Volume 1 Chapter 18 Servant, Gained A Place
*Rolus's perspective.
"It's not like I wanted to give birth to you!"
That's all she ever say.
In the second breath, it's always about how I was an unwanted child, a nuisance; I didn't choose to be born here either.
The person who gave birth to me properly raised only the firstborn, the heir, and nurtured the second born as an insurance in case anything happened to the first, treating everyone else as if they weren't even human.
Whenever I came into view, she'd scowl at me, wouldn't allow me to sit in a chair, treating me like a rock or something rolling around nearby.
My older sister, who should have definitely existed, seems to have been sold off somewhere.
The person who gave birth to me had let out a contemptible laugh, saying that girls sell for a high price.
That sister or perhaps younger sister, who I feel like I've seen before, must have also been sold.
As for the older brother or younger brother that likely existed, I have no idea if they are still alive.
Surely, next it will be my turn.
"You aren't a girl who can sell for a high price, and you don't have much magical power either; you really are useless."
So says the person who gave birth to me.
"I could just abandon you deep in the mountains, but you're so tenacious that you'd probably survive even with this treatment. It would be a nuisance if you came back... Ah, that's right, I'll put you to work at that inn with the cheeky proprietress."
The person who said that smiled slyly, looking like a devil.
I was dragged along, likely to a place that provided food for people.
For someone like me, who hadn't eaten properly in a long time, the smell of food was incredibly overwhelming.
It felt like my stomach was being tightened in the middle, causing pain.
"Hey, can you let this kid work for you?"
When the demon said that, the innkeeper smiled weakly.
"Well, we already have enough hands around here, though."
"Oh, is it that you can't listen to what I'm saying? I could easily shut down a place like this, you know?"
The innkeeper probably wanted to say that they didn't need it, but the demon was casually threatening them without caring about that.
Feeling a gaze on me, I looked around and realized that various people were watching us from the shadows.
I guessed that this demon was not just a demon to me, but to everyone in this land.
"Ah, no, no, no! I would be happy to accept!"
Led by the intimidated innkeeper, I entered the shop.
The innkeeper, who pushed me into the back of the kitchen, headed back to the front of the shop again.
They probably went to check on the demon's situation.
After a while, the innkeeper confirmed that the demon had left and came stomping back towards me.
Their face twisted in anger was terrifying, and I thought I might be killed the moment I saw it.
"Damn it, what are nobles anyway?! Just scum that feasts on taxes from the common people! So? Can you do anything about it?!"
Shouted at like that, I felt I had to respond, but I hadn't spoken in a long time, so I couldn't manage to say anything immediately.
Seeing me like that, the furious innkeeper threw a plate onto the floor and said to me.
"I can't afford to hire someone who can't do anything! Your parents are squeezing everything out of me!"
They said.
Ah, I should have just died quickly like my brother or younger brother.
The days that followed were hazy, and I hardly remember anything.
Under the innkeeper's orders, who seemed to be frightened of the devil's eyes, I stayed in a corner of the kitchen during the day.
I think I was thrown outside once the store closed.
Wherever I was, I was told I was unnecessary and merely a nuisance.
I have no place to belong.
It was then that a well-dressed man, whom I had never seen before, looked at me and inexplicably decided to take me home with him.
Unnecessary to the innkeeper, I was handed over to the well-dressed man without a second thought.
Since I was unnecessary and a nuisance wherever I was, it didn't matter where I was taken.
"Your job will be to act as a shield against the spells directed at my daughter, Elena."
The well-dressed man who put me in the carriage said that with a serious expression.
I didn't know what kind of spell it was, but I couldn't take the words to have a positive meaning.
However, I thought that if I became that spell shield, I might finally be able to die quickly.
"This must not be spoken of to anyone. It's a secret between you and me."
"Yes, Master."
At that moment, the well-dressed man became my employer.
I was taken to his mansion.
As soon as I arrived, I was washed all over and dressed in fine clothes.
This is the first time I've worn such a beautiful dress, and the thought of getting it dirty or tearing it is terrifying.
"It's Hans's hand-me-down, but it should be fine. There's no need to be so nervous, Rolus. My daughter is surprisingly cute and kind."
The fact that he speaks to me so gently might mean that the spell really is terrifying.
No one is kind to a nuisance that might overstay its welcome, but if he knows I'm going to die soon, he might feel a bit more inclined to be kind, maybe.
"Listen, Rolus, you must never tell anyone about the spell. Elena doesn't know about it, either. You especially mustn't tell my wife. After all... the one casting the spell is my wife, after all."
My master said this with difficulty.
Is the Lady under a spell from her mother?
"How do I become a shield for the spell? I have... very little magical power, but can I still do it?"
"No, actually, I don't know how to become a shield. There are various theories."
What does 'various theories' mean?
"Then..."
"For now, just stay by Elena's side as her attendant without saying anything. I'll talk more about the spell as I find out, but... even if I investigate, there are so many theories that it might take time... what does 'theories' even mean..."
"...Okay."
I didn't understand well, but I nodded for now.
Muttering 'various theories... various theories...' for a while, master took me to a well-dressed woman.
She is probably the wife of that husband.
The lady, listening to her husband's words explaining that she is Elena's attendant, furrows her brow with suspicion.
She must think I'm a nuisance again.
I will probably be told I'm not needed and thrown outside.
"Follow me"
When she said that to me, what awaited ahead was a lovely girl younger than me.
Is she under a spell?
By this lady.
Why on earth is that?
"This will be your servant...attendant from today. He will listen to any of your orders"
Upon hearing that introduction, the girl, Lady, nodded.
"Understood, Mother"
She replied and invited me into the room.
I was wondering when I would be thrown out, but Lady told me to have a seat.
What does it mean when she tells me to sit in that same mouth that said I should be treated like a servant?
Thinking maybe she had misspoken, I found out she indeed insisted I sit.
And what's more, it was an order.
That was the first time I sat on a sofa.
I had not even been allowed to sit on a chair in the house I was born into.
* * *
Living with the Lady was truly a strange experience.
The self-proclaimed mean villainess constantly paid attention to me.
As if I, someone unnecessary and a nuisance, were.
She probably treats me kindly because master thinks she would die from a spell, but the Lady shouldn't know about the spell.
Even though I'm merely waiting for death, after being cared for, I will be thrown away.
The more I'm cared for, the more terrified I become of being thrown aside.
Is there any way I can escape?
I know I have to be a shield, and I accept that.
But if possible, I don't want to be hurt in any way other than by a spell.
"Rolus. Rolus──"
I hear Lady's voice from a distance.
It seems like she's looking for me.
But I'm currently outside the mansion.
I'm hidden way in a corner of the backyard, so she probably won't find me.
"Rolus──? Rolus──!"
I'm still not being found.
I'm still not being found.
"Hide and seek isn't fun if it's just the two of us, Rolus──! I mean, I'm more of an indoors person, so I don't really like hide and seek that much, Rolus──! "
I get the feeling her voice is getting closer, but there's no way she should find me.
"Agh!"
It seems she's gotten angry at my silence.
If I go out now, I'll get scolded, and maybe this time I'll really be thrown aside.
If I'm going to be thrown aside, it's better if it happens quickly.
So, I guess I should really go out now.
I know that, but I, a coward who can't do it, decide to huddle up and properly hide.
After a while of not hearing her voice, I suddenly hear light footsteps.
I can't believe Lady would be running, so maybe someone else has come to catch me.
"I found you!"
Wow, she ran over.
I didn't think she would actually run over, but she did.
Looking at Lady, who is panting heavily, I'm surprised that she rushed here so fast.
"What are you doing here? Hey, what's wrong? Did you hurt somewhere? Is your stomach hurting? Are you feeling unwell? Did someone do something to you?"
Questions come flying in rapid succession.
I'm not doing anything, and I'm fine.
I'm not injured, my stomach doesn't hurt, and I'm not feeling unwell.
There's no one here who would do anything like that.
"Rolus? Are you okay? Are you tired?"
"...I am a Servant, Lady."
"Ah, right! Alright, then get up, Servant. Can you stand?"
Ah, this Lady is hopeless.
I was ready to die, wasn't I?
Along with that, I should be ready to get hurt.
It can't be that difficult after all.
"I can stand."
"That's good. Yeah, looks like you don't have a fever. I wonder if you're just tired. Come over here. ...Is that not okay?"
"It's not a problem. I will follow your orders, Lady."
"If you didn't want to follow, you don't have to force yourself, you know? That's right, how about I give you a day off once a week?"
The Lady, who continued to tilt her head while pulling my hand, was very cute.
"No, I will always be your Servant, Lady."
"I see. ...You must be thirsty since you ran. Right, let's stop by the kitchen and get some tea and snacks."
In the kitchen where I was taken, there were several butlers and maids from this mansion.
"Can someone get me some tea?"
When the lady said that, one of the maids raised her hand in response.
"Please make it for 2. Also, since Rolus seems tired, make it sweet."
The self-proclaimed mean Lady is trying to offer tea to the Servant.
"Lady."
"Hey, is someone bullying Rolus?"
"Huh, Lady?"
What in the world is this Lady talking about!
While I'm thinking I need to somehow stop this, both the butler and the maid are listening to the Lady's words.
How am I supposed to stop this?
"There's none."
"Oh, then I guess you're just tired? Listen everyone, this child is my precious Attendant. I don't want him to dislike being here, so please be kind to Rolus, okay?"
The butler and maid are all smiling.
"Of course, Lady. We have prepared the tea, so we'll bring it to your room."
The maid said.
"Oh, I'll bring it!"
"It's okay Rolus, you know, I'm really good at making tea!"
Hearing the maid's words, the other maid laughs and says, "You have a lot of failures aside from making tea!"
"That's not true!"
The maid argues back, but this time the Lady giggles and says, "That does happen quite often."
I wonder if it's true that there won't be any yelling even if they fail here.
When they arrive at the room, the maid asks where the Lady would like to sit.
"I'll sit here. Rolus, well, hmm."
To be honest, I thought I would be reflexively made to sit on the floor.
"Hmmmm, today I want to sit next to you!"
It wasn't the bed.
But somehow, I can't shake the feeling that next to me isn't a place for an attendant to sit.
"Okay, then I'll make it for you."
The maid, who didn't raise any objections, briskly prepares the tea.
I can't help but think it's strange.
It's right next to me.
In the end, the maid who didn't object at all made the tea and quickly left the room.
Doesn't she think it's odd?
Even though I'm the attendant.
"When you're tired, sweet things are the best."
The lady is saying this while munching on snacks enthusiastically.
The lady, who seems somewhat happy eating the snacks, is not mean at all.
For some reason, she seems to be aiming to be a mean young lady, though.
"Hey, don't just space out, Rolus, eat some too. We'll share it equally, okay?"
"No, I'm a servant."
"Even servants need sugar!"
With that, the lady, still wearing that somewhat happy expression I saw earlier, shoved a snack into my mouth.
No questions asked, huh.
"Hey Rolus, if you ever have something tough or something you dislike, I want you to tell me honestly. Um, I might be a bit mean for various reasons, but that maid and the butler are really kind, so if you don't want to tell me, you can talk to them instead."
While I wondered what exactly she was saying to a servant, I glanced at the lady's expression, and she looked pitiful with her eyebrows down.
I had only ever seen her with eyes like I would for a stone, so I can't quite grasp what feelings lie behind this expression of hers.
Well, there's a thought in the back of my mind that maybe she's worried... but can I really allow myself to be that full of myself?
"So, please, don't make that lonely face like you did earlier when you were by yourself."
Lonely...?
Me?
"Lonely...?"
"...Ah, no, sorry about that, um, if anyone was lonely, it might have been me. I thought you might have gone somewhere because I was being mean. It's difficult to gauge how mean to be. Oh, but listen, it's not that I'm being mean because I dislike Rolus or anything. I just want you to understand that part."
"...Okay"
"Circumstances," you say.
Well, I don't really know what those circumstances are, but that's neither here nor there.
I fully understand that this Lady is an incredibly kind person.
I will live as a shield for this overwhelmingly kind person.
I will live solely for the Lady.
No matter what happens, I will protect only Elena Lady.
I made up my mind about that.
I resolved to do so.
* * *
"...Lady"
The moment I saw the Lady seemingly about to be engulfed in flames, my body moved instinctively.
However, it seems my help was very half-hearted, and upon seeing my injuries, the Lady cast a strong Healing Magic on me.
And then, just like that, she lost consciousness.
I heard the person who directed the flames at the Lady nearby saying, "I'm out of magical power," and I couldn't relax until I was taken to that person's mansion.
The Lady in my arms remained completely still with her eyes closed.
"Lady, please wake up. Without you, I'm... lonely."
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)