‘……The reason I couldn’t button it was really because the clothes were strange.’

May spoke while recalling those blue eyes brimming with playfulness.

“Usually if I act that clumsy, he says I’m stupid for being an uneducated commoner and buttons it himself……”

Clatter….

“But today he just kept watching. Hmm, seeing how mischievous he was being, I wonder if that itself was the teasing……”

The way he looked at her was definitely gentler. That relaxed state she had felt before. As if it had neutralized his usually sensitive atmosphere.

Clatter clatter!

“Ah, he usually speaks quite meanly…. His actions are also a bit, like that……”

May responded to the compass bouncing irritably like it was getting angry on her behalf, and sank back into thought.

The gentlemen of the Hale ducal household were famous for being exceptional. Among them, Aiden, who was treated as relatively ordinary, had openly ignored that label. …At least publicly.

From the year May first met him until now, and over the years of watching him up close, he had talent in swordsmanship and was very ambitious. He didn’t spare any effort either.

It’s just that his results were lacking compared to his brothers. Because of this, the Duke and Duchess consistently treated their youngest son as slow-witted. They gave him even harsher evaluations than public opinion.

Perhaps because of that. After graduating from the academy, Aiden became negligent with his swordsmanship as if following that evaluation. Instead, he traveled, or enjoyed card games and drinking with noble peers at social clubs.

Finally earning the nickname of the ducal household’s good-for-nothing, he still always maintained an indifferent face. Actually, since he had been treated as a fierce little demon since childhood, such a reaction wasn’t strange but….

In May’s view, Aiden looked somewhat unstable after quitting swordsmanship. It was as if he was forcing himself to act in a way that would make the bad evaluations true. Even pushing away things he liked.

‘And he became increasingly sensitive.’

But indeed, he in this mansion somehow….

“……Feels stable?”

Though it might be her imagination, that’s how it felt. Those blue eyes that weren’t exactly gentle, but didn’t feel particularly scary either…. Reading books instead of drinking or seeking entertainment. Even diligently swinging his sword every morning, though it seemed to be to keep Johan in check.

May suddenly smiled brightly while recalling that series of behaviors.

“The current Aiden seems quite… good. Hmm……”

For receiving seed, that is.

And at those quietly added words, the compass that had been bouncing and clattering until then suddenly stopped moving. Though it was an inanimate object without any expression, May tilted her head at it, seeming somehow frozen.

“Why are you suddenly like that?”

Her innocent questioning face was clear as if she didn’t understand the meaning of the words she had just uttered. Inside her belly, the purple energy that had been quiet lately was stealthily revealing its presence.

Not knowing this, May started concentrating on her embroidery again with a small hum.

[……]

The compass’s frozen gaze moved to her hands. The cloth with cute little flower buds embroidered on it. Two strings dangled outside the embroidery hoop holding it.

“It’s almost finished now.”

It was a baby’s bib that May had found in a corner of the mansion recently.

Something the compass, which had spent more time in drawers lately due to Aiden’s presence, hadn’t known about.

……When its influence grows stronger, it will even shake her mind. If she shows any behavior different from usual, be more careful.

However, try not to show that you’re watching its existence. If it’s a thought-form facing extinction, it might take the host’s body hostage when things don’t go as planned.

It was a red flag that even Johan, who had received warnings from his father earlier, hadn’t noticed.

* * *

Actually, it wasn’t strange that Johan hadn’t noticed such red flags. This was because lately he couldn’t even properly greet his master due to Aiden’s interference.

“Shouldn’t you have taken the hint and left by now?”

In the early morning before May woke up, when Aiden encountered Johan, he invariably picked a fight with Johan who was trying to pass by pretending not to see him. Naturally, Johan responded with an irritated face.

“Well. Wouldn’t it be more proper for a guest to leave rather than a servant?”

“……How impudent.”

Aiden speaking thus looked quite relaxed. It was because he felt relieved that the maid he thought he had lost was back in the palm of his hand. That’s why he didn’t separately question her about running away.

Of course, since he had lost her once, it was inevitable that he would be more careful in controlling her, but…

Anyway, the handsome-faced heretic priest who had been bothering him was now outside of May’s interest. Even when May was talking with Johan, if Aiden called her name, she would immediately cut off that conversation and focus on Aiden. It was a result obtained after several interventions.

‘Even so, I’ll need to get rid of that fraud.’

While making shallow plans regarding him, Aiden suddenly recalled Derrick’s words about him deceiving May. Though he couldn’t refute it then….

‘I am May’s master.’

Therefore, there was an error in Derrick’s words. It’s not ‘deceptive’ behavior to clean up trash hovering around what’s mine, is it?

Of course, it’s true that he cut off even those who didn’t need to be removed among the people around her. Until finally only he remained by her side.

Though he was aware that it was twisted possessiveness, he still didn’t feel much guilt. So this time too, he planned to drive that one away without hesitation.

Moreover, in those golden eyes of the irritating fraud, that characteristic heat possessed by those blind bastards could be glimpsed.

Though not intense enough to be easily noticeable, it was distinguishable how he looked at May. For Aiden, it meant there were sufficient reasons to drive him away.

Priests of the Sun God have their s*xual desires castrated early on… don’t heretics have anything like that?

Suddenly feeling such doubt, Aiden asked.

“You, have you completely quit that worthless priest business?”

“Did you develop the mind to remove what’s attached to your shoulder?”

“Shut up. I’m confirming something. The madman who touched the temple’s donation box around here. That was you, right? There were lots of rumors around. Still haven’t stopped that outrageous behavior of destroying others’ property?”

“It’s not even your family’s territory. Why are you so interested in another territory’s affairs?”

“So you’re not denying it.”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I denied it.”

At the light response, Aiden’s eyebrow twitched. That man with the frivolous expression indeed didn’t suit the title of ‘priest’.

But if he insisted on maintaining that title, there was no reason not to use it. Aiden suppressed his anger and twisted his lips while staring at Johan.

“Is your money-making through such acts not going well, so you’re trying to seduce an innocent woman?”

“Who knows?”

Of course, Johan just smiled like a fox even at the blatant provocation.

Rather, that ambiguous answer made veins pop on Aiden’s forehead. With quite a fierce expression, he threw a pouch of gold coins at Johan’s feet. But Johan just glanced at it and snorted.

“Make your donations at the temple of the Sun God.”

“Take that money and leave this mansion. Go do your worthless priest business. Even if you’re a fraud, as a religious person who dedicated their body to god, there must be basic doctrines. Like priests shouldn’t be caught up in private desires.”

“Does being a priest mean I don’t have a c*ck?”

“……What?”

“Did god forbid s*x? Ah, the Sun God does that, right? Is he impotent……”

As crude and insulting words followed as naturally as breathing, Aiden’s jawbone protruded.

As expected…. Despite all that talk about being a servant or whatever, in the end he had such intentions. A woman living alone in a mansion with strange rumors circulating, he most likely approached her seeking money.

But seeing those soft white cheeks and black eyes blinking innocently, he clearly developed different desires. He must have noticed that characteristic of hers quickly following along after spending time together.

‘……Should I kill him?’

Murderous intent boiled up instantly.