That morning, Roman wandered around the estate for quite a while, stepping in to help whenever he saw someone in need.
But what struck him as odd was that whenever people saw him, they either stammered incoherently or turned bright red like a steam-powered doll, hurriedly waving him off.
Especially when it came to physical contact, Roman had merely tried to lend a hand, only for the other person to back away in panic, nearly causing an accident.
After a few such incidents, he couldn’t help feeling a little disheartened, so he returned to the estate, planning to study more about Sacred Seals in the library.
On the way, he ran into Elise coming out of the kitchen.
Seeing that she seemed to have something to say, Roman stopped and couldn’t help starting to vent.
“They all don’t want me to help?”
Elise asked, her expression turning odd.
“Mm… maybe it’s because I look useless,” Roman said, a little downcast.
“Hehe, you’re underestimating yourself too much,” Elise replied, trying to decide how to explain.
Miss really went too far.
All just to indulge her own desire, she tricked Lord Roman into dressing like a maid, just to see him change clothes.
And he actually took it seriously…
“No one’s made physical contact with you, right?”
Elise asked carefully after some thought.
“Ah…” Roman recalled the face of that young maid. “No.”
Better to avoid trouble when possible.
Roman had come to understand Luo Xiya’s possessiveness all too well.
He certainly wasn’t going to make problems for others over something like this.
“That’s good,” Elise said meaningfully.
I’d better remind the lady when I get back, she thought.
If Lord Roman seriously tries to work as a maid and mixes with those young girls, Miss might throw a jealous fit again, sulking and throwing tantrums for no reason.
And blaming Lord Roman would just be her excuse to flirt.
But if those maids made Luo Xiya jealous, the consequences wouldn’t be pretty.
After all, they were under her command.
Elise thought for a moment, then decided to speak up.
“It’s best if you don’t get too close to them. You know how Miss is, especially with you. She doesn’t want anyone touching you, for any reason.”
Roman froze, then nodded slightly, blushing as he showed he understood.
“Oh, right,” Elise continued. “Was it you who healed Cake?”
“Yes,” Roman replied without much surprise, admitting it directly.
“Your ability is truly incredible,” Elise praised sincerely.
“Most clerics can only handle surface wounds. I’d seen Cake’s leg before, calling it completely necrotic wouldn’t be an exaggeration. For you to heal it right after awakening your Sacred Seal… that’s amazing.”
“You flatter me… I just wanted to try,” Roman said softly, fidgeting with the lock of hair hanging near his chest.
“Oh!” he suddenly exclaimed, only for his voice to drop shyly as he spoke the next sentence.
“Does the lady… have something important to do today?”
It took Elise about five seconds to realize that by “the lady,” Roman meant Luo Xiya.
She glanced over at him, he was looking down, nervously twisting his hair, his face flushed as he stared at the floor.
The sight made her feel a flicker of envy toward her mistress.
But it passed quickly, and Elise smiled as she replied, “A guest is visiting today. Someone quite important, so the lady went ahead to greet her.”
“Which guest?” Roman asked curiously.
Elise gave him a longer look before answering, “Miss Tania Desmon of the Desmon family. You should remember her, at least a little.”
Roman paused, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
It took him a while before realization set in, and his expression turned uneasy, shifting between light and shadow.
“You don’t need to worry. The lady will handle everything,” Elise said quickly, noticing the change in his expression and trying to reassure him.
“Mm…”
Roman didn’t exactly feel anything negative, if anything, he was just curious.
If things had ended differently back then… what kind of life would I be living now?
Luo Xiya’s words from that night at the banquet still echoed in his ears.
A chill ran down his spine.
Shaking his head, he used the excuse of feeling unwell to excuse himself from Elise.
Heading up to the second floor, Roman followed Luo Xiya’s earlier directions and found her study.
“Huh?” He looked at the door, which was slightly ajar, and showed a hesitant expression.
Pushing it open quietly, he saw Lady Catherine seated in a chair, surrounded by a spread of open pages.
She wore silver-rimmed glasses and was writing something down.
“My lady, what are you doing here?” Roman asked softly as he approached.
“Ah…”
People deep in focus are easily startled.
Lady Catherine was clearly caught off guard by Roman’s sudden voice. Her hand slipped mid-sentence.
When she turned and saw it was Roman, she let out a playful complaint, “Roman, it’s you? You nearly scared me to death.”
She was dressed in a form-fitting high-collared robe, and as she patted her chest in surprise, her soft curves bounced with the motion.
Roman quickly averted his gaze and apologized.
“I was just saying, no need to apologize,” Catherine huffed.
Then, in a cheerful mood, she pulled Roman down to sit beside her and spread out her notes for him to see.
“I went through the records of the Yanglight Continent and found no mention of a Sacred Seal of ‘Life.’ There’s nothing documented on it.”
“But I’ve gone over the records of clerics, mages, even Church knights. I compiled every ability remotely related to ‘Life’, they’re all here. Take a look.”
Roman leaned in to examine the notes carefully.
Every entry seemed to open a new perspective for him, inspiring deeper thoughts.
Gradually, he became fully absorbed.
Meanwhile, Lady Catherine sat silently beside him, lost in her own contemplation.
There was a particular line of thinking she had stumbled upon that even she found terrifying.
She didn’t know whether telling Roman would be wise or disastrous, and in the end, she chose to keep it to herself.
The concept of Life, where there is good, there is bad, was vast.
It definitely extended far beyond simple cleric-like abilities.
In other words, powers like healing were merely one expression of Life, tied to restoration and enhancement.
But what about the opposite?
What if someone used Life by subtracting it?
What form would that take?
The stronger one’s ability to heal with the power of Life, the more terrifying its opposite, destruction, decay, might become.
The more Catherine thought about it the night before, the more unsettled she felt.
In the end, she decided Roman must never be told about that possibility.
Time passed quickly.
By noon, the estate was bustling again.
The maids had already prepared the ingredients for both lunch and dinner in the morning.
As soon as the hour struck, they could begin cooking on time.
“Elise-sama, I’m back.”
The maid Annie had returned and came to report to Elise right away.
“Everything at home taken care of?”
Elise asked kindly, her tone gentle but with a subtle reminder behind it.
“All handled,” Annie replied, forcing a smile.
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