The sky outside the window was just beginning to turn gray when the figure on the bed started to move.
Harvey was already awake.
To be precise, he hadn’t slept deeply at all last night.
The soreness in his body made him toss and turn, but what made it even harder to fall asleep was the knowledge Hera had imparted to him.
As a deity of the Netherworld, Hera governed the souls of the living after death.
She clearly understood humans far too thoroughly.
For the entire night, Hera had used that calm, cold tone of hers to lecture him on matters between the sexes.
She was so blunt that it was impossible to even try to escape the conversation.
Harvey’s face had flushed hot as he listened, yet he couldn’t pretend he didn’t understand.
If anything, it was because he already had a vague, budding understanding of such things that he felt all the more embarrassed.
It wasn’t until the morning sunlight filtered through the curtains and into the room that he sat on the edge of the bed, looking utterly exhausted.
He raised a hand to press against his temple, letting out a long sigh after a long moment.
He knew that what Hera said might not be entirely correct.
However, there was one thing she wasn’t wrong about.
If he continued like this—knowing nothing and capable of nothing—he would forever be stumbling along, trying to catch up to everyone else.
Now that he had finally left the Duke’s Mansion, he had to seize this opportunity.
After sitting for a while longer, Harvey finally stood up and went to the washroom.
The moment the cold water splashed against his face, the icy sensation cleared his head slightly.
He wiped his face haphazardly, then looked down at his reflection in the water.
His complexion wasn’t too bad.
It was just that the hint of fatigue in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Harvey didn’t linger, turning to walk out the door.
The Mansion was very quiet in the early morning.
A breeze blew in from the window, carrying the cool scent of the garden’s greenery.
He walked all the way to the kitchen door, but before he could enter, he heard a faint sound coming from inside.
It was the sound of a blade hitting a cutting board.
Harvey felt a bit apprehensive, but he pushed the door open and stepped inside anyway.
In the kitchen, Evelyn had started her busy work early.
The morning light slanted down from the high windows, illuminating her rolled-up sleeves and the profile of her face.
She was still wearing her usual neat and dignified Head Maid’s dress.
Her dark hair was tied simply behind her head, though a few stray strands still hung by the side of her neck.
The cool, white light falling on her face softened her usually cold and upright features.
The words Hera said last night suddenly bubbled up from the depths of his mind again.
‘Rather than requesting, it’s better to simply take.’
Harvey’s heart gave a violent thud.
As if sensing his gaze, Evelyn turned her head.
Those pitch-black eyes rested on his face for a split second, and her eyebrows rose slightly.
“It seems my judgment was flawed.”
She turned back to continue her work. “I didn’t expect you to actually be able to get out of bed.”
Harvey didn’t respond to her teasing.
If this had been before last night, he probably would have instinctively started to argue or try to find an excuse for himself.
But now, he just watched Evelyn in the morning light and slowly walked toward her.
At first, Evelyn ignored him.
It wasn’t until Harvey approached and stopped right beside her that she finally looked up.
The copper pot on the stove was emitting a thin veil of white steam, which happened to drift between the two of them.
“Is something the matter?”
Her tone was flat, revealing neither anger nor joy.
Harvey had originally prepared a whole speech in his head, but now that he was actually in front of her, he suddenly felt that none of it was appropriate.
Anything he said felt like it would easily expose his ulterior motives.
But if he kept beating around the bush, he would even despise himself for being so useless.
Seeing him standing there in silence, Evelyn said coldly, “If you’re just here to daze out, I don’t have time to waste on you right now.”
“Wait.”
Harvey spoke almost instinctively.
Evelyn’s movements paused for a moment.
He himself was also startled.
This was the first time he had used such a stiff tone to stop her.
Evelyn looked up at him again.
“What exactly is it?”
This time, a hint of impatience had crept into her voice.
Harvey swallowed hard.
“Well… I wanted to ask, what kind of person do you favor, Head Maid?”
Evelyn looked at him, not understanding why he had rushed in early in the morning to ask such a bizarre question.
“What?”
It was far too blunt.
The knowledge Hera had forced upon him kept popping up in his mind, making Harvey feel extremely awkward just looking at the Head Maid.
But since the words were already out, there was no turning back.
He simply braced himself and continued.
“I mean…”
“Yesterday, you said my ability was insufficient and my judgment was lacking.”
Harvey paused. “I want to know what kind of person you consider to be qualified.”
The morning wind swept through the high window, causing the swirling white mist to drift.
Evelyn remained unmoved as she placed the chopped vegetables into the pot.
After a long while, she finally spoke indifferently. “At the very least, it wouldn’t be the current you.”
“If you don’t plan on helping, then get out. Don’t just stand in the kitchen, it’s a nuisance.”
She clearly had no intention of cooperating with this strange morning conversation.
However, this time, Harvey didn’t let himself be shut down by her words as he usually did.
He simply pursed his lips and continued to press for an answer.
“I want an answer.”
“If you just answer me, Head Maid, I’ll leave.”
Hearing this, Evelyn stopped her work.
Her dark eyes peered through the faint white steam to look at Harvey.
She didn’t make a teasing remark like “Then why don’t you lend a hand?”, as that wasn’t her habit.
“You rushed here early in the morning just to ask this?”
Harvey didn’t back down.
“Yes.”
Evelyn stared at him intensely.
“…How rare.”
It was impossible to tell if her tone was sarcastic or something else.
The steam rising in the kitchen floated slowly between them.
Evelyn looked at the stubborn expression on his face.
Because of her slightly tall stature, Harvey had to tilt his head up just a bit.
The distance between them was very close—so close that he could almost see her downward-slanted eyelashes.
Even the light, cold fragrance on her body became more distinct than usual amidst the hot mist.
Harvey’s breath hitched.
The images that Hera had forced into his mind last night surfaced again without warning.
Absurd, yet lingering.
He immediately averted his gaze, his Adam’s apple bobbing involuntarily.
“…I care very much about what you think of me, Head Maid.”
The vegetables in the copper pot tumbled along with the boiling broth, breaking the silence between them.
A Fairy was always sensitive to human desire.
Evelyn had seen it clearly just now.
In Harvey’s eyes, there was a clear spark of heated desire.
A flicker of astonishment rose in her heart.
This fellow, who usually only showed a clumsy desire for knowledge when faced with her guidance and testing—
He was suddenly feeling lust toward her now?
No wonder he had come looking for her so early this morning.
Even the way he looked at her was more intense than before.
For a moment, Evelyn actually didn’t know how to respond.
She couldn’t understand it.
Hadn’t she just educated him severely last night?
Thinking of a certain possibility, Evelyn’s expression darkened.
‘No way.’
‘Could this guy be the type of person who, after being treated strictly, actually awakens in a strange direction?’
This judgment caused Evelyn’s brow to furrow almost imperceptibly.
Even the look she gave Harvey became complicated.
Harvey didn’t know what Evelyn was thinking; he just felt the Head Maid’s gaze was very strange.
He prompted her uncertainly, “…Head Maid?”
“Harvey, you — “
Crash!
Just as Evelyn was trying to phrase a suitable response, the sound of something shattering rang out from outside the kitchen.
Immediately afterward, a female voice suppressed with anger pierced through the hallway and stabbed straight into the room.
“Who do you think you’re talking to?!”
The subtle atmosphere was torn to shreds almost instantly.
Evelyn’s expression turned cold immediately.
Harvey jerked his head up.
That voice was not unfamiliar to him.
“To think a mere daughter of a Duke’s Family would dare act like this in front of me!”