Chapter 186 - 22: I Can Do Anything for You

Chapter 186: Chapter 22: I Can Do Anything for You

For nearly half a year after that, Selas lived in this abandoned attic.

Except for the servant who delivered his daily meals, no one came near such a gloomy, unlucky place. Thus, Selas’s only companion had always been himself. He had grown accustomed to the loneliness and the deathly silence that filled the room every day. Like a leaf severed from its branch, he had fallen into a dark, damp place that no one cared about, left to slowly rot away.

Recently, he had overheard quite a bit of gossip about the main house from passing maids. When he was first brought back, the Countess absolutely could not accept his existence. Rumor had it that the Beaumont couple had argued every single day for two months. The servants in the main house had been on edge, terrified that the slightest misstep would anger the couple and lead to severe punishment, or even being sold off. The Countess had always been in poor health, and the repeated arguments and fits of anger had caused her to fall gravely ill.

Even so, Count Beaumont refused to send Selas away. Blinded by rage, the Countess left the Earl Mansion with Caius and her trusted butler before she had even fully recovered. Insiders knew they had separated due to a fallout, but the official story claimed the Countess was unwell and had temporarily moved to a southern town with a milder climate to recuperate and relax.

With so much happening in just a few short months, everyone said that the second young master, Selas, was a menace. Not only had he ruined the Earl’s family, but he had also thrown the entire Earl Mansion into turmoil. They also said the Earl was far too kindhearted to keep him around despite such immense pressure. Had it been anyone else, he probably would have been thrown out to wander the streets long ago.

None of these complicated affairs or the rampant rumors had any impact on Selas’s life. He still lived in the dark, damp attic, eating food that was worse than what the servants received. He still hid in the shadows of his room like a rat in the gutter, only able to catch a glimpse of the glamorous lives of normal people through the tiny sliver that connected him to the outside world.

About four months passed after the Countess’s departure.

The long-silent Earl Mansion suddenly bustled with activity. The sweeping maids were beaming with joy, passing around the news that the Countess had finally returned with the eldest young master. The conflict between the Earl and the Countess seemed to have finally been resolved. The Countess had also come to terms with the fact that, despite Selas’s existence, her son Caius remained the undisputed heir to the title. The mere fact that Selas had been back for half a year without the noble circles of Taronia even knowing of his existence was enough proof of Count Beaumont’s clear stance.

To celebrate the return of the mistress of the house, a grand banquet was held in the Earl Mansion. Every servant was eligible to attend, making it a true celebration for all. The passing maids praised the benevolence of the Earl couple, completely forgetting the rat living in the gutter.

For an entire day, no one brought Selas any food. He usually ate poorly anyway—just a piece of rye bread and a few rotten cabbage leaves, without a single scrap of meat. Lacking any fat in his diet, his growth was stunted, and he easily grew hungry.

By evening, the hunger in his stomach was gnawing at his insides. Selas got out of bed and opened the door, preparing to fend for himself. If others wouldn’t give him food, he would have to go and ask for it. Unloved children always learned this truth early on.

As soon as he stepped out, a thick stench of alcohol hit him in the face. A tall, thin figure was sitting on the floor by the stairs near the door. It was the middle-aged man who delivered his food every day. Seeing Selas appear, the drunken man casually grabbed a liquor bottle and hurled it in his direction!

Selas’s pupils shrank, and he reacted instantly, slamming the door shut.

THUD!

The bottle smashed against the door with a muffled thud, followed immediately by the CRASH of shattered glass raining onto the floor. Right on its heels came the man’s curses. "Get the hell back inside, you unlucky piece of trash!"

The man was heavily intoxicated, his speech slurred and incoherent. From the broken streams of curses, Selas managed to piece together the truth. As it turned out, the servants were worried that his appearance would ruin the appetite of the newly returned Countess, so they had decided to lock him securely in his room. And the middle-aged man, being the one who interacted with him the most on a daily basis, was naturally shoved with the task of guarding him. He had heard that today’s banquet was incredibly lively and everyone was in high spirits, as the Earl couple would be handing out cash bonuses to the servants.

That was a special perk usually reserved only for the New Year! A bit of cash slipping through the fingers of the big shots was often enough for a family of three in the West District to survive a long, harsh winter. The thought of everyone else joyfully collecting their bonuses while he was stuck sitting here, helplessly watching that crowd split his share, left the man feeling utterly resentful.

Damn it! He really is a menace. Anyone who gets involved with him ends up with bad luck! The man cursed under his breath, his glare at the door growing even more vicious as he readied himself to beat the boy to a pulp the moment he dared to poke his head out again.

Inside the room, Selas knew he wouldn’t be able to leave today.

Outside the window, a heavy rain had begun to pour at some point. Cold wind drafted in through the cracks between the window and the wall, causing his body—already freezing from hunger—to shiver uncontrollably. There were no curtains in the room, nor any fabric to block the wind. Selas could only fish a winter coat out of the empty wardrobe and wrap the cold, stiff fabric around himself.

However, when the body itself was a block of ice incapable of generating any heat, the presence of cotton cloth only added to his physical burden, making the chill seep into his very bones. The ceiling in the corner began to leak. Drop by drop, some splattered onto the floorboards, while others snaked their way down the mottled walls. They looked like frigid serpents, or perhaps unshed tears.

Amidst the cold and starvation, a chaotic jumble of thoughts surged up, filling his empty mind.

Hungry.

Cold.

The slight dizziness brought on by the hunger and the freezing temperature made it difficult for him to even stand up from the bed. He wondered if he was going to die. Die here? Die on a rainy night that no one cared about?

Thinking about it carefully, it didn’t seem entirely unacceptable. If his mission—if the very meaning of his birth—was to die for the eldest young master of the Beaumont family, then freezing to death here might actually be a release for him.

But... why? Why did he have to go through all of this? What had he done wrong... why did he have to die like this?

Please... anyone will do.

A minuscule sliver of hope struggled on the brink of death inside his cold, deadened heart. Yet, Selas merely hugged his knees tightly, his face devoid of expression. Because he knew that struggling and resisting were useless.

Even so, his heart still screamed in vain.

Anyone... absolutely anyone.

Bandits.

Monsters.

Even a legendary Demon.

As long as they were willing to appear right now, right in front of him. He would...

Before the thought could even finish formulating, a negligible noise suddenly came from outside the window. The sound was so faint that it was almost drowned out by the rain. If this space hadn’t been so deafeningly silent, even Selas would have likely missed it.

His eyes snapped wide open as he stared warily at the window. A wisp of black mist seeped through the cracks, pouring in faster and thicker. It was an extremely dense pitch-black—like the eternal night, like the abyss, like an amalgamation of everything filthy and vile. It was like... the unhealable scar left upon his heart half a year ago.

In mere seconds, before Selas could even react, the black mist coalesced into a silhouette and pressed up close behind him like a breeze of spring wind.

A gentle, girlish voice drifted into his ear.

"Help me evade the search." She spoke softly, her voice as crisp and cold as falling snow on Tianshan Mountain. "In exchange, I can do anything for you."