Slave No. 1

Yuri hurriedly finished preparing to depart.

"It would be nice if you could rest a bit before leaving."

"I would like that as well, but it's almost time for me to meet the Young Lady."

"In that case, there's no helping it."

Ian glanced at the mansion.

Though it was as disorderly as ever, today it seemed smaller than usual.

Watching this, Yuri chuckled softly.

"Please take care of Asha."

"Don't worry."

That was the end of it.

Yuri walked away without hesitation. How many steps had he taken?

"Oh! Make sure to check under the bed!"

Leaving those words behind, he disappeared.

"The bed…?"

Returning home, Ian immediately entered the room where Asha stayed.

Once his daughter's room, it remained just as it had been.

Upon entering, Ian was taken aback.

"Asha?"

The girl who had been lying on the bed was nowhere to be found.

"Asha!"

Ian stomped around the room. As he searched every corner but still couldn't find her, unease began to creep in.

"Is Grandpa Ian?"

A child's voice came from somewhere.

"Yes, this grandpa is Ian."

"So Grandpa is Rin's dad?"

Thump.

Hearing his daughter's name after so long, Ian's heart began to race.

The voice came from under the bed. Ian bent down, following the sound.

"Rin must have liked the dark."

Unconsciously, Ian asked back.

"…The dark?"

"Yeah. And hide-and-seek too."

That couldn't be true.

Rin had been a child who disliked the dark.

Ian gritted his teeth and forced a smile.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, yeah. Do you know why she liked it?"

"I have no idea."

Finally, when he checked under the bed, he found Asha lying there.

"She said that no matter how dark the place she hid, her dad always found her."

The sunlight streaming under the bed illuminated the once-dark underside.

"And it sparkled."

Asha was tracing something with her finger, slowly reading it aloud.

"Like the stars in the night sky, so beautiful it seemed to drive away all the darkness."

Ian lay down beside Asha and looked up. Then, he saw the words written under the bed.

"Ah…"

Among the countless words written like stars, one phrase caught his eye.

It's okay to fade for a while.

The nightscape rises every day.

Ian recognized it instantly. It was a sentence written by his daughter and wife together.

"…It's okay to fade for a while."

Ian murmured unconsciously.

"…The nightscape rises every day."

At that moment, his sword gleamed. Asha gasped in awe.

"That's what Rin was talking about."

Ian covered his eyes with his arm. He couldn't stop the tears from welling up.

"Grandpa?"

Noticing Ian's state belatedly, Asha asked with concern.

"Grandpa, are you crying…?"

"No, no, I'm not."

"You look like you're crying. Are you okay?"

"…Grandpa is really okay. So could you stay like that for just a moment?"

"Okay! Got it!"

Ian quickly stood up.

But the tears wouldn't stop.

The tears that fell endlessly shattered brilliantly on the marble floor.

"Wow…"

Asha looked at the spot where the tears had fallen.

The tiny droplets of tears sparkled like jewels in the sunlight.

"They're so pretty."

It was a strange morning where the child's innocent smile and the old man's sorrowful sobs coexisted.

5.

They were familiar beggars.

Sitting in a circle in the secluded alley, they watched me approach with wary eyes.

"Get lost."

"Yes, ma'am."

Before a meaningless staring contest could begin, I managed to drive them away with ease.

I quietly closed my eyes.

-Yuri.

-Yes, Young Lady.

What came to mind was the farewell I had experienced with the Young Lady in my previous life.

-I don't need you anymore.

-Pardon?

-I'm saying you're fired.

Her tone was extremely harsh, but having served her for so long, I understood. She was indirectly telling me to run away.

-I can't leave you, Young Lady.

-You're so stubborn, you know that?

-Not as much as you, Young Lady.

The Young Lady grew increasingly pale.

Her frail body gradually stiffened, and dark red blood trickled from her lips.

-…Yuri. You're still there, aren't you?

-You told me to leave before.

-…That's true.

She was slowly losing consciousness.

-…Still… there… aren't… you…?

-…Yes, Young Lady.

I grasped her outstretched hand and brought it to my face.

-If we ever… meet again.

The Young Lady smiled through her tears.

-I'll try… to be kind… then.

Without a word, I embraced the Young Lady. That was the last moment of my previous life.

"A kind Young Lady, huh…."

No matter how much I thought about it, it felt unnatural.

The word "kind" didn't suit the Young Lady's outward demeanor at all.

Our Young Lady was, how should I put it…

"Damn, those senile bastards."

Yes, that kind of language suited her much better—

For a moment, my thoughts came to a halt.

"A noble duel, my ass. It's just a place for them to show off how great they think they are."

"What?"

"Senile bastards. They point me out to face a mid-level Sword Expert? Are they insane? They're practically telling me to die, aren't they?"

A familiar barrage of curses.

Before I knew it, I lifted my head.

Platinum blonde hair closer to moonlight than sunlight, crimson eyes that sparkled transparently, pale skin, and a voice as delicate as it was refined.

Everything about her was familiar to me.

"If you don't like it, just say you don't like it—"

Her eyes met mine.

"…What are you staring at, you bastard?"

Pfft.

Kindness, my foot.

Before I realized it, laughter escaped me.

"What? Do you think I'm funny too?"

"Of course not."

I strode forward and knelt on one knee.

"…Who are you?"

Looking up at the bewildered Young Lady, I repeated the words I had said countless times before.

"I'm back, Young Lady."

"Get away from me, you beggar."

True to her promise from our previous life, the Young Lady kindly raised her middle finger.

Ignoring it, I asked her,

"You need an Exclusive Butler, don't you?"

"Huh. How did you know that?"

"I happened to find out."

I smiled brightly.

At this point in time, the Young Lady was feared by all.

Even the smallest gesture, like someone smiling at her, was enough to earn her favor.

After a moment of hesitation, the Young Lady asked,

"What's your name?"

"Yuri."

Her crimson eyes scanned me from head to toe.

Then, they curved upward in a satisfied arc.

"I like you."

Her straightforwardness in saying exactly what she thought.

Yes, this was the Young Lady I knew.

The Young Lady extended her hand to me.

"Will you come with me?"

"It would be an honor."

"It's going to be tough. Are you okay with that?"

"That's why I'm here."

To flee from death and destruction and to meet the Young Lady once again.

The Young Lady beamed.

"Let's go, Slave No. 1."

A kind smile, ill-suited to her harsh words and her reputation as a Villainess.

Later, Yuri would describe that moment like this:

The Villainess's butler had returned.

That's what he said.