Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Peering from the Window
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Dawn Castle's mansion. One of the many windows lining the top-floor corridor.
"What a surprise..."
Lucia let out a heavy sigh and patted her chest as if to steady her racing heart.
She had only been leaning against the window, chin resting in her hand, watching the boy for a fleeting moment.
But in that short time, her gaze had tangled with that of the demon girl who proclaimed herself Shiron's errand runner.
Her pride stung for no good reason, and she ground her teeth together in a fit of irritation.
'What the heck is all this...'
Drawn by the morning chatter, she had flung open the window only to find Shiron engaged in his usual absurd training.
And today, of all days, he had some demon girl in tow to assist him.
'What if he hurts himself like that?' The worry bubbled up unbidden, catching her completely off guard.
Had she actually grown fond of the little pest in the short time they had spent under the same roof?
It made her feel like a mother leaving her child by the water's edge, an image that sent a jolt of shock through her system.
'Mo... ther...?'
Lucia's eyes widened for a split second as the thought crossed her mind.
She was clearly out of her mind; she had never even had a boyfriend, and dying a virgin was bad enough—now she was feeling maternal?
Goosebumps prickled her arms, and she rubbed them roughly as a wave of cringeworthy nausea churned in her stomach.
Lucia swept back her tousled hair and tried to calm her nerves with the chilly winter breeze.
'At least he hasn't given up his stubborn ways.'
Despite her confusion, Lucia could only feel a sense of relief about that one specific fact.
She had been fretting that Shiron might quit the sword altogether, perhaps holed up in some corner, sniffling and soaking his sleeves with tears.
But there wasn't a single tear in sight; if anything, he was pushing his body even harder today in the most brutish way imaginable.
Calling that training—or cultivation, as he put it—seemed like a bad joke to her.
He had chain mail and plate armor strapped on, sprinting around with a backpack that looked heavy as lead just from a single glance.
"As long as he doesn't catch a cold or something..."
Lucia finally tore her eyes away from the pair in the training grounds.
She ruffled her messy hair roughly and decided it was finally time to get to her own personal tasks.
Everything about this world was still a mystery, so she figured she would start with some investigating.
The next morning arrived.
Lucia cracked her eyelids open at the sounds drifting in from outside, her routine already becoming fixed.
She roughly tamed her bedhead and threw the window wide, letting the crisp winter air sharpen her foggy mind.
"Hmmm."
Today, too, Shiron was brutalizing himself in the training grounds without a moment's hesitation.
Normally, after such self-abuse, a child would be bedridden with a fever, yet the more she watched, the more miraculous his recovery seemed.
Sure, warriors who reached a certain level could shrug off a life-or-death duel and go about their day, but Shiron was just a kid.
'More importantly...'
Lucia's gaze shifted from Shiron to the maid attending him nearby, her curiosity piqued.
Eavesdropping on their conversation from her window, she caught the name Ophelia.
If yesterday's Encia had been lively and bold, this one seemed timid and remarkably shy.
She wore the same frilly maid outfit, but her soft, fluffy hair cascaded to her waist, held demurely in place by a headband.
'Demon or not.'
It was a scene that was hard to wrap her head around in every possible way.
A demon playing errand girl for a human brat wasn't impossible to understand if one considered those obsessive freaks fixated on "deals."
But her investigation from yesterday had said otherwise.
This mansion had only her and Shiron as humans, so what on earth had he done to make a demon girl blush and giggle at his every word?
At least, no demon Lucia knew would hum tunes while weaving flower crowns for a human.
Shiron must have asked the girl named Ophelia to do it; that was Lucia's best guess.
After sweating buckets, Shiron shed his armor and approached Ophelia, who rose slowly and placed the flower crown atop his head.
"...Ugh."
Lucia felt a wave of nausea rising and grimaced as if she had witnessed something truly vile.
Watching them act like fairy-tale protagonists turned her stomach in a way she couldn't describe.
She took a deep breath, watching the pair stage their little storybook scene, when something unexpected happened.
"!"
Shiron suddenly tore the flower crown from his head and shredded it to bits without a second thought.
- Y-Young Master...?
- Sorry, but thanks! Ophelia!
"...Wh-what?"
Lucia was too stunned to close her mouth as the scene veered into utter incomprehensibility.
The demon girl wiped tears with her sleeve, sobbing, while Shiron laughed heartily, clearly delighted by the destruction.
His mood appeared utterly refreshed as he patted the crying Ophelia's back with loud, resonant smacks.
But the maid didn't stop; instead, she wailed even louder, as if the world were coming to an end.
Lucia muttered softly at the bizarre sight of laughter and sobs mingling in the morning air.
"Trash..."
In her mind, Shiron was pure trash.
No matter how much Lucia despised demons, even she could not condone such a cruel and heartless stunt.
Shredding a gift someone made with care, right in front of them—in Lucia's eyes, Shiron looked more wicked than the demon herself.
Turning away from the weird cacophony, she pressed her throbbing temples and shut the window firmly.
Today's plan was simple: visit the study.
A week passed since that day.
?
Today, no sounds from outside woke her, which she found incredibly odd.
Lucia opened the window out of habit, but no one was out there; fresh snow had fallen overnight, and there were no footprints in sight.
"He quit, huh..."
Just yesterday he had been at his so-called training, so it was strange for him to stop so suddenly.
'What am I even doing?'
The sun was already high in the sky, and because her body had grown accustomed to Shiron's racket, she had overslept.
- Knock knock
- Are you awake, miss?
She was stretching out her stiff body when the knock and a woman's voice came from the other side of the door.
"...Come in."
- Pardon the intrusion.
The heavy door opened, and two maids entered lightly, pushing a cart with a basin and fresh water.
"...Thanks, as always."
"Not at all, miss. It's our duty."
The maids tidied Lucia's tousled hair with practiced, efficient hands.
Before she knew it, Lucia had grown used to their service, and treating them casually had begun to feel natural.
Every time she had tried to be polite, they would fluster like it was a village comedy, so she had eventually given in to the noble life.
She soaked her hands in the warm basin water to thaw them, then washed her face with a steaming hot towel.
'So this is what noble life is like?'
Lucia savored the soft texture, relaxing fully as a pleasant smile crept onto her lips.
Now, she didn't care if the mansion's servants were demons; the world had changed in 500 years, and she would simply roll with it.
Whether Shiron knew their true nature or not was his business; fretting over it would only be foolish.
Once her hair was brushed, the maids gathered her shoulder-length locks into a sleek ponytail with a silk ribbon.
One held up a mirror, revealing a cute redheaded girl, neatly dressed and ready for the day.
"Planning to head to the study again today?"
"Yeah, might as well."
Lucia gave a wry smile and extended her hand to the maid.
A jingle of keys dropped into her palm.
On the way to the study, Lucia recalled how she had practically lived there for the past week.
Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed deeply as she faced a major problem: reading.
It was so bad that a week in, her research hadn't budged an inch—she had even neglected her training.
'I never skipped training even in my past life.'
Today, she vowed to make progress, even if it was just a single page.
She slid the key into the study door and pulled, but it wouldn't budge.
Click—
"Huh?"
Click— click—
"Why... won't... this open?"
It had opened fine yesterday, but no matter how hard she tugged, it remained stuck.
She shoved with all her might—still nothing.
Had she used the wrong key? As she tried to pull it out to check—
"Ow!"
The door suddenly swung open, smacking her squarely in the face.
"...?"
Rubbing her forehead, she cautiously opened her eyes and startled as she stepped back.
"What are you doing...?"
Shiron had opened it from the inside; no wonder he wasn't in the training grounds today.
"Wh-what do you think? The door wouldn't open..."
"Door wouldn't open?"
Shiron glanced at the keyhole and then gave her a look of utter pity.
He demonstrated the solution: he inserted the key precisely and turned it twice.
Click— click—
"You turned the key extra on an already unlocked door. You locked it again."
"...Oh. Yeah."
Lucia wanted to crawl into a hole as her face burned with a searing heat.
She hung her head for a moment, unable to look at him.
"Hey. What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Don't you have business here? Why are you just standing there? I'll shut it if you loiter."
"..."
Shiron held the door open, eyeing her as if telling her to hurry up and get in.
"...Thanks."
Relieved he wasn't mocking her for her mistake, Lucia slipped past him into the study.