My Lord Chapter 2

Hero’s Place of Employment

 

Sedian Luciano is leaning against the bed, struggling as he turns over each page of the document.

 

Q. Please introduce yourself.

A. .. Rey here.

 

Q. How do you understand the position you are applying for?

A. It involves attending to the cursed young master. I will take on the roles of butler, friend, and slave.

 

Q. What strengths do you think you possess for this position?

A. As an orphan with no family, no one will contest it if I happen to die from a curse.

 

Q. Please state your motivation for applying.

A. Please allow me to stay by the young master’s side. I can’t lay down my life, but as long as I’m alive, I’ll protect him.

 

Q. …Anything else to add?

A. Just hire me.

 

After reading the Q&A form, Sedian first doubted his own blurry vision, and then, when he regained clarity, he was taken aback for a second time, thinking, Is there really a crazy person like this out there? Upon glancing at the empty desk, he was finally confronted by the despairing truth that no one else had applied.

 

“U-um, young master. You’ve… read it all, right? W-what should we do?”

 

A maid, standing at a distance from Sedian, asked.

 

Being so far away that his response might barely reach her, she was more concerned about the curse transferring to her than about hearing her master’s words.

 

Sedian alternated between looking at the maid’s still-pale face and glancing down at the poor Q&A form.

 

Finally, he buried the back of his head deep into the pillow and shook his head.

 

“Do as you wish.”

 

At the same time, he let out a faint laugh.

 

“It’s not like I have a choice anyway, right?”

 

The maid remained silent, not only because Sedian’s words were true but also because she had no desire to exchange any more words with him.

 

“W-well then, I’ll tell them to come for an interview tomorrow! I’ll take my leave now!”

 

Without even waiting for Sedian’s response, the maid swiftly exited the room.

 

Thud! The heavy door closed harshly, and upon confirming it, Sedian closed his eyes, clenching his fingers tightly.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Instinctively, he curled up. The excruciating pain that felt like needles piercing his entire body made it difficult to breathe. It hurts, it hurts so much. Though he groaned and cold sweat dripped down his face, there was no one to care for him. So, as always, all he could do was endure the pain and hold on.

 

His decaying left arm couldn’t move at all, and the tree roots emerging from the back of his neck were strangling him. His blurred vision, as if covered by a transparent film, only isolated him further.

 

When will I be free from this pain?

 

Will that day ever come?

 

No. It seems such a day will never come.

 

Not until the wizard who cursed me is dead.

 

“I’ll kill him. I’ll definitely… definitely kill him.”

 

Enduring endless pain, Sedian envisioned a future where he would kill the damned wizard who had cursed him and exact his revenge.

 

That was his only hope.

 

***

 

I am standing in front of the country house of the Luciano Duke family, where the cursed Sedian resides.

 

The country house is boldly perched atop a seaside cliff.

 

The shadows and light subtly drawn along the shoreline accentuated the white exterior, making the mansion look like a castle brimming with timeless elegance.

 

The large windows nestled within the white brick walls seemed to quietly let in the sounds of the sea, while the high pillars, elegant entrance, and the duke’s symbol of shark ornaments appeared as if they would maintain their glory forever.

 

It looks just like in the novel.

 

That’s how I could recognize at a glance that this was the Luciano Duke’s country house where Sedian would be.

 

But there was a problem.

 

I don’t know what to do next.

 

Though I had arrived, it wasn’t as if I could barge right in. Sighing, I took a crisp bite of the apple in my hand, which I had been practically forced to buy while walking through the market earlier.

 

Just then—

 

“Oh, young man. You’re here again today?”

 

Someone spoke to me. When I turned my head, I saw a familiar middle-aged woman with a warm expression. She was someone I had encountered repeatedly over the past few days. Though we hadn’t spoken before, I nodded politely in greeting.

 

“Young man…”

 

I had dressed as a man to conceal my identity in case people in the Empire recognized me, and since the passersby referred to me as a man without any awkwardness, it seemed my disguise was working. Thankfully.

 

“Ay, it’s already been ten days. You’ve been sitting here for ten days straight, just staring at the country house. Is something the matter?”

 

I hadn’t realised so many days had passed. I shook my head.

 

“I’ve just been thinking. Trying to figure out how to get in there and meet the young master…”

 

The middle-aged woman’s eyes widened.

 

“You’re planning to meet the young master?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Oh my, young man. You should abandon such thoughts. You must not be familiar with things here since you’re from elsewhere, but that young master over there is…”

 

She whispered in a low voice.

 

“He’s cursed.”

 

Who doesn’t know that? I tilted my head slightly.

 

“I’m aware of that.”

 

“No, no! It’s not just that he’s cursed!”

 

The middle-aged woman patted her chest as if frustrated and continued.

 

“They say the curse spreads! If you’re near him, you’ll end up in the same predicament!”

 

Hmm. Her over-the-top reaction didn’t sway me much. I was confident that wouldn’t happen.

 

How do I know?

 

Because I’m the one who cast the curse on him.

 

Of all bodies to possess, it had to be this one.

 

This place is within the novel, and fortunately, I had read it before, so I knew the fate of the body I now inhabit. If things go as the original story dictates, Sedian will eventually find and kill me, the one who cursed him.

 

I don’t want to die again. Since I’ve already possessed this body, one of the strongest in the story, I’d prefer to live well and enjoy it, dying only when my natural lifespan ends.

 

That’s why I came to meet Sedian. To lift his curse and avoid being killed later.

 

As I understand it, the only people who can lift the curse are either the caster or someone with equally powerful holy energy.

 

In the original novel, the curse weakened little by little each time he touched the female lead.

 

Each time the holy-energy-blessed female lead touched Sedian, the curse loosened a bit, and in typical 19+ novel fashion, after they engaged intimately, the curse lifted completely.

 

I should be able to use the same principle.

 

Of course, I don’t possess holy energy. But as the caster of the curse, even if I don’t know how to lift it all at once, I should be able to release it by controlling the magical flow little by little through physical contact.

 

Ah, not that I intend to engage in any kind of intimacy. Besides, I’m currently disguised as a man.

 

So, he won’t fall in love with me or anything like that.

 

I’ll just have to shake hands or pat him on the shoulder as a fellow man.

 

Once the female lead shows up, I can escape.

 

The only problem is that I have to meet Sedian for the plan to start.

 

I sighed and answered the middle-aged woman.

 

“Curses don’t transfer so easily… Anyway, it doesn’t matter to me. I have a reason to stay by the young master’s side.”

 

The middle-aged woman’s brow furrowed slightly.

 

“Really… Is that absolutely necessary?”

 

“Yes.”

 

In response to my firm answer, she hesitated slightly before sighing as if there was no other choice and took something out from her pocket. It was a piece of paper.

 

“Then give it a try. I brought this just in case, but I didn’t expect it to be real…”

 

The content on the paper was simple.

 

[Hiring Notice

 

Position: Management of Duke Luciano’s country house and assistant to Lord Sedian

 

Special Requirements: Seeking someone capable of handling all kinds of miscellaneous tasks]

 

“They’re looking for someone. It seems it’s difficult to hire a servant, probably due to the reason we discussed earlier.”

 

Perfect.

 

With this, I could enter through the main gate with confidence, meet Sedian, and stay by his side.

 

My eyes lit up as I sprang to my feet and bowed deeply to the woman.

 

“Thank you, ma’am. Thanks to you, I now have a way.”

 

A smile formed from joy, and a flush appeared on the woman’s cheeks.

 

“Oh my, you’re really handsome. If I had a daughter, I would have arranged a marriage at once. What a pity.”

 

I nodded as if I completely understood her sentiment. In fact, when I first entered Reina’s body and looked in the mirror, I was startled. She was so beautiful.

 

The me in the mirror, with luxurious, long black hair, had an enchanting gaze and a captivating beauty mark under one eye—a striking beauty.

 

Although I had to cut off the long, beautiful black hair to disguise myself as a man, that beauty wouldn’t just disappear.

 

I’d always admired it privately, but hearing someone else compliment my looks lifted my spirits, so I handed the basket I was holding to the middle-aged woman.

 

“Please, have an apple, ma’am. I bought them fresh today.”

 

After giving her another respectful bow, I clenched the notice in my hand and walked toward the main gate of the duke’s residence.

 

Wait for me, Sedian.

 

I’ll fix you.

 

And keep me alive. Please.