Chapter 88. Leave Mabel, Aidan2020.12.05.
“What do you mean by that?”
heh heh heh As expected, the butler made a joke with a friendly smile. Her chuckle was so sly that I would have been fooled if I hadn’t talked to Debbie. I looked over the butler’s shoulder to see the expression on Countess Deverill’s face.
‘Something.’
Confessing the butler’s atrocities like this was actually a gamble. In fact, even if the wife says that the butler she trusts has been abusing Debbie, there is nothing to prove. No matter how much the seed of God, it was doubtful whether it would be believed even if it revealed that it communicated with animals. And revealing it is also a bit risky.
‘But it’s at my risk, and Debbie’s bothering me.’
I couldn’t let Debbie suffer any longer because I didn’t want to take the risk.
‘Let’s bump into each other.’
Having made up my mind, I stopped the butler in front of Debbie.
“ma’am. I have something to tell you, so I want you to pass on everyone else.”
“Why?”
“It may be hard to believe, but I know someone who hurt Debbie. I will tell you the culprit.”
“…!”
As expected, the countess seemed shocked.
“Your Majesty means that someone… intentionally hurt Debbie?”
“yes.”
“And who it is…”
“I know.”
The Countess’s eyes, which had been as calm as a lake, fluctuated at my firm answer.
“So I want you to bite around.”
Then the maids who were waiting began to hum. I could see the countess contemplating.
‘No matter how hard it is, it must be difficult to ignore my words as the emperor. Besides, I even improved Debbie’s condition just before.’
After a moment of thought, the Countess looked around.
“Everyone go away. Please stay away from me until I call.”
“Your wife.”
After the maids greeted each other, they started to leave the clearing. I smiled at the butler standing in the distance.
“butler. What is the butler doing without going?”
“No matter what, biting everyone is for the safety of His Majesty and his wife-”
Watching the butler speak for a long time, I smiled broadly and took a step closer.
“why. stabbed?”
And at just the right time, Debbie growled and guarded the butler.
“That’s not it. I’m really concerned about your safety.”
At the words of safety, Aidan took a step forward and stood in front of me as if guarding me. It was quite funny to see the butler discussing safety in front of Aidan, who single-handedly annihilated tens of thousands of enemies. I smiled at the butler, who seemed calm but was sweating coldly without realizing it.
“If I had just kept quiet, I could have avoided the situation where it would be revealed in front of my wife that I was the one responsible for the abuse.”
“Your Majesty, those words…”
I shouted clearly, looking back at the mute Countess.
“that’s right. The butler is the culprit who has been abusing and tormenting Debbie all this time!”
As if waiting for my cry, the butler evaded.
“Ha ha… what do you mean?”
“It’s no use laughing like you’re so embarrassed. Because Debbie knows everything.”
“Debbie knows. Doesn’t Debbie even know how to talk? After all, Your Majesty is still young.”
“I don’t deny that Debbie was abused, butler.”
The butler made an apologetic expression at my remark. She was so adept at managing her expression that it was almost a fleeting moment, but the Countess saw it. I looked back at Debbie after seeing the faint suspicion in her eyes.
‘Debbie. It’s hard to recall, but can you elaborate on the day that man hit you?’
Debbie blinked clear eyes instead of answering. In the short time we shared, the cornered butler was desperate.
“It’s a ridiculous lie, ma’am. don’t you believe me? I have been with this family for over ten years and have always been loyal!”
“Didn’t you leave Debbie tied up in the scorching sun without giving her a sip of water on the very hot day of cleaning?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Yesterday, yesterday … ‘I’m not old and die, and it’s annoying to be annoyed.”
“It’s a mothership! How well I took care of Debbie!”
“The day Debbie goes missing for a day in the winter… My God. Did you even intentionally throw it outside the villa?”
As my testimony added one by one, the butler’s expression grew more embarrassing. In addition, my anger increased in depth. The abuse Debbie has been through has been worse than I thought.
‘I didn’t expect it to be to this extent.’
I glared at the butler.
[And once upon a time with a cane…]
“Debbie. It’s done now.”
[With a cane…]
“You can stop talking.”
[Really? …Is it done now?]
“Yeah. It’s okay now.”
He didn’t want to think of Debbie’s painful memories anymore. Seeing me reassuring Debbie, the butler burst into laughter.
“Your Majesty appears to be very ill, ma’am.”
Finally, I smiled brightly at the butler who was trying to treat me like a crazy person.
“I’m not crazy, butler. He is extremely sane.”
“No, Your Majesty. You should see a doctor right away.”
It was just then that the butler was about to reach out to me.
“Clean up that hand.”
A harsh voice like a midwinter wind stopped the butler’s steps. He looked around in disbelief. There was the Countess Deverill, with the coolest expression she had ever seen.
“ma’am. Do you really believe His Majesty’s absurd words?”
“As you said, it has already been over ten years since you worked in this mansion. So I believed that His Majesty was saying nonsense to my young mind.”
“As expected, your wife wants me…!”
“At first.”
The butler’s face, which had been full of hope, turned blue in an instant.
“Only you and I know about the incident of Debbie disappearing from the villa four years ago in the winter, so how could His Majesty know about it?”
“That’s that…!”
The butler, who had been shameless until now, couldn’t answer properly as if he had run out of excuses.
“There was a time when I wondered why the mild-mannered Debbie was only aggressive towards you, but was it because you abused her?”
“that…!”
“…so everything Your Majesty said must be true.”
At the Countess’ sentence, the butler opened his eyes wide and shook his head. But before he could say anything, Aidan knocked him out. There was a deep silence in Debbie’s clearing as the one who talked the most passed out. It was the Countess Deverill who broke the silence.
“I’m sorry to say this, but by any chance Your Majesty… can you hear Debbie’s voice?”
“yes.”
“What did Debbie say about our Debbie…?”
I looked back at Debbie for a moment. As I realized, Debbie’s eyes were always on the Countess. I relayed exactly what Debbie would tell her mother every day.
“I really love my mother. And please tell me I’m sorry I can’t protect you anymore.”
“Ah Debbie…!”
Tears welled up in the eyes of the indifferent countess. I turned to look at the countess crouching down and hugging Debbie.
***
After the commotion was over, the emperor returned to the imperial castle. Countess Deverill thoughtfully stroked Debbie’s head as she closed her eyes.
“I was too careless, Debbie. I didn’t try to find out why you were sick.”
Debbie whimpered and rubbed her head in her hands, as if in response to those words. It was only then that I realized that Debbie was whimpering and trying to say something to alert the butler next to her to be on her guard.
“Even Jim’s divine power cannot stop aging.”
“…Is that so?”
“yes. I made it less painful, but Debbie will leave you when her life is over.”
The wife understood the emperor’s words. After realizing it, it’s just sad that Debbie and herself don’t have much time left. The butler of the Deverill mansion was taken to the imperial castle in a state of fainting on the charge of scorning the emperor. And as soon as he disappeared, she received a tip from the maids that they had seen the butler abuse Debbie.
‘The ability to communicate with animals.’
As far as Mrs. Deverill knew, the only ability the emperor possessed was that he could heal wounds with tremendous divine power. Perhaps it was for Debbie’s sake that she revealed her hidden abilities.
“Why did His Majesty reveal it like this if I take His Majesty’s ability as a weakness and try to use it?”
“Your wife won’t.”
“…”
“And even so, because I want Debbie to be happy… I will reveal the same even if I go back to the past.”
Mrs. Deverill laughed a little uncharacteristically.
“Your Majesty will be a good emperor.”
He was too honest and kind for an emperor, but he still had a future in which he could make good use of that to lead the empire. She wrapped the blanket over Debbie and sat down at her desk to pick up a quill. A crackling sound filled the quiet room.
***
Starting with the first letter from Countess Deverill, we exchanged greetings through letters for about a month. – And the letter that arrived today. [Debbie passed away this morning. I felt like I could somehow read the look in my eyes at the end.]
“You left, Devi…”
[It didn’t hurt much, so that’s enough.]
“…”
[If it wasn’t for His Majesty’s help, Devi would not have been happy. If there is anything you want, please tell me. I’ll help with anything I can.] Maybe it’s a gift from Debbie. There was also an opportunity to get an unexpected heirloom. I squeezed my reddened eyes and wiped them vigorously. I didn’t have time to cry like an idiot.
“Debbie. You should be happier there.”
Because the butler will torment you a thousand times more than you suffered.
***
It’s been a while since I stopped by the northern forest with Aidan, and I was on my way back after playing with my animal friends. When we were almost at our base, Gustav approached us.
“Meet Your Majesty the Emperor. Are you going for a walk?”
“huh. Because Toto gave birth to baby Toto!”
“Aww. You will be cute.”
“huh. So cute!”
Gustav smiled happily as he looked at me, who was so excited. Then, I came to my senses.
“This isn’t it. His Majesty the Emperor is calling.”
“me?”
When I pointed at me and tilted my head, Gustav replied.
“no. I am calling Sir Aidan.”
“Aidan?!”
I turned to Aidan in amazement. Unexpectedly, he tilted his head slightly and looked at me.
‘I don’t feel well…’
I watched Aidan’s back as he followed Gustav to his father’s office.
***
Smart.
“This is Sir Aidan.”
Esteban nodded at Gustav’s voice, and the door to the office opened. Esteban closed the papers he was looking at and slowly stood up. As soon as I took a few steps with my long legs, I arrived in front of Aidan. Esteban looked down at Aidan, who had grown more than before, but was still smaller than himself.
“Here you are.”
“Because I called.”
Esteban laughed at the disrespectful attitude that still showed no respect for Sang Hwang. It would be normal to recommend a seat, but I didn’t feel like it.
“The reason I called you today is because I heard some interesting news.”
“…what?”
“I heard that you were seen on the Devlin border.”
“…”
I stopped by Devlin for information collection not too long ago, and it seemed that I was caught at that time. As Mabel’s divine power grew, it became stronger, and she did not lose her reason even if she was far away for several days. I’ve been hiding that fact until now, but it’s finally been discovered.
“It would be better to put an end to the idea of absurdity. It’s a pretty reliable source of information.”
“…So why are you telling me that?”
“Leave Mabel, Aidan.”
Aidan stared up at Esteban’s answer as if he had waited. Esteban’s words continued.
“Even if you’re not here, you can realize your dream of avenging Veron Arthur Devlica. I’m not saying to leave Ermano completely. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s not by Mabel’s side.”
“no.”
“…Even if Mabel is in danger if you’re around?”
“Is there any guarantee that Mabel will be safe without me?”
Esteban’s eyes suddenly changed at Aidan’s attitude as he confidently mentioned Mabel’s name. Gustav caught in the middle was sweating at the bloody momentum that seemed to tear the opponent in front of him at any moment. Esteban asked Aidan.
“Who said it was okay to say my daughter’s name?”
“Mabel.”
Despite the warning, Esteban gnashed his teeth at Aidan’s confident attitude.
