Chapter 137: Chapter 137 - Origin of Sahira!

Morning slowly descended upon the Valecrest Manor beneath a strangely oppressive atmosphere that refused to disappear even after the horrors of the previous night had already ended, as servants, maids, attendants, and guards continued moving throughout the enormous estate performing their usual duties with disciplined precision while an invisible tension still lingered heavily over everyone present.

The corridors remained quieter than usual.

The servants spoke more softly.

And every time Damon’s name was mentioned—

The voices lowered even further.

The events from the previous night had spread throughout the manor far faster than anyone expected, because although everyone had personally witnessed what happened inside the grand hall but very few beneath the underground chambers, fear itself had already filled the empty spaces between the rumors.

Meanwhile, inside the grand dining hall illuminated by the warm morning sunlight filtering through the enormous windows, Damon sat alone at the massive dining table as though nothing unusual had occurred at all.

Or at least—

Alone except for one person.

This time, the figure standing quietly beside him was not Sahira.

But the head butler.

The old man maintained his usual composed posture with lowered head and folded hands, though compared to before, there was now a subtle stiffness lingering beneath his movements whenever Damon came into view.

At the table, Damon calmly finished the last portion of his breakfast before neatly wiping his mouth with a cloth and washing his hands using the warm water prepared beside him. His movements remained elegant and measured throughout, carrying the natural refinement expected from the heir of a ducal household despite the bloodshed that had stained the manor only hours earlier.

Then finally—

Damon stood up.

His golden eyes shifted toward the head butler standing nearby.

"Take a walk with me."

The head butler immediately bowed.

"As you command, young master."

Without another word, the two began walking together through the corridors of the Valecrest Manor, passing beneath towering ceilings and elegant white-and-navy interiors while the servants they crossed quickly lowered their heads and stepped aside respectfully.

Eventually, they exited the manor itself and entered the vast grand courtyard surrounding the estate, where cool morning air drifted gently through the flower gardens and carefully maintained pathways. The distant sounds of guards training and servants working could faintly be heard throughout the territory, yet despite the beauty of the surroundings, the atmosphere between Damon and the head butler remained noticeably serious.

For several minutes—

Neither spoke.

Then finally, Damon opened his mouth calmly while continuing to walk forward.

"I will not pursue what happened yesterday."

The moment those words entered the air—

The head butler visibly trembled.

Only slightly.

But Damon noticed it immediately.

Meanwhile, Damon continued speaking in the same calm tone.

"I am certain that whatever you were doing..."

A faint pause followed.

"...you were doing it under father’s orders."

The head butler remained silent after hearing that.

He neither confirmed the statement nor denied it.

Yet Damon did not appear bothered by the lack of response.

Instead, he simply continued walking before speaking again.

"I only have a few questions regarding the maid you assigned to me," Damon said quietly. "I hope you will answer them as truthfully as possible."

This time, genuine surprise visibly flashed across the head butler’s face.

Clearly—

He had expected Damon to ask something entirely different.

Yet after only a brief moment of hesitation, the old man still lowered his head respectfully once more.

"As you command, young master."

The morning air drifting through the grand courtyard remained cool and refreshing as Damon and the head butler continued walking side by side along the stone pathways surrounding the Valecrest Manor, while distant sounds of servants working, guards training, and fountains flowing softly throughout the estate created an almost peaceful atmosphere that contrasted heavily against the tension hidden beneath their conversation.

For several moments after the head butler agreed to answer honestly, Damon remained silent as though carefully organizing his thoughts before finally speaking again.

"Where exactly did Sahira come from?"

The question caused the head butler’s expression to stiffen faintly.

Yet after only a brief pause, he answered calmly.

"The slave market, young master."

Damon’s footsteps slowed slightly after hearing that answer.

"The slave market?"

The head butler nodded.

"For noble houses as large as the Valecrest family, the slave market remains one of the most stable sources for acquiring workers, attendants, and servants," he explained steadily. "Especially for positions requiring long-term loyalty and minimal outside connections."

Damon continued walking quietly afterward while inwardly processing the answer.

...Well.

At this point, I probably should not even be surprised anymore.

The world itself had already shown him enough ugliness by now.

Still—

His brows furrowed slightly as another thought surfaced.

"But how do you verify authenticity?" Damon asked calmly. "Wouldn’t that method actually make it easier for spies to infiltrate noble households?"

This time, the head butler shook his head immediately.

"No, young master. In truth, the opposite is usually the case."

Damon glanced toward him silently, signaling him to continue.

The head butler lowered his voice slightly as he explained further.

"Every individual officially sold through the slave markets undergoes memory erasure procedures before transfer," he said calmly. "Their memories, identities, affiliations, and past connections are stripped away almost entirely through specialized resonance techniques."

Damon’s eyes narrowed faintly.

"And without an extremely powerful external stimulus," the head butler continued, "recovering those memories becomes nearly impossible. Because of this, many noble houses—including ducal and marquis families—consider slave market servants safer than ordinary workers recruited externally."

The morning breeze passed quietly between them afterward.

Meanwhile, Damon himself remained silent for several moments while absorbing the implications behind those words.

Then finally—

He spoke again.

"But shouldn’t slavery itself be..." Damon paused slightly before finishing, "...something underhanded?"

To his surprise—

A faint chuckle escaped the head butler.

Not mocking.

Almost amused.

"I did not expect you to ask such a question, young master."

Damon simply stared at him without responding.

Realizing himself, the head butler immediately straightened slightly afterward.

"My apologies," he said respectfully before continuing. "But the reality is not quite as cruel as most people imagine."

Damon’s gaze sharpened faintly.

"The individuals sold through official slave markets are transferred only after consent agreements are established," the head butler explained carefully. "The person themselves agrees to the contract... or if they are incapable of making decisions due to age, illness, or circumstance, then direct family members make the decision in their place."

Damon’s expression shifted instantly.

"Why would anyone willingly do tha—"

The words stopped midway.

Because before the thought even fully formed—

The answer had already appeared within his mind.

Poverty.

Debt.

Survival.

Protection.

The countless desperate reasons humans could justify when cornered.

The atmosphere between them grew quiet again after that realization.

Eventually, the two came to a gradual stop near the edge of the courtyard where the distant territory beyond the manor walls could faintly be seen beneath the morning sunlight.

Then Damon finally turned slightly toward the head butler again.

"But why," he asked quietly, "was she specifically assigned to me?"

The head butler did not answer immediately after hearing Damon’s question.

Instead, the old man’s expression became strangely complicated for a brief moment, as though he himself was uncertain how exactly he should explain the matter. His steps slowed faintly while the silence stretching between them gradually became heavier beneath the cool morning breeze flowing through the courtyard.

And Damon noticed it instantly.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

...What is that reaction?

For a moment, countless possibilities rapidly moved through his mind.

Did he assign her intentionally to keep watch over me?

Or perhaps Father did?

That would explain the hesitation...

The more Damon thought about it, the more logical the possibility appeared.

After all, assigning someone specifically to remain beside the troublesome heir of the Valecrest family at all times was hardly something unreasonable from the Duke’s perspective.

And yet—

Something about the head butler’s hesitation still felt strange.

***

The scene shifted.

The sound of distant voices gradually entered Damon’s ears as he absentmindedly walked through the corridors of the Valecrest Manor alone sometime later, his thoughts still lingering upon the conversation from earlier.

Then suddenly—

A familiar timid voice reached him.

"N-no... young master is not a bad person..."

Damon’s steps paused faintly.

That voice—

Sahira.

Without making unnecessary noise, Damon quietly followed the direction of the conversation until he eventually came to a stop near the opening of a side corridor.

And there—

He saw them.

Several maids stood gathered together while sorting and folding freshly cleaned clothes beneath the warm afternoon sunlight filtering through the corridor windows, soft chatter spreading naturally between them while they worked.

Among them—

Sahira stood holding several pieces of Damon’s clothing against her chest.

And surprisingly—

She was smiling.

Not nervously.

Not fearfully.

Genuinely. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"...Young master really got first place in the class placement exam..." Sahira said softly, visible admiration lingering within her timid voice. "A-and there was even a breach incident... b-but young master still protected everyone..."

One of the maids blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

Sahira nodded repeatedly.

"Yes...! A-and even Instructors in the academy praised young master..."

Another maid looked doubtful.

"But wasn’t young master Damon always—"

"N-no!" Sahira interrupted hurriedly before lowering her voice awkwardly afterward. "Y-young master has changed a lot recently..."

Then quietly—

Almost proudly—

"He even made a flower garden for young lady Cecelia..."

The surrounding maids visibly softened after hearing that.

Meanwhile—

Damon simply stood there silently for several moments while watching the scene unfold from afar.

Then eventually—

He turned away.

And as he walked through the corridor once more, the answer the head butler had given earlier slowly resurfaced within his mind.

"You were the one who bought her from the slave market, young master."

Damon’s steps slowed faintly.

"Ever since then, she has always paid special attention to you," the head butler had continued calmly. "Even though you scolded her many times... you never once struck her."

The memory of the conversation continued echoing quietly through Damon’s thoughts.

"She received more scolding from you than almost anyone else within the manor... yet despite that, she never once complained or requested reassignment."

Damon’s expression gradually became unreadable.

"So when the time came to assign a personal attendant to you permanently..."

The old butler’s faint sigh resurfaced within his memory.

"...she was simply the easiest choice I could make."

The corridor remained quiet around him afterward.

Then finally—

The head butler’s final words surfaced once more.

"Perhaps... after losing her memories, she unconsciously began viewing you as her only remaining family."