We return to my room, and I gently close the door, leaving Marie outside. Sinking onto the bed, I let out a heavy sigh. Despite having a place to stay and food to eat, happiness eludes me. Eleonora wasn't scared of me, but the fear of being rejected by everyone else gnaws at my thoughts.
I know I'm a demon, but I'm just a child. I have feelings just like anyone else. I yearn to go home, to see my mom again, to catch up with my friends, and to continue learning at school. If it weren't for these horns, I wouldn't be in this predicament. Mom wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't be treated like a mere prize fighter. I lay on the bed, trying to divert my thoughts, but the weight of these horns on my life is undeniable. They're a cruel reminder of all that I've lost, and I harbor deep resentment toward them.
Instead of heading to train, I find myself staring at the ceiling for most of the day until a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I get up and walk toward the door, and Roderick greets me.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Laura."
I open the door to find him standing there, oddly cheerful.
"Hey, Laura. Did you miss me?"
He seems to ignore my somber mood.
"What do you want, Roderick?"
"I wanted to talk about the match, but your attitude is kind of sour. Do you hate me that much?" he says sarcastically.
"Get on with it."
"Ice cold, little lady. Anyway, we've got your opponent scheduled for the warmup bout. His name is Anton the Bold. Be ready to fight in one week."
"Just one week, a little sudden, don't you think? Also, why is he called Anton the Bold?"
"He is called Anton the Bold because he boldly declared right in front of me on his first day that he'd climb the ranks and reach first place with little effort. So from then on, I gave him the nickname Anton the Bold."
I shut the door in his face since I'm not in the mood to talk right now. I return to the bed and lie down. I'm grateful that at least I've got a week to prepare for this match. Since my fate has led me here, I might as well try to make a good show out of it.
My stomach growls. I guess not eating for an entire day and just staring at the ceiling isn't very good for my health.
Just then, I hear a knock on my door.
"Come in."
Marie walks into the room and closes the door behind her.
"Are you hungry?" she asks me.
"Yeah, I haven't eaten since breakfast."
Marie carries a tray of food into the room and sets it down on the table.
"There's soup, some bread, and some stewed beef and vegetables."
I take the bowl of soup and begin spooning it up. The thick liquid fills my mouth, and I gulp it down greedily. The stew tastes a lot better than I thought it would.
"This is delicious!" I tell her while digging into the stew.
"Thank you." Marie smiles as I finish the last few bites of the meal and set the empty bowl down on the tray.
Marie swiftly grabs the empty tray and proceeds to leave the room. Just as she reaches the door, I call out to stop her.
She turns around, her expression guilty.
"Um, can I ask you something?" I say.
"Sure."
"I know you're scared of me and all that, but I want you to know that I have feelings too. Seeing you back away from me every time I so much as look at you, and the fact that you can barely speak when I ask you something is really hard for me."
Marie looks down dejectedly. "I'm sorry, but it's not easy being assigned as a maid to someone like you."
"What did I ever do to you?" I ask her.
She looks down at her feet.
"My parents were killed by a demon. My brother and I escaped from it at the cost of our parents' lives. We ran and ran as fast as we could until we eventually ended up in the capital. We had no money and no family, so I had to take a job as a maid, and my brother sold himself to the colosseum as a fighter."
"Well, isn't that just one tear-jerking sob story? But I thought I asked what I ever did to you, not your tale of how you became a maid," I said indignantly.
Marie looks up at me with a shocked expression.
"What, cat got your tongue? I asked you what I ever did to you since you're so scared of me. You should be able to tell me, right? Or is it just because I'm a half-demon?"
"M-Miss Laura, my parents were killed by a demon."
"And my mother was killed by a bunch of humans, but you don't see me hating all humans, now do you?"
"No, I suppose not."
Marie looks down again.
"So why are you so afraid of me?" I ask her.
"Because you're a demon, Miss Laura, and I hate demons. Whether the said demon was involved in my parents' deaths or not is irrelevant to me. I also don't like the idea of serving a demon. A lot of things have happened to me already, and I'm not sure if I can take any more. But for the sake of my future and my brother, I will continue to serve you."
I sigh deeply.
"Do whatever you want, then. You hating me or not is irrelevant. You bring me food, wash my clothes, and whatever else a maid is supposed to do. That's the extent of this relationship. If you want to cry about serving a demon, then go cry to someone who cares. I don't care."
"As is expected of me."
Marie turns around to leave but I stop her once again.
"Marie, before you go, can you tell me anything about Anton the Bold?"
Marie turns around and looks at me with a shocked expression.
"Why do you want to know anything about Anton?"
I stare at her with a confused expression.
"Because he's the person I'll be fighting in my debut match."
"Oh."
"If you don't want to answer, then fine. But I'd still like to know, even if it's something small."
Marie turns around and leaves the room without saying another word, leaving my question hanging in the air.
Marie takes the empty tray back to the kitchen, then heads to Roderick's office. After arriving at his door, she knocks forcefully.
"Enter."
Marie bursts through the door and storms to Roderick's desk. She firmly plants both her palms down on the desk and stares straight at Roderick.
"Can I help you, Marie?" he asks her.
"Yes! I need to know why you're putting my brother up against that half-demon!"
Roderick stands from his chair and walks around the desk toward Marie.
"Marie, you of all people should understand why I'm doing this. Your brother has been training very hard to become a great warrior, and I believe he is quite capable. However, his rank is dead last among all the fighters, so I thought it would be a good first match for Laura."
Marie glares daggers at him.
"How dare you put my brother up against some half-demon! You know our circumstances, don't you!?"
"I do, and that's why Laura is going to fight him. Your brother has made little progress in his time here. Every time he fights, it's so uninspiring that it actually hurts me to watch it. I gave him the nickname Anton the Bold because of his bold declaration that he'd be number one despite just arriving, but he's done nothing since then. He needs to prove himself, and he knows it. Whether or not this turns into a one-sided fight depends on if your brother can get his act together."
Marie scoffs angrily.
"That's not fair. I won't let you do this to my brother."
"Then what will you do?" Roderick inquires.
Marie clenches her fists and grunts loudly.
"I'll make sure my brother wins!"
Roderick chuckles and takes a seat at his desk again.
"You'd better, because if he loses, I'm severing our contract and kicking him out."
Marie seethes with anger but remains silent.
"Your brother's record is zero wins and fourteen losses since he arrived. I can understand your anger, but this is a business. Don't hold it against me."
"If my brother leaves, then I'll leave too."
"Oh no, whatever will I do without the maid who's prejudiced against the person she's assigned to serve," Roderick says sarcastically.
Marie glares at Roderick.
"Anton will win, I believe he will."
Marie turns away from Roderick and begins to walk away.
"Keep telling yourself that, and maybe it'll happen. In fact, maybe praying to God will work wonders for him since he's up against a demon. Hahaha."
Marie scowls as she exits.
Roderick looks at the door with a smug grin, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Phew, the wrath of a woman is scary."
We return to my room, and I gently close the door, leaving Marie outside. Sinking onto the bed, I let out a heavy sigh. Despite having a place to stay and food to eat, happiness eludes me. Eleonora wasn't scared of me, but the fear of being rejected by everyone else gnaws at my thoughts.
I know I'm a demon, but I'm just a child. I have feelings just like anyone else. I yearn to go home, to see my mom again, to catch up with my friends, and to continue learning at school. If it weren't for these horns, I wouldn't be in this predicament. Mom wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't be treated like a mere prize fighter. I lay on the bed, trying to divert my thoughts, but the weight of these horns on my life is undeniable. They're a cruel reminder of all that I've lost, and I harbor deep resentment toward them.
Instead of heading to train, I find myself staring at the ceiling for most of the day until a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I get up and walk toward the door, and Roderick greets me.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Laura."
I open the door to find him standing there, oddly cheerful.
"Hey, Laura. Did you miss me?"
He seems to ignore my somber mood.
"What do you want, Roderick?"
"I wanted to talk about the match, but your attitude is kind of sour. Do you hate me that much?" he says sarcastically.
"Get on with it."
"Ice cold, little lady. Anyway, we've got your opponent scheduled for the warmup bout. His name is Anton the Bold. Be ready to fight in one week."
"Just one week, a little sudden, don't you think? Also, why is he called Anton the Bold?"
"He is called Anton the Bold because he boldly declared right in front of me on his first day that he'd climb the ranks and reach first place with little effort. So from then on, I gave him the nickname Anton the Bold."
I shut the door in his face since I'm not in the mood to talk right now. I return to the bed and lie down. I'm grateful that at least I've got a week to prepare for this match. Since my fate has led me here, I might as well try to make a good show out of it.
My stomach growls. I guess not eating for an entire day and just staring at the ceiling isn't very good for my health.
Just then, I hear a knock on my door.
"Come in."
Marie walks into the room and closes the door behind her.
"Are you hungry?" she asks me.
"Yeah, I haven't eaten since breakfast."
Marie carries a tray of food into the room and sets it down on the table.
"There's soup, some bread, and some stewed beef and vegetables."
I take the bowl of soup and begin spooning it up. The thick liquid fills my mouth, and I gulp it down greedily. The stew tastes a lot better than I thought it would.
"This is delicious!" I tell her while digging into the stew.
"Thank you." Marie smiles as I finish the last few bites of the meal and set the empty bowl down on the tray.
Marie swiftly grabs the empty tray and proceeds to leave the room. Just as she reaches the door, I call out to stop her.
She turns around, her expression guilty.
"Um, can I ask you something?" I say.
"Sure."
"I know you're scared of me and all that, but I want you to know that I have feelings too. Seeing you back away from me every time I so much as look at you, and the fact that you can barely speak when I ask you something is really hard for me."
Marie looks down dejectedly. "I'm sorry, but it's not easy being assigned as a maid to someone like you."
"What did I ever do to you?" I ask her.
She looks down at her feet.
"My parents were killed by a demon. My brother and I escaped from it at the cost of our parents' lives. We ran and ran as fast as we could until we eventually ended up in the capital. We had no money and no family, so I had to take a job as a maid, and my brother sold himself to the colosseum as a fighter."
"Well, isn't that just one tear-jerking sob story? But I thought I asked what I ever did to you, not your tale of how you became a maid," I said indignantly.
Marie looks up at me with a shocked expression.
"What, cat got your tongue? I asked you what I ever did to you since you're so scared of me. You should be able to tell me, right? Or is it just because I'm a half-demon?"
"M-Miss Laura, my parents were killed by a demon."
"And my mother was killed by a bunch of humans, but you don't see me hating all humans, now do you?"
"No, I suppose not."
Marie looks down again.
"So why are you so afraid of me?" I ask her.
"Because you're a demon, Miss Laura, and I hate demons. Whether the said demon was involved in my parents' deaths or not is irrelevant to me. I also don't like the idea of serving a demon. A lot of things have happened to me already, and I'm not sure if I can take any more. But for the sake of my future and my brother, I will continue to serve you."
I sigh deeply.
"Do whatever you want, then. You hating me or not is irrelevant. You bring me food, wash my clothes, and whatever else a maid is supposed to do. That's the extent of this relationship. If you want to cry about serving a demon, then go cry to someone who cares. I don't care."
"As is expected of me."
Marie turns around to leave but I stop her once again.
"Marie, before you go, can you tell me anything about Anton the Bold?"
Marie turns around and looks at me with a shocked expression.
"Why do you want to know anything about Anton?"
I stare at her with a confused expression.
"Because he's the person I'll be fighting in my debut match."
"Oh."
"If you don't want to answer, then fine. But I'd still like to know, even if it's something small."
Marie turns around and leaves the room without saying another word, leaving my question hanging in the air.
Marie takes the empty tray back to the kitchen, then heads to Roderick's office. After arriving at his door, she knocks forcefully.
"Enter."
Marie bursts through the door and storms to Roderick's desk. She firmly plants both her palms down on the desk and stares straight at Roderick.
"Can I help you, Marie?" he asks her.
"Yes! I need to know why you're putting my brother up against that half-demon!"
Roderick stands from his chair and walks around the desk toward Marie.
"Marie, you of all people should understand why I'm doing this. Your brother has been training very hard to become a great warrior, and I believe he is quite capable. However, his rank is dead last among all the fighters, so I thought it would be a good first match for Laura."
Marie glares daggers at him.
"How dare you put my brother up against some half-demon! You know our circumstances, don't you!?"
"I do, and that's why Laura is going to fight him. Your brother has made little progress in his time here. Every time he fights, it's so uninspiring that it actually hurts me to watch it. I gave him the nickname Anton the Bold because of his bold declaration that he'd be number one despite just arriving, but he's done nothing since then. He needs to prove himself, and he knows it. Whether or not this turns into a one-sided fight depends on if your brother can get his act together."
Marie scoffs angrily.
"That's not fair. I won't let you do this to my brother."
"Then what will you do?" Roderick inquires.
Marie clenches her fists and grunts loudly.
"I'll make sure my brother wins!"
Roderick chuckles and takes a seat at his desk again.
"You'd better, because if he loses, I'm severing our contract and kicking him out."
Marie seethes with anger but remains silent.
"Your brother's record is zero wins and fourteen losses since he arrived. I can understand your anger, but this is a business. Don't hold it against me."
"If my brother leaves, then I'll leave too."
"Oh no, whatever will I do without the maid who's prejudiced against the person she's assigned to serve," Roderick says sarcastically.
Marie glares at Roderick.
"Anton will win, I believe he will."
Marie turns away from Roderick and begins to walk away.
"Keep telling yourself that, and maybe it'll happen. In fact, maybe praying to God will work wonders for him since he's up against a demon. Hahaha."
Marie scowls as she exits.
Roderick looks at the door with a smug grin, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Phew, the wrath of a woman is scary."
