So everyone was curious about how the mansion’s young master, who had grown up eating only precious foods, would evaluate his cooking skills.
“Really… the worst taste.”
An insulting evaluation came down with a gaze like he was looking at garbage. This was probably the first time Ralph had heard such rude words since coming to the Herlin family.
His face became distorted and then grotesque, like a well-maintained mask had shattered. His hands, thick like large pans, trembled violently. But the man continued to stab at Ralph’s pride with a very caustic tone.
“In my entire life, this is the first time I’ve tasted such garbage. I’d rather dig through a trash can than eat this again.”
“There seems to have been a slight problem in the cooking process… I’ll bring it out again. This time really… you’ll be satisfied, young master!”
“What if I’m not satisfied this time either?”
“Pardon…? Then I…”
“Ah, how about this? If you bring out garbage food again this time, we’ll cut off those useless hands of yours. With skills like this, there’s probably nowhere you could be useful anyway, right?”
“That, that’s…”
“If you weren’t prepared for that, you shouldn’t have thought about presenting food to me. I’m already in a foul mood.”
The moment I had been worried about finally arrived. I had somewhat expected this from knowing this man’s nasty temperament over the past few days, but the kitchen staff seemed quite shocked. They probably hadn’t expected such crude words to come from such a pretty face.
At the insulting words, Ralph couldn’t say anything and trembled with clenched fists. I watched this scene with a gloomy heart.
‘How much will Ralph vent this time? Just slapping me once probably won’t satisfy him…’
I sighed quietly enough that others couldn’t hear, when suddenly he turned his head and started looking at me. Feeling an inexplicable anxiety, I turned my gaze away like I was avoiding him.
But I couldn’t escape the words that flowed out.
“But… who made that woman’s cheek like that?”
I tried to avoid the spot, pretending he wasn’t talking to me, but his finger pointed directly at me. Because of that, everyone’s gaze turned to me. Ralph stared at my bruised cheek with a blank face, then mumbled his words.
“Ah, that’s…”
“If you don’t want to say, don’t. I can ask directly myself.”
He beckoned with his finger for me to come closer. I wasn’t stupid enough not to know he was calling me, but wanting to deny it, I looked around. However, there was already no one around me. Everyone had quickly left their spots, probably worried about getting caught in the crossfire.
‘Everyone’s only fast at times like this.’
I couldn’t help thinking that. Maybe all of this was part of that man’s grand plan. Making me get bullied in the kitchen to handle me more easily. Considering his vicious personality, it seemed to make sense.
I walked over with the expression of a beast being dragged to sl*ughter. The man who confirmed my face let out a snicker. When I finally reached where he was, he asked me in a tone incomparably gentler than before.
“Who did this?”
Before answering, I glanced at Ralph’s face. Ralph began cursing with his eyes while opening and closing his mouth soundlessly.
I couldn’t hear any sound so I couldn’t understand, but it roughly seemed to mean he’d k*ll me if I misspoke. It would be troublesome to tell the truth in front of this man, but lying would be equally troublesome.
‘He already said last night that Ralph slapped my cheek, so what does he want me to do…’
I hadn’t looked for God since childhood. Even when I pleaded every night to escape this nightmare-like life, he didn’t listen to my story. But this time, I felt like I should look for God after a very long time.
‘God, if you’re listening, please help me. I’m not asking for much, am I? I just… want to earn money normally and feed my family, so what did I do so wrong…’
But my words couldn’t possibly reach God’s ears.
“Um, so… how this happened was…”
Every time I said a word, Ralph glared at me like he’d shoot arrows with his eyes, so I couldn’t continue speaking. When my words kept dragging on, I could see his mood getting uncomfortable. Then Ralph, perhaps feeling a sense of crisis belatedly, cut off my words and started lying outright.
“Actually, the thing is, I had this stupid girl organize the storage room, and she got hit in the cheek by a pile of falling objects! Hahaha. Anyway, when you give her one thing to do, she can’t even do that simple task.”
At Ralph’s words, the man’s expression turned cold. The clueless Ralph held his belly and laughed alone, finding something hilarious. A grinding, cold voice flowed from his mouth.
“From what I heard, that wasn’t the case.”
“Pardon…? What do you mean…?”
“Two days ago there were no bruises like that on her face, but they suddenly appeared. I asked which gutless bastard did it, and what answer do you think I got?”
At his words, Ralph’s pupils shook back and forth. I was also flustered watching this situation. I couldn’t guess his intention for saying such things at all. Ralph creaked like a broken clock hand.
“Pardon…? Yes, yes…? Ah, that’s, so…”
“Stop.”
Blood instantly spread through his golden eyes. The surrounding space rippled like it was distorting, then strong wind blew fiercely. It was inexplicable since all the windows were closed and not a breath of wind had been blowing in the kitchen.
Then the windows burst open and a huge storm rushed in. Not only the vegetables being prepared but people’s hair scattered chaotically in the air.
In the chaos, a frying pan floated up into the air and flew quickly toward Ralph’s cheek. A crisp sound and a throat-cutting scream filled the kitchen.
“Aaaah…! My cheek!”
The frying pan’s movement didn’t stop there. It floated up into the air again and this time struck Ralph’s other cheek once more.
Smack.
“Aaaaah! This crazy frying pan…!”
Ralph, his face swollen like a boiled octopus, flailed his hands in the air trying to catch the frying pan. The frying pan dodged here and there like a living creature, teasing Ralph.
After tormenting Ralph for a while, making him reach desperately but never quite touching it, it returned to its original place.
And at the same time, the wind that had struck the kitchen stopped. The opened windows closed and all the food scattered in the air returned to their places. The only thing that changed was Ralph’s face, swollen from being hit on both cheeks.
“I’m warning you just once – if you touch Eliat, it won’t end with just this. Then I’ll make you regret being alive.”
The person who had spoken so menacingly looked at me with eyes so gentle it was hard to believe. For a moment, it seemed like I was his lover. Feeling strange, I looked at him and then came to my senses belatedly.
‘Wait, come to think of it… did he just use magic?’
When I talked with him yesterday, he said he was a victim of magic. Focusing on those words, I hadn’t considered the possibility that this man could also use magic. Nothing was certain yet, but what had just happened was hard to explain without magic.
In the midst of this, Ralph seemed unable to grasp the situation and moved his eyes busily. He kept looking at me with a dazed face, then looking back at the man repeatedly. Then at some point, deep fear settled in Ralph’s eyes.
“Oh, oh no…! I didn’t know about you two… I really made a mistake. I will never commit such rudeness again. So please, if you could show mercy… never again…!”
He didn’t even bother responding to Ralph’s words, seemingly finding it too precious. He looked over with a disgusted gaze like viewing an insect, then looked at me with caring eyes.
The frost-like cold gaze melted away completely and he gently folded his eyes. Then he whispered in a voice so gentle it could make one mistake us for lovers.
“Eliat, come to my quarters earlier than usual tonight. I’ll be waiting.”
At those words, the people in the kitchen murmured in surprise. I also couldn’t understand what I had just heard. He gave me one last smile and left the kitchen without looking back.
Actually, until he made that statement about coming to his quarters early, I could have somehow denied our relationship. The behavior he had shown already went beyond that of an ordinary employer and employee, but I had planned to deceive people with the ridiculous story that we had somehow become close while helping the mansion’s young master.
However, the words he left at the end were nothing short of a confirmation k*ll that couldn’t be denied.
‘What kind of maid would visit her employer’s bedroom at night… There’s no room for excuses anymore. How can absolutely nothing go right?’
I felt like my insides were burning black. The kitchen staff also seemed quite flustered and remained wrapped in silence for a long time after he left. In their eyes directed at me, fear flickered, and some showed envy and hostility simultaneously. I avoided people’s gazes and tried to focus on trimming vegetables.
‘This is crazy… What is he trying to do, making such a big deal out of this…’