215 — Oblivion (9)

After finishing her work, Siena returned to her room with a very dark expression, which startled her roommate Hera.

“Siena? Are you okay? Why does your face look like that?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just feeling a bit under the weather.”

“Really? Your body?”

Siena smiled as if to reassure Hera and lay down on the bed.

Hera hummed thoughtfully and climbed up to the top bunk.

Once Hera was up, Siena asked a question.

“Hey, you know…”

“Huh?”

“What kind of person is the Lord?”

Hera, having worked at the manor since she was young, likely thought she would know better than Siena and asked her this question.

Perhaps because there were many sides to things that she didn’t know, having entered later.

“Well, I’m not sure. He’s usually in the Capital, so I don’t really know. But from what I’ve heard, it seems like he doesn’t like outsiders much…”

“Really?”

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“It’s nothing. Just some pointless curiosity. Goodnight, Hera!”

Here, “outsiders” refers to common people from outside the manor.

Siena lay in bed, reflecting on Hera’s words. The more she thought about it, the less she could sleep.

In fact, since that day, she hadn’t had a good sleep. So, her insomnia wasn’t only because of this.

“Oppa… You’re doing well, right? The Lord here is so different from you and from Greek’s Lord…”

When she thought about it, tears came out like a fool.

But she resented herself for not being able to avoid thinking about it.

Due to Count Dedran’s manipulation and schemes, the servants of Greek manor were scattered.

During the transfer, she had heard so many bad rumors about Count Dedran that there wasn’t a single day when her mind was at ease.

She was worried if her oppa was managing to endure under such a cruel lord.

Her wish was to hear that he was doing well, but as a mere maid, there was no noble who would inform her about the situation in Greek City.

“By the way, the story I heard today is really shocking… What should I do?”

Since she was young, Siena had been unknowingly influenced by the philosophy of good lordship that Greek always preached to her.

‘Of course, I could hardly understand most of the philosophy of good lordship that oppa always talked about, but still, someone in the position of a lord shouldn’t be using relief supplies for politics!’

Siena vividly recalled hearing a similar anecdote.

This is wrong.

She had heard that many people were still starving to death outside. While she was lucky enough to belong to the manor, so she wouldn’t starve, even just walking through the market or opening her ears would bring stories of villages falling into ruin.

Most servants and maids wouldn’t understand the complex issues surrounding relief supplies, and since no one blamed the Lord for the famine caused by the drought, people starved quietly without riots.

“Oppa…”

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed clear that the responsibility ultimately lay with the Lord, according to what Greek had told her.

But she was astonished by how helpless she was.

There was no one who would support her. She was an outsider here.

So, Siena just worked as usual. No matter how bad the Lord was, work still had to be done. The only time to stop working was when one died.

Siena had always been taught that by her mother.

She continued to clean her assigned area from the second floor to the third floor. Keeping the manor shining was her duty.

“But My Lord!”

“Get out now!”

A loud noise came from the manor’s office. Siena was startled and stared blankly at the scene.

Yesterday, after taking the teacup, she had eavesdropped secretly because the conversation had piqued her interest. So, this situation was unexpected.

There had never been a case where the sounds from the office spilled out like this before.

Thinking it was rare, Siena continued to watch the office. Soon, a nobleman walked out, his shoulders drooping.

“This is wrong. It’s wrong, yet… I need to stop it. But how…?”

Muttering something, he started descending the stairs.

‘What is it that he needs to stop? Could it be…?’

Siena thought it was just her own interpretation, so she shook her head.

Siena thought it was just her own interpretation, so she shook her head.

Once the nobleman completely disappeared, Hera quickly ran from the upper floor.

“Siena!”

“Huh?”

She began whispering something in Siena’s ear.

“Goodness, Siena. What are you doing staring like that at the Baron? You’ll be in big trouble if the head maid catches you.”

“A-a, I’m sorry…”

“Right? He’s handsome, isn’t he? I get it, I’ve had moments like that too. You don’t know who he is? His name is Baron Dink.”

“Really?”

Is he handsome?

Siena’s impression was that she didn’t even notice his face, so she wasn’t sure.

“But he’s always getting scolded by the Lord. Oh, by the way, you didn’t hear that from me!”

Hera said this and then went back upstairs. Thinking of her as someone busy going here and there, Siena resumed her work.

But the more she thought about it, the more the Baron’s reprimands and the words he muttered bothered her.

It could have just been meaningless muttering, and it could have been something entirely different from what she was thinking.

But it started to weigh heavily on her mind.

Yet, as always, she felt there was nothing she could do. Siena thought this and shook her head.

The next day, Count Lutyian left the manor with Baron Gerin for a hunting trip disguised as a city inspection.

Due to this, the manor was quieter than usual, and Siena was still quietly working.

She continued scrubbing the stairs of the second floor below the office. Then, she heard a noise from the third-floor corridor. The third-floor corridor was where the office was located.

At that moment, there was no one there. The servants had been taken along for the hunting trip, and her colleague Hera was also included, so she was the only one in charge of the entire manor.

Siena quietly climbed to the third floor to secretly observe the situation.

She saw the Baron from yesterday fumbling down the office corridor. It seemed like he was trying to unlock the office door with something, but after failing, he soon gave up and sighed.

Though she couldn’t be certain yesterday.

The Baron’s actions were definitely suspicious.

For this reason, Siena decided to act.

“What are you doing right now, Baron?”

“Wh-what? It’s nothing!”

“The Lord and other nobles have all left…”

“I just stayed behind because I had work to do.”

“Is that so? But the door is locked, isn’t it? The head servant has the key.”

“I know that! Hmph, now that I think about it, I’ll do it when the Lord returns.”

Baron Dink said this and turned to leave.

Siena thought.

This might be her last chance.

The last opportunity to do something.

If she missed this chance, she would likely work her whole life, longing for Greek, and die without having done anything.

She thought she wanted such a life, but deep down, it was as if her heart rejected it, and before she knew it, she grabbed the Baron.

If she had misjudged the situation, she would die at this very moment. She didn’t mind dying, but she wanted to fulfill Greek’s ideals before her death, and her heart was filled with tension.

‘I don’t want to live with guilt with regards to oppa!’

Her desire to solve the relief supply issue was not motivated by a sense of justice for the people dying of famine.

It was solely guilt about Greek.

This situation was completely the opposite of the philosophy of good lordship that Greek read to her every day.

Could she really meet Greek after dying in peace, having just turned a blind eye to everything?

Could she stand before him with a clear conscience and applaud the ideals he had so passionately spoken about?

For this reason, Siena’s mouth started to speak without her realizing it.

“Could it be because of the relief supplies?”

“What? What did you say?”

At those words, Baron Dink quickly looked around and made a “shh” gesture with his finger.

But Siena didn’t stop.

“Did you fight with the Lord because of that, and are you secretly in the office trying to divert the relief supplies to give to the people?”

“Who are you? How do you know that…! Did the Lord send you to check on me?”

Baron Dink, sweating coldly, grabbed Siena’s wrist and pulled her toward a guest room on the third floor, where he had been staying when he arrived at the manor.

The servants who didn’t go with the hunting party were all on the first floor. Servants were not allowed to go up to the second to fourth floors unless they had a specific task.

The head servant, who was in charge of the manor at the moment, was working on the first floor, and only Siena, who was tasked with cleaning the stairs, moved between the second and third floors.

Thus, Siena was quietly dragged away by Baron Dink without anyone noticing.

As soon as he pushed her into the room, Baron Dink immediately began to choke Siena’s pale neck.

“I’m sorry. This is for the people. This must never be discovered… So…so… I’m sorry!”

Baron Dink’s hands trembled as he choked Siena’s neck. But his strength was surprisingly lacking, as if he had never killed anyone before.

“For the people.”

Even while being choked, Siena remained calm. She even thought this could be useful.

“I’m…on your side, Baron.”

“What?”

“Cough cough cough.”

At those words, Baron Dink loosened his grip, and Siena coughed and collapsed.

“Who are you…?”

“I’m just an outsider. I’ve only been here for a few years. So I’m different from the other maids and servants. I’m not exactly loyal to the Lord. And I overheard something as I passed by. Using relief supplies for politics to help the people! Isn’t that wrong? That’s how I was taught.”

“You think you know about politics?”

Baron Dink had an expression of disbelief. But he couldn’t bring himself to put his hands back around Siena’s neck.

“I don’t know much about it. But the son of the lord I used to serve always said it, almost like a habit…”

The Baron, interpreting Siena’s words as a plea for her life, asked her.

“Did he? Hmm, but how can I trust that you won’t reveal my actions if I let you live?”

The more he pressed, the more Siena answered calmly.