Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 84

Episode 84

Similar episodes repeated after that.

Each time, Leon would run to Ken and shout the same words.

"Safe zone, Ken! Breathe!"

The voice of a child whose voice hadn't even fully changed rang clearly in his ears.

He'd thought he would remember that cry for a very long time.

'Why, why.'

Why did Janet's voice overlap with Leon's?

---

"It's alright, Vice-Captain. Being ill isn't something to be ashamed of."

"……."

"I looked into it—apparently, some of the servants working at the Ludwig townhouse also have combat experience. Anyone could see it's war trauma, so they'll probably just take it in stride."

"……."

"No, 'take it in stride' isn't the right word. We should be sorry and grateful. It's proof that they went out and fought with their lives on the line—"

"Hobbs."

"Yes, Vice-Captain."

Kendrick, who had been maintaining silence, smiled at Hobbs, who kept offering comfort.

Then—

"I'm already fine, so stop talking and get back to work."

"Oh, yes. Seeing you with your usual bad temper, you really do seem fine!"

He always had to have the last word.

Kendrick knew why Hobbs was worried about him.

It was natural to be concerned after an incident in front of so many people—including friends and acquaintances.

'Usually, it only happened in front of Illinia members.'

Since the armistice, Kendrick had frequently suffered these episodes.

Fortunately, most Illinia members had combat experience and knew roughly how to handle it.

In any case, Kendrick was truly fine.

It was already two days ago, and he had no intention of dwelling on what had already happened.

It wasn't pleasant to have shown such symptoms in front of others, but as Hobbs said, he hadn't committed a crime.

What bothered him more was……

'Janet.'

He didn't have clear memories of the episode, but one thing stood out clearly.

"Breathe! This is a safe zone! Operation complete! Operation complete!"

That was the same phrase Leon used to calm him during episodes in the war.

He'd heard Leon learned it from watching Third Unit's medic……

'Could Janet have been in Third Unit too?'

But he couldn't be sure.

There were a few others in Illinia who had used similar methods to calm him.

Tsk.

Clicking his tongue, Kendrick shuffled through the papers on his desk.

"Food storage explosion?"

"Ah, the explosion two days ago?"

Hobbs nodded.

"Yes. I heard it was the food storage that exploded."

"The cause?"

"Still under investigation, but they think it was a dust explosion. They were moving flour and grain sacks that day."

A dust explosion was literally an explosion caused by dust.

When moving flour or grain sacks, dust gets stirred up.

These are surprisingly flammable—when a storage room is full of dust and catches fire, it can explode like this.

"Is there no possibility of arson?"

"I'm not sure. For now, it looks like a simple accident. We can't completely rule out arson, though."

"Hm. Look into it a bit more just in case."

Though a food storage might seem insignificant, it was actually very important.

It was where food was kept.

Since emergency rations for times of famine were often stored there, losing a whole food storage meant losing several months' worth of food.

"It would have been disastrous during wartime."

"Ah, definitely. Nothing's scarier than hunger."

Hobbs nodded in agreement.

"Theo, sir. You have a visitor."

"A visitor?"

---

Thump.

A basket of fruit was set on the reception room table.

"There. A get-well gift."

Kendrick stared blankly at the fruit basket and the visitor.

The visitor was someone unexpected.

"Fortunately, you look well."

"I wasn't really physically injured anyway."

At the smiling answer, Julietta's brow twisted.

"Yes. Seeing you as annoying as ever, your head seems fine too."

"But you came alone?"

"Yeah. I came alone."

"Without Janet?"

Nod.

"Without Janet."

That was surprising.

He'd thought Julietta's association with him—'Theo'—was entirely because of Janet.

Yet she'd come alone without Janet.

"There's something I wanted to ask you, so I came alone."

"Something you want to ask? Me?"

Nod.

Julietta nodded again, slightly.

Then—

"Um, you……"

Julietta hesitated.

Fidgeting with her fingers nervously, she added in an uncharacteristically cautious tone.

"That thing you experienced—it's war trauma too, right? Were you also in the war?"

"Yes. I fought. And sometimes I get those symptoms as a result."

Nodding and admitting it readily, Kendrick asked curiously.

"How did you know it was war trauma?"

"I just…… looked into it a bit."

"Looked into it?"

"Yeah. Someone I know also suffers from war trauma."

At 'someone I know,' Kendrick paused. He had a feeling he knew who that was.

"Everyone with war trauma…… suffers like that?"

"I'm not sure. Symptoms vary from person to person."

"I see. That's how it is."

Julietta muttered absently.

In truth, she also knew that asking someone who'd had an episode just two days ago wasn't the best idea.

But she couldn't help it.

The moment she'd seen Theo—always composed and even annoying—gasping and rolling on the floor, he'd overlapped with Kendrick.

Wasn't he also in seclusion because of war trauma?

'If he can't even go outside, his symptoms must be worse than Theo's……'

Had Kendrick also been suffering alone in that dark villa?

Biting her lip, Julietta clenched her fists.

"Sorry. For asking this."

"No, it's fine. Feel free to ask anything you're curious about."

At Theo's words, Julietta hesitated for a moment.

She had so many questions.

What was the battlefield like?

Was it really that terrible?

Had he ever served in the same unit as Kendrick?

If so, how did Kendrick fare during the war?

But none of these questions felt light to ask.

Letting out a short breath, Julietta shook her head. Pushing away countless curiosities, she left only one question.

"Is there anything that helps people with war trauma? Food, objects, actions……"

"……Why?"

"Because of the person I mentioned earlier."

Julietta's hands, clasped together, were trembling.

"That person has symptoms so severe they can hardly go outside. They have to wear a mask just to talk to someone."

"Are you worried about them?"

"Yeah. They're really precious to me."

Precious.

As Kendrick chewed on the word, Julietta blinked rapidly, coming to her senses.

"Anyway. I'm glad you're okay. I did come to ask something, but visiting you was also my intention."

"……."

"I'll stop bothering you and go now. Rest well—see you next time."

Just as Julietta rose to leave—

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"I also have something I want to tell you."

"……You?"

Tilting her head, Julietta awkwardly sat back down.

"What is it? Tell me."

"First, promise me one thing."

"A promise?"

Julietta's eyebrows twitched.

He—was he not actually fine after all?

"What do you want me to promise?"

"First."

So it wasn't just one thing.

Though she looked at him with disbelief, he continued undeterred.

"After you hear what I have to say, don't resent me. Though hitting me a few times is allowed."

Good heavens. He really wasn't okay after all.

Back   Next