The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It

At first,

I was surprised.

Then,

I was bewildered.

Finally,.

I shouted.

“Liar.”

Leaning comfortably against the cold, icy wall, Rue looked slick.

“It’s an understandable reaction. You must be surprised at my greatness.”

“What are you saying? There’s no way God is a sinister, easy-going pervert like you!”

“Ahaha.”

The only person who would let out such a dry and heartless laugh in the world was Rue.

The moment that laughter was heard, the stiffness in the back of my neck melted away. At the same time, Rue’s appearance, which had felt fake, became clearer.

“…Rue.”

Rue, not Count Serenier.

In my mind, the process of coming to this place, Calepa, flashed by like a shooting star.

The struggle I had to endure to woo the head maid.

How I had a hard-time sleeping, curled up in the airship.

How I was ignored by Marquis Horse-dung.

Even the struggle of jumping into the burning Calepa!

Unable to contain my boiling anger, I grabbed Rue by the collar (or rather, the area slightly higher than the chest due to our height difference) and shook him vigorously.

“You perverted bastard! What exactly have you done so well that you’re only showing up now? After making me suffer like this!”

Whether he had a shred of conscience left or not, he didn’t try to push my hand away and obediently shook.

“Yeah, I guess I’m a bit… perverted. I’ve been feeling that quite intensely lately. For about… 14 years or so.”

His subtle gaze seemed to say, ‘Because of you.’

That statement brought to mind the image of my portraits filling the gallery. Rue’s shameless face and my face, which was stuck in every photo, overlapped.

“Mr. Rue…”

Why were you watching over me?

What were you thinking as you watched over me?

Only vague words left my trembling lips.

“Mr. Rue… Have you surpassed all four walls?”

As my strength waned, his clothes that I held onto with both hands slipped out of my grasp.

Rue, who had been silently observing the sight, whispered in response.

“It’s been a while. But still, I am half-human. I couldn’t become a perfect god.”

Is that so? Yes, it seems that one must reach this level to be called a demi-god.

‘How could I call someone like Mephisto a demi-god?’

When I first saw that demon, I thought there was no greater pinnacle of strength.

Yet even that was barely within reach of Rue’s fingertips.

Demi-god.

One who has surpassed the fourth barrier of body and mind. One who has reached the extreme of what a human can achieve.

A magician who has become a god.

The Lord of Rogue.

And my… benefactor.

[Stop the delusions here.]

My head felt heavy.

I knew it too. The fact that I had expectations of Rue. The hope that I might be a somewhat special existence to him.

Of course, it could have been just my own delusion.

But even if it was a delusion, so what? It was just a little fuzzy feeling. Afterall, I planned to keep it to myself anyway. 

Yet, I was afraid.

Afraid that it might really be just a delusion.

‘How pathetic.’

Thanks to Rue, I’ve come to realize one thing.

I become extremely passive when faced with unfamiliar emotions I haven’t experienced before.

I am a coward.

I am a fool.

I am a timid liar.

I… like Rue.

That’s why I’m afraid that I’m not special to Rue.

“What’s the matter?”

A white finger lifted my chin.

He was smiling, but somehow his chilling gaze came closer.

“When you talk to me, look at me.”

The soft flesh beneath his fingernail gently brushed against my chin.

“Tell me what the problem is.”

“…You are the problem.”

As if asking me to continue, Rue blinked his long eyelashes.

At that moment, a hole was created in the dam of my suppressed emotions.

“You are the biggest problem. Why did you call me? Why did you bring me all the way to this distant Calepa? What is it that you want from me?”

“…”

“To fulfill our promise? Is that why you’ve been watching over me for 14 years, coming all the way to the Weatherwoods Mansion and sacrificing your time?”

“…”

“If that’s the case…”

“If that’s the case?”

A frigid voice, as cold as ice, pierced my ears.

“If that’s the case, what are you going to do about it?”

What?

What do you mean, what am I going to do about it? Did you just ask me that?

I felt a lump in my throat and tears threatening to fall.

I mustered up the courage that I never had before, barely managing to speak. I couldn’t believe I could even use such a tone.

“What am I going to do about it? I should be grateful! Grateful that you still remember the promise we made 14 years ago… Ah.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Rue hugged me so hard that I couldn’t breathe.

‘What’s going on?’

I could hear his heartbeat. Of course I could. My face was pressed against his chest.

Why was he hugging me?

‘Are you crazy?’

Because he’s a crazy magician, is that why he was hugging me?

Various thoughts that wouldn’t normally come to mind flooded in. The trembling of my body was too unfamiliar and frightening, so I forcefully pushed away from Rue’s body.

“Don’t hug me so casually!”

Damn it. These lips of mine always proved to be utterly useless.

“Don’t hug me so casually?”

With a laughter-filled voice, he obediently let go of me.

“So, if I ask for permission, can I hug you? Alright, Daisy. I want to hold you. So, will you hold my hand?”

And now, he was extending his hand in front of me.

His hand.

I couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.

No, more than anything, I didn’t want to refuse. 

But I didn’t want to just obediently hold his hand either. I didn’t want to be swayed.

‘Don’t act like a fool.’

Calm down, Daisy. How many men do you know?

How many men have you seen naked?

How many girls were hung up on you?

Are you going to act stupidly in front of this old man over 150?

“Come on.”

But I grabbed his hand anyway.

Because I wanted to.

Rue’s lips drew an attractive curve as if they had been waiting.

I felt dirty, as if I had been tricked.

No, actually, it wasn’t dirty. Just holding hands with him couldn’t make me feel…

“I never wanted anything in particular from you.”

A gentle force pulled my hand.

We walked.

We passed through the space where the mental magic trap was laid out, and through the long corridor that faintly passed by in the darkness.

“That time has passed. I have lived for too long. What can you even feel and desire after reaching the level of the Gods… rather, I have always focused on maintaining balance.”

“Balance?”

“Daisy, have you ever watched over someone’s life for 14 years?”

There’s no way I had.

“What if you stayed by their side to keep a promise and experienced their joys and sorrows together? Would it feel like watching a long play? Or would it feel like melting into their world?”

Rue was telling his story.

I liked this topic. It was rare for Rue to tell old stories.

“Wouldn’t it be different for each person?”

Honestly, I wasn’t very curious about how it would be different. I was just enjoying holding hands and walking with Rue.

Maybe it was because of the height difference… but it might feel like dragging a dog for a walk for him.

“Yeah, different. So it doesn’t matter how you feel. Actually, it’s not important at all.”

As Rue continued down the long path, he slowly pulled back the white curtains that obstructed the view. One sheet, two sheets, three sheets…

And when he pulled back the last sheet.

“My balance shifted after I met you.”

We were standing on Queen Island.

Whoosh. The damp, humid wind blew, instantly soaked our hair and clothes. The crashing white waves against the cliffs were as fierce as a monster’s jaws.

I held Rue’s hand and looked down at the beach as the sun set.

A girl was coming up from the shore to the land, and Rue was watching over her.

“You, wandering around in half-torn clothes on that burnt island.”

A strong whirlwind blurred my vision, and the world changed once again.

The wind dried up, and flower petals fell from the sky.

At the edge of the cliff, two figures appeared. 

It was me standing in front of a tombstone, and Rue, my magician.

“You, who believed meeting me was fate and dreamed of revenge.”

Now, the world turned upside down with the blowing flower petals.

The distant horizon disappeared. Now we stood on top of a ruined city.

I saw myself, with a limping leg, drawing a sword, and Rue standing like a shadow amidst fleeing city dwellers.

“You, who bravely fought against the demons alone.”

Even on the battlefield.

“You, who were finding stability after meeting people, and even amidst that, you became consumed by revenge and turned into a sword-demon.”

Even on Queen Island, which became the devil’s stronghold.

“When I saw you swinging your sword at Mephisto, for the first time in decades, I felt anguish…”

Always. Rue was always by my side.

Only Rue stayed by my side.

“Now that you’ve returned to my side, I can’t let you go again.”

With a solemn voice, we returned to Calepa once again.

Whether Rue had shown me a vision or sent me back in time to the past, I could not tell.

In this moment, we were alone.

“Yes. In the end, you shattered my equilibrium.”

A chilling warmth wrapped around my shoulders, bringing me solace.

“…That day.”

The moment his calm breath touched my forehead.

“You shouldn’t have caught my eye on that island.”

A hot blade pierced through my abdomen.