BID Chapter 23

…Truth be told, I felt overwhelmed.

I had many thoughts but hadn’t effectively resolved anything.

As I lay ill, much time had passed, and I hadn’t anticipated or prepared for a situation like this. I hadn’t actively studied spells or curses before, but now I planned to use the serpent’s passageway to frequently visit the duke’s library.

It would be easier to move around before Erhan returned from the academy. Once my health improved, I needed to start taking action.

‘I need to find a way to break the spell.’

The Serpentine house was filled with various books and research journals. Surely, there must be some that studied ways to counteract spells.

I intended to find that method and undo as many spells as possible from Zachary’s body.

If I could help him regain even a little bit of his ability to express his will…

And once the tumultuous situation in the empire calmed down, I would prepare to send Zachary out into the world.

Zachary needs to leave this place.

Instead of staying here like a dreadful mummy, I hoped he would leave quickly, before the onset of madness, and live a normal life different from the original story.

‘I’m not sure if that’s even possible now, though.’

Of course, I didn’t think Zachary would forgive the duke for turning him into such a dreadful figure.

As I bitterly smiled at the thought of lying next to the duke after his brutal demise, something caught my attention.

“Ah.”

My train of thought was abruptly interrupted. Zachary’s reflection had suddenly appeared in the window glass, standing right behind me. Startled, I bumped my head against the window and collapsed onto the floor.

How embarrassing.

My head is ringing.

I must have hit it harder than I thought in my surprise.

When did he come over here? I hadn’t heard a sound, making it seem like he had been there all along.

Zachary just stood there impassively, as if he had been there from the start. He looked down at me as I fell, then calmly extended his hand to help me up and guided me back to the bed. I sat on the bed, somewhat dazed, led by his hand. Then, as if he had been waiting for this moment, he poured warm tea from a teapot on the table into a cup and handed it to me, along with the book I had been reading.

His actions were so natural that I forgot to thank him, just staring at him dumbfounded. However, I couldn’t read his expression.

“Th-thank you.”

I uttered my thanks as I accepted the tea and book from Zachary, but a bitter feeling lingered.

I couldn’t stop imagining how much he must have suffered to end up like this.

Holding the warm cup, I gazed intently at him again.

Even though he could sit or rest in another chair since I was sitting on the bed, Zachary stood motionless like a statue, just looking at me. Observing him again, I noticed his hand.

‘Is he cold?’

His left hand was still trembling, albeit so slightly that it would be unnoticeable unless observed closely.

I reached out my empty hand and pulled his toward me.

He came willingly, without resistance. This, rather than being a cause for joy, filled me with remorse and discomfort.

“Hold this.”

This was why I had grabbed his hand.

“It’s cold.”

I wanted to give him the warm tea cup.

‘His hand is so cold. He must have been really cold. I thought his fingertips were oddly trembling earlier.’

It wasn’t just my imagination. Despite the thick bandages, his skin felt remarkably cool and chilly to the touch. He seemed to be suffering from the cold.

“Hold it well. It’s a root tea. The smell is just so-so. I don’t know what root it is, but it’s supposed to be good for the body, so I’ve been drinking it. I feel like its very bitter.”

I found myself babbling, perhaps out of awkwardness. I wanted to stop talking immediately, but couldn’t seem to control my mouth.

Even as I prattled on, I made sure Zachary was holding the teacup properly.

When the cup started to tilt, I steadied it, and he just stopped in an awkward position. He stood frozen, like something was malfunctioning. As I supported the cup from below, waiting for any reaction from him, there was none. He just remained in that half-bent posture, motionless until the tea cooled.

After taking the cup away, his hand was not as warm as I had hoped. The trembling in his fingertips was still there.

As I held and then released his still cold hand, I had to accept the reality.

‘I was always told not to touch strange men.’

Zachary had completely lost himself.

He used to make a fuss about being touched, but now, even when I put something in his hand or touch him, there is no resistance.

As I continued to gaze at Zachary with a sense of sadness, a sudden bout of coughing overtook me. My condition seemed particularly bad today, and I shook violently with each hack, frantically searching for a handkerchief as if I might cough up blood.

Then, I was startled to see a handkerchief extended right in front of me.

Zachary, who had been motionless until then, had moved first. Without being asked, he handed me the handkerchief, disposed of the cold tea, poured fresh warm tea, and even fetched medicine from the drawer to place it beside me.

“…Ah.”

I felt a sense of dissonance that began when he first handed me the tea and book.

He was different from the other servants in this place, who needed commands and instructions to act.

Yes.

He was thinking on his own.

He moved and thought like someone not under any spell, but my astonishment wasn’t just at that. It was how swiftly and intuitively he responded to my needs, making me realize the meaning behind the duke’s words.

‘Made for me.’

Zachary was now thinking and acting based on me, not himself.

The duke’s seemingly absurd statement about me being the center wasn’t just a casual remark.

I finally understood. The traces of spells wrapped all over his body, the fact that his training took twice as long as other servants…

‘It was all because of me.’

Realizing it was all for me, I couldn’t maintain my composure any longer.

“…Ah.”

What am I supposed to do now?

How can I just keep him by my side until his awakening is reversed?

If I kept Zachary close, I feared I might wither away from guilt before succumbing to his hands.

No doubt, he was bound to the household by even more intense spells than the other servants. The training that should have been completed much quicker was prolonged because the duke insisted on making him my attendant, meaning Zachary suffered even more.

Looking up at him with a distorted face, Zachary extended the handkerchief to me again, just like before.

“Move.”

I couldn’t just stand by and let this continue.

Resolving to confront the duke and demand an end to this, I abruptly stood up.

But as I hastily stood up, dizziness overwhelmed me, and I collapsed under the bed.

Disgusted with my foolish action and frail body, I cursed under my breath and lifted my head. Seeing Zachary reaching out his hand to me again, I felt a sudden surge of emotion.

He wasn’t much bigger than me, and yet…

Despite his weakened state from prolonged torture, he was still trying to help me. It was heartbreakingly frustrating.

“Really…”

I couldn’t even speak properly. My throat was too sore. I had been feeling chilly since earlier, and now my body seemed utterly depleted just from briefly standing near the cold window. Was it just a moment of cold air that triggered such violent coughing?

I was beyond frustrated; it was absurd. I had always known it was a miracle I was still alive, but feeling this sick even in such a situation made me angry.

At the same time, my head throbbed too much to get up. As I shut my eyes against the dizziness and tried to avoid Zachary, I felt his hand slide gently under my arm.

His movements were incredibly gentle, as if he was afraid of breaking a delicate glass artifact. He carefully tried to help me up.

—“Everything is centered around you. It was made for you.”

Remembering that each of his actions was crafted for me, my lips involuntarily pressed tightly together.