Chapter 27
The welcome dinner was over, and Viola finally returned to her room. Although it had been only an hour or so, it felt like ten hours for her.
‘It was so difficult. Ah, I’m exhausted…’
As soon as she came back to her room, she immediately threw herself onto the bed and laid back comfortably.
Xenon, who followed her into the room, stood next to the bed.
“Princess, you look tired.”
“Ugh. I am really tired.”
He went closer to her and handed her a sweet juice.
“Would you like to drink this?” He said, slowly lifting up the sprawling Viola on the bed as if she had melted to it.
She had been noticing this for a while, but Xenon is surprisingly delicate. His hands are very soft and careful. Of course, he had a touch with an immense amount of care for Viola, and the way he speaks is kind as well.
“Don’t worry. Considering my condition, I only drank a weak poison.”
“….”
That’s the way the duke is.
Adding trace amounts of poison to all the foods. In order not to be poisoned, the body ingests acceptable levels of poison in advance. It was an act of increasing tolerance.
“He must have put the exact measured amount of poison into consideration of my physical condition.”
Colorless, odorless poison. It tasted just like orange juice.
Oh, it’s sweet.
‘I really want to drink strawberry ade now.’
“When I wake up, I want to drink strawberry ale.”
“I’ll have it ready.”
“With floating ice, too.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll break the ice finely and raise it like a snowflake.”
“Hmm.”
Viola thought it sounded a bit extra, but the thought of it was going to be delicious, anyway, so she didn’t say anything else.
Blink. Her eyes are slowly shutting. It was no wonder because she had been pulling herself up since dawn. So, obviously, her seven-year-old body is unable to withstand the sleepiness and quickly became half asleep.
Her consciousness is halfway gone, and Viola’s mouth started to move against her will.
“I’m sleepy…”
Zzzzz.
At that, her body melted on the bed and fell asleep. Xenon gazed down at the bed, gazing at Viola’s hair that was scattered randomly around her. A strand of her hair got in her mouth this time as well.
“Hmm, hmm…”
The sleeping Viola chewed her hair like a cow.
Seeing this, he carefully pulled out the hair from her mouth and asked softly, “Do you mind if I apply the medicine?”
Though because she had fallen asleep, Viola couldn’t answer.
Xenon rolled up the blanket very gently until her shins and feet were visible. It was the part where poison is buried and burned.
He put some ointment on it earlier. He thought it may take a few more times for it to fully recover.
“Well, excuse me, I’ll take it since you allowed me.” He said, falling down to his knees.
Very slowly, he sat carefully so that she wouldn’t wake up.
Then, Xenon opened the lid of the ointment before applying it to the burned area with a delicate touch. He applied ointment several times at that position. When it dries, he applies it again. This process continued a couple more times.
“You have to apply it more than once to avoid scarring.”
He muttered and pulled his back up straight.
Xenon knows.
No matter how much Viola says it, no matter how talented a murderer is, it still hurts to get burned this much.
Thinking back, he grinned as he glanced at the sleeping Viola.
[ “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll break the ice finely and raise it like a snowflake.” ]
[ “Hmm.” ]
At that short moment, her expression became very bright. Her expression truly made him wonder, ‘Is strawberry ale filled with ice that good?’
“That brightness… I don’t hate it.”
If possible, he wanted to see that brightness for a long time.
“Others have never seen Princess Viola sleep like this before, have they?”
Viola’s appearance at the welcome dinner is far more fascinating than Xenon had imagined. She is more Verratoux than anyone else. Needless to say, even more than the pure-blooded Verratoux.
‘That one who…’
He couldn’t believe that it was the same person who fell into the dreamland while chewing her hair like this. The gap between the conscious Viola and the unconscious Viola is as wide as the sky and the earth.
Xenon grinned and continued to gaze at Viola’s sleeping face.
‘It’s really strange…’
Viola was a princess of Verratoux who could never be cute. However, strangely enough, her sleeping face is adorable.
It’s been about four hours.
Opening her eyes slowly, the first thing she saw was Xenon’s face.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just staying by your side.”
“Why?”
“The princess kept kicking the blanket.”
So, Xenon had been staying with her for four hours, keeping her covered. He continued his words, “Besides, you shouldn’t have an upset stomach at times like this.”
Tilting her head, she asked back.
“At a time like this?”
“You had Potion Viola, remember, princess?”
“…Ah.”
To be honest, he was just afraid because she drank the poison though Viola Verratoux shouldn’t show weakness or something.
“Yes.”
That’s right.
There’s nothing to worry about.
But, it was then, Xenon suddenly smiled beautifully.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re not sick, princess.”
The tone was very sweet. Whatever the reason would be, for her, he seemed to be sincere in wishing that she doesn’t get hurt.
“I’m fine, so get out of here. Butler, get some rest, too.”
“Understood.”
Although he did answer yes, Xenon didn’t really leave.
“By the way, Princess. Do you mind if I am honest for a second?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…”
Xenon smiled beautifully. He hesitated a little. At last, he spoke frankly, slightly scratching on his head.
“I was a little sad…”
“What?”
“When your leg was wounded.”
“Why would you be sad?”
“I don’t know. I’m weird, right?”
Listening to his words, Viola was also confused.
‘Why would he feel sad?’
Xenon is a unique character. He has no empathy for other people’s pain or suffering at all, and so he doesn’t know how it feels. In addition, he was also called a monster as a child.’ However, right now, this emotionless character expressed sadness?
Did he ever say he was sad before? She thought hard.
‘No… There wasn’t.’
No matter how many times Viola had thought about it, she was certain that Xenon himself wouldn’t have been able to say something about ‘emotions’ so frankly, even before.
“Uh, yeah… it’s weird.”
“I know. Why was I sad when your leg was injured?”
“Well…”
Xenon is genuinely amazed.
The thought was so bizarre that he felt amazed and smiled again.
“This emotion… it’s very strange. It’s the first time I’ve felt this emotion since I was born, and I don’t want to feel this at all. I know what it’s like to be sad, but it’s the first time I’ve been through it myself.”
“….”
“Anyway, one thing is clear…”
One thing is certainly clear…
“It makes me sad when the princess gets hurt.”
“….”
“So, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Viola, making a reasonable judgment as a true reader, felt confused. The reason why Xenon changed. The reason that he became aware of his feelings.
In the end, she understood it.
‘Probably because the character, Viola, has changed.’
So, it must have caused the character who was next to her, Xenon, to change as well. Now, Viola has become a more rational, more intelligent character. Therefore, Xenon, a character who constantly tests Viola, decided that it evolved accordingly.
‘The way he shakes my reason, the way he tries to find a gap in me. It must have touched the emotional realm. He was constantly testing me in a slightly more evolved way…’
All right.
That’s the kind of character he is!
‘I think I know a little bit now. Phew, I’d rather be clear and feel at ease understanding this now.’
Viola actually felt at ease.
If a character like Xenon acts in a different direction from the original, her head might become complicated. Still, she felt comfortable knowing the reason for sure.
“You don’t want me to get hurt?”
At that, she laughed ridiculously, “I’m a Verratoux.”
It’s impossible not to get hurt.
No matter how low profile or how carefully she acts, it is inevitable to get hurt. It was already Viola’s goal to survive and not to get hurt at all if possible.
Understanding her words, he bowed his head.
“You know too well, Princess Viola Verratoux.”
“But, why are we talking so much nonsense? What about getting hurt? What about getting sad? What do you think of me, Xenon?”
Xenon spent a long time with his back bowed.
Viola had no idea, but in fact, he is in a very confused state.
He agonized. ‘Can I really say this…?’
After that ample pondering for a while, he eventually opened his mouth with much difficulty.
“You are the princess of Verratoux that I serve…”
“Yes, I know it very well, so don’t talk nonsense.”
Xenon was a little heartbroken with what she said. It was more so because that statement was not wrong. Still, he just wished she wouldn’t get hurt. He didn’t know why he’d be sad.
‘That must be my greed.’
He doesn’t even understand why he is so greedy.
“Can’t you give your butler a direct order?”
“What do you want me to order you?”
At that moment, the setting value of the character ‘Xenon’ set by the author had changed without the knowledge of either Viola or Xenon himself.
“…An order to protect the princess.”
The butler cannot protect a princess by his own will.
To be fair, it’s not that he can’t protect her, but he really shouldn’t. It was because Xenon is a butler, not an escort, after all.
A princess under the protection of a butler cannot be called Verratoux.
‘That’s why I need her to order me…’
An order to protect Viola. Being forced to abide by orders… Xenon thought that it would be fine that way.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“….”
“So, I wanted to protect you.”
Viola squinted. ‘Wow. It sounded so sincere.’ If she hadn’t dug into the original novel diligently, or if she hadn’t known much about Xenon’s character, Viola may have let it slide.
“Let’s get our minds together.”
Xenon only truly recognizes Viola only in the second half of the work.
No matter how much she uses the information in the novel, she could not open all the doors to his heart all by herself, especially since she is only seven years old.
…And, she is swayed by those words of his.
‘Protecting me… Is he trying to order me behind my back?’
Then, it may lead to him being deeply disappointed inside. Xenon will start to doubt her Verratoux’s credibility again, which is seemingly unobtrusive.
“Whoa, I almost fell for it…”
His expression and tone looked so friendly and desperate.
‘I almost fell for it.’
“It’s not you who protect, but me.”
“…Pardon?”
“The Verratoux here is me, not you.”
A Verratoux is a protector.
The Northern Forest, there is a shield that protects mankind from snowy areas.
Xenon was silent for a moment, but then he answered.
“…Thank you, princess.” He said, pulling up his waist. His smiling face is filled with fondness for Viola.
“It’s a shame that I’m a butler at times like this.”
“A shame?”
“If I were an outsider like Sir Hickson, would you have reached out to me for help?”
“Maybe I would have.”
A day later, absurd news arrived.