Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 69 (Part 1): Living Like That (3)

As I stepped into the garden at the entrance, I found myself inside the mansion.

I was seated in a chair, and across from me, a woman who looked like a dormitory supervisor pushed up her glasses.

“Your qualifications are impressive.”

In her hand was my resume.

I don’t even know what’s written there. It’s something Kate’s unconscious mind arbitrarily filled in.

Well, if I were actually applying to be her personal assistant, my qualifications would probably be extraordinary.

“But! There’s no shortage of people with impressive qualifications. What we seek in a butler is practicality and devotion. Can you handle all aspects of housework, cleaning, and serve the young lady with refinement and care…?”

I nodded at her endless spiel.

“I can do it well.”

“Quite confident, aren’t you? I like that.”

“…There’s no need to intimidate him, Celi.”

A gentle voice drifted in from somewhere. The clack of high heels followed.

Kate.

She appeared like the protagonist of a story, her gaze coolly sweeping over me.

“I’ve changed my mind. You can leave. I don’t think I need a butler after all.”

“…….”

This isn’t good.

I racked my brain for a way to persuade her when a sudden idea struck me.

I quickly reached into my pocket and pulled out another piece of paper.

“In the past, I served under Colonel Percival.”

Kate, who had started to turn away, paused. Her narrowed eyes met mine as she asked in a low voice,

“…Percival?”

“Yes.”

I handed her a letter of recommendation, or something resembling a resume. Kate approached with measured steps, *clack clack*, and took it.

“He used to call me ‘Old sport’ quite often.”

It’s not a lie. I don’t exactly know what ‘Old sport’ means. Something about a line from *The Great Gatsby*, or so I’d heard.

“…That was my uncle’s favorite book.”

A faint smile curved Kate’s lips.

Shared memories. A crucial condition for her unconscious to accept me.

“Well then.”

Kate sat beside Celi.

“Let’s have a little test.”

She glanced at Celi. Celi reached under the drawer and pulled something out.

A teapot, teacups, tea leaves… items for a tea ceremony.

“Would you brew some tea?”

Now it was clear.

She loves tea far more than I’d imagined.

“…Yes.”

I picked up the tea leaves. Over the past two weeks, I’d become somewhat adept, so I brewed the tea as I’d practiced.

*Make it delicious. Make it delicious.* I even infused some mana, but the taste depended entirely on Kate.

Her unconscious had to respond.

“Here you are.”

“Alright. Let’s see.”

Kate lifted the teacup and took a sip. Her expression was oddly subtle. I thought it hadn’t gone well, but it was the opposite.

Her lips twitched, and she finally burst into laughter. As if embarrassed by her lack of decorum, she covered her mouth with her hand, brushing away the lingering smile.

“It has… flavor.”

I gazed at her quietly.

The Kate here is different somehow. Not the always-cold, authoritative, aristocratic Kate.

Is it because she’s happy?

“Thank you.”

Now I need to figure it out. What she wants, what makes her want to stay here.

She might desire a fated love, or the Hailford family’s world domination, or perhaps a daughter or child who resembles her, or maybe she’s praying for the miracle of Percival’s return.

I have to shatter it all. Crush and destroy it, to make her realize that the happiness she seeks isn’t here, at the very least.

There’s no paradise in a place you’ve escaped to after running and running.

A fake is just a fake, and an illusion can never become reality.

“So… Mr. Seol, was it?”

Kate looked at me with a faint smile.

“You’re hired.”

*Whoosh.*

The scene shifted like the turning of a book’s page. It was a spring day in a study. Kate was handling paperwork under the radiant sunlight. The change was so abrupt that I struggled to adjust.

It really moves like a dream.

“Ha-woon?”

Kate suddenly glanced my way.

“Yes.”

“A cup of tea, please.”

“Understood.”

I warmed the teapot to the right temperature, added tea leaves to the cup, and poured hot water carefully. Not too strong, not too weak.

No need for a strainer. I simply extended my hand, using magic to draw out the remaining leaves.

I presented the tea to her. Kate took a sip and gave a soft smile.

“Always delicious. Thank you.”

“It’s my duty.”

*Thud.* Kate set the teacup down, her face brimming with satisfaction.

No way her happiness is just because of tea, right?

*Whoosh.*

Summer arrived. *Swelter swelter swelter.* The scorching sun sent heatwaves shimmering. Even indoors, it was stifling.

Kate stepped out of the study, fanning herself with her hand as she spoke.

“Ha-woon. I think the air conditioner’s broken.”

“Yes.”

I walked down the hallway aimlessly. Just walking led me to some maintenance room, where I tapped the air conditioning unit with a tool. *Tap tap.*

It was fixed immediately.

I returned to her study.

“Is it good now?”

“Yes. *Phew.* What a relief.”

Kate let out a sigh of relief. She wiped sweat with a handkerchief and sank onto the sofa.

She looked like she was about to sleep.

The Kate here doesn’t seem rushed at all. Not precarious, not sharp-edged. Every passing scene feels mundane. For someone who hates wasting time, she’s wasting every moment.

These clumsy scenes feel… unnatural somehow.

*Whoosh.*

Autumn. Kate gazed out the window. Wrapped in a knitted blanket, she stared at the falling leaves, lost in thought.

She looked like a painting.

“Lady Hailford.”

I called out to her. She tilted her head silently.

“Please stay right there.”

“…Hm?”

I pulled an easel from somewhere. I set up a canvas and palette.

*Swish swish, swish swish.* I mimed painting with a few brushstrokes, and an oil painting, as I’d imagined it, was complete.

The unconscious is so convenient.

“It’s done.”

I showed her the canvas. Kate gazing at the falling leaves. The oil portrait, as if painted by a renowned modern artist, was breathtaking.

“…Oh.”

Her face lit up with emotion.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

The Kate of this unconscious world knows how to speak kindly. There’s no calculation, no suspicion, no manipulation. She’s just living each day purely.

It’s like she’s missing a screw.

*Whoosh.*

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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