Chapter 24: Engaged?
Since the Duchess left, an eerie silence had descended upon the room. The only sound was the clink of tea cups being placed on and lifted from the table. If this continued, soon the cups would be the ones doing more of the talking than us.
Then, breaking the silence with a graceful presence but a mischievous gleam in her eyes, Lady Livia spoke.
"Are you ready for tomorrow? I will always be by your side."
The Young Master squinted slightly as he brought his cup to his lips, looking calm but cautious, as if standing on the edge of a great battle.
"Yes, no problem."
Lady Livia nodded and smiled. "Good. Still, if you ever need help, I'm always here to support you. You know that, right?"
The Young Master replied calmly, "Of course," and continued sipping his tea. As I watched them, I noticed something small but important: when the Duchess was around, they both embodied the very essence of aristocratic grace—silent, composed, almost like tightrope walkers. But as soon as the Duchess left the room... it felt like I had fallen behind the scenes of a play.
Lady Livia now spoke in a more casual tone, and I couldn't help but lift my head. And then I realized my mistake. Because we locked eyes.
"Theodore, are you Lemi's new assistant?"
For a moment, the aristocrat who had been smiling gently disappeared, replaced by a woman who wasn't afraid of asking direct questions and who now looked at me with a steady gaze. I lowered my head to avoid the intensity of her stare.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Theodore..."
She said my name with such a tone that it felt as though she were weighing not just my name, but the words that would be engraved on my future tombstone.
"Good luck, but... I don't think luck will be enough. Only God's grace can save you."
Lady Livia took her cup and sipped her tea. Wasn't that just like wishing a condemned prisoner "good luck" before their execution?
I was about to fall into despair. Wasn't what happened yesterday enough? And now, because of what the Young Master could do, I was getting "good luck" from everyone?
Please, God! Have mercy on this desperate servant! I don't even know what my sins are, but from now on, I'll be a good servant! Protect me from the wrath of this psychopath Young Master! Please!
At that moment, the dark master of the room, with a smile that could even make devils jealous... The Young Master chuckled softly.
And that's when I felt a chill inside me.
Because just a moment ago, it was Lady Livia who had said, "Good luck, but it's not enough." And if the Young Master laughed at that, then there was definitely more to it.
"Come on, I'm not that bad," he said, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. This was exactly the sentence a villain would say: "I'm not bad!"
"Of course, you're not a bad person," Lady Livia said, carefully choosing her words. "It's just... your desires can sometimes be a bit much for others to handle."
When she said "a bit much," she wasn't implying she wanted to torture someone to death... but wait, maybe she did mean exactly that?
Now, I realized that when the Duchess was around, they both seemed silent, cautious, and polite. But once the Duchess was gone... I felt like I was eavesdropping on a conversation between two old friends. The problem was, this friendship didn't feel like a playful tea party chat, it felt like a conversation between commanders discussing the pain they would bring me in the future.
The Young Master tilted his head slightly, speaking calmly as if asking a simple question about the color of the sky.
"Livia, do you have a request for our engagement?"
OUR ENGAGEMENT?!
Wait... are these two engaged?
Uncle... why didn't you tell me this? Why did you give me useless information like "The water temperature must be exactly 37 degrees" but never mentioned the Young Master was engaged?!
And most importantly... IS THIS MAN GETTING MARRIED?
Someone like him is getting married and bringing more psychopaths into the world?!
Oh my God, have mercy on us, because the Young Master and his offspring will never show mercy to us.