◇ Chapter 3 ◇
“…Huh?”
A heavy silence and tension filled the space between the intruder and Catherine.
But Catherine simply raised her chin as if telling him, If you have something to say, then say it.
“It’s not even funny. Pretending not to know anything… isn’t that a very obvious trick by now?”
The man’s cold gaze strangely wavered.
One raised eyebrow and a long silence filled the basement, but his sword was still pressed close beneath her neck.
“Your courage is worthy of praise. And luckily for you, I’m in a fairly good mood today… If you answer honestly, I will spare your life. If you don’t want your head smashed against the wall while you’re still breathing, tell me your purpose.”
The first thing he said after such a long silence wasn’t an apology or regret.
It was a threat.
Annoyance slowly rising inside her, Catherine pushed away the sword that was near her neck again.
“My purpose is to erase this damn huge drawing. And unlike you, I’m in a terrible mood. I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you’re having, but stop acting like you own someone else’s house. Either leave or help clean. Can you at least do one of those?”
She then walked toward the stairs and deliberately wiped away the mud with her mop.
However, she realized that as long as this man remained there, more footprints would appear.
She let out a deep sigh.
‘Things are already complicated enough… and now some strange guy appears out of nowhere…’
Was this how a lion watched its prey?
For some reason, the crazy man had only put away his weapon.
He still stood there without moving, keeping his eyes fixed on Catherine.
What should I do?
It didn’t seem like she could communicate with him at all.
Just as Catherine was desperately thinking…
The glowing red pattern on the floor began flickering.
Then suddenly—
It went completely dark.
Whoosh—
As if things couldn’t get worse…
The single candle she had left was also extinguished by a wind with an unknown source.
No way.
Tell me this isn’t happening.
She felt so empty that all strength left her legs.
“My last candle…”
How hard had she worked today just to protect that candle?
Catherine leaned against the wall and slowly slid down.
She wanted to throw everything she could grab.
‘Wait. Calm down, Catherine.’
‘First… first, take a deep breath.’
‘Getting back upstairs is the best choice. It’s too dark here.’
From the moment the light disappeared, the man’s existence had completely vanished from her mind.
Catherine couldn’t believe how violent and pessimistic she had become in only one night.
So this was how frightening poverty was.
Perhaps because she felt ashamed of herself, even standing up while holding onto the wall was difficult.
Even without light, if she climbed the stairs, she could use the moonlight and starlight to return to her bedroom.
The bed was dirty, but if she covered herself with a cloth and slept…
「Lemore.」
Just as she found the wooden door handle while standing halfway up…
A light far brighter than the candle filled the basement.
Catherine slowly opened her eyes, which had closed instinctively from the sudden brightness.
The room had been illuminated in an instant.
When her vision returned clearly…
A silver-haired man with an emotionless expression was looking down at her.
“I thought you had killed yourself from the sound of your breath stopping… But it seems you were just throwing a tantrum.”
This man…
Was a mage.
Catherine’s entire body stiffened.
‘My lovely Catherine. If you want to live happily with your mother for a long time, you must never get close to outside mages. Do you understand? Never forget your mother’s words.’
Like a natural instinct, Catherine suddenly remembered the warning her biological mother had given her when she was five years old.
A floating sphere of light slowly circled around the man.
The intruder’s clothes were torn and damaged in several places, but despite his miserable appearance, his extraordinary beauty carried a powerful presence.
“I’m getting tired of dealing with you. Stop wasting time and reveal your purpose. Before I really kill you.”
But a handsome face could not clean the mud scattered across the floor.
Completely exhausted, Catherine ignored the man’s presence and slowly began undoing the buttons of her shirt.
“What are you…”
The buttons came undone one by one.
The man showed no change in expression.
He only raised an eyebrow, as if asking what kind of nonsense she was trying.
Catherine opened more than half of her buttons and pulled out the house contract she had hidden inside her clothes.
Then she spoke calmly.
“Look carefully. My name is Catherine Panya. This paper proves that Catherine Panya is the owner of this mansion. This land, this building, the basement, even the sky above it—all of it belongs to me. Do you understand how ridiculous it is for someone who broke in without permission to threaten the owner while acting like they own the place? If you don’t understand, should I explain it slowly again?”
Worried that the suspicious intruder might burn the contract with magic, she quickly folded it again and tucked it back into her clothes.
“…Catherine Panya?”
“Yes.”
“You bought this land?”
“Yes.”
“This mansion?”
“Yes.”
With those simple answers, the man’s previously emotionless face twisted completely.
Only now did he seem to understand the situation.
Holding his forehead as if suffering from a headache, he looked troubled.
Catherine clicked her tongue.
‘But… I feel like I’ve seen this face somewhere before.’
His appearance was like a masterpiece created by an artist who spent an entire lifetime perfecting it.
It should have been impossible to forget after seeing him once.
Yet strangely, she couldn’t remember where.
“So… you are… no, you are the young lady who became the new owner of this place?”
“Yes.”
At this point, Catherine wasn’t even expecting him to clean the floor.
She only wanted this beautiful but clueless intruder to leave as soon as possible.
Soon, the man slowly raised his arm and rubbed his dry face.
“Sigh… What is this… Anyway, I apologize for my rude behavior. And you should probably button your shirt again.”
“It would probably be faster for you to leave than for me to button everything back up.”
The man frowned again after finally relaxing his expression.
Then he nodded and turned around.
Relieved that he finally understood her words, Catherine stood up.
But then her eyes became serious as she looked at his back.
“Wait a moment.”
Before the man disappeared, Catherine hurried after him.
The man turned his head.
He seemed to be making quite an effort not to look down at her chest.
For the sake of this surprisingly polite mage despite being an intruder, Catherine quickly spoke.
“I don’t have any candles… Could you leave that light behind?”
For Catherine…
This was a truly desperate request.
The magical sphere the man left behind continued glowing all day without rest.
On the first day, Catherine had been so exhausted that she fell asleep immediately after returning to her bedroom.
But because the light was unbelievably bright…
On the second day, she couldn’t sleep at all.
Finally, on the evening of the third day, the glowing sphere was kicked out into the hallway.
On the fourth day, it was moved again.
From the hallway to the basement storage room.
It had been completely banished underground.
“Wait a little longer. Once I finish cleaning the mansion, I’ll erase you without leaving a trace.”
After threatening the strange pattern, Catherine locked the basement twice so she could return later and clean it properly.
After that day, things became surprisingly peaceful.
Whenever she remembered her life in Orleans, she regretted not causing more trouble before leaving.
Of course, cleaning the mansion was so exhausting that even those regrets disappeared within half a day.
“Ah, this is wonderful. Being alone really is the best. Leaving home was the right decision.”
This was true peace.
At least…
Until afternoon tea began.
The freshly brewed tea poured beautifully.
Of course it did.
Catherine had made it only a few seconds ago.
The red herbal tea falling from the teapot.
Her long, white fingers holding the cup.
And…
“Am I seeing things right now…”
“The scent is quite good.”
She thought she was imagining things.
But since she could hear a voice…
It probably wasn’t an illusion.
Catherine, who had been standing blankly in front of the kitchen, slowly walked closer.
Every time she moved around the kitchen, the man’s silver hair reflected the sunlight with different colors.
“The temperature is perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Were you a maid before? Although I don’t get that impression.”
“…Who are you?”
“Me?”
The man who had been smelling the tea lifted his head.
Clear, transparent cobalt-blue eyes looked at her.
A faint amused smile appeared on his perfectly shaped face.
“I never thought I would receive such a foolish question. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your memory within a few days.”
Memory?
If he meant “Do you really not know who I am?”
Then Catherine would have to both nod and shake her head.
The voice and figure were definitely familiar.
But the eyes she remembered were not cobalt blue.
They were violet.
The man stared at her for a while before slowly resting his chin on his hand.
“You really haven’t forgotten, have you? I thought I had a rather memorable appearance… This hurts my pride a little.”
“No. I haven’t forgotten.”
His straight eyebrows twitched slightly.
Yes.
That strange way of speaking that annoyed people confirmed it.
This man was definitely the shameless intruder from the basement.
Even though his eye color was completely different…
‘Was I mistaken back then?’
Extraordinary people’s eyes could sometimes deceive others.
Especially when that person was crazy.
Thinking about him, Catherine could understand.
Maybe she had simply been overwhelmed by his beauty that day.
She decided to accept that explanation.
Pour.
But after being kicked out…
Why had he come back into her house?
Catherine took another cup from the cabinet and sat far away from the man.
Then she poured herself the remaining herbal tea and enjoyed the scent.
It was the first tea she had bought from the city.
And just as he said…
The fragrance really was good.
Tap. Tap.
As she drank one sip…
Then another…
The sound of his fingers tapping the table slowly became faster.
Eventually, it became too annoying to ignore.
When Catherine glared at him irritably, the bored-looking man rested his chin on his hand and spoke.
“By any chance… are you bad at communicating with people?”
What?
Confused by the sudden question, Catherine answered.
“Did you lose your memory within a few minutes? We were just talking earlier.”
“Well, yes, but…”
The man trailed off and slowly rubbed his chin.
His gaze toward Catherine carried complicated emotions.
“Normally, wouldn’t you ask why I am here? Or what my identity is?”
So he wanted her to ask?
If he wanted it, she could do that.
Catherine kindly asked the unknown man why he had come.
“Why did you come here again? Do you really want to be reported for trespassing?”
The man shook his head and laughed softly.
However, only the sound seemed pleasant.
His elegant eyes and lips remained completely still.
His answer came after a short delay.
“Why don’t you find another mansion?”
