Unexpectedly, it was time to return to my real profession.
This time, I'm definitely charging hazard pay. My job isn't to protect the target!
But now that I knew someone was after the person who owed me ten million gold, there was no way I could simply sit back and watch.
Before making my move, I waved a hand in front of Lys's sleeping face just to make sure.
Let's see... smooth skin, neatly combed hair, soft-looking eyelashes, and those red lips...
I'd thought he was pretty from the moment I first saw him, but somehow he looked even—
No. That's not the point.
His breathing remained slow and even. Thankfully, he seemed to be fast asleep.
Without another thought, I lifted the long skirt of my maid uniform and drew the weapon hidden against my thigh.
Then I quietly made my way toward the window where faint moonlight spilled inside.
About four large strides away? That's even closer than I expected.
The enemy had gotten this close, and I'd only just noticed.
Have I been getting too absorbed in this whole maid thing?
Finding the suspicious intruder didn't take long.
The moment I pinpointed his location, I silently opened the window and stepped onto the terrace.
At this hour of the night, making too much noise could easily expose me.
Holding my breath, I cautiously looked up toward the rooftop where I'd sensed the presence.
"...Where in the world did you get yourself beaten up?"
What I saw wasn't my enemy—
Well... technically, he was.
"Cough... S-save... me..."
The man sprawled across the roof spotted me and desperately reached out as though he'd found his savior.
Crack.
A sickening sound echoed as the bone in his trembling forearm shifted out of place.
Judging by the sword at his waist and the robe hiding his face, he was unquestionably the assassin who had come after my ten million—
No, after Lys.
But somehow, he was already bleeding so heavily that he looked ready to die at any second.
How strange.
I hadn't even touched him yet.
At that moment, the assassin suddenly forced himself upright, pointed his sword at me, and charged.
"Grr... Die!"
"Wow. Impressive. You're still moving after ending up like that."
I casually stepped aside.
The man stumbled straight past me and rolled off across the rooftop.
For a desperate last attack, it was riddled with openings. He wasn't even worth taking seriously.
As I slowly approached the fallen assassin once more, he let out a tearful groan.
"P-Please... spare me... please..."
Honestly...
I never expected to hear those words from another assassin.
Thud!
Subduing someone who was already half-dead was easier than breathing.
I didn't even bother drawing my weapon.
One swing of the scabbard against the back of his head was enough to knock him unconscious.
Pulling back the torn black clothing covering him, I found several deep sword wounds.
Whoever had done this wasn't some amateur.
They were incredibly skilled.
"...This is seriously weird."
It shouldn't have been possible.
After all, the Cassio Ducal Estate didn't employ guard knights or patrol soldiers to protect the mansion.
Then... who in the world did this to him?
Rustle.
Just as I tilted my head in confusion, I sensed movement below.
It wasn't an unfamiliar presence.
It belonged to someone inside the estate.
W-What!? Since when...?!
Had I been discovered?
But I'd definitely confirmed that my ten million gold was sleeping soundly!
Thump. Thump.
My heartbeat pounded violently in my ears as anxiety took hold.
The overwhelming tension made me forget to breathe.
Slowly, stiffly, I turned toward the source of the sound.
Click.
The bedroom door closed behind Ail.
A smile slowly spread across Lys's lips.
So Ail really can sing.
The memory of her staring at him in utter disbelief after he'd asked for a lullaby made him chuckle again.
Imagine making that face at her master.
She was the first maid who had ever so openly displayed her displeasure at one of his orders.
Was she simply incapable of hiding her emotions?
Or did she have no intention of trying?
Either way, she was anything but ordinary.
Strangely enough...
He didn't dislike it.
A faint laugh escaped him.
I think I've developed a rather bad hobby.
"It'll probably take her around ten minutes to catch Del."
There was one thing Lys had intentionally neglected to tell Ail.
To catch Del...
You had to approach him slowly.
If you simply chased after him, Del would assume you wanted to play and happily sprint away.
Completely unaware of this, Ail was probably being dragged into an unintended game with the dog right about now.
"...That should give me enough time."
The amusement vanished from Lys's face.
He silently gazed toward the moonlit window.
A shadow flickered across the pure white terrace railing.
That irritating presence outside had forced him to end his conversation with Ail sooner than he'd wanted.
He couldn't let his angel see him.
"Tch."
Brushing his hair back with an irritated expression, Lys stepped onto the terrace without hesitation.
The instant he did—
"Die!"
Clang!
The assassin's blade slammed into Lys's dagger with a sharp metallic crash.
Lys leaped effortlessly onto the rooftop.
The assassin immediately pursued him.
"You monster! Running won't save you!"
"...You're noisy."
A sharp whoosh sliced through the air beside the assassin's ear.
Missed?
The assassin smirked, convinced the frightened young noble had merely swung wildly.
Then—
"Ghk... AAAAGH!"
Clang!
Instead of counterattacking, the assassin dropped his sword altogether.
His severed nose had vanished before he even realized what had happened.
He collapsed to the rooftop, frantically clutching at his mutilated face.
"AAGH! Gah!"
Without giving him a moment to recover, brutal attacks followed one after another.
A strike to the solar plexus.
A stab through the leg to keep him from escaping.
The relentless assault continued mercilessly.
"P-Please... spa—"
His plea was abruptly cut off.
An invisible force clamped his mouth shut.
Unable to breathe, the assassin's flushed face quickly turned deathly pale.
"I told you..."
"...You were too loud."
Lys watched him without the slightest emotion.
For a fleeting instant, his violet eyes flashed crimson.
At the same time, the unseen force around the assassin's throat tightened even harder.
"M-Monster..."
"Who? Me?"
Lys was suddenly standing directly before him.
Tilting his head with a faint smile, his dark crimson eyes—now stripped of all warmth—gleamed with frightening intensity.
"Ghk... You monster... God will never forgive someone like you...!"
"Now that's unfair."
"I've already been saved by an angel."
His lazy, almost gentle voice drifted into the assassin's ears.
The contrast only made it more terrifying.
The assassin bit down hard on his lower lip as the information broker's words resurfaced in his mind.
"The young master of House Cassio is still only a child. He isn't that dangerous."
The broker had insisted the so-called monster's power was still immature.
There were no guards protecting the Cassio estate.
Breaking in would be easy.
The terrifying rumors surrounding the family were all exaggerated nonsense.
I believed every word...
This is completely different!
He'd been utterly deceived.
Crunch!
The black mist-like force squeezed even tighter around his neck.
Bones cracked.
Fresh blood burst from the assassin's mouth.
"Ghk...!"
No matter how desperately he struggled...
There was no defending against an attack he couldn't even see.
So this...
This is the power of the infamous Monster Duke's family...
Overwhelmed by unimaginable terror, the assassin could do nothing but stare blankly at Lys.
Still bleeding...
Still trembling...
Until, at last, he lost consciousness.
"...You're tougher than necessary."
Seeing that the assassin was somehow still alive, Lys calmly raised his dagger.
Just as the blade sliced through the air—
A strange scent drifted to his nose.
...Sweet?
It was an unusually gentle fragrance.
His entire body froze.
Ah.
Ail must have already caught Del.
The familiar presence below belonged to none other than Ail.
Which meant...
This unfamiliar sweet scent must be hers.
If she's caught Del... she'll be coming back here any moment now.
It felt as though the cold fog clouding his mind slowly dispersed.
Suddenly, he remembered Ail cheerfully telling him earlier that she'd shared cake with the other maids during snack time.
So that's why she smells sweet.
The eerie crimson glow faded from Lys's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, they returned to their usual gentle violet.
"...Killing him will have to wait."
He needed to get back to his bedroom...
Before Ail saw anything.
