Chapter 12
“What if you never wake up, sir?”
“I wonder if this will end up being the end of the prestigious Bailey family.”
“How that curse came upon them, it’s truly pitiful.”
“Shh! Watch your mouth”.
The ominous rumors swirling around the Bailey family.
Aria kept shaking her head to ignore the rumors. And then, she gently wiped the face of the man lying on the bed with a wet towel.
His once shiny golden hair has become dull and lifeless, and his once fair and smooth face has turned rough and haggard like a corpse.
Edward Bailey, the eldest son of the Bailey family and its sole heir. He had been unable to open his eyes for over a year.
Due to the curse of the black sorcerer who was once a friend, the Bailey family had been shrouded in darkness for a year.
Numerous families were cursed, causing someone in each family to go insane or commit suicide after failing to overcome the curse.
That was no exception for Bailey either.
However, while the circumstances of other families were gradually improving, the Bailey family had to continue living with their pain.
A year passed, and since Edward still hadn’t opened his eyes, not only his family but also the doctors and wizards were all at a loss.
Except for just one person.
Aria’s hand, which had been wiping Edward’s face, went limp. Before long, her vision blurred.
Because I can never let go of my precious master who has always protected me.
During the years Aria stayed at the Bailey household, her relationship with Edward was not just that of a servant and an employer.
Edward was the sunshine and everything in her life. A life without him was unimaginable.
“Aria, your voice is more beautiful than anyone else’s. I want to listen to it for a lifetime.”
The man who loved my voice.
“Aria, I thought this would suit you, so I bought it on the way. I wonder if it will suit you well.
Aria’s slender fingers touched the necklace. The small jar-shaped necklace he gave her.
From that time on, Aria had more and more things to cherish.
The divine holy water passed down through generations in my family, and the necklace that Edward gifted me.
Aria always carried the divine water in her necklace. As if it were a spirit protecting her.
Aria wiped away her tears and meticulously cleaned every inch of his body.
And then, she gently pressed her lips against his cold ones. As if to welcome the coming future.
“All family members need to be mentally prepared.”
Recalling the cruel doctor’s words, Aria shook her head.
“Edward won’t die. I will definitely save him.
Aria’s reddened eyes turned towards her necklace. She severed it in an instant.
The divine water that I had to cherish more than my own life.
She had vaguely known about the power of the holy water since she was young. She also had to humbly accept the price paid for others, not herself.
She opened the jar lid. And she opened his lips and poured it in all at once.
At that moment, the blue holy water turned purple and enveloped Edward’s entire body. A strange violet aura, it was undoubtedly magic.
Edward’s whole body began to tremble.
“Ugh!”
As the immense power emanating from the energy pressed down on Aria’s neck, Aria collapsed on the spot.
Aria opened her eyes slightly and looked up at the bed.
At that moment, a hot energy enveloped Aria’s neck. Unbearable pain, as if being burned.
Aria couldn’t hold it in any longer and collapsed right there.
Even as she was losing consciousness in a haze, she did not take her eyes off Edward.
Until the moment Edward comes to his senses.
Aria, seeing Eric’s chilling gaze, was momentarily reminded of that time.
The memory of that day, which I had forgotten, or rather, barely managed to erase from my mind.
“Why…….Why on earth…….In the end, after all…
After that day when I sacrificed everything to save Edward, Eric, whom I met after a long time, had an unusually dark expression compared to usual.
Since entering the Bailey household, Eric had endured the Countess’s scathing criticism without changing his expression even once.
Even with a nonchalant expression, he was a deep-hearted child who knew how to consider those below him.
Eric, who had been like that, frowned slightly as soon as he saw me. The eerie blue pupils visible through his black hair seemed to dig deeply into my soul somehow.
Aria avoided Eric from that day until he went to war. I instinctively felt that it was the right thing to do.
But…….The moment I met that gaze again, the forgotten memories came rushing back, facing me head-on.
It’s an intense gaze. It’s a suffocating fear that leaves no room for escape, making it seem utterly impossible to break free.
“Whether it’s a book or anything else, don’t come into contact with Edward through any connection. No matter how much of a bookworm you are, it would take at least a few years to read all the books here.”
As a maid, it was natural to serve and treat the current master well, but I couldn’t hastily respond to the request not to even meet Edward. No, I didn’t like it.
It made me acutely aware of my situation, where I shouldn’t even give my heart, and I felt a surge of emotion.
As the chilling gaze fell upon her, Aria was startled and tried to escape.
Then Eric, who had approached me with long strides, grabbed her arm and stood there.
“What’s the deal with not even responding to the master’s orders?”
As Eric’s touch reached her, Aria flinched, trembling and stepping back.
As the brown pupils filled with fear trembled slightly, Eric’s forehead also furrowed as if he were startled.
Aria took out the notebook from her pocket and scribbled. And then she handed it over with a determined look in her eyes.
I will fully follow your words from now on, but I cannot keep the order to not meet Edward. Edward is the one I have been serving all this time. It’s hard to understand the sudden request not to meet .I appreciate the consideration you are showing, but this is a book that Edward also went through a lot of trouble to get for me, thinking of me.
Eric’s indifferent gaze quickly scanned Aria’s note, then soon curled one corner of his mouth into a smirk.
“So, are you going to stay by his side for the rest of your life as Edward asked?
That’s not something I can judge. Follow the orders of the employers….
Aria forcefully snatched the paper that Eric was writing on, and his face immediately hardened.
Only after Aria lifted her head and faced him did she realize how uncomfortably close they were to each other.
The space of less than a hand’s breadth was just an uncomfortable distance for each other.
However, the more he took a step back, the more Eric pushed her towards the wall.
Even in a voice that seemed to barely hold back patience.
“Not that, what do you really feel?”
My heart. A question I’ve never heard from anyone before, coming here.
Aria quickly scanned Eric to understand his intentions.
Why is that man acting like this? Is it just simple curiosity towards the mute maid? Or is it mockery?
At that moment, when countless fleeting thoughts brushed through my mind, I realized.
He really is curious about my feelings. In that moment, I wanted to speak the truth through my red lips.
I truly love Edward. If I’m with him, I can sacrifice everything.
The feelings I couldn’t express turned into resentment and flowed endlessly from my eyes.
As the tension filling the study began to seep into her, Aria’s face started to turn red.
When Aria bit her lower lip without answering, Eric’s gaze turned to her luscious lips.
His intense gaze moved from the trembling lips, so fragile they could be broken with a single hand, to the delicate nape of the neck, and then to the tears streaming down the pale cheeks.
A short sigh escaped between Eric’s teeth.
“Pathetic. This is why we’re playing right into his hands.”
Leaving behind a few brief words, Eric turned on his heel and left the study.
In the empty silence that lingered, Aria collapsed, her legs giving way beneath her.
Aria took out the ring she had secretly hidden in her pocket with a complicated expression.
The relationship between a master and a servant. It was as if she was trying to remind herself that it shouldn’t develop any further.
‘The moment I put this on, my heart might go out of control.’
Aria, having given up on her own, put the ring back in her pocket.
She leaned weakly against the wall. And she looked at the main building visible in the distance through the window. The place where warm Edward is.
The person who meant everything to me. Now it’s a relationship where I have to be careful even with these small gestures.
Aria gave a faint smile. The man she had loved, who she would now bury in her heart for a lifetime, had gotten engaged to another woman, and now they were happily getting married.
Preparing that wedding in the most splendid way with my own hands would be a way to repay him for all the kindness he has shown me.
Aria closed her eyes gently, thinking of Edward’s wedding.
Sending Edward away like this was easier than I thought. So I thought it was a relief.
In the end, it was not an easy task. Since I had to forget Edward no matter what, and then faced him again.
Eric didn’t move an inch in his room until evening twilight. Staring at the firmly closed door and endlessly waiting for his master was a tiring and tedious task.
In the end, the maids who had been waiting for his call left first, and only Aria, who was left alone in the hallway, quietly kept her place, alternating between massaging her swollen legs.
‘Seeing you stay in the room for a long time, it looks like you were sleeping.’
Sure enough, outside, the darkness was thick and complete, as if announcing midnight.
Aria, who had been agonizing over how to face Eric due to the incident in the study, thought it might actually be for the best.
“After a night’s sleep, it will be much smoother to meet.”
The moment you turned away like that.
“Ugh!”
From beyond the door, someone’s moan spread out, short and intense
