Chapter 22
“But that’s only a temporary measure,” Maeve said firmly, undeterred by Craig’s threatening demeanor.
“I can try making a proper fever reducer. It won’t bring the temperature down dramatically, but at least—”
“I said that’s enough!”
“……”
“Hey, why are you working so hard for this? There were over thirty maids who wanted to serve him. Do you know why you were chosen among them? Because you looked the laziest. I specifically told them to pick the one who looked the most idle and incompetent!”
Maeve no longer paid any attention to the blue eyes watching them from above Craig’s head. She simply listened in silence as Craig hurled words dripping with contempt.
So that’s it. I looked lazy.
It was similar to something she’d once heard from an old man in the village, who had murmured in passing that she looked like someone without a purpose in life.
So that’s what he meant.
Maeve quietly mulled over that thought.
“Then why do you go so far, my lord?”
She suddenly threw the question back at him, her tone calm but cutting. Craig froze for a moment, staring blankly at her as if lost for words.
“You serve him, don’t you? Does he even know what you’re doing?”
A silence fell between them.
Craig said nothing, simply staring at Maeve. There was no trace of guilt or discomfort in his expression.
“Ah, how predictable. You’ve fallen for His Highness, haven’t you? Foolish girl. You really think if you devote yourself to him, he’ll notice you, don’t you? Isn’t that it?”
“……”
“Pretending otherwise, aren’t you? Everyone says the same thing. They all speak as though they sincerely care for His Highness while hiding their lecherous thoughts—but in truth, each of them wants nothing more than to spend a night with that beautiful man…”
Craig fired off his words like rapid gunfire before stopping abruptly.
He then straightened his disheveled attire and lifted his collar into place. Returning to his usual arrogant expression, he spoke to Maeve in a tone that sounded almost advisory.
“There’s no cure for His Highness’s illness. Perhaps witches might know the answer, but… I doubt it. He’ll likely collapse and die before ever reaching that mysterious land.”
“……”
“So, if you truly care for His Highness, give him that medicine. At the very least, he should be able to spend his remaining nights in comfort… Therefore, you—”
Craig raised his finger and jabbed it toward Maeve.
It seemed he intended to humiliate her the same way he always did.
However, before his finger could even touch Maeve’s forehead, her hand caught it midair.
“Agh!”
Craig screamed in a shrill voice, a cry torn out by unbearable pain he had never felt before. Maeve ignored him and belatedly turned her gaze toward the small window near the top of the cabin.
The blue eyes that had been watching them from the darkness were gone.
“How dare you, you insolent girl! Let go of me this instant!”
Maeve glanced up at the empty darkness with a faintly indifferent expression before releasing Craig’s hand.
He collapsed to the floor like a man who had just been strangled and freed, clutching his finger and groaning in agony.
“Don’t do that again. It’s unpleasant.”
Craig looked up at her with a flushed, furious face, as if utterly dumbfounded by her audacity.
“It’s not broken.”
“Shut up!”
The group spent a single night in the cabin before setting out the next morning toward the nearby village.
Of course, Craig hadn’t forgotten his humiliation. He was determined to dismiss that insolent maid the first chance he got.
He went to the prince and proposed that they leave the maid behind in the village and continue their journey without her.
A few hours after their departure, while riding in the carriage, the prince spoke without turning his gaze from the window.
“Why? Wasn’t she the one you chose, Craig? You said she had served several noble families, didn’t you? I recall hearing that from you yourself.”
“Ah, well, that’s true, but after observing her here, I realized it was all nonsense. Surely Your Highness has noticed as well? The girl has no manners whatsoever, and to be honest, she’s not even very competent at her work.”
At Craig’s explanation, the prince let out a quiet scoff.
Craig looked at him, dumbfounded, as the prince continued with a faintly detached expression.
“I see. So, you’re admitting that you selected someone to serve me without properly vetting her. That’s what you’re saying in front of me, yes?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant—!”
Declan shook his head as though unwilling to hear another word of Craig’s excuses.
“Enough. I’ve been dissatisfied with her service as well. Let her handle the minor chores, and for now, you’ll attend to me personally.”
Craig froze in disbelief.
The prince wasn’t lying.
From that moment on, Craig found himself saddled with all of Maeve’s former duties—serving meals, and even cooking—because, as the prince had said, “How could I possibly trust food prepared by a maid with no proper upbringing?”
The prince continued to summon him constantly, treating him like a lowly servant.
“Craig, clean the dust off my shoes.”
“Craig, massage my shoulders.”
“Craig, recite any poem that comes to mind.”
Every bit of it was misfortune he had brought upon himself.
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