The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

---

“Ray, what do you think about this?”

I quietly closed my mouth at Adelhaite’s words.

Well… that’s because I’m feeling a bit guilty.

According to the original storyline, Adelhaite was destined to be cursed after being stabbed by a demon’s blade during the previous attack. However, thanks to my swift actions in deflecting that blade, her fate had begun to twist in a completely different direction.

Since then, it seems she’s been aware of how her destiny has changed…

It’s troublesome.

While I may have a handle on mana and swordsmanship, when it comes to questions about fate, I’m totally lost on how to explain myself.

‘…How should I respond?’

As I sat frozen in thought, trying to come up with excuses, Adelhaite opened her mouth first.

“…Lady Shianella’s fate has been in constant flux. I found it quite fascinating when I first saw her. I’ve never encountered someone like her before.”

Shione Shianella. The young noble lady from the Count’s House I’ve been guiding and rehabilitating through various quests.

If it was her, it would be more strange if her fate didn’t change at all.

This was someone I had diligently raised, who was supposed to be stuck in the shadows all along.

“But after becoming intertwined with you, my own fate has also seen several new branches emerge, though it’s not as significant as Lady Shianella’s.”

And then there’s Adelhaite Aisiliah.

She was… reminding me of the heroes who had fallen before, all because the quest told me they would.

Instead of languishing under her curse, a new path had begun to emerge towards possibilities.

As I absorbed the atmosphere thick with tension, listening intently to the princess, Adelhaite used her index and middle fingers to illustrate her point.

“…Even Ainel Shianella, whom I met yesterday, has seen two new fates arise.”

“…That’s quite remarkable.”

It truly was remarkable.

Ainel Shianella, head of the Shianella family.

Though we had crossed paths long before I came to this place, our actual contact had only amounted to a brief conversation since I arrived.

To think her destiny had given birth to two new possibilities…

Was it due to the butterfly effect caused by Shione’s changes?

Or perhaps it was from my recent warning… about needing to keep an eye on those who usually would go unheard?

It seemed I wasn’t the only one finding this situation intriguing, as Adelhaite nodded at my words.

“It is indeed a curious thing. Human destinies can be so easily twisted and changed. So—”

As she was forming an adorable V with her fingers, Adelhaite lowered her hands to rest them neatly on her crossed legs. With a slight tilt of her chin, she spoke again.

“I wonder why only the fates of those from the Shianella family are so fluid. It seems to lead back to you. You alone.”

The noble lady had an air of aloofness and coldness about her.

She appeared to be enjoying this situation.

“People born as commoners like you should naturally inherit meager and insignificant fates. With your mana, swordsmanship, and archery skills… You even seem connected to spirits.”

As she stated that, she subtly raised one corner of her mouth, beginning to stroke her elegant jawline.

“Who else could possibly change the fates of these individuals if not you, who is filled with exceptions? Wouldn’t you agree?”

“……”

Adelhaite had now started pouring tea into my empty cup.

The scarlet liquid filled the cup, and the sweet aroma of tea wafted up to tickle my nose.

After pouring tea into her own cup, she lifted it to savor the flavor before taking a deep breath, inhaling the fragrance.

Even while doing so, her gaze remained fixed on me. Her violet eyes held my image rather than the rosy tea.

“…Since your fate has changed anew, let me tell you something.”

With her lips delicately placed on the teacup, Adelhaite took a sip and continued.

“Before this shift, my fate was akin to a rotten rope. One that I had to hold onto tightly, even knowing it would soon snap, sending me into a downward plunge. That was my fate.”

A rotten rope…

It certainly seemed like something that should have happened after being stabbed on the day of the attack. It sounded much like referring to the original course of events.

…Why was she sitting here directly confessing this to me?

Within the increasingly thick atmosphere, I cautiously mustered my voice.

“To think that the fate of Your Highness, who should shine the brightest, resembled a rotten rope…”

“Well, it would be hard to believe, wouldn’t it? My fate, which is said to inherit the most dragon blood in history, would compare to a rotten rope.”

The princess slightly shook her head.

“Yet, every time I viewed my fate through the dragon’s eyes, it always appeared that way.”

Adelhaite began to softly brush her hair back.

“I am the pride of the royal family; everything must be perfect. The deeper the colors of my eyes and hair are, the more flawless I should be.”

As she said this, the princess chuckled lightly.

“Therefore, when I first faced my fate, I struggled fiercely to escape it. Such a fate is not one that should be associated with perfection.”

“But in the end, I had no choice but to accept my fate. Fate is what heaven decrees. Even though I carry the blood of dragons, how could I possibly go against heaven as I breathe on the earth?”

“So while anticipating the certain fall of my future, I led a tedious life. But during this coming-of-age ceremony, I had an odd premonition when I saw that weapon aiming for my back. It screamed at me that this was my fate.”

Emotion began to swell within her empty laughter.

“Yet according to fate, that weapon should have sunk into my back—”

Alongside curiosity and amusement, a faint feeling like affection took root within her.

“You twisted and changed that fate alongside me, didn’t you? Am I wrong?”

She lifted herself from the couch.

With a gentle movement, she stepped closer and closed the distance between us.

“Let me ask you one last time.”

As the distance between us shrank, she lowered her upper body, aligning her face with mine.

“Ray, how did you manage to twist fate?”

How could I respond to Adelhaite’s question?

I couldn’t just claim that moving along the path the quest suggested led to fate being twisted.

And trying to make excuses with anything else would simply fall apart sooner or later.

While I had mentioned mana, and even spirit magic, during our conversation, in the world Adelhaite was observing, there was no mention of varying fates at all.

I struggled to respond to her, our breaths mingling. I simply gazed at her with unwavering focus. At this point, all I could do was pray that this situation would hurry along to its conclusion.

“…It seems you have no intention of answering.”

She smiled softly, though there was no warmth in that smile. It was but a hollow expression as she reached out.

Adelhaite placed her right hand on my cheek, her cold eyes contrasting with the warmth of the gentle touch as she stroked my face.

“If there’s something on your mind… it’s in your gaze. It seems as if something resonates with what I said.”

Adelhaite’s hand moved from my cheek, brushing away my bangs.

“I hope that next time, I’ll be able to hear the answer to this question.”

As she whispered right before my face, Adelhaite returned to her seat.

She sank into the fluffy sofa, leisurely crossing her legs. After draining the remaining tea from her cup, she savored a sweet treat.

With an air of arrogance befitting her, she raised her chin and declared.

“Let’s move on to the next question.”

Adelhaite’s previously cold expression now shimmered with hints of intrigue.

The mild feeling that had begun at the corners of her eyes spread into the very atmosphere around us.

“Born as a commoner, belonging to the human race, and furthermore, being male—yet you insist on using an elven bow—”

Adelhaite spoke with a graceful motion, delicately touching her moist lips.

“It seems our conversation might stretch on a bit longer, doesn’t it?”

—

Fresh autumn air filled with invigorating scents replaced the stuffy indoor atmosphere.

I breathed deeply, enjoying the crispness.

“Ha…”

“…I’m tired.”

After all, a one-on-one with Adelhaite had drained a significant amount of my mental energy.

Having lived my entire life as a commoner, wielding swords and bows meant only for a detestable knight, even now, I had been sold to the Shianella family and given the position of a servant.

Yet, my current skills in swordsmanship exceeded expectations—my mana operated at a level of effectiveness that even nobles could hardly achieve.

Just conversing about these subjects had already consumed much of my mental strength.

‘Especially when it came to discussing spirit magic, I found it even harder.’

Today, I had even revealed things about spirit magic in faith of the quest.

Thoughts of being captured and dissected by royal sorcerers or burned at the stake like a medieval witch trial flooded my mind.

My mana and spirit magic are like double-edged swords.

If exposed, they’d attract massive interest, yet whether that attention would be positive or negative for me remained uncertain.

Fortunately, toward the conclusion of our conversation, Adelhaite had assured me that until I disclosed it myself, this information would remain a secret.

Reflecting for a moment on what we’d discussed, I checked my quest.

[Quest completed.]

As expected, now that my meeting with Adelhaite had wrapped up, the quest was finished.

Slowly, I examined what reward I’d received.

[Adelhaite Aisiliah is generally satisfied with this meeting, but she holds some regrets.]

“…Tsk.”

That sounded disappointed.

I had twisted my mind trying to formulate answers.

That regret must stem from the one unanswered question—about fate, of course.

This was an unavoidable situation, so I let it slide, focusing on what rewards had actually dropped for me.

[Adelhaite Aisiliah feels a sense of wonder about your mana.]

[Due to her interest, your magical power has slightly increased.]

[Adelhaite Aisiliah finds your spirit magic marvelous.]

[Due to her interest, the strength of your spirit magic has slightly increased.]

“Wow.”

The increase in both magical power and spirit magic was undoubtedly a welcome boost.

While total mana and efficiency matter, the sheer power of my skills also could not be ignored.

For the first time in a while, I felt a bit of the fatigue lifting due to the rise in my mana abilities.

[Adelhaite Aisiliah has begun to harbor profound questions about your identity.]

[Moving forward, she is likely to take significant interest in your actions.]

“Hmm…”

I let out a thoughtful hum at this ambiguous reward.

With my thoughts on the quest’s rewards, I turned my steps toward the lodging where Shione awaited.

As I strolled leisurely, admiring the castle’s landscape, I finally arrived at the building where she should be.

Just as I was about to enter, I heard a familiar voice.

“Long time no see, Ray.”

Looking over at the source of the voice, I found—

“Seems like this time… things are even more intense than before?”

The curious smile on the face of Friel Arielte, the elf from the Arielte family, greeted me.