Time of the Blind Beast - Chapter 9

“Who is the letter from?” Ezekiel asked immediately.

Madam Serva tapped her cane as she walked over to take the letter from his hand. Most of the servants were illiterate, but housekeepers and chamberlains were generally somewhat educated. Naturally, Madam Serva could read. However, her old age presented a challenge.

She lifted her glasses and held the envelope at arm’s length before taking them off and bringing the writing closer to her nose.

Ezekiel pressed her impatiently. “What does it say? Why aren’t you answering, Serva?”

“…It seems I’ll need to ask someone for help. My eyesight has been deteriorating for so long that I can no longer see such small print.”

Madam Serva sighed. With the room dimly lit, it was even harder to see.

Rose stood quietly and glanced at the handwriting scrawled across the envelope. She spotted the name written in cursive—Montcalm.

That was the name of the sender. Rose finished reading the visible part and answered on behalf of Madam Serva.

“It’s from someone named Montcalm. Judging by the title ‘Captain’ next to the name, it seems like someone from the military.”

“Montcalm? Then it must be the report I requested. But how do you know that?” Ezekiel asked, puzzled.

“Rose, do you know how to read?” Madam Serva was just as surprised.

Rose nodded and confessed openly. “I learned at school.”

“You went to school?”

“Yes. I didn’t finish, though.”

“What did you study?”

“Poetry and literature, composition, history, geometry, algebra… I also know how to keep accounting books. I took some music lessons as well, but I’m not very skilled at playing instruments.”

An awkward silence followed her list of academic subjects, which were far more advanced than anyone had expected.

“You went to school, yet you’re doing menial work?”

Ezekiel was the first to speak. His cold voice clearly conveyed his suspicion toward her.

Madam Serva was equally baffled. With the level of education Rose had revealed, she could have easily demanded a much higher salary, yet she had quietly taken on the tough, labor-intensive work in the laundry room, where her hands were constantly soaked and swollen from washing clothes.

“Why do you consider laundry menial work? If my master wants clean clothes every day, I must wash them,” Rose replied calmly.

At the Valdemaira family’s mansion in Claris, her parents had scrubbed floors until their backs ached and washed laundry until their fingers stiffened. Despite their sins, Rose didn’t want to belittle the hard work of the parents who had raised her.

“Of course, laundry is essential for everyday life. Not just laundry, but cooking meals and cleaning the house are all necessary tasks. But, Rose, I don’t understand something. I always thought you were in desperate need of work. After all, you came to us in the dead of night, didn’t you? But you could have earned much more elsewhere. For example, as a governess…”

It was a fair point. She had the ability to secure a well-paying job in a large city, yet she had come to this remote estate. Both Madam Serva and Ezekiel had every reason to be suspicious of her.

“I… I wanted to work here, specifically.”

But Rose had her reasons for choosing this place, no matter what.

Part of it was her desire to atone for her sins, but even without that incident, she would have found her way to Ezekiel eventually.

She turned her gaze to the man’s cold profile.

“Major.”

At the unexpected title, Ezekiel narrowed his eyes.

“Do you remember Milena Girls’ School?”

“Milena Girls’ School?”

His tone suggested he had no memory of it. Of course, to him, it must have been just one of the many battlefields he had passed through.

But she had been there at that time.

“It’s in northern Cielsa, not far from Derosa.”

It was a brief but intense memory of the war.

As the battles spread, grim rumors began to circulate in the regions near the border. However, no one had anticipated how quickly the front lines would reach civilian areas.

Most of the people in the town had fled to other cities, but the students at the mountain school had been cut off from news and found themselves trapped. As enemy forces approached, the students locked the doors and resolved to defend the school.

“But what could we, as civilians, possibly do? We were all girls, with no weapons. All we could do was pray. Pray that our army would win and stop the enemy.”

However, the front line was not in their favor. As they watched their army slowly withdraw, the students grew increasingly fearful.

“Eventually, we realized that our forces had abandoned the area. And we knew what would happen once they left. We’d either become prisoners of war, or worse, we wouldn’t even be worth taking as prisoners and would be killed on the spot. Or…”

They would all be raped by soldiers, whipped into a frenzy by the smell of blood. It would be the inevitable consequence, whether they lived or died.

War had always been like that. After shedding blood to capture territory, soldiers would satisfy their violent urges by violating the women who belonged to that land, using them as a way to celebrate their victory and assert their dominance.

Terrified, the students wept. They waved everything they had—curtains, blankets—pleading for their lives.

“But it only seemed to provoke the enemy further. They advanced on us even faster. I truly believed we were all going to die. We tried to hide the youngest students in the storeroom, holding each other and crying…”

Then, an army with a black flag returned. Someone who recognized the symbol shouted, “It’s our forces!”

“The black flag! It’s the 37th Regiment!”

“It’s led by Major Ezekiel Valdemaira…”

“Oh, thank goodness! We’re saved…”

The students sobbed in relief.

The 37th Regiment had earned widespread acclaim, even within the walls of Milena Girls’ School.

The King’s Army.

People referred to the 37th Regiment as the “King’s Army.” While all military units technically served under the king, only the 37th Regiment had earned the honorable nickname. And the man who inspired such praise was none other than Major Ezekiel Valdemaira.

Within the regiment, Ezekiel had assembled a company of volunteers for special operations. While much of their work was classified, the fame of the unit was undeniable.

No matter how perilous the battle, Ezekiel’s unit always charged forward without hesitation, securing victory. The courageous young major leading the unit had become the regiment’s greatest symbol, even though the regiment had an official commander.

“When they saw us still inside the school, the soldiers formed a protective line in front of us and fought to the end, defending us.”

The 37th Regiment successfully repelled the enemy and secured the school. As the tide of battle turned in favor of their army, the students, who had been huddled in a classroom, climbed to the roof to cheer on Ezekiel and his soldiers.

Perhaps to spare the frightened students, the regiment didn’t touch the securely locked gates, even after their victory. From a distance, the students could see a young officer with a calm expression directing his troops to retreat.

As the soldiers marched away, the students plucked the roses blooming on the rooftop and threw them down in gratitude.

Rose had been one of those students. The rose she threw had caught a strong gust of wind and fluttered toward the officer commanding the operation. He glanced at the rose that had landed on his shoulder and tucked it into his uniform pocket.

Amid the large, imposing soldiers, one officer stood out—his towering stature and black hair unmistakable.

She had known instantly. That was Ezekiel.

“…It’s an incredible connection. What a beautiful story. Now everything makes sense. That’s why Rose has worked so quietly, all while secretly worrying about our master. It’s because he saved her school.”

Madam Serva was clearly moved by the story, her excitement growing as the conversation continued. Rose, on the other hand, quietly bowed her head.

That was why, when Akenaus had ordered her to harm his brother, she had felt like a beast. Not only had she failed to repay the man who had saved her, but she had repaid his kindness with betrayal.

In fact, she owed him her life twice over.

Once at Milena Girls’ School, and again at the Valdemaira mansion in Claris.

“What do you think of assigning Rose as your personal attendant? She’s kind, diligent, and well-educated. She’d be much more helpful than this old woman. And it would make things easier for me, allowing me to focus on managing the mansion and the servants,” Madam Serva suggested brightly.

Rose watched Ezekiel closely, tense as she awaited his response. Her future was entirely in his hands. In the master-servant relationship, it was only natural that he would decide her role, and Madam Serva hadn’t even asked for Rose’s opinion.

Even if she had been asked what she wanted, she wouldn’t have been able to answer freely. As much as she wished to help him, she still harbored a lingering sense of fear.

He sat in partial shadow, his prominent features cast in deep relief by the dim light, making it hard to read his expression.

“…Fine.”

His calm approval was granted.