The Maid's First Creed
The second son's chambers in the Frigid estate.
Upon the bed lay its master, Edward, still unconscious, eyes unopened. Gathered around him were the family physician mid-examination, along with Camilla, Lirith, Grace, and Emma.
"Why in the world has he still not come to?!"
Camilla raised her voice at the physician, fury breaking through as her son remained unresponsive despite the passage of time. The woman who ordinarily wore an impassive mask now twisted her face in anger, and the physician stammered his reply in a trembling voice.
"W-well… it appears there are other factors at play."
"Other factors? Explain yourself at once!"
This time it was the eldest daughter, Lirith, who snapped at the physician for his hesitant, uncertain answers.
"As you are aware, the young master was exposed to killing intent and Aura while inhabiting a male body."
"This is my failure. If only I had drawn my sword sooner…"
"No, Lady Grace! Even a woman would have struggled to endure that Hero's energy!"
"She's right. And I saw it clearly — you threw yourself in front of him and blocked it."
"Indeed. You did everything you could, Grace."
At the physician's words, Grace began to berate herself with regret. Emma, standing beside her, offered comfort, and the other two seemed to agree.
"B-but the priests cast sacred spells on him, and some time has already passed… shouldn't he be all right by now?"
After Edward collapsed, the Hero had lost an arm in the fight with Grace, forcing Tenesa to devote her full attention to treating her. Even so, the remaining priests who had accompanied the Church party cast sacred magic upon the unconscious Edward. It had not been merely one or two of them. Not only the people of House Frigid but Princess Charlotte as well had been furious beyond measure. Because the culprit behind the entire incident was the Hero — a person of the Church — every priest present had poured their utmost effort into healing Edward with sacred magic. The Pope herself had been unable to attend to him, but there should have been no shortage of holy power.
In truth, Charlotte had intended to keep the priests continuously stationed here, but by order of Empress Elizabeth — who deemed it excessive — only members of House Frigid remained in the room now.
"It appears the psychological shock was so severe that he has fallen into a coma."
"Psychological shock… You mean he was startled by the Hero's actions?"
"It goes beyond mere surprise… Whether from the Hero's killing intent or otherwise… it seems to be shock born of fear and terror."
"Terror… Well. To my son, a man, the sight of a Hero radiating killing intent would certainly have been frightening."
"But… even before that woman went berserk, Ed was already terrified the moment he laid eyes on her. His condition turned strange right away."
"That's right! The young master could barely breathe the instant he saw the Hero!"
Camilla had initially assumed her son had simply been frightened by the Hero's rampage. But hearing Lirith and Emma's accounts, it seemed he had feared the Hero herself from the start. Recalling older memories, she murmured,
"Could it be… I've always known Ed was a fearful child who trembled at something, but…"
"E-Ed was trembling at something?"
"…Lirith. And the rest of you as well — for all the time you've spent glued to his side, it seems you never noticed."
The women, Lirith included, wore expressions of incomprehension at Camilla's muttering. Recalling the conversation she had shared with her son before the debutante, Camilla remembered that Edward had never denied being afraid of something. There had clearly been something he feared. That was why he had tried so hard to avoid attending the debutante… Had he anticipated something like this would happen and tried to stay away? Forced against his will into attending, the catastrophe that followed left Camilla's expression darkening.
"But he wouldn't still be unconscious simply from being frightened."
"Y-yes, Your Grace is correct. It seems he received an extraordinarily severe shock."
"And that shock came from the Hero, then."
"Yes. In conclusion, the combination of his fragile male body being exposed to overwhelming Aura and the psychological trauma appears to be why he has yet to awaken, even after all this time."
"Then when do you expect my son to open his eyes?"
"Well… if things continue as they are, there is a chance he may never open them again…"
"That cannot be! Why?!"
Still examining Edward, the physician carefully opened his mouth.
"It is not simply that he has lost consciousness… It is as though his body…"
"His body?"
"The young master's current condition is…"
"Speak."
"…like that of a dead man."
"What? A dead man?"
"Ed is going to die?!"
"P-please, calm yourselves! Your Grace, my lady!… I did not say he is dead — I said his condition is s-similar!"
The moment the word "death" left his lips, the physician scrambled to soothe the agitated women.
"Kh… I really should have drawn my blade sooner…"
Hearing the physician, Grace began berating herself once more.
"If his condition is similar to death, doesn't that mean he is critically ill?"
"W-well, the young master's breathing and pulse show no abnormalities… yet his body is beginning to exhibit rigor mortis…"
"Then summon the priests at once — no, the Pope herself, for healing!"
"He has already received more than sufficient sacred magic…"
"No!"
"I'll go cut her down right now!"
"All of you, calm yourselves! There is a patient present!"
As the room threatened to descend into chaos, Camilla reined them in. Once she confirmed they had settled somewhat, she turned back to the physician.
"Why on earth is Edward's body entering such a state?"
"W-well… this is only my personal opinion, but it seems the young master himself has come to believe that he is dead…"
"…You're saying Ed thinks he has died?"
"Yes… The shock must have been tremendous. Had the priests not rushed to him the moment he collapsed, he might well have died of shock…"
"Edward!!!"
"Young Master!!"
Before the physician had even finished speaking, every woman except Camilla cried out.
"Compose yourselves, all of you!"
"B-but the young master—!"
"Mother, our Ed—!"
"…Truthfully, I am barely holding on myself."
"I-I apologize, Your Grace. But the rigor mortis has not progressed through his entire body as it would in a true corpse — only slightly around the jaw. Given time… the young master is young, so he should be able to wake on his own!"
Seeing the situation deteriorate so badly, the physician strained to offer whatever comfort he could.
"Haa… To inflict a shock of this magnitude upon Edward…"
"That damned Hero bitch!"
Lirith could not help but curse the Hero who had recognized Edward the moment she saw him in the debutante ballroom and then suddenly gone on a rampage.
"That malevolent energy as well… The Hero's condition is clearly abnormal."
That one called a Hero should be wreathed in dark energy — she was a being of distant legend, someone none of them had ever actually seen, so they could not be certain. Even so, that color could only appear ominous and evil.
"Mother! And that woman called Ed by a strange name."
"Yes, I heard it as well. Hye-yeong, was it…? That is something we will need to investigate."
The way the Hero seemed to know Edward was strange enough, and the odd name she had used made confirmation with the Church side essential. But setting all of that aside, one fact alone left Lirith seething with rage.
"Why haven't you thrown that woman out immediately?!"
Even immediate expulsion would have been insufficient — and yet that hateful woman was still lodging at the Frigid Grand Ducal Castle.
"I would like nothing more than to do exactly that… but Tenesa called her the Hero, did she not?"
"Is a Hero really that important?! What even is one?! Edward might never open his eyes again!"
"…You have not yet succeeded as head of the house, so it seems you do not fully understand. I will explain this to you later."
"…"
"Grace."
Leaving Lirith unconvinced by her words, Camilla called for her son's knight escort.
"Yes."
"You are forbidden from any other action. Your sole duty is to remain at Edward's side."
"That is naturally what I ought to do…"
"No. I mean you are to do nothing but guard him."
"Pardon?"
"Consider it a disciplinary measure."
"Ah… Yes. Thank you, Your Grace."
Honestly, Camilla had no desire to issue even a formal reprimand, but the political circumstances were too tangled to avoid it. Grace had severed the Hero's arm and even attempted to kill her — that could not simply be overlooked. Even for House Frigid, a grand ducal family of high standing in the Empire, the Hero was not someone one could treat lightly. Still, because the Hero herself had caused the chaos in the first place, Tenesa had offered not a word of complaint at Camilla's formal discipline — she had instead expressed her gratitude.
"Hoo… For now, this room is far too crowded. Edward will not be able to rest properly."
"Then I'll stay by his side."
"…I suppose even if I tried to stop you, you would refuse. I will go meet with the Empress and the Pope. Lirith and the physician are to remain with Edward."
Camilla issued instructions to those around her, seeking to bring order to the situation.
"I-I…"
"Hmm… Emma. I know you care deeply for Edward as well, but there are simply too many people here."
"Yes…"
"Guard the door together with Grace."
"Yes…"
She could see that her son's personal maid wished to remain as well, but though the room was not small, Camilla judged that too many people would do no good. She ordered Emma and Grace to withdraw, and left with them.
By the Grand Duchess's command, two women stood outside Edward's door. It had not been many days since they last stood together to prevent their master from doing anything reckless — and now Grace and Emma stood side by side once more, for an entirely different reason.
As before, it was Grace who spoke first.
"Emma. I'm sorry."
"…"
Grace offered the apology because she, Lirith, and Emma all cared for their master more than anyone. She intended to apologize to Lirith as well, should the chance arise later.
"Truthfully, I wanted to draw my sword immediately… but because it was the young master's debutante, I hesitated."
"Ah… No, Lady Grace. I understand completely…"
"…"
Emma had half expected that this time, at least, she would drop the pretense and lash out in honest anger. Instead, she accepted Grace's position. Even so, her expression was unmistakably blank and dark in a way it had not been before.
"And you were furious too, weren't you, Lady Grace?"
"Hm?"
"At that Hero bitch…"
"E-Emma?"
The atmosphere had shifted as well.
"Ah… Forgive me, Lady Grace. I've just remembered something I need to take care of. I'll be back shortly."
"V-very well… Leave the young master to me."
"Yes. Thank you."
Grace was a little taken aback that Emma — who she had expected would not take a single step from Edward's door — was leaving her post. But she judged that Emma needed to sort through her own thoughts, and so she saw her off with a farewell.
Parting from Grace, Emma walked.
Slowly.
Thud. Thud.
Young Master! Young Master!
No — a little faster.
Tap. Tap.
I will never forgive her.
Da-da-da!!
Her pace quickened with every step. And as she walked, Emma thought.
Her precious young master still had not opened his eyes, even after all this time. According to the physician, he might never open them again. That could not be allowed. And the woman who was the root of it all — she hated her with every fiber of her being. She could not endure it.
Emma's swift footsteps carried her to the rear of the garden beyond the mansion. Night had long since fallen, and the moon was rising in the darkened sky.
"…Young Master."
She lifted her head and murmured the words. A form of address she had used only in her earliest childhood — one he had later forbidden, saying it made him sound like a little boy. She whispered it now as she gazed up at the window of the guest chamber where that hateful creature was staying.
And then she drew the weapon she had concealed beneath her skirt.
"I won't forgive you."
With those words, her figure vanished into the darkness.
The maid's first creed.
For Emma the maid — who devoted not merely her service but her entire being — the first creed she had forged for the young master she loved was this:
Whoever brings harm upon the young master shall be eliminated. Without exception.