The night was young when I reached my benefactor’s house. The ignorant moon had hidden behind the thick clouds that reminded me of the dead winter chills. I wanted to drape some sheets over me and enjoy some warm time with [Warmth]. But I was a responsible undead, and it was my duty to slaughter a few mortals occasionally.
The houses in the locale were as small as Letitia’s rooms, and the distinct grey pavements reflected the mana lamps all around the vicinity. The flat roofs were enough evidence to differentiate the commoner houses, even if it wasn’t for the shabby architecture. A man was sitting under a mana lamp, his fiery gaze directed at me as he chugged down a bottle of ale.
As you know, I hate drunkards with a passion. But I am like every other lazy undead. We don’t go out of our way to kill some pesky flies. Druken, if I may add.
I cast [Fatigue] on him and made him sleep before he could go back home and wreak some havoc. The realization came too late that I was trying to protect his family by casting the spell. [Refluengence] was destroying my undead instincts, trying to make me that weak child who got beat up every other day. Memories that had taken epochs to bury and that I wanted to purge were rustling the calm waters.
I put the encroaching thoughts out for now, and pushed open the creaky gates. The rusted hinges stanched the gates before I pushed them with all strength. Of course, the gates broke, and I stepped inside, only to be greeted by a little boy on the lawn, playing with some wooden carving resembling some royal sedan.
His eyes paused at me for over a few seconds before he resorted to moving the toy to and fro on the stony pavement.
“Is your dad home, kid?” I bent down and held him by his chin. Why were mortals so fond of annoying little mortals?
He shook his head, eyes devoid of fear despite my threatening gaze.
Why threatening? Because I was wondering if I should snap the kid’s neck in half as punishment. After all, my benefactor blamed my villainess for having traitorous blood.
The kid shook his head, pulled his head out of my grasp, and resumed his game. I sat with him until the man I was looking for entered the gate. He wasn’t intoxicated by women or alcohol, as the first thing he did was get scared out of his wits and pull his child protectively behind him. Guess he still had a fair bit of wasteful humanity left in him.
“Why are you here?!” His voice quivered, but he tried to feign a brave front.
“Didn’t I tell you?” I smiled at him, which had his hands shivering. “Death awaits you tonight.”
“What did I do wrong?!” he almost screamed at my face in fright. “Everything I said was the truth! It’s because of that vile woman that Etelan is struggling. My family… my wife died in the aggression! She had gone home to visit her maternal family, and only her bones returned. It’s all because of-”
I pointed my bread knife at his neck. “I’ll save Etelan,” I looked at the kid. “But in return, I’ll take your little one’s arms.”
“Please, not my child. He has done nothing wrong! Why-”
I had already slashed the man’s neck and healed it instantly. He screamed a tad too late because there was absolutely no wound left except for blood on the little kid’s face, who was peeking at me. The tenacity of the kid left me in awe because he hadn’t started crying yet. Nor did he flinch from the blood on his face.
“You see,” I played with my knife, “Hypocrites like you exist in uncountable numbers. My lady was pure as snow and tried to live her best life without being an annoyance to anyone. But alas, the world was too cruel for her kindness and made her regret ever being kind. She tried to love someone with all her heart but got despised. Ultimately, she had no choice but to rely on the devil to do her bidding. And now, you want to sacrifice whatever little happiness she has gained for your comfort?”
I was downplaying myself by calling myself a devil, but some things couldn’t be helped.
“You don’t mind sending my lady to her death, but when it comes to your saving your blood, you don’t mind sacrificing a thousand. How is this even fair?”
I laughed for quite a while. When I stopped, there was only a bone-chilling glare in my eyes.
“Please… please forgive us,” the man started crying. “I… I didn’t know what I was doing. I was.. I was just trying to blame it on someone else… My mistake made my wife leave our home… I.. I-”
“So annoying,” I pointed the knife at his neck. “I’ll let you go if you tell me who started the rumor. How did you learn about the news that wasn’t even public? Of course, I’ll take your forefinger before leaving. Think twice before you point to someone next time.”
That had him crying, but he muttered something incoherently. I inched the knife closer to his neck until his wails stopped.
“I heard it in the Carnia bar… Please… I don’t know anything more… I just overheard a few nobles talking about it. Something about crown prince….”
And that was the answer I was looking for. I slashed his forefinger without any delay. It dropped off his hand, ignoring the terrible cries of a grown-up mortal. Even the finger could care less about what its owner thought. I clotted the blood before it could stain the pavement too much. The kid watched me with fright now and took hesitant steps back, hugging his old man tightly.
“If you are looking for revenge, feel free to drop by anytime. I’m obliged to entertain you after all,” I said to the kid before turning to the man. “You speak of this to anyone, and your heart will be next.”
I cast [Quagmire] and made my way out. I had to stop the rumor before it could spread around the capital. My lady’s confectionary shop would greatly get affected if I didn’t. That would just delay my lady’s full-fledged growth into a villainess, something that I would avoid at any cost. Free bread wasn’t my main intention, if you are wondering.
I decided to torture the nobles later and moved in the direction of Beth’s house. Birthday parties could be skipped in any world, but never if there was bread.
Alas, nothing goes too smoothly in this world. Even for this undead.
When I exited the commoner locale, I stumbled on the violet-haired girl. The epitome of kindness, the immaculate maiden, and the very sign of fairness in this world. The mana lamp gleamed over her as she leaned against the elaborate compound walls of some noble residence. Her clothes were torn at the right places, invoking a feeling of pity on the onlooker. Snowflakes had decorated her otherwise distinct hair, and she was breathing heavily, clutching her bleeding right arm with all her strength.
As far as the world was concerned, this was just another scene. The butler would have helped out this pure maiden, and they would have some weird route of their own, with cringy smiles and yucky pecks.
Was I interested? If I could chop her limps, peel off her skin, and listen to her agonizing cries, I would be interested in the route.
“Hey…” she called out to me as I walked past her, ignoring her pitiful appearance. The world was trying to give the heroine immunity against my lady, but it belittled this undead.
I paused in my steps, turned towards her, and raised my brows.
“Can.. can you help me reach my home?” she asked with tears running down her face, but her face resolute. “You are Letitia’s butler, Rudolf, right?”
“It’s Lady Letitia for you,” I smiled at her. “And my lady has told me never to touch another woman. So, I can’t help you out.”
She was taken aback by my rejection. “This is the second time you are rejecting me, Rudolf,” she managed to smile between her pained expression.
“I don’t quite remember the first time, noble lady. And certainly, this won’t be the last,” I said respectfully.
“It was when-”
“I’m not interested. If you would please excuse me, I must return to my lady. She’s waiting for me,” I bowed respectfully and turned away.
“Why?” She held my coat with whatever little strength she could muster. “Why do you serve her unconditionally even though she never treats you right? I have seen her reprimanding you countless times, treating you like her servant, and bashing you whenever she feels annoyed. Even when she was wooing the crown prince, she made you do all the embarrassing work. Getting thrown out of the balls was the least humiliation you could suffer, but being forced to kneel in front of nobility and earn mercy for your lady isn’t something a man of your caliber should do. I’d treat you kindly, always value your ideology, and give you ample time for yourself. So, can you just take care of me? Like how you took care of Letitia all along? I have no one by my-”
“I’m running late, noble lady,” I pulled my tailcoat out of her grasp. “I’ll beg my leave.”
I had little reason to reply to her and waste my energy. My stomach was already craving bread, so I just walked away from her, only to be intercepted by my lady. She was sweating profusely, her hair clinging to her face, and her beautiful purple gown sticking to her body. I sighed and removed my coat, and wrapped it around her.
“Why, my lady?” I asked.
“Just because,” she exchanged glances with Gladiata before turning to me.
“Should I have helped her?” I asked with a shrug.
That brought a smile to her face, and she pecked my cheeks before moving toward the heroine.
You see, there was no such thing as coincidence in this world. Why did I meet my lady? I realized it was the world’s machinations again, and it just made me realize how wrong I was. They were not completely free from the shackles of the world yet. And I wasn’t sure if they ever would be.
And this only meant one thing. My lady had a tragedy waiting for her. And so did I for trying to alter her life to the extreme.
Was I scared? Don’t make me laugh. Tragedy walks hand in hand with me.
“Don’t ever talk to my Rudolf,” my lady immediately got to the point. The intentions were not hidden behind flowery words like the rest of the nobility, so Gladiata was taken aback. “He won’t even spare a second glance at you. You can woo all the men you want in this world but don’t even think about my man. He’s mine and mine alone. I will gouge out your eyes and disfigure your face if you touch him with those filthy hands again, commoner.”
My lady removed my overcoat and passed it to me. I burned it immediately and placed my chin over her head, and hugged her neck from behind. Her ears turned rosy, and I let out a chuckle.
“Letitia… don’t tell me… He’s a commoner….”
“And so are you, filthy whore. Just appease your men and stay out of our lives,” my lady held my hand and pulled me away from the woman who would become the bane of our existence.
When we had walked a little distance, my lady tiptoed and ruffled my hair. “You don’t know know how happy I was when I saw you walk past her. No man I’ve seen is immune to her charms. I want to eat you right now, my undead. ”
“My meat is too hard for you, my lady,” I laughed.
“Then I’ll soften you up and eat you,” she hugged me tightly and rubbed her face on my bosom.
I ruffled her hair with a chuckle, and we walked to Beth’s residence indulging in idle chatter. Her smile wasn’t an endangered commodity anymore, and somehow, without me knowing, it was one thing I was looking forward to every day.
Was I in love? That word was too cheap for this undead. Was I doomed? You bet.
The night was young when I reached my benefactor’s house. The ignorant moon had hidden behind the thick clouds that reminded me of the dead winter chills. I wanted to drape some sheets over me and enjoy some warm time with [Warmth]. But I was a responsible undead, and it was my duty to slaughter a few mortals occasionally.
The houses in the locale were as small as Letitia’s rooms, and the distinct grey pavements reflected the mana lamps all around the vicinity. The flat roofs were enough evidence to differentiate the commoner houses, even if it wasn’t for the shabby architecture. A man was sitting under a mana lamp, his fiery gaze directed at me as he chugged down a bottle of ale.
As you know, I hate drunkards with a passion. But I am like every other lazy undead. We don’t go out of our way to kill some pesky flies. Druken, if I may add.
I cast [Fatigue] on him and made him sleep before he could go back home and wreak some havoc. The realization came too late that I was trying to protect his family by casting the spell. [Refluengence] was destroying my undead instincts, trying to make me that weak child who got beat up every other day. Memories that had taken epochs to bury and that I wanted to purge were rustling the calm waters.
I put the encroaching thoughts out for now, and pushed open the creaky gates. The rusted hinges stanched the gates before I pushed them with all strength. Of course, the gates broke, and I stepped inside, only to be greeted by a little boy on the lawn, playing with some wooden carving resembling some royal sedan.
His eyes paused at me for over a few seconds before he resorted to moving the toy to and fro on the stony pavement.
“Is your dad home, kid?” I bent down and held him by his chin. Why were mortals so fond of annoying little mortals?
He shook his head, eyes devoid of fear despite my threatening gaze.
Why threatening? Because I was wondering if I should snap the kid’s neck in half as punishment. After all, my benefactor blamed my villainess for having traitorous blood.
The kid shook his head, pulled his head out of my grasp, and resumed his game. I sat with him until the man I was looking for entered the gate. He wasn’t intoxicated by women or alcohol, as the first thing he did was get scared out of his wits and pull his child protectively behind him. Guess he still had a fair bit of wasteful humanity left in him.
“Why are you here?!” His voice quivered, but he tried to feign a brave front.
“Didn’t I tell you?” I smiled at him, which had his hands shivering. “Death awaits you tonight.”
“What did I do wrong?!” he almost screamed at my face in fright. “Everything I said was the truth! It’s because of that vile woman that Etelan is struggling. My family… my wife died in the aggression! She had gone home to visit her maternal family, and only her bones returned. It’s all because of-”
I pointed my bread knife at his neck. “I’ll save Etelan,” I looked at the kid. “But in return, I’ll take your little one’s arms.”
“Please, not my child. He has done nothing wrong! Why-”
I had already slashed the man’s neck and healed it instantly. He screamed a tad too late because there was absolutely no wound left except for blood on the little kid’s face, who was peeking at me. The tenacity of the kid left me in awe because he hadn’t started crying yet. Nor did he flinch from the blood on his face.
“You see,” I played with my knife, “Hypocrites like you exist in uncountable numbers. My lady was pure as snow and tried to live her best life without being an annoyance to anyone. But alas, the world was too cruel for her kindness and made her regret ever being kind. She tried to love someone with all her heart but got despised. Ultimately, she had no choice but to rely on the devil to do her bidding. And now, you want to sacrifice whatever little happiness she has gained for your comfort?”
I was downplaying myself by calling myself a devil, but some things couldn’t be helped.
“You don’t mind sending my lady to her death, but when it comes to your saving your blood, you don’t mind sacrificing a thousand. How is this even fair?”
I laughed for quite a while. When I stopped, there was only a bone-chilling glare in my eyes.
“Please… please forgive us,” the man started crying. “I… I didn’t know what I was doing. I was.. I was just trying to blame it on someone else… My mistake made my wife leave our home… I.. I-”
“So annoying,” I pointed the knife at his neck. “I’ll let you go if you tell me who started the rumor. How did you learn about the news that wasn’t even public? Of course, I’ll take your forefinger before leaving. Think twice before you point to someone next time.”
That had him crying, but he muttered something incoherently. I inched the knife closer to his neck until his wails stopped.
“I heard it in the Carnia bar… Please… I don’t know anything more… I just overheard a few nobles talking about it. Something about crown prince….”
And that was the answer I was looking for. I slashed his forefinger without any delay. It dropped off his hand, ignoring the terrible cries of a grown-up mortal. Even the finger could care less about what its owner thought. I clotted the blood before it could stain the pavement too much. The kid watched me with fright now and took hesitant steps back, hugging his old man tightly.
“If you are looking for revenge, feel free to drop by anytime. I’m obliged to entertain you after all,” I said to the kid before turning to the man. “You speak of this to anyone, and your heart will be next.”
I cast [Quagmire] and made my way out. I had to stop the rumor before it could spread around the capital. My lady’s confectionary shop would greatly get affected if I didn’t. That would just delay my lady’s full-fledged growth into a villainess, something that I would avoid at any cost. Free bread wasn’t my main intention, if you are wondering.
I decided to torture the nobles later and moved in the direction of Beth’s house. Birthday parties could be skipped in any world, but never if there was bread.
Alas, nothing goes too smoothly in this world. Even for this undead.
When I exited the commoner locale, I stumbled on the violet-haired girl. The epitome of kindness, the immaculate maiden, and the very sign of fairness in this world. The mana lamp gleamed over her as she leaned against the elaborate compound walls of some noble residence. Her clothes were torn at the right places, invoking a feeling of pity on the onlooker. Snowflakes had decorated her otherwise distinct hair, and she was breathing heavily, clutching her bleeding right arm with all her strength.
As far as the world was concerned, this was just another scene. The butler would have helped out this pure maiden, and they would have some weird route of their own, with cringy smiles and yucky pecks.
Was I interested? If I could chop her limps, peel off her skin, and listen to her agonizing cries, I would be interested in the route.
“Hey…” she called out to me as I walked past her, ignoring her pitiful appearance. The world was trying to give the heroine immunity against my lady, but it belittled this undead.
I paused in my steps, turned towards her, and raised my brows.
“Can.. can you help me reach my home?” she asked with tears running down her face, but her face resolute. “You are Letitia’s butler, Rudolf, right?”
“It’s Lady Letitia for you,” I smiled at her. “And my lady has told me never to touch another woman. So, I can’t help you out.”
She was taken aback by my rejection. “This is the second time you are rejecting me, Rudolf,” she managed to smile between her pained expression.
“I don’t quite remember the first time, noble lady. And certainly, this won’t be the last,” I said respectfully.
“It was when-”
“I’m not interested. If you would please excuse me, I must return to my lady. She’s waiting for me,” I bowed respectfully and turned away.
“Why?” She held my coat with whatever little strength she could muster. “Why do you serve her unconditionally even though she never treats you right? I have seen her reprimanding you countless times, treating you like her servant, and bashing you whenever she feels annoyed. Even when she was wooing the crown prince, she made you do all the embarrassing work. Getting thrown out of the balls was the least humiliation you could suffer, but being forced to kneel in front of nobility and earn mercy for your lady isn’t something a man of your caliber should do. I’d treat you kindly, always value your ideology, and give you ample time for yourself. So, can you just take care of me? Like how you took care of Letitia all along? I have no one by my-”
“I’m running late, noble lady,” I pulled my tailcoat out of her grasp. “I’ll beg my leave.”
I had little reason to reply to her and waste my energy. My stomach was already craving bread, so I just walked away from her, only to be intercepted by my lady. She was sweating profusely, her hair clinging to her face, and her beautiful purple gown sticking to her body. I sighed and removed my coat, and wrapped it around her.
“Why, my lady?” I asked.
“Just because,” she exchanged glances with Gladiata before turning to me.
“Should I have helped her?” I asked with a shrug.
That brought a smile to her face, and she pecked my cheeks before moving toward the heroine.
You see, there was no such thing as coincidence in this world. Why did I meet my lady? I realized it was the world’s machinations again, and it just made me realize how wrong I was. They were not completely free from the shackles of the world yet. And I wasn’t sure if they ever would be.
And this only meant one thing. My lady had a tragedy waiting for her. And so did I for trying to alter her life to the extreme.
Was I scared? Don’t make me laugh. Tragedy walks hand in hand with me.
“Don’t ever talk to my Rudolf,” my lady immediately got to the point. The intentions were not hidden behind flowery words like the rest of the nobility, so Gladiata was taken aback. “He won’t even spare a second glance at you. You can woo all the men you want in this world but don’t even think about my man. He’s mine and mine alone. I will gouge out your eyes and disfigure your face if you touch him with those filthy hands again, commoner.”
My lady removed my overcoat and passed it to me. I burned it immediately and placed my chin over her head, and hugged her neck from behind. Her ears turned rosy, and I let out a chuckle.
“Letitia… don’t tell me… He’s a commoner….”
“And so are you, filthy whore. Just appease your men and stay out of our lives,” my lady held my hand and pulled me away from the woman who would become the bane of our existence.
When we had walked a little distance, my lady tiptoed and ruffled my hair. “You don’t know know how happy I was when I saw you walk past her. No man I’ve seen is immune to her charms. I want to eat you right now, my undead. ”
“My meat is too hard for you, my lady,” I laughed.
“Then I’ll soften you up and eat you,” she hugged me tightly and rubbed her face on my bosom.
I ruffled her hair with a chuckle, and we walked to Beth’s residence indulging in idle chatter. Her smile wasn’t an endangered commodity anymore, and somehow, without me knowing, it was one thing I was looking forward to every day.
Was I in love? That word was too cheap for this undead. Was I doomed? You bet.
