Chapter 8
The next day, a small newspaper published an article about Baron Walker.
「Last night, Baron Walker was murdered.
An investigation was launched, but the house where he lived was completely burned down, so it is expected that no evidence will be found.
Sadly, he had no family, so his body will be placed in a public cemetery.」**
Someone stood in front of the completely burned-down Walker residence and stared at it.
There was a newspaper in one hand.
A small scorch mark could be seen on the edge of his sleeve.
He snapped his fingers a few times, clicked his tongue once, and then left the place.
In the spot where he had passed, a white mark that looked like holy power remained for a moment.
But that too soon disappeared.
Even though that had happened, my day continued normally.
I didn’t end up bedridden because of my conflict with Baron Walker, nor did I come down with a fever just because I had gotten caught in a few drops of rain.
“Being too healthy is a problem too, you know.”
I rolled my shoulders a couple of times and got out of bed.
The room Winsphere had given me was even better than I had imagined.
And the bed…
It was the softest and most comfortable bed I had ever slept in.
It didn’t match my old pajamas at all, but who cared?
It wasn’t as if anyone was going to come into this room…
“Lady Liliana, are you awake?”
A strange woman used an unfamiliar title to address me.
I flinched.
I hadn’t even been awake for a full minute, yet someone was already calling for me.
Forgetting the relaxed feeling I had just moments ago, I finally realized where I was.
‘I’m in a demon’s den right now.’
The memory of chatting and laughing with Roan yesterday suddenly felt like something that had happened ages ago.
I nervously walked toward the door and answered,
“Yes. What is it?”
“Nothing in particular! It’s just that I’ll be serving Lady Liliana starting today!”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Because His King, I mean, Lord… Roan… asked me to specially take care of you!”
She had definitely said King in the middle.
In a situation where I couldn’t let my guard down for even a moment, I pressed a hand to my forehead.
I seriously wondered whether these demons even intended to hide their identities from me.
“Lady Liliana?”
When I didn’t give her a proper answer, the woman outside urged me again.
“May I open the door?”
“Sure, I suppose…”
Despite my reluctant answer, the demon opened the door without hesitation.
Beyond the open door stood a woman with long red hair.
She was at least a head taller than me, so I had to look up to meet her eyes.
The moment I saw her, I completely forgot that I was supposed to be cautious and simply stared at her beautiful appearance.
At my reaction, her silver-gray eyes curved gently.
“This is our first time meeting, right? Please feel free to call me Gremory!”
Her lively voice brought me back to my senses.
The demon Gremory.
She was a character who appeared in the novel.
Her rank among the demons was around 50th.
The reason she continued appearing despite her relatively low rank was…
The reason was…
I definitely remembered there being a reason, but I couldn’t recall it.
‘Maybe it wasn’t important enough for me to remember?’
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t answer Gremory.
She didn’t seem to care much about my response.
Gremory proudly straightened her shoulders and said,
“From now on, I’ll always stay by Lady Liliana’s side!”
“……”
“I’m so happy! I was the only woman in this entire castle, you know.”
I frowned at Gremory, who had been insisting that she would serve me.
What kind of aide had someone assigned to serve them personally?
Even if this was a den of demons, they ranked each other according to strength.
There was absolutely no reason for them to assign someone to serve someone as weak as me.
“Does everyone at Winsphere have someone assigned to them even when they’re an aide?”
I subtly tested her, wondering if they had assigned her to me so she could deal with me if I discovered something.
But Gremory’s response completely deflated my suspicion.
“Huh? Doesn’t everyone do that?”
Apparently, she wasn’t here to spy on me.
Then why on earth…?
‘Ah. Right. This place is full of demons.’
There was no point expecting human common sense from demons.
I didn’t even know where to begin explaining it to them.
And even if I did explain it, there was no guarantee human common sense would actually enter their heads.
‘Fine. I’ll change myself instead. It’ll be easier that way.’
It seemed better to empty my mind and stop questioning everything they did.
After organizing my thoughts, I smiled and faced Gremory.
Then I firmly rejected her offer.
“I’m not sure. But I don’t need your help, Miss Gremory.”
“Is it because I’m incompetent…!”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“How about you let me accompany you for just one week?”
“I can manage on my own…”
“I can work myself to the bone for Lady Liliana!”
Seriously, where did things go wrong?
At this point, even I didn’t know anymore.
“…Do whatever you want. But first, can we do something about the way you’re addressing me?”
“Yay! Thank you! But how should I address you…?”
“Call me Liliana, or Miss Ria.”
“Uh, but… that’s… um…”
For the first time, Gremory looked flustered.
Well, that didn’t mean I intended to obediently do everything they wanted.
Surely I was allowed to be a little difficult when I was the only human in this entire place?
“Mr. Roan calls me that too, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
I casually mentioned the name of the King of Demons, pretending that I knew nothing.
Gremory flinched.
“Ro… Roan…”
“If I’m the only one you address that way, won’t the others feel left out? Especially Mr. Roan.”
I emphasized Roan’s name one more time.
Gremory trembled again before forcing a smile and calling me,
“L-Liliana… I mean, Ria….”
I decided to pretend I didn’t notice the slight tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
After stepping away from me for a moment, Gremory began humming as though nothing had happened and started rummaging through my clothes.
She genuinely seemed excited about staying beside me.
But I didn’t need an enormous amount of help like some precious noble lady.
There wasn’t much for her to prepare.
Gremory seemed to know that too, but she acted as though she didn’t.
The tall woman stared seriously at a white dress and a pale yellow dress.
“Which one would suit her better?”
Neither dress would be considered particularly fancy if I went outside.
But among the clothes I owned, they were the brightest.
I thought I had bought the white dress last.
Sometime around last autumn, perhaps?
I felt a little sorry for Gremory, who was taking the decision so seriously.
But I had already decided what I was going to wear.
“Miss Gremory, I’m going to wear that black dress.”
The moment she heard me, Gremory’s face turned pale.
Her eyes became incredibly round.
Then, as she slowly processed what I had said, her expression became miserable.
“Whaaat? But this one is the brightest and cutest!”
“……”
“Why would you want to wear something so gloomy?”
“Now, calm down. First, why am I here?”
At my question, Gremory was about to answer without hesitation.
“Because His King…!”
Then she realized that she had almost said something she shouldn’t have and immediately shut her mouth.
“Wha…?”
I narrowed my eyes at her as she rolled her eyes around nervously.
Gremory avoided my gaze and answered,
“Y-you’re here as an aide.”
“Exactly. I came here to work. What’s the point of dressing me up in bright clothes?”
“But everyone at Winsphere dresses brightly!”
I had to admit that there was some truth to what she said.
Gremory was wearing comfortable pants, but they were made from high-quality fabric.
She was also covered in jewelry that looked expensive and valuable at a glance.
“Then let’s make me a little different from everyone else.”
At my answer, Gremory’s eyes immediately drooped.
Her eyelids fluttered pitifully.
She looked a little…
“Ha?”
Good grief, Liliana. Get a grip on yourself.
I quickly shook my head and answered firmly.
“When I’m working, comfortable clothes are the best. And clothes that don’t stand out are the best too.”
She pouted and muttered,
“But still… how can you possibly wear something like that…?”
I ignored Gremory’s behavior and rummaged through my luggage.
I pulled out a pair of glasses and a ballpoint pen.
Gremory, who looked even more stiff than before, asked me,
