I felt a hot body temperature. My heart pounded, my heart raced.
“Let’s go back to our memories one by one starting tomorrow. We go to the places we went together and do what we did.”
“….…”
“If you look back like that, your memories will surely come back.”
—If you have such a mind.
Rixus’ words touched my heart greatly.
However… What if I really couldn’t remember even till the end?
“…If I don’t remember forever, even after you’ve helped me, wouldn’t you hate it?”
If our positions were to be switched, I would think he was too cold-hearted.
How could he forget all those memories?
If I helped, and if that still happened, I think I would be upset and angry.
Rixus just hugged me gently, so gently that it wouldn’t startle me, as if he was approaching a small, wounded herbivore.
His body temperature and characteristic body scent; they warmed my chest, giving me a great sense of stability. As if I had come home.
Filling my lungs with his body scent, I closed my eyes, and in my ears… Immediately, Rixus whispered.
“How dare I hate you.”
The flame in my heart, which was overflowing with anxiety, was extinguished.
“It won’t happen even if I’m reborn a thousand times.”
Clean without any traces.
“Rixus…”
“So, never worry about that.”
* * *
That evening.
I greeted Duke Orléans after long recalling the warm words that Rixus had said.
I had work to do right now.
Receiving a report on the mutant monster that tried to devour the Aktoum Imperial Palace.
“Your Majesty, this is a report on the ‘Barbatus Dragon’.”
“Give it to me.”
I took the report from Duke Orléans’ hand and unfolded it.
It was a report on how the demonic species that tended to avoid humans appeared in the Imperial Palace.
According to the investigation by the renowned mageologists of Aktoum and Spinel, it was said that the ‘Illuminati Mountains’ west of Aktoum were suspicious.
It was mentioned that a strange energy was felt in the mountain range named ‘Illuminati’, which meant light because it was a mountain range where the sun always set brilliantly.
“A frequency that gives power to demons and sends messages to them?”
It had been reported that it affected the barbatus dragon, causing it to become a ‘variant monster’ that blocked magic.
If true, wasn’t it serious?
‘Why… What’s going on in that mountain range?’
It was one of the most beautiful mountains in Aktoum.
The frequency and content of the message coming from the mountain range were beyond the scope of human interpretation.
This was due to the fact that magic science had not yet developed that much.
‘…Then, Aktoum may constantly be in danger.’
Since Rixus would have received the same report, he would have raised the defense level of Aktoum by now.
Even the part of Spinel that was adjacent to the Illuminati Mountains could not be said to be safe.
I also immediately instructed Spinel to raise the defense to the highest level. I gave it to Duke Orléans in writing, immediately stamped with the king’s seal.
“Send this letter to ‘Lucia’ as well. Tell her to come back to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A veteran with experience in subjugating monsters was essential.
As Duke Orléans left, a rather strange guest came in, as if waiting for her turn.
“Your Majesty, this is Deborah, who is working as an apprentice maid starting from today…!”
“!”
The three chicks looked at Deborah with puzzled eyes.
Even though I told them in advance that Deborah would come as an ‘apprentice maid,’
When I actually saw it, it looked ridiculous.
‘Me too, chicks.’
I felt the same too.
When I heard Deborah’s request to be my ‘unpaid maid,’ I felt it was like a new breed of dog.
But at the same time, I thought it was an opportunity.
A chance to find out if Deborah was really sorry or not.
‘If she truly repented, then Johann might be right.’
I was so curious that I decided to try her out as an ‘apprentice maid’ for now.
That too, on the same day the request was received. It wasn’t my style to drag things out anyway.
“Deborah, why did you apply as my maid?”
In the original story, Deborah was not a person who wanted to be under anyone, and…
According to people, and from what I had figured out, she seemed to have behaved similarly to the original.
‘Deborah, whose pride is like a giraffe castle, will be my maid?’
I rested my chin on my palm and looked at her curiously.
Then an amazing thing happened.
Deborah fell flat and put her forehead on the floor.
“!”
I, too, had no choice but to break my nonchalant expression a little.
“Your Majesty, I can’t be forgiven for doing something like this… but I just want to pay a little for my sins!”
‘What, what, are you serious?’
‘Why are you putting your forehead on the floor in a burdensome way…?!’
Anyway, I didn’t remember a single thing Deborah did to me.
So, rather than hate, I had a slightly stronger curiosity.
‘Is that the truth…?’
Just when I doubted, Deborah burst into tears.
“I’m really sorry!”
I could see the weak-hearted Seryl’s expression becoming disorganized.
Surely, the woman lying on the floor and pleading for her sins could win sympathy.
However, seeing that the ‘hate’ did not disappear on the chicks’ faces, it must have been that Deborah, whom I do not remember, was very vicious.
At that moment, with a look of half dissatisfaction and half contempt, Laura raised Deborah up.
“Madam Deborah, get up. Her Majesty hates having her maids behave like this.”
That was then.
“No, very good.”
“!”
“Just stay on your knees and bang your forehead.”
Deborah, who had raised her knees halfway, had a momentary look of embarrassment.
Then, she put her forehead on the floor again like a person who vaguely picked up cheap coins.
‘…Look at that?’
Was that the attitude of a person who reflected on that and was truly sorry?
‘Well then. It can’t be true.’
I stood up from my seat, watching her quietly, still clasping my chin.
Then I looked down at Deborah’s forehead.
“You’ll do anything to pay for your sins?”
Deborah raised her head, eyes twinkling. Again, she quickly recovered from her ‘reflection mode’ expression.
“That’s right, Your Majesty…!”
But the next moment, after listening to my words, her facial expression management was shattered.
“Then you will…”
“…….”
“I’ll use you as my ‘slave’.”
“!”
“Do a lot of low and dirty things. That way, won’t your sins be erased even a little bit?”