Chapter 108: Chapter 108

Viga collapsed onto the floor in front of the bed, burying her face into the mattress.

Since she had closed off her heightened senses upon returning to the duke’s estate, she was truly caught off guard.

"Ugh, please make some noise when you walk around."

A dry chuckle came from above her.

Still hugging the bed, she lifted her head just enough to look up.

"What brings the Young Duke here?"

"Is there anywhere in this estate I’m not allowed to go?"

"Ah, well, that’s true. In a society with a class system, what is off-limits?"

"No need to bring up status. This is my house."

"You still haven’t answered my question."

"I went for a night walk. Even when I’m exhausted, I can’t sleep."

"...You’re not doing anything dangerous, are you?"

"Huh? What kind of danger could possibly be in this estate? What, is there a ghost?"

She tilted her head and blinked innocently, as if failing to grasp his meaning.

Cruello’s eyes narrowed.

"Or do you have some evidence that makes you ask that?"

"...I’ll be watching you."

The moment the door slammed shut, Viga basked in her victory.

And from that day on, Cruello really did start watching her.

Even when she was doing the laundry.

"You’re washing all those clothes by yourself?"

"The laundry attendant quit last week. But it’s fine, I only have seventy pieces to do this morning."

Even when she helped in the kitchen.

"...What are you doing?"

"Oh, this? I’m whipping meringue. It’s going into the dessert. Doesn’t it look tasty?"

"That’s not what I meant. You’re supposed to be on cleaning duty."

"The kitchen assistant ran away again."

Even /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ when she was fixing a misaligned window frame.

"That’s really not your job."

"Does it matter who does it? It’s not like—"

"Who quit this time?"

"Yes, of course—ah, there, done!"

Cruello even followed her when she was cleaning an entire floor of the estate.

At this point, Viga had no choice but to suspect the Young Duke’s true intentions.

"Young Duke, be honest. You’re following me because you’re bored, aren’t you?"

"...I was just thinking about how empty this estate is."

A commotion outside made Viga trail off.

Both of them turned to look out the window.

A young man carrying luggage was leaving the estate, his steps as light as if he were walking on air.

Viga muttered under her breath.

"Wow, Elliot quit too. That means I’ll have even more laundry to do tomorrow."

"Why is everyone quitting?"

At that, Viga looked directly at Cruello.

The boy, already sensing where this was going, scowled.

"Just so you know, I rarely got angry after mistaking someone for Amy. I only drew my sword when they actually deserved it."

"Sure. With so many eyes watching you, what else could you do?"

"Don’t be sarcastic."

Cruello stared at her for a moment before looking away.

"I know I’m not normal. Even when I try to fix it, it doesn’t work. What do you expect me to do?"

"Hmm, do I look like that young lady to you right now?"

‘I see.’ Viga nodded.

"Then, what you’re saying is... you want to get rid of this condition?"

"If you’re about to suggest counseling, forget it. I tried that. It was completely useless."

"And if I were to offer to help you instead, would that be overstepping my bounds?"

Caught off guard, the boy widened his eyes and stared at her.

"Then please be understanding when I’m a little rude."

Cruello gave a small nod.

That was the sound of Viga striking Cruello across the back.

The boy jumped, eyes blown wide, and spun around to face her.

"D-Did you just hit me?!"

"You were looking at Diana weirdly."

"Just now. Did she look like Lady Amy to you?"

Cruello wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t.

Like she was collecting data for an important experiment, Viga pressed on.

"And what about now?"

"This is what you meant by helping me?!"

"I asked, how does she look now?"

"That’s great!" Viga beamed with satisfaction.

Cruello had been about to scold her, but the moment he saw her smile, he instinctively turned his head away.

From then on, Viga’s "correction method" continued.

Whenever Cruello spaced out while looking at someone, lost in memories, she would run up and slap his back.

He had been trained in swordsmanship and was highly sensitive to people’s presence, yet for some reason, he never seemed to notice Viga approaching.

As this happened more frequently, his reaction to seeing someone who resembled Amy changed.

Instead of zoning out and longing for the dead, he would immediately tense, bracing for the inevitable smack.

And bizarrely enough... the hallucinations stopped.

He didn’t want to admit it, but it was working.

Meanwhile, having eased some of Cruello’s wariness, Viga resumed her plans for late-night excursions.

To prepare, she finished her chores earlier than usual.

"Cleaning is done for today!"

She felt refreshed, but without Cruello following her around, something felt oddly empty.

‘Well, I still have work to do.’

She was about to check whether the hidden passage she used for sneaking out was intact when she noticed a group of servants gathered outside the drawing room.

"What’s everyone doing here?"

"Don’t you know? Young Lord Eden is visiting today!"

Viga immediately recalled that he was the son of the Grand Elder.

She remained indifferent.

‘If he’s an Elder, he should just stay in his fancy council chambers.’

"He’s so kind and incredibly handsome!"

The girls, cheeks flushed with excitement, were certainly cute, but she had no interest in whoever was inside the drawing room.

Waving off her coworkers, she headed outside.

Fortunately, the hidden passage looked good for use that night.

‘The real problem is figuring out what that key unlocks.’

Considering how obsessively the Grand Elder had safeguarded it, was it connected to Morion?

Deep in thought, she was making her way back to the mansion when she suddenly collided with someone exiting.

Long, light brown hair. Red eyes.

The features were unfamiliar, but she instantly knew who he was.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As expected, Eden White Desert was just as handsome as her colleagues had described.

But was his appearance truly awe-inspiring? Not quite.

A vague, indescribable unease sent a warning through her senses.

Eden glanced down at Viga’s name tag before speaking.

She hadn’t expected him to address her.

Caught slightly off guard, Viga composed herself and greeted him with practiced ease.

"Yes, that’s correct. Hello, my lord."

"Ah, I’ve heard quite a lot about you."

"About me? From whom—ah, from the Young Duke?"

"Not from Cruello, actually... hmm."

The corners of his lips curled strangely.

To Viga, it didn’t look like a friendly smile at all.

Abruptly, Eden changed the subject.

"By the way, you clean near Cruello’s chambers, don’t you? I actually lost something around there. If you happen to find it, could you hold onto it for me?"

So he had been upstairs? She had assumed he’d only been in the drawing room.

Viga grumbled internally but outwardly remained the picture of a professional servant.

"Of course, my lord. Could you tell me what it is?"

Eden took a half-step closer, lowering his voice so that no one else could hear.

Viga thought his red eyes gleamed oddly in the dim light.

And then, he whispered:

"If you find it, be sure to return it to me."

He patted Viga’s stiffened shoulder before walking past her.

"What the hell was that?"

She had somehow made it back to the estate, but her mind was in complete disarray.

It was Eden White Desert’s existence that had thrown her off so much.

He had never even been mentioned in Fate.

The emergence of an unaccounted-for figure. The revelation of his movements. The possibility that she had been unknowingly playing into someone’s hands all along.

Everything about it was shocking.

Yet despite the chaos in her head, her next course of action was crystal clear.

‘I have to investigate Eden White Desert.’

Whether that was even possible was another matter entirely.

Letting out a deep sigh, Viga caught sight of Cruello.

He was staring blankly at a passerby.

Viga suppressed her presence with divine energy and crept toward him.

Standing behind him, she raised her hand, ready to strike—

But just then, Cruello spun around.

With a swift clap, he caught her wrist without a moment’s hesitation.

For a brief second, it felt as if they had been dancing and had just stopped mid-step.

Their faces were far too close.

Blinking in mild panic, Viga blurted out,

"...Did you really think I’d say that? You don’t look like Amy to me anymore. So knock it off."

"I was just checking, hehe. You do know this is all thanks to me, right?"

"I still don’t understand why this is even working, but yeah."

Hearing his reluctant admission, Viga grinned with satisfaction.

‘Beating it out of him really was the cure.’

In truth, it wasn’t just the physical strikes—it was the subtle divine energy she had mixed into them.

She hadn’t been sure if it would work for something , but she was glad she had applied it little by little.

"So stop smacking my back already."

"Why? Do I look like one of your servant colleagues?"

"Ah, right. The class system again... Fine, I’ll stop."

Viga deliberately responded in a dejected tone.

Cruello’s brow twitched slightly, and even though he knew she was faking it, his expression softened a little.

Seizing the moment, Viga asked,

"About the guest who visited today."

"Eden? What about him?"

"I was just curious about what kind of person he is."

Cruello narrowed his eyes.

His expression was full of displeasure.

"Huh? I’m about to turn seventeen! Why would I be interested in someone ten years older than me?!"

"Then why are you asking about Eden? Don’t tell me... were you snooping around the Elder Council’s affairs before this?"

His gaze turned completely frigid.

Viga quickly raised her voice.

"Whaaaaat? The Elder Council? Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"Now that I think about it, wasn’t it the Elders who assigned people to keep an eye on you—"

"Don’t cross the line."

His voice was as cold as ice, making Viga flinch.

Shock. Confusion. Disappointment. Resignation.

‘Right. This is a class-based society.’

A flood of emotions rushed through her, but she soon lowered her head.

Then, as if flipping a switch, she bowed politely and turned to leave.

Her movements were calculated, mechanical, devoid of any personal sentiment.

This time, it was Cruello who was caught off guard. He grabbed her arm.

"It’s inappropriate to grab a lady’s arm so carelessly. Surely, even you know that much?"

Viga kept her head lowered, refusing to meet his eyes.

Cruello parted his lips, hesitating for a moment, before softening his voice as if trying to soothe her.

"If you’re just poking around out of curiosity, drop it. These people are far more dangerous than you think."

"What could a mere servant possibly uncover? If I had any real talent for investigation, I would’ve quit this job ages ago and become an investigator instead."

"I know my place, Young Duke. I won’t overstep. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go get some rest. Will you let go of me?"

"...Eden is not what he seems."

Viga sharply turned her head to face him.

"Do you believe that?"

"More than you believe me?"

Even Viga herself wasn’t sure why she had asked that.