‘If all else fails, I’ll just play the role of an honest citizen for a year.’

Consider it preliminary practice for becoming a true member of society. Staying firmly in one place, working diligently without shortcuts, earning money—living ordinarily just like everyone else.

That’s how he intended to live his second life abroad. He’d had enough of a nomadic existence, unable to settle anywhere without connections. Twenty-five years, a lifetime spent desperately erasing his own existence, was sufficient.

Though he had lived as a good-for-nothing, Sion Benzef had dreams and hopes of his own. He planned to completely erase his past in Bladen, which had abandoned him—an orphan with no one in the world—in a den of beasts teeming with street thugs and criminals, and live as a new person.

Sion had endured this stormy life without a single peaceful day, longing only for that moment.

So I will capture this lady who, despite appearances, is swimming in money, with all my heart and soul. Her emotions, and if possible, her entire heart.

Agate responded willingly to Sion’s outstretched hand. This confirmed she could hear and think, but only responded when she felt like it. Though inwardly displeased, Sion didn’t show it and steadily supported the staggering Agate as she stood.

He had considered carrying her to the bathroom if necessary, but even though she stumbled like a newborn foal, she clearly didn’t want any supporting hands.

“Sion, where are you taking the young lady?”

Adollo, who had been scheduling the next examination with Barten, quickly turned his eyes when the young lady moved.

“Kanna said she’s preparing a bath for the young lady, so I’m escorting her to the bathroom.”

Adollo nodded in understanding at Sion’s casual reply.

“…Very well, but be careful with her. The young lady’s fever only recently broke, so she’ll find it difficult to walk to the bathroom.”

His glaring eyes clearly threatened: if the young lady stumbles and falls on the way to the bathroom, I won’t let you off easily. Sion simply nodded lightly, as if to say “of course,” and left the room with Agate.

Agate’s shoulder under his grip felt bony, just as it appeared visually. It was remarkable that she could walk with such an emaciated body.

‘After her bath, I should arrange a meal for her immediately.’

Even Sion, typically indifferent to others, naturally thought of caring for her—no further explanation of her thinness was needed.

The bathroom wasn’t far from Agate’s bedroom. Adollo was simply being overprotective.

When Sion arrived at the bathroom with Agate, Kanna had already efficiently prepared a half-bath. In the center of the spacious bathroom, large enough for a dozen men to lie down, stood a stone bathtub. Above it, a cherub statue with an amphora on its shoulder poured steaming hot water.

Judging from the subtle lavender scent wafting from the bathwater, expensive bath salts had been added. Seeing such lavish treatment for a simple half-bath made him acutely aware that this fragile woman he was supporting belonged to a higher social class than himself.

“Young lady, you must be tired from the long walk. You too, Butler. I’ll attend to the young lady now.”

Though she had seemed so young, Kanna showed a skill in serving that rivaled many adults. She took Agate from Sion and led her to the bathtub.

“Then I’ll wait outside.”

Sion no longer had a place in the bathroom. Without being told, he knew that helping the young lady after her bath would also be his duty, so he left a parting word.

Tap

After firmly closing the bathroom door, Sion leaned against the opposite wall and stared at the door with a dispassionate expression. Soon after, the waterfall-like sound of pouring water that had penetrated through the door suddenly stopped. She seemed to have entered the bathtub.

“……”

Though he certainly had no thoughts before.

This time, the gentle rippling sound of water leaked through the door gap, teasing him. Eventually, his habit of observing surroundings and making constant deductions—almost an occupational disease—emerged regardless of timing.

Against Sion’s will, the sound of ripples wetting her body led him to picture the forbidden scene beyond the door.

Right now, beyond this barrier, is the n*ked lady.

Once started, these impure thoughts spread uncontrollably like paint. Before he knew it, Sion had adjusted his posture and was staring down the door. The first image that formed in his mind was Agate in the water, without a thread of clothing.

With nothing visible, imagination had no limits. His mind, like a blank white canvas, had ample space to draw anything.

Against his will, these imaginative flights made Sion’s temples throb.

‘…This is maddening. Even I have preferences.’

Shaking his head vigorously to dispel all traces from his mind, Sion furrowed his brow tightly and deliberately tried to think of something else.

‘Different thoughts, different thoughts…’

Sion soon succeeded in recalling something else. For instance, the vivid memory of giving her medicine late the previous night. This time, his lips moved of their own accord.

Sion finally groaned, slapping his forehead. When his body wouldn’t obey his will, he glared at the empty air. Just as he was venting his frustration at the air, the bathroom door swung open.

Sion, startled as if guilty of something, snapped to attention like a royal guard. The one emerging from the forbidden zone was Kanna. In an instant, Sion adjusted his posture to appear casual and raised his eyebrows.

His natural expression, as if asking what was happening, was completely different from his previous disgusted face.

“The young lady is enjoying her half-bath today. I’m going to get some rose petals to help her relax more!”

“Ah, I’ll keep watch here, so take your time.”

It was unclear who was actually enjoying this—Kanna seemed more excited with her flushed expression. Her hurried footsteps toward the garden to gather flowers were so enthusiastic she seemed about to levitate.

It was questionable whether the seemingly strict gardener would readily provide enough roses to fill the bathtub.

Thanks to Kanna’s sudden appearance, he was freed from his torturous rumination. If she was gathering flower petals, the bath would likely be extended… but he figured Adollo would find him first if needed.

Just as he was about to lean back lazily again, another presence beyond the door began tormenting him. This time, a voice came through.

“Ugh… cough gasp, urgh…”

Sion, already half-leaning back, froze with his foot planted. He held his breath and focused all his senses on the unseen interior.

“……”

“Kugh, cough… gasp, khak-!”

It was coughing. And not just any coughing—it sounded refluxive, as if her lungs might come out.

The desperate coughing, like someone choking, made it clear how distressed the lady must be, even without visual confirmation. The question was whether to intervene or not.

‘This is ambiguous. It’s just coughing, so barging in seems… though it does sound severe…’

He was more at ease when lost in unwelcome rumination. Sion furrowed his brow again as if facing a life-altering dilemma.

“Cough, gasp, huk… cough-!”

Even in that moment, the lady’s coughing didn’t stop. It clearly wasn’t a simple cough. The thought of running out to call another female servant briefly crossed his mind, but the raw sound he rarely heard gave him no time to deliberate.

“D*mn… I don’t know.”

Reluctantly, Sion abandoned his conflict and acted as his heart dictated. His decision-making criterion was simple. The worst-case scenario was something happening to Agate, and the best way to prevent immediate harm was for him to rush into the bathroom.

“Miss!”

Splash!

There was no hesitation in Sion’s decisive action. Entering the bathroom, he opened the curtain concealing the bathtub without delay, then froze like a statue in that position.

Everything seemed orchestrated to torment him. Kanna’s absence, the timely onset of Agate’s retching-like cough.

And the way her coughing stopped completely the moment he entered.