Vivienne stood up gracefully, smoothing her dress as she turned toward Victor.
"Victor, my dear," she said. "Welcome home."
"Mother." Victor gave a light bow.
Vivienne gestured to the maid who still stood nearby. "Prepare Victor's chambers immediately. And have cook prepare dinner, make sure there's plenty of roasted meat and fresh bread."
"Yes, my lady." The maid curtsied and hurried away.
Her footsteps faded into the house.
Vivienne turned back to Victor with a bright smile. "How was your journey home, dear? The roads from the capital can be so rough this time of year."
"Fine enough," Victor replied, though I could detect an edge in his tone. "The weather held, at least."
"Wonderful. Oh, and by the way, Cedric went with your father to the capital on business. They'll return tomorrow evening." Vivienne's smile widened. "He'll be so excited to see you when he gets back."
Meanwhile, I remained frozen on the bench, trying to make myself as invisible as possible. Every instinct of Jin's body was screaming at me to stay perfectly still, to not draw Victor's attention.
But apparently the fate had other plans.
"How have you been, Jin?"
Victor's heavy boots approached across the courtyard stones.
And his hand landed on my shoulder with enough force to make me wince.
I tilted my head up to meet his grey eyes. Dark brown hair fell across his forehead, and there was something predatory in his smile that made my stomach clench.
"Fine, big brother," I muttered, my voice coming out weak and scratchy.
Please go away, please go away.
I chanted the words in my mind like a prayer, but Victor's smile only widened.
"That's good to hear. I learned some new techniques at the academy." His grip tightened on my shoulder. "Want me to show you?"
I gulped.
Shit shit shit.
Victor grabbed both my shoulders and hauled me to my feet. My legs wobbled under his grip, still weak from days of bed rest and poison. He opened his mouth to say something, but—
Grrrrowwwwl!
His stomach let out a loud rumble that echoed across the courtyard.
Victor blinked and shoved me away dismissively.
Thump!
I stumbled backward and dropped onto the bench, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Ugh, I'm starving," Victor muttered, rubbing his stomach. "Haven't eaten since dawn."
For once in my life—both lives—I was grateful for someone's poor meal planning.
Victor turned back and began walking, his attention already shifting away from me. "Is dinner ready yet?"
I sighed with relief.
Whatever "new techniques" he'd learned at the academy, I definitely didn't want to experience them firsthand.
I adjusted my weight on the bench and leaned back against the cold stone.
"Damn, it hurts. How the fuck did this boy survive living like this?" I muttered under my breath.
The notifications kept flashing in front of my eyes.
[StatusEffect.Poison]
[Damage: 7HP/hr]
The damage had increased.
I closed my eyes and sighed, letting my head fall back.
Time passed quietly. The moon climbed higher into the darkening sky, casting pale light across the courtyard. The evening air grew cooler, carrying the scent of night-blooming flowers.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps echoed behind me, then stopped.
"It's time for your medicine, young master."
I opened my eyes to see Agnes standing nearby, her head bowed slightly in that respectful way she always carried herself.
I pushed myself up from the bench, but my legs immediately wobbled beneath me. The poison and exhaustion made everything feel unstable.
"Careful," Agnes said, quickly moving to steady me with a firm grip on my elbow. "Let me help you get inside."
I nodded and let her guide me.
We walked slowly toward the house, her support keeping me from stumbling. As we passed the dining hall, I caught a glimpse through the open doorway.
Vivienne sat at the long wooden table with Victor, both of them eating what looked like a proper feast, roasted meat, fresh bread, wine, something that I didn't have, since arriving.
They were laughing about something, Vivienne's face was happy as she listened to whatever story Victor was telling.
Tsk. Double-faced witch.
I clicked my tongue.
The contrast was stark. Out in the courtyard, she'd been the caring stepmother, tears in her eyes as she worried over my health. Now she was the doting mother, celebrating her favorite son's return while I was shuffled past like a ghost.
Two different masks for two different audiences. And both of them perfectly convincing.
As we entered my room, I suddenly felt Agnes's grip squeeze my hand firmly.
I tilted my head and saw her looking at me with softened eyes.
"Young master," she said quietly, "would you like to play chess? It might help take your mind off things."
I blinked at this sudden change.
Ah!
She must have noticed my reaction to seeing Vivienne and Victor together at dinner and misinterpreted it as something like longing.
And now was trying to distract me from whatever thoughts she assumed I was having about my family situation.
Really, I was touched by her thoughtfulness.
So I just nodded and sat down heavily on my bed.
"Chess sounds fine," I said.
Agnes smiled and moved to the small table by the window, retrieving a wooden vial from her apron pocket. She poured the medicine into a spoon, thick, greenish liquid that smelled like herbs and honey.
"Drink this first, young master. It will help with the pain."
I took the spoon and swallowed the bitter concoction. Unlike Vivienne's poisoned offerings, this one showed no warning messages.
[+2 HP recovered]
She then pulled out a worn wooden chess set from the chest, placing it on the bed between us. The pieces were hand-carved, some chipped from years of use. Agnes sat on the small chair she'd pulled over, while I remained cross-legged on the bed.
"You can go first, young master," she said, gesturing to the white pieces.
I moved a pawn forward two squares, the standard opening move.
This is actually nice.
The thought surprised me. When was the last time someone had just... spent time with me? Not because they wanted something, not because they were paid to tolerate me, but because they genuinely cared.
Back in my old life, I'd been too busy grinding through deadlines to have friends. And Jin's life had been nothing but abuse and neglect.
Agnes moved her own pawn, and we settled into the rhythm of the game.
Maybe there are some good things about this new life after all.
Even if I was slowly dying from poison, at least I wasn't completely alone.
Agnes studied the board carefully, her brow furrowed in concentration. For someone who was supposedly just a servant, she played with surprising skill.
"Where did you learn chess?" I asked, moving my knight.
"My father taught me, before..." She paused, then moved her bishop. "Before I came to work here."
There was a story there, but I didn't press. Everyone have their secrets. And I wasn't interested in them.