Chapter 144
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144
"Are you okay?"
Canna helped Hazel to her feet. Her hair was a disheveled mess and her face was streaked with tears, as if she’d been rolling around on the ground. Huh? More than that, there was blood on her apron, and red handprints marked her wrists.
Is she hurt? No, I gave her holy water as severance pay. Why didn't she use it to heal herself? Where did she leave it?
"Hello, Hazel."
"My Lady… Yes, it's me, Hazel."
She was an absolute wreck. She hadn't been out drinking, had she? I sniffed the air, but thankfully, there was no scent of alcohol.
First, I needed to calm the crying girl down. Gently patting Hazel on the back, I asked, "What happened?"
Hazel's face was drenched in tears. Am I some kind of magnet for crying people? Is this a savior complex? That’s too grand a role for a villainess. Besides, I've already saved Canna, Daisy, and even Jeremia. I feel like I've done enough.
"Butler Rico… Butler Rico…!"
Hazel cried, stamping her feet in distress. I couldn't tell exactly what she was trying to say, but it was clear something had happened to Rico.
"Did something happen to Rico?"
Hazel bit her lip hard enough to bruise it, clutching her skirt as she spoke.
"Butler Rico… Butler Rico was a demon."
…Excuse me?
What on earth was she talking about? It sounded as absurd as Mavka wailing.
"Come inside first."
This wasn't a conversation we could have standing in the doorway. I needed to hear the details, so I ushered Hazel inside. Since she’d mentioned demons and holy water, this was bound to be serious.
Canna brewed some tea, telling Hazel to calm down and take her time. Of course, everything from the teaware to the tea leaves had been brought over from the Rohanson Mansion, so there wasn't a single rat hair on them.
"Drink this, and tell me everything slowly and in detail, okay?"
"Yes, yes…"
Hazel took a sip of the tea. Perhaps it was effective, because she quickly regained her composure. Huh? Is that really tea? The water was completely clear, with no sign of steeped leaves. Feeling suspicious, I glanced back at Canna, who gave me a bright smile.
A sudden realization struck me. It wasn't ordinary tea; it was holy water. Canna must have been testing her, suspecting that a demon might have taken Hazel's form to frame Rico.
No wonder the calming effect was so potent. Looking closely, I saw that even the red marks on Hazel's arms had completely vanished. What am I going to do with this meticulous girl?
"Um… where should I start?"
"Could you start from the beginning?"
"Yes. Well… I heard Butler Rico wasn't feeling well today, so I went to the dining hall to see if there was anything I could do."
"The dining hall?"
"Yes. The… the Duke and Lady Agera were having dinner together. Butler Rico was there with them…"
Hazel spoke while constantly watching my expression. Did she think I'd be jealous that I wasn't invited to dine with them?
"It's fine. Keep going."
"They said Butler Rico made a mistake and broke a glass during dinner. She seemed to blame herself, so she stayed behind to clean it up. When I went to the dining hall to see if I could help, her hands were covered in blood, as if she had cut herself while cleaning."
Hazel said she tried to treat Rico by removing the glass shards embedded in her hands and then using holy water. But the moment the holy water touched her, Rico writhed in agony, her form changing into a completely different person as she tried to grab her.
"It was as if her body was being controlled."
The moment I heard those words, 'the Rat' came to mind.
Don't tell me… Rico was a host, too?
But everyone in the mansion drank the holy water. We made sure every single member of the Duke's household drank it. Rico… Wait, did Rico actually drink it? Since I wasn't involved in distributing it, I turned to Canna, who would know.
"Canna, did Rico drink the holy water?"
"From what I remember… no."
Meeting my gaze, Canna lowered her eyes. But even if she didn't drink it, shouldn't she have come into contact with it? She was in charge of distributing the holy water alongside Canna.
"Butler Rico only assisted me; she never touched the holy water directly. She was in charge of managing the list. As you know, My Lady, I am not very good at writing…" Canna explained, shaking her head apologetically.
Since Canna struggled with writing, Rico must have taken charge of the paperwork. This wasn't Canna's fault. It was mine for being too complacent.
A curse escaped my lips. Damn it. Rico was a host. Because she was tasked with rooting out the hosts, she’d managed to avoid drinking the holy water and survived.
Without realizing it, I had excluded Rico from my suspicions. After all, Rico was on our side, helping us plan and execute everything. She absolutely loathed 'the rats' because Mavka had been targeted, and since we hadn't had a single issue catching the hosts while she was around, there was no reason to doubt her.
Why did it have to be Rico, of all people? Why?! I felt a stinging sensation at the back of my head, as if I'd been struck.
"Butler Rico was being controlled by the demon, right? Even while being controlled, she barely managed to mouth a hint to me, so I threw holy water on her and ran."
It was a relief that Rico hadn't completely succumbed. The fact that she told Hazel to run and let her go suggested she wasn't entirely consumed yet.
That was a silver lining. This felt like positive foreshadowing, didn't it? Perhaps it hinted at an ending where she refuses to lose to the demon, endures with a strong heart, and eventually reclaims her humanity. I chose to believe Rico would return.
"So that's why you fled to me."
I nodded, but Hazel shook her head. Was there more?
"I ran away, but I watched Butler Rico from nearby."
I was speechless. She realized Rico was possessed by a demon and almost got caught, yet instead of running away immediately, she stayed to watch?
"Rats started crawling down the walls. The rats ate Butler Rico, Butler Rico ate the rats, and the rats ate each other."
Hazel trembled violently. Her tone made it clear how horrifying the memory was. This girl was really something else. To think she watched all of that with bated breath. Still, thanks to her, I now knew what had happened. It aligned perfectly with what Pudding had said about their energies merging.
Rico was the sole surviving host, and 'the Rat' seemed to have merged with her. It was safe to assume Rico was now the main body. Come to think of it, it was a miracle Rico's consciousness still remained.
"And then I ran, but…"
Hazel explained that she had fled, only to be caught once more. At that time, Rico had persuaded 'the Rat' again, allowing her to escape. However, she added that another entity was now wandering around disguised as her.
"They're definitely trying to use a fake version of me."
I agreed. Since Hazel had witnessed Rico being the host, they would probably try to frame her as the demon instead. Besides, the fake Hazel was indeed summoned by the demon.
"I-I'm the real one."
"Yes. I believe you."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Hazel looked deeply moved by my trust.
Well, of course I believe you. Canna spiked your drink with holy water, after all.
After confessing everything, Hazel seemed relieved. Exhausted, she fell fast asleep. Canna laid her down on the sofa.
If there was another Hazel out there, it was best for us to protect the real one here. And I needed to bring Mavka over immediately.
"Pudding. Go bring Mavka."
I felt bad, but I asked Pudding for one more favor. Though he was going through a turbulent adolescent phase, Pudding couldn't refuse my requests. In the blink of an eye, he returned with Mavka.
"Oh! Angel—no, My Lady!"
Mavka called out to me with a bright smile.
Looking at her innocent face, my conscience pricked painfully. I couldn't bear to look at her. This is insane. What on earth have I been doing all this time? How did I not realize Rico was infected? I had stayed behind with such a grand, heroic attitude, claiming I would protect Mavka, but in the end, I just ordered the others around, slacked off, and lost Rico. This was all because riding the female lead's coattails was too comfortable. No… I know it's my fault!
"You weren't asleep yet?"
"I was waiting because Mom didn't come."
I didn't know whether to call this a relief. Based on what Hazel said, Rico's consciousness was definitely still present. She had likely made sure not to return to the room where Mavka was, especially since 'the rats' had a history of searching for Mavka. Otherwise, there was no way they wouldn't have targeted Mavka's room, especially when they went as far as creating a fake Hazel.
"Is that so? Then, Mavka, how about you stay with me and the cat for a while?"
"Huh? What about Mom?"
"Rico is a bit busy right now. I already got her permission, so what do you think?"
Mavka pondered for a moment, then hugged Pudding tightly and nodded.
"Then Mavka will play with you."
I couldn't possibly tell her the truth. That because of my poor supervision, her mom had become a demon's host? I had stayed at the Duke's estate for Mavka's sake, yet I had failed her terribly.
Mavka tried hard to keep her heavy eyelids open, waiting to see if Rico would come find her. But since it was well past a child's bedtime, she soon fell fast asleep.
I had laid Hazel on the sofa, but I couldn't treat a young child the same way. I tucked the softly breathing Mavka into bed, carefully pulling the blanket over her so she wouldn't catch a cold. It was a small gesture born of guilt.
"I'm jealous…"
Canna and Pudding stared enviously at the softly sleeping Mavka. It was understandable, considering they were working overtime while Mavka had drifted off to dreamland. But I couldn't let them sleep. We had to find Rico and devise a plan to deal with the fake Hazel.
Failing to realize sooner that Rico was a host was a major blunder. Canna also admitted she hadn't found it suspicious that Rico never touched the holy water. She deeply regretted not noticing.
"If it had tried to imitate you, My Lady, I would have noticed instantly."
Canna gazed at me intently, as if engraving my image into her memory, before letting out a regretful sigh.