I Tried to Avoid The Male Lead, But I Made Harem - Chapter 9

Chapter 009

* * *

“Listen closely, Sir. If I don’t come back in an hour, it means I’m being cursed at, so don’t worry.”

William Spencer, commander of Count Crawford’s outer guard.

He was in the warehouse at the maid’s request.

“However, if I don’t return in two hours, it means I’m being beaten.” I just need to scream loud enough for them to only hit me mildly. That is why you are not required to come, Sir.”

“…… I get it.”

It had nothing to do with his job or duty, but he nodded solemnly.

Penny, who was looking for food in the warehouse, turned around and went on.

“But what if I don’t return in three hours and there isn’t a scream?”

Penny shivered just thinking about it, as if it were terrifying.

“Then it means I was beaten until I was unconscious and imprisoned. So you must come and find me as soon as possible. Do you understand, Sir?”

“I understand.”

“Madam usually locks me up in the annex’s closet on the first floor.”

Penny expertly tucks jerky and dry fruit between her clothes at the same time.

“If she’s in a bad mood, she might lock me up in the basement, and if she’s in an even worse mood, she’ll have to lock me up in a hound cage.”

William remained silent and calm in the face of Penny’s words.

He didn’t even laugh at Madam Crawford’s abuse stories as if they were normal.

“The annex is so cold that a person could die without the heater, so please come as soon as possible.”

“Lady Crawford…. Does she enjoy being cold?”

“Of course not.”

“Then, why was she staying at the annex?”

“Then, if it’s you, would you like to stay there? At that frigid annex?”

“Then why?”

“……”

“It appears that you, too, are unaware of it.”

“Sigh, Sir, why are you so infuriating to me? It’s better to hold a conversation with the firewood than with you, Sir.”

“……”

William Spencer didn’t get it.

Isn’t it true that her Lady was staying in the annex to avoid interacting with people?

Perhaps, the angelic face he had always seen from afar under the guise of a coincidence had a sorrowful side.

William was dumbfounded.

He had a hunch Selina wouldn’t get along with her stepmother, but…

“The thought of being beaten by myself makes me feel a little lonely.”

He had no idea it was this much.

No one in the countdom must have known.

Contrary to rumors, Selina is good at speaking, her smile is inseparably lovely that he can’t take his eyes off her, and she speaks as if a bellbird sings.

He is most likely the only White Knight who has seen her face and heard her voice.

“Oh, that doesn’t mean I want my Lady beaten along with me.”

“……”

“My Lady has frail skin, so once she gets smacked, the wound lasts for two months. She even fainted the last time she was hit. Sigh…”

William’s complexion darkened as he calmly listened to the maid’s story.

Today, the maid came to see him and requested assistance. But, if Camilla abuses the Lady again, how will she be able to stop it?

Unless specifically requested, an unmarried man is not permitted to enter or exit the annex where an unmarried lady lives alone.

William is thinking that he should pay Cedric a visit when he isn’t too busy and talk to him.

Lady Crawford requires an escort.

* * * * *****

“Kyaaaaaa!”

“Why are you screaming, huh!? Do you think someone will come to your aid if you scream like that, huh!?”

“M-Madam! Please, Madam, spare me!”

“Shut up, or I’ll gag you!”

Emma frowned as she pinched her thigh.

Normally, she would remain silent, but she was irritated that Penny squealed like a goose today.

“Do you feel like a maid now that you’re wearing the Count’s maid uniform?”

Emma sarcastically said as she grabbed Penny’s hair and raised her chin.

“Your father should be aware of your pomposity.”

“……”

“I need to inform my family that I will no longer be purchasing your beverages. You know, every time I saw your father, I felt uneasy. He’s filthy and stinks.”

Penny, who had been looking down the entire time, raised her eyes and looked Emma in the eyes.

Then at the moment.

Slap!

Emma slapped Penny across the face.

“You, commoner! How dare you look at me that way!”

“Stop.”

Emma stopped pinching Penny at Camilla’s command.

“I’ll tell you what, Penny. All I wanted to know was how my daughter was doing while I was gone.”

“M-Madam…”

“Was that a hard question?”

“It’s exactly what I’ve been saying, Madam. She was the same as usual… Madam, I’m telling you the truth. Please trust me.”

“Really? But I heard that she suddenly changed, as if she were someone else. I’ve heard she speaks fluently.”

Camilla smiled, raising only one corner of her mouth as she touched Penny’s maid uniform.

“Wait, what did that girl say? Did she say she wanted to go to the monastery to avoid seeing me? Or if she has a plan…”

Penny quickly shook her head.

“No, it’s not! She took a lot of sleeping medication that made her out of her mind for a moment.”

Selina was well-known for taking sleeping pills on a regular basis.

“There hasn’t been much change. Even when there are only the two of us, she stutters and cries a lot. Like a fool!”

“Hmm.”

“She even cried because she regretted saying she was going to the monastery.”

Camilla made a grumpy face at Shannon, as if to say, ‘Look, I told you!’

Shannon’s face was flushed with embarrassment.

She wasn’t embarrassed because her mother suspected her of lying to her.

‘With such a bluff in front of me!’

But when she realized she had been duped by Selina’s behavior while in the back, she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her maid…… That sounds more like Selina.

But the way Selina spoke and looked at the time couldn’t be made up through acting.

It’s as if Selina is changing into someone who isn’t the Selina she used to know.

“All right, then, take this and go.”

Camilla threw two silver coins while kicking her tongue.

Clank- Clank-

Penny was about to leave Camilla’s bedroom when she hurriedly took the money.

“By the way, about the dress.”

“…… yes?”

“The dress Selina bought.”

Penny’s heartbeat was racing. Selina had told her that she had brought the pieces of cloth with her, but……

“Was it you who did that?”

“Wh-What!?”

Penny jumped from her seat.

Because she never imagined Camilla thinking she was the one who did it.

“No way, Madam! That is not something I could do! Why would I rip up my lady’s dress, Madam?”

Penny, taken aback, quickly rummaged through her pockets.

“I found this on the floor that day.”

It would have turned things upside down if Penny hadn’t been told ahead of time to keep it.

“I picked this up because I couldn’t stand the sight of my lady crying.”

Camilla took up the purple fabric that Penny had handed her.

The silk cloth has a subtle sheen to it.

This was unmistakably the fabric used in the countdom’s maid attire.

The skirt part of the maid’s uniform frequently ripped off.

And since Selina didn’t have a maid nearby, it was obvious that Shannon’s maids were the ones who did it.

Camilla’s fine eyes were wrinkled gently.

“Did you inform Cedric of this?”

“No. I didn’t tell anyone because I was afraid of causing a commotion.”

“All right. Then you’re free to go.”

“Yes, then…”

Penny, who nodded silently, dashed out of Camilla’s room, as if escaping.

Camilla tossed the cloth into the fire.

“Mother, she could be lying. In front of me, Selina is like a completely different person… Argh!”

Slap!

Shannon, who was slapped on the cheek, fell down.

“How many times didn’t I tell you to take proper care of your underlings!? How many times?”

When their Madam’s angry voice was heard, Emma and the other maids rushed out of their positions.

“Do you realize how much I’ve been humiliated in front of Cedric for the past four years?”

“B-but I asked everyone, and no one had gone to the annex…!”

“You moron! You’re completely useless!”

Camila’s face was ice cold as she looked down at her daughter, who had fallen to the floor.

“Sigh, I’ll have to get you married soon before you get too old. This will benefit your brother.”

Shannon secretly averted her gaze from her twin brother, Adrian.

It was always Adrian who received the affection of her mother even when he did nothing.

How much effort has she put in in comparison to him?

She couldn’t believe that all of her hard work had gone to waste.

‘How dare you lie to me, Emma?’

Shannon’s teeth clenched.

Shannon swears she will never leave Emma alone because she did something pompous that she did not ask her to do.

* * * * *

In my spare time, I went to see the three preliminary winners, Toonos.

I tried hard to figure out which of the three was Valhail, but I couldn’t.

The only information I have is that Valhail had brown hair, but sadly, all three of them did.

‘Light brown hair, just brown hair, and close-to-black brown hair.’

The Toonos who competed in the martial arts competition were only identified by their numbers, not by their names.

And if there were any oddities, like the man in the quarantine room, they were given nicknames.

And each of the three preliminary winners was given a nickname.

The Berserkers, The Raven, and The Fire-Moth.

The Berserkers were named after the man in the quarantine room who appeared to be dead but jumped up as soon as he grabbed a knife.

The Raven guy is called The Raven because he destroys his opponent’s body even after his opponent has died…… ugh, I mean, he acts like a raven.

And The Fire-Moth was so named because he always rushed forward unconditionally to his opponents even before the match began, regardless of who he was up against.

With the exception of the man in the quarantine room in the worst condition, either the Raven or the Fire-Moth had a better chance of winning.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Well, it’s neck-and-neck right now.”

I asked the priests who had watched all three matches, but they all gave me different answers.

“But fire moths are the most likely to win. He looks desperate to stay alive.”

The Fire-Moth is skinny, but he is the healthiest.

Whenever I brought him a strawberry-flavored potion, he would always drink it up to the last drop.

The Raven… was a cannibal, and his eyes twinkled like crazy, so I was afraid to talk to him.

Only when the winner is determined quickly will I be able to determine who Valhail is.

Is it The Raven or The Fire-Moth?

I assumed it was one of the two, but I spent the majority of my time in the quarantine room.

I was worried because the man’s physical condition was serious, and his demeanor was gentle, and he listened to me well.

Actually, no… Perhaps one of the reasons is his face.

‘There’s no way such a handsome man as him could be an extra.’

Just like me, the main character has a beautiful face.