Derek lay on his bed, utterly exhausted in body and mind.

Ever since meeting Yeger, he’d been on edge.

Why did his story have to start so rough?

First cursed by a witch, then stuck with an evil duke for a father, and a deranged head chef to boot. Xinzel was slightly better—but only slightly.

This gold-ranked assassin’s loyalty was slippery. One wrong move, and Derek might get a “righteous backstab.”

It wasn’t that he lacked allies from the protagonist’s camp. But this Holy Lady was still growing—and honestly? Hard to describe.

Just seeing Teresia made Derek… worried.

Worries!

Burdened by endless troubles, Derek somehow fell asleep.

…

Warm sunlight streamed through the window as Derek opened his eyes, feeling deeply uneasy.

It wasn’t a stiff neck from bad posture. Something was off about the scene before him.

Teresia’s lovely face hovered near his bed, the sweet girl smiling gently.

Once, that smile might have healed him.

Now, it felt fake.

He knew Teresia’s secrets. So why was this bear of a Holy Lady faking sweetness in his room at dawn?

“Young Master Derek, I, Teresia, will serve you today,” she murmured softly—as if answering his thoughts. *Playing the part of a lady.*

Last night, Xinzel had revealed the “truth.” Determined to repay the man who saved her mother, Teresia had crammed all night under “Teacher Xinzel’s” guidance.

Today, maid Teresia started her shift with confidence!

She expertly brought water for his wash-up.

But Derek squirmed under her care.

Why such a sudden change?

Had his order to Xinzel—bribing Kana with coins—worked overnight?

If so, the effect was *too* good.

Dressing time brought trouble.

As Teresia helped him change shirts, her eyes locked onto his bare torso. She froze, a beautiful flush spreading across her cheeks. She didn’t know why.

Derek felt her pause. He glanced over—only to find her staring, eyes gleaming…

His heart skipped a beat. *(What are you doing?)*

In the witch-cursed timeline, Derek never panicked. So—

“Fool! What are you doing?!”

Teresia jolted back to reality.

First, she cautiously peeked outside the door.

Seeing servants waiting there, she understood—they were Duke Wudewen’s spies. She’d be careful!

After learning the “truth,” she’d grown wary of the duke.

Little did she know: Xinzel had placed them there. He feared her clumsiness would ruin Derek’s service.

Turning back, Teresia winked playfully at Derek and whispered like a secret agent, “Understood!”

*He’s warning me about the duke’s spies!* Her sharp mind pieced it together.

Her “understanding” left Derek utterly baffled.

He didn’t know what she’d grasped—but her reaction scared him.

Hadn’t he just yelled at her?

Normal people would feel shame, anger, or fear. Why did she look… delighted?!

Had Teresia awakened some weird trait—or gone mad?!

No. The witch’s curse already crushed him. If the Holy Lady broke too, he’d snap.

Unlike the anxious Derek, Teresia cheerfully wheeled in the breakfast cart after dressing him.

The feast looked lavish—but remembering Yeger cooked it, Derek nibbled one croissant and lost his appetite.

Leftover food meant Yeger would “check on him” later.

Derek dreaded facing that deranged killer again.

As he fretted, a radiant glow descended beside him.

The Holy Lady’s aura. Teresia’s eyes always sparkled at such moments—especially when food was near.

Uncouth as it was, Derek saw hope in her gaze…

“A chilly morning breeze. Close the door,” he ordered sharply, as if annoyed by the wind.

Teresia was confused—she felt no breeze—but obeyed.

When she returned, Derek pointed at the untouched breakfast. “Finish it. All of it.”

“Young Master Derek… may I… really?”

Her question was drowned by a loud gulp.

“No talking.”

Teresia’s heart soared.

*So noble! So great!*

…

Servants waited outside. Derek’s “chilly breeze” comment was odd, but who dared question him?

His temper was famously unpredictable.

Later, the new maid wheeled out the cart. Her first service went smoothly—Xinzel could relax.

But Young Master Derek ate unusually fast today?

The servants were puzzled, yet the empty plates convinced them.

Alone in the hall, Teresia wiped her mouth, let out a tiny belch, and beamed with bliss.

…

After the airheaded glutton left, Derek plotted escape—or a new life.

But reality crushed him.

Duke Wudewen would never let him go.

Strange things haunted him.

His memories showed an orphan from the slums.

Yet Doranbar Kingdom’s peerless Duke Wudewen had plucked him from the streets and brought him to the capital.

Even Witch Claudius had randomly cursed him.

What drew these villains to him?

Derek didn’t know.

He wasn’t a canon protagonist with a scripted growth path. His future? Entirely his own guesswork.

Brooding wouldn’t help. Time to work.

Derek dragged out a chest—filled with potions and alchemy notes bought yesterday on Jade Golden Phoenix Street…