Chapter 48
The young master spoke with certainty. I shook my head, focusing on removing his coat.
“She’s acting strangely, but it’s not right to call her a zombie. Even a five-year-old wouldn’t be so mean. Take off your coat so I can check. Or I’ll just press on the wound.”
I took his arm and pressed on the spot where the spear had struck. His expression remained unchanged, as if he couldn’t feel pain. Was his arm a doll arm too? Was he a doll?!
Startled, I took a step back, and he pulled me closer.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, and I don’t want to know. But I’m not injured.”
“Are you a doll too, Young Master?”
“Yes, I knew you would say something absurd. I reinforced my arm with magic right before you attacked. You’re definitely stronger than I thought. My arm would have been broken in two, but it’s just a bit stiff.”
“Phew…”
“Troublemaker, stay here.”
The young master cautiously approached the lady, as if he had discovered a dangerous magic stone. He then knelt on one knee and extended his hand towards her.
“Don’t tell me!”
Wasn’t kneeling on one knee a proposal? And he was even offering his hand. Another Countess candidate had appeared without me realizing it. But the lady seemed a bit old, didn’t she?
Perhaps the young master was open-minded enough to overcome the age difference. Or maybe he just liked older women. And here I was, bringing him only young candidates, no wonder he kept rejecting them.
I followed his outstretched hand with my gaze, trying to discern the lady’s charm. I had to understand her appeal to find a suitable Countess candidate who met his preferences.
But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t see it. Was her creepy giggling her charm, or her unfocused eyes? It was rude to say this, but she looked more like a zombie than a human.
“Madam.”
The young master’s voice, as he addressed her, was gentle and quiet. Despite his peaceful tone, I felt nervous and stayed close behind him, observing the situation.
“I am Lupin Zepetto, a Count with territory in the east. May I ask who you are?”
“Hee hee hee… I’m an angel…”
What confidence. Perhaps she was trying to seduce him by comparing her virtuousness to an angel. I should remember that and try it on him later. There was no avoiding this competition!
But I didn’t know that being an angel required plowing a field with your fingernails. The lady was sitting on the ground, scratching at the dirt with her nails. The young master observed her every move, his eyes darting around as if analyzing something.
“If you’re truly an angel, please smile.”
“Hee…”
She smiled, revealing a set of white, even teeth. The sight was so bizarre that I couldn’t help but step back. For a woman who seemed slightly out of her mind and was scratching the ground with her nails, her teeth were dazzlingly white and clean. Was this incongruity her charm?
“As I suspected.”
The young master said, like a detective who had just solved a case, and stood up.
“Estella. That woman was the highest-ranking woman in this village. The lord’s mother. Now she’s a poor woman who doesn’t even know where her family is.”
“Are you going to propose to her?”
He glared at me, his expression filled with exasperation. I shrugged.
“What else am I supposed to think? Just answer the question. I need to be prepared.”
“No. No. No. I need to observe something important.”
“Your wound?”
“No!”
He roughly grabbed my cheeks with his thumb and forefinger and turned my face towards the lady.
“What do you think of her?”
“She must have been beautiful once, but her behavior is strange. There’s a significant age gap between you two, and I expect Head Butler Godora will strongly object to the marriage. Being the lord’s mother, her status itself isn’t bad.”
“What about her health?”
“Hmm…”
I answered honestly, based on what I saw.
“She’s in surprisingly good health for someone her age, especially considering she has children. She has a healthy complexion, and although she has wrinkles, they’re not deep. Her teeth are very clean.”
It was true. Despite her mental state, she was in excellent physical condition. Considering that there was no one else in this village, she must have been taking care of herself.
It was definitely strange. She was healthy when she shouldn’t be.
“That’s odd…”
The young master finally spoke, his voice soft and satisfied.
“Now, remember what I said earlier.”
“You said a lot of things, where should I start?”
“I’ll just tell you.”
“A wise decision.”
He then declared,
“That woman was once a zombie.”
He often said outrageous things, but this was crossing the line.
“She’s… a bit strange, but isn’t that too rude?”
“I’m just stating facts. You read the diary in the guardhouse, didn’t you? It said the lord’s mother was suffering from a chronic illness. Then a strange doctor came, and she suddenly recovered.”
He seemed suspicious of the doctor. I thought hard, trying to appear intelligent. A thoughtful expression and melancholic eyes would add to my intellectual charm as a maid!
“Ah!”
My efforts paid off, as I finally understood what he meant.
“So the strange doctor treated the lady when she was a zombie? And she lost her mind in the process.”
“Yes. The treatment failed.”
We reacted in opposite ways to the lady’s hidden story.
“That’s so sad.”
“Disgusting.”
He said coldly and then turned away, walking briskly in the opposite direction.
“Young Master!”
I tried to call him back, but he didn’t stop. The lady was giggling behind us, and he was walking away. I didn’t know what to do, so I just followed him.
But I had to say something!
“Are you just leaving her like that?”
“I’m not sure if she’s a zombie or not. We’re just speculating.”
“I feel sorry for her! How about we take her to another village?”
“That’s unnecessary. We don’t know what kind of experiments that strange doctor performed on her. It’s dangerous to get close to her.”
“But!”
He glared at me and said sharply,
“Estella. Don’t disobey me. You’re my doll, and you do as I say.”
“That’s true, but I can still offer better suggestions!”
“What I say is what you do. Don’t argue with me.”
“But!”
This time, he didn’t even look back. I couldn’t disobey him. As his servant, I couldn’t go against his orders and help a stranger.
Could I have helped the lady if I were stronger and more capable?
I would have to persuade him later to escort her to a nearby village. I trusted him. Our young master was a fool who hid a kind and compassionate heart. Someone must have lied to him, telling him that hiding his true nature was what made a noble respectable.
If I kept asking, he would eventually agree to help her. He was a kind person at heart.
I was sorry I couldn’t help her right now, but I would be back, Madam!
I blew a kiss towards the lady. Thankfully, the young master didn’t seem to notice.
“Our priority is finding zombies, right?”
“Yes. I need to make your heart.”
“The way you say it makes it sound like you’re making my heart out of a zombie core. Say you’re making a jewel. Acknowledge the importance of the process.”
We walked around the entire village, but we couldn’t find a single zombie. Castor had said they were around here… Could a village that was supposedly swarming with zombies be this clean?
Since there were no zombies, I could chat with the young master as we walked back.
“Young Master, Young Master. Why did you say that lady was disgusting earlier? Because of her clothes? That can be easily fixed with a change of clothes.”
“I’m not an idiot who finds sick people disgusting.”
He said curtly, his lips pressed into a thin line. After walking a few more steps, he finally revealed his true feelings.
“It was the doctor I found disgusting. He failed to cure her. And then he ran away.”
“But the doctor must have had his reasons.”
“You don’t know what I’m thinking. What I’m suspecting.”
“Suspicions are bad, but I know a good way to resolve them.”
I smiled and moved closer to him. Our arms touched, but he didn’t pull away.
“Investigate directly! If we take the lady with us and find out what happened, we can clear up your suspicions. I don’t know what you’re thinking, smart Young Master, but the best way to find out the truth is to investigate directly.”
He was silent for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.
“See! You were going to agree anyway!”
I smiled and quickened my pace.
“I’ll take care of the lady, so don’t worry! I won’t be a bother. Just wait here!”
“Estella! Wait! Let’s go together!”
He couldn’t hide his kind heart. I was excited to help the lady. My steps grew lighter. As I turned a familiar corner, I heard a strange sound mixed with the cheerful tapping of my shoes.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
I didn’t have time to stop and wonder. I ran towards the beautiful mansion.
And there, the most horrifying meal awaited me.