you don’t catch me, Duke, I might fall and die.”
“It’s not high enough to die from. But you’ll probably lie there a long time.”
His words were oddly comforting.
“Do you remember me?”
It was our first conversation since the interview. Laches hesitated, then frowned slightly.
“…How could I forget with that kind of introduction?”
He remembered me, among so many maids, even though I hadn’t worked long.
As I pulled back inside, Laches waved his hand dismissively.
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
