The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 13

“I can brew some tea if you need someone to drink with you.”

“…Do as you please.”

Esmela responded irritably.

Her voice had returned to its usual tone.

“Then please wait a moment.”

I gave a brief nod and left the office.

Thud.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.

“Phew…”

As the tension released, I let out a long sigh.

“That was surprising…”

Muttering to myself, I shuffled down the hallway.

“Esmela, she’s so different from usual… Did something change her mindset?”

Seeing the kind and gentle Esmela, rather than the usual high-handed noble lady of the Ducal Family, stirred a new emotion within me that I had never felt before.

I had left under the pretext of calming down as a minor, but the aftermath of that moment lingered.

“…”

Suddenly, a thought hit me.

What if I had accepted the wine glass Esmela offered earlier?

If I had drunk wine with her, what would have happened next?

Surely…

“No way, that can’t be.”

I vigorously shook my head and slapped my cheeks.

I recalled the events of the day and pulled myself together.

“I need to get a grip.”

With that determination, I quickly walked toward the kitchen.

Knock, knock.

“…Come in.”

Click.

“Excuse me.”

I entered the office again, holding a small tray with a tea set in one hand.

Esmela was gazing out the window, her chin resting on her right hand.

She looked beautiful sitting by the moonlit window.

How should I express this? It was like a scene that could be used in a game’s event CG.

With that thought in mind, I approached her and set up the teapot on the table.

“Would you like a cup, my lady?”

“I’m good.”

Just like that, Esmela had returned to her usual snappy demeanor.

Thank goodness. While I appreciated her earlier change, it felt easier to interact with her as she was now.

I poured tea into one of the cups I had brought and sat back down across from her.

I brought the cup close to my face, inhaling the fragrant steam rising from the tea.

It smelled delightful, like hibiscus.

I hastily pulled the tea leaves from my cup and brewed it, and it seemed to turn out better than I expected.

I took a sip and set the cup down while observing Esmela’s expression.

She was still looking out the window, and I called out, “My lady.”

“What is it?”

Though I called her name, she only answered tersely without looking at me.

…She’s upset again.

What a difficult young lady she is.

It can’t be helped. It’s my duty as a butler to gauge my master’s mood…

“I was informed by the Head Maid about what happened afterward.”

“…”

She continued to gaze silently out the window.

“I appreciate your consideration, my lady.”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard that you informed the servants about the zombies on my behalf and defended my actions.”

“Right now, as the master of this mansion without my father, I simply did what needs to be done.”

Though her gaze was still not on me, I noticed her expression had softened slightly.

“Um, after that, Gilrot…”

“He was confirmed dead, and the servants buried him in the backyard. Once the situation calms down, we plan to transfer him to the House of Herta’s graveyard.”

“…Thank you.”

“One greeting is enough.”

Esmela replied in a somewhat softened tone to my second expression of gratitude.

“My lady, would you mind telling me the reason you called for me?”

At last, Esmela looked at me.

Her expression was a mix of neutrality and something complicated, making it hard to read her feelings as she normally would.

“Follow me.”

Esmela stood up from her chair and walked towards her work desk.

She sat in the chair in front of the desk, and I stood opposite her.

It was the same situation as when I usually received work instructions from her.

She was indicating she wanted to revert to the master-servant relationship again, not as individuals.

“First, let’s talk about the incident that happened earlier.”

Her tone switched to a more businesslike manner.

“I confirmed that the creatures from the superstition you mentioned resemble the ones that have appeared in the Royal Capital. Even the part about them being contagious if bitten. Since they don’t even have an official name yet, I’ll call them zombies for now.”

“Understood.”

“Once the situation settles, I plan to send investigators to your hometown. We need to clarify why that legend emerged and what the real relationship is with actual zombies.”

“…”

That’s a bit risky.

If that happens, my lie will be exposed immediately, and Esmela will undoubtedly question me further.

“It seems you have something to say?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

But I have no way to handle it right now. I can only hope Esmela forgets…

“Hmm… So, you have no additional information about the zombies?”

I pondered her question again, but it appeared I had shared all the information I could about zombies.

Every story has its own set of zombie lore, and if I were to provide detailed info, I might unintentionally create misconceptions.

“No. Essentially, what I knew was just the kind of fairy tale stories the old lady next door shared.”

“Right… Then that’s that.”

As Esmela answered, a shadow of worry crossed her face.

I understood what she was feeling.

While we had secured a moment of safety by returning to the mansion, that was all it was.

We had no information about why the zombie incident occurred or the current situation in the Royal Capital.

The pressure of having to manage the remaining servants in the mansion on behalf of the head of the family must weigh heavily on her.

Thinking this way, I noticed Esmela looked somewhat fatigued.

“I’ll be discussing future matters with Arit and Elina tomorrow. You should attend as well.”

“Understood.”

“Well, that’s all I needed to say to you. You can go back now.”

“Ah, yes…”

Just as I was about to respond with “understood,” a sudden question popped into my mind.

Did Esmela really call me to the office in the middle of the night just for that? Just the two of us?

No matter how I thought about it, there must be another purpose.

Then, realization dawned on me.

If my guess is correct…

“Heh.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“What’s this? Why are you suddenly smiling?”

“It’s nothing, my lady. I just wanted to thank you once again.”

“…?”

“I dared to guess the reason you summoned me, but… perhaps it was to encourage me?”

“!”

She looked taken aback.

“I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Judging by her stammering and flustered reaction, it seemed I was correct.

“Thank you, my lady. You’ve helped me gather my thoughts.”

The troubled feelings I faced moments ago hadn’t vanished.

The fact that zombies were once people remained unchanged, and I might continue to suffer because of it.

But I realized that this was not the time to be bound by such worries.

Of course, I would continue to contemplate this and apologize to those I had to kill, even if only in my heart.

However, I would not neglect my duties by obsessing over such worries more than necessary.

Though she always acted aloof, there was a certain vulnerability to her… it was my duty to protect the former Villainous Noble Lady, Esmela Herta, standing before me.

As her personal butler, and as a fan of [Roinah].

I smiled and gazed directly at Esmela.

“…What’s with that creepy look in your eyes as a butler? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

“I apologize.”

I said that, but my expression remained cheerful.

“Then my lady, see you in the morning.”

I deeply bowed and left Esmela’s office.

My steps down the hallway felt lighter than before.

“…”

Esmela was still seated at her desk in the office.

After Lenit left, she had tried to maintain her composure, but a faint blush adorned her cheeks.

“Ahem. Hrm.”

She cleared her throat, making an effort to regain her calm.

After she rearranged her expression, she called out, “Elina.”

“Yes, Lady Esmela.”

Despite her being alone in the office, Elina’s voice rang out.

From an unlit corner of the office, in the shadow that the moonlight and candlelight didn’t reach, the Head Maid stepped forward toward Esmela.

“Where’s Lenit?”

“I’ve confirmed he returned to his room.”

Esmela carried on the conversation without any surprise at the Head Maid’s uncanny appearance, as if it was the most natural thing.

“How does he seem to be?”

“He looked much brighter than before meeting you, my lady.”

“Hmm… That’s good.”

Though Esmela’s tone was flat, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“I’m sorry, Lady Esmela. I should have protected him until the wedding.”

“It’s fine. I told you not to come. Since many figures from various sectors of the capital attended that wedding, it would’ve been more problematic if someone from Radain Church or the Magic Tower detected your presence.”

The Head Maid simply nodded in silence in agreement with her words.

“By the way, is it really certain that Dark Magic isn’t involved in this incident?”

“As far as my knowledge of Dark Magic goes, yes. Controlling a lion is a frequent method in Dark Magic, but to animate a large number of corpses to act autonomously is impossible. Moreover, a curse that spreads through bites doesn’t make any sense.”

The Head Maid replied in her usual flat tone.

“Right… If you say so, then the chances of Dark Magic being involved in this incident are extremely low. How many people across the continent could match your expertise in Dark Magic? But then, we’ve really got a headache on our hands. Aside from the story Lenit told us, we have no other leads…”

Esmela let out a low sigh.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“Nothing to blame yourself for. For now, just continue your duties as Head Maid while investigating this incident concurrently. Report to me immediately if you find any new information.”

“Understood.”

“Now… go take a rest.”

At Esmela’s prompt, the Head Maid grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands and made a polite curtsey before returning to the corner of the office from where she had come.

“Wait, Elina.”

Suddenly, Esmela called her back.

“What is it?”

The Head Maid turned back towards Esmela.

“Um, about the advice you gave me…”

For the first time, there was a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

“The advice… yes. You asked me how to comfort Lenit, didn’t you?”

“Right. After experiencing something like today, I thought he would be in shock, but I couldn’t think of a proper method, so I tried what you suggested…”

Esmela glanced down at the outfit she was wearing.

It was a plain everyday dress that covered her to the chest, but the area around her collarbone and shoulders was surprisingly exposed.

“Um, you told me to drink wine together while wearing something like this… Is that really the correct way for a master to encourage a servant? Meanwhile, Lenit didn’t even touch the wine saying he’s a minor…”

“Tsk… Unbelievable knight…”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing!”

“What I’m wondering is that he managed to recover, which is a relief, but it still feels a bit off. You really didn’t misguide me, did you?”

“Yes, I did not.”

“If we didn’t act like this, we’d have both ended up aging alone…”

“What are you mumbling about again?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Excuse me now, Lady Esmela.”

“Wait, we’re not done talking yet!”

The Head Maid bowed and quickly walked into the shadows.

Esmela was once again left alone in her office.

With a strange expression, she placed her hand on her left breast.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Esmela still had not realized the meaning of the heartbeat that hadn’t subsided since meeting Lenit.