𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒
Day three.
Mabel, who was cleaning the other guest rooms, stood up at the sound of a knock on the door.
“Cero! You’re early.”
“Oh no, it’s just about time.”
As she stepped into the entrance hall, Cero stood there with a large box on his back.
He began unloading a big bag of flour and a wooden box of vegetables in front of Mabel. Seeing this, Mabel’s eyes sparkled.
“Thank you! Now I can make proper meals.”
“That’s good to hear. If you want, I can bring some fresh meat too.”
“Really?!”
“Of course, but I’ll need to find the right timing, so it won’t be immediate.”
After jotting it down on a memo like yesterday, Cero smiled at Mabel.
“By the way, how’s the work here?”
“Where do I even start? It’s really tough. The rooms are all covered in dust, and the kitchen took a whole day to clean up.”
Cero was holding back his laughter, “It must be tough.”
He continued, “I can imagine. It’s been like this since I first came around.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. It’s been about five years, but I haven’t met anyone.”
“What about Eugene-sama?”
“I haven’t met him, not even once. I haven’t even seen his face. They say it’s dangerous to see his face.”
“Dangerous?”
Those words reminded Mabel of the rumors about Eugene.
“Yeah. The guy before me accidentally saw the master’s face in this castle and collapsed. They say he went back to his hometown and never returned.”
“I see…”
“Yeah. He was apparently having nightmares for several days.”
Mabel had indeed heard the story of someone collapsing after seeing Eugene’s face. She should be fine since she was looking at him through a mask, but instinctively, her body trembled at the thought of accidentally seeing his face beneath the mask.
“Well, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Ah, thank you, Cero.”
After Cero left, Mabel carried the ingredients he brought to the kitchen and started preparing them. While kneading the dough with water and salt, Mabel silently pondered.
(Come to think of it, no one knows Eugene’s true face.)
In the first place, Eugene rarely shows himself in public.
Moreover, he covers part of his face with a mask, so no one knows his true face. Even if someone were to see it, he would end up like that guy, collapsing.
If she could know his true face, perhaps she could use it as leverage to threaten him.
‘But he hides his face because he doesn’t want to be seen…’
It is said that there are two reasons why mages wear masks.
One is to symbolize their unique existence.
The other is to prevent identification.
If their true faces were to be seen, it would reveal that they are mages, increasing the likelihood of being involved in crimes such as abduction or confinement. In reality, even if they were involved in some crimes, they could solve them with their magic, but that’s a different issue.
If this reason is indeed true, their true faces could become a weakness.
However, If Mabel were to see it carelessly, not to mention getting a hold of a weakness of his, she might collapse and fall into a more irreparable situation.
“Hmm, what should I do?”
Without realizing it, the kneaded dough had come together in a white mass. Mabel divided it into eight equal parts. While letting the wet cloth rest on top of the dough, Mabel pondered with a puzzled expression.
A few hours later, the enticing smell of freshly baked bread wafted from the kitchen hearth.
Mabel took them out and let them cool to the right temperature. At the same time, she seasoned the rehydrated dried meat with a sweet and savory flavor, and carefully washed and drained the leafy vegetables.
She made incisions in the bread and sandwiched the meat and vegetables inside. When she drizzled a little of the remaining seasoning sauce, it soaked into the bread, creating a delightful taste. Mabel placed it satisfactorily on a plate and started on the second one.
After completing a total of eight sandwiches, Mabel washed her hands and said, “Alright.” Although it was a bit early, she headed towards Eugene’s room, thinking that warm bread would be better.
“Eugene-sama, may I come in?”
Knowing that she wouldn’t receive a response, Mabel knocked and immediately opened the door.
She walked through the perpetually gloomy room with a familiar stride.
However, the moment she entered the adjacent room, Mabel almost dropped the tray she was holding.
“Eugene-sama!”
Eugene, who had been facing the desk until yesterday, was not there. Instead, he lay on the floor in a collapsed state. Mabel quickly placed the tray of sandwiches on the nearby table and rushed to Eugene’s side.
She grabbed his shoulder and turned his face towards her.
Since his face was covered by a mask, she couldn’t see his expression, but his thin lips slightly parted as he took shallow breaths. When she placed her hand near his chin, she could feel an extremely high fever.
‘He has a fever. I need to do something quickly!
’
She looked around the room in a panic.
Although there was a sofa where he had been sleeping when she first arrived, it was covered in dust and not in a condition to accommodate a sick person. In fact, it would be better to leave this stuffy room altogether. Mabel lifted Eugene onto her shoulder.
