My Maid is Cute Chapter 91 : Rampage (Patreon)

*Rampage*

Sobbing uncontrollably, Rebecca turned her gaze to Wendy’s face, as if to confirm once more that she was truly safe. Her beautiful cheek, which should have been porcelain white, was swollen. It was clearly the mark of a blow.

She couldn't stop her lips from trembling. Anger surged up within her all over again.

"M-My Lady’s... face..."

"Eh?"

"Your face... your beautiful face..."

Rebecca’s voice leaked out as she touched the red cheek. Wendy placed her hand over Rebecca's and shrugged.

"Something like this will heal in no time."

Wendy said it lightly, but Rebecca’s rage did not subside.

"I-I cannot forgive this...! Such... such a thing...!"

Something rough and violent filled her chest like fire. This scorching emotion was wrath. She felt as though her heart was trembling from the sheer intensity of her anger. It was the first time in her life she had harbored such a violent emotion.

—Unforgivable. To use violence against My Lady.

Just as Rebecca bit her lip in intense fury, someone shouted.

"W-What is with you people...!?"

She turned her gaze toward the voice. Standing there was a woman. Her hair was messy and her dress was in a terrible state, but she was beautiful. She stared at them with eyes glaring with hatred. Rebecca had seen her somewhere before. She furrowed her brows for a moment, then remembered. She was the woman who had attended the tea party held at the Caldwell house. If she recalled correctly, her name was Estelle. It seemed she had been blown away by the impact of Rieserago’s magic earlier.

Though bewildered, Estelle glared sharply at Wendy and Rebecca as she grabbed a knife that had fallen nearby. Seeing this, Rebecca gasped. She didn't understand the full situation, but it seemed this person was the one who had kidnapped and hurt Wendy.

"Really... just what are you!! Die!!"

Screaming, Estelle tried to approach them with the knife in hand. In that instant, Rieserago moved. Closing the distance like the wind, she pinned Estelle’s slender body to the floor.

"Guh..."

Estelle let out a short shriek. Paying it no mind, Rieserago coolly snatched the knife from her hand.

While holding Estelle down, Rieserago looked over at Rebecca. Then, tilting her head, she asked:

"What do we do with this one? Kill her?"

She said it in such a light tone that Wendy’s eyes widened in shock for a moment.

On the other hand, Rebecca replied,

"...No."

Replying in a whisper, she pulled away from Wendy and stood up.

"No. You don't need to kill her."

Rebecca walked straight toward Rieserago and Estelle. Seeing her face, Rieserago blinked in surprise.

Rebecca wore an expression devoid of all emotion. Her eyes were fixed straight on Estelle.

"Becca...?"

Wendy called out quietly, but Rebecca didn't answer, standing directly in front of Estelle. She then spoke to Rieserago.

"Let go of that person and move, Riesy."

She ordered Rieserago in a voice cold as ice.

"H-Hey, Rebecca—"

"Move. Please."

"No, that's..."

Rieserago sounded unusually flustered, but ignoring her, Rebecca continued speaking while looking down at Estelle.

"I'm going to kill her. So, move."

The next instant, the sound of shattering glass echoed. The surrounding bottles of chemicals burst all at once. Then, the books scattered on the floor from Rieserago’s earlier attack suddenly spewed fire and ignited. The entire room shook violently. Simultaneously, a tremendous roar was heard.

"Wa— Rebecca—"

Rieserago released Estelle in a panic and tried to rush over to Rebecca. Rebecca held out a hand toward her. Immediately, Rieserago’s body froze.

"Wh— You... your magic..."

Rieserago’s mouth hung open in astonishment. Rebecca was clearly losing control due to her intense rage, causing a magical rampage. It was a tremendous power, overwhelming even Rieserago’s own magic. Robbed of her freedom, Rieserago frantically tried to dispel Rebecca’s magic and move her body, but it didn't work.

Paying no mind to Rieserago’s state, Rebecca crouched down while staring at Estelle. Estelle looked at the girl's bizarre appearance with a face full of fear.

"...You are the one who struck My Lady's face, aren't you?"

"Ah..."

"You tried to attack her with a knife, didn't you?"

"N-No... but... that woman is..."

Rebecca’s eyes snapped wide open. The next moment, a sound like a massive explosion was heard from above. At the same time, the room shook even more violently, and wood chips began to rain down.

"Lady Estelle!!"

At that moment, a voice called out for Estelle. Brooks, who seemed to have woken up, shouted as he tried to rush over.

"You, what are you doing to Lady Estelle!!"

Rebecca pointed her hand at the shouting Brooks. Immediately, something like an air cannon manifested, and Brooks was blown away. He slammed hard against the wall.

"Hii..."

Witnessing this, Estelle couldn't bear it and let out a short scream.

Rebecca lunged at Estelle with force, wrapping her hands around her slender neck.

"I won't forgive you."

"Ah, sto... p..."

She poured magic into her hands with all her might. She thought she heard something cracking. She felt a sharp pain in her own hands, but she ignored it, applying more force.

Estelle couldn't resist the overwhelming strength. She could only widen her eyes, her face twisted in agony.

Rebecca glared at that face and spoke.

"I absolutely will not forgive you...!"

I have to kill this woman who hurt the most precious existence in this world.

If I don't, this anger will not subside.

"Rebecca!! Stop it, you idiot!!"

Rieserago was shouting something. But she couldn't stop anymore. Until she killed this woman who hurt Wendy, absolutely—!

"Becca."

At that moment, she heard Wendy’s voice.

"Becca, stop it now."

The instant those words reached her ears, the strength left Rebecca’s hands. Her hands fell away from Estelle’s neck.

"It's okay now. Please, stop."

Before she knew it, Wendy was right beside her. Before Rebecca could turn around, she was slowly pulled into an embrace from behind. She felt the strength draining from her entire body.

"I'm okay. So, stop."

"My... Lady..."

At Wendy’s words, the anger that had been erupting so violently vanished. From Wendy’s warmth, she felt a sense of relief, as if waking from a nightmare. Her heightened emotions settled down. At the same time, the shaking of the room stopped, and the surrounding fires were extinguished.

"Whoa."

She saw Rieserago fall forward. It seemed all the magic had been dispelled, and her body was free again.

Large teardrops spilled from Rebecca’s eyes.

"M-My Lady... I-I'm sorry..."

"You got angry for my sake, didn't you? Isn't that right, Becca?"

"I-I'm sorry... I just couldn't forgive her... I'm sorry..."

"Yeah. Thank you, Becca."

Wendy held the sobbing Rebecca tightly.

It seemed the magical rampage had finally ended completely. Rieserago checked her freed body and lightly patted her clothes as if dusting them off. Then, she sighed deeply. She glanced at Estelle and saw that she had completely fainted. The man Rebecca had blown away with magic was also out cold, showing the whites of his eyes.

"Now then... what do we do from here..."

No one answered Rieserago’s question.

***

After a while, Rebecca’s heart finally calmed down, and her tears stopped. Just as she sniffled, Wendy spoke up as if noticing something.

"Becca, your hands..."

"Eh?"

Pointed out by Wendy, she looked at her own hands. Her eyes widened in surprise. Rebecca’s hands were tattered and wounded.

"Huh? Why...?"

It was Rieserago who answered that question.

"It's because you let your magic run wild, you idiot."

When she turned her face toward the voice with a start, she saw Rieserago tying up Estelle’s body with a rope she had pulled from somewhere.

"You were letting magic explode in unbelievable amounts. You were probably concentrating 'Body Strengthening' magic specifically on your hands, weren't you? That's the backlash. Your flesh couldn't withstand the load of the magic, so it tore itself apart."

"Eh? Body Strengthening? I cast something like that?"

"...Unconsciously, huh? You really are... honestly..."

Rieserago continued, sounding exasperated.

"You got lucky. If you hadn't stopped there, you would have lost your arms by now."

At those words, both Rebecca and Wendy went pale and looked at each other.

In the meantime, Rieserago tied up Brooks, who was lying on the floor, as well. Then, effortlessly picking up both Estelle and Brooks, she called out to them.

"Anyway, let's get out of here."

At those words, Rebecca and Wendy stood up unsteadily. Almost simultaneously, they held hands and followed Rieserago out of the basement.

"Whoa..."

Upon seeing the devastation of the room on the first floor, a voice leaked out unintentionally. It looked as if a storm had passed through. Bookshelves and desks were toppled, tools and books scattered everywhere. The window glass was shattered, and even the walls were broken.

"...Um, by any chance, did I do this?"

"Yeah, big prize for the correct answer, Rebecca."

Rieserago replied while holding her head. Ignoring the stunned Rebecca, Rieserago dumped Estelle and Brooks onto the floor with a thud.

"For now, let's call someone."

"Someone?"

"In this case... the Knight Order or the guards, maybe?"

Rieserago tilted her head, sounding troubled.

"Ah, then, could you go call Lord Christopher?"

When Rebecca suggested it, Rieserago nodded firmly.

"Got it. I don't know where that human is, but... well, if I go back to the Caldwell mansion, I'll figure something out. Wait here a bit."

Saying that, she disappeared with a snap.

"Becca."

Called by Wendy, she turned around, and Wendy pulled her into an embrace again.

"My Lady?"

She let out a long breath and spoke in a whisper.

"Thank goodness... I'm so glad. To see you again..."

Her hands were trembling slightly. Rebecca hugged Wendy back and nodded vigorously.

After a while, Wendy finally pulled away. Then, she lightly kissed Rebecca on the forehead.

"Wha— M-My Lady...!"

Ignoring Rebecca, who turned bright red in fluster, Wendy kissed her forehead and cheeks repeatedly. Rebecca almost screamed from the agitation but managed to hold it in, speaking up to stop Wendy.

"M-My Lady! Please wait! There's something I want to ask!!"

"Wait a little... let me kiss you a bit more..."

"No, really, please wait! Who are these people? Why did they kidnap you!?"

Rebecca pointed at Estelle and shouted her question. Wendy finally stopped moving. Grimacing, she sat down on the spot.

"...It's a long story... um... where should I start? To be honest, I don't know exactly why I was kidnapped either. ...First off, this woman is Lady Estelle Lambert..."

"Ah, I know that."

When Rebecca said that, Wendy furrowed her brows in surprise.

"She came to a tea party at the Caldwell house once. I learned her face and name then..."

When she explained, Wendy nodded a few times in understanding.

"Ah, I see... Um, and so... she's also a family member of a friend of mine."

At the word friend, Rebecca’s shoulders twitched. She asked Wendy in a small voice.

"By friend, you mean... um, Lord Nicholas Lambert, whom you mentioned before, right?"

"Yes, that's right. She's Colin's older sister."

Wendy said that, then stopped, seemingly agonizing over how to explain. Seeing Wendy like that, Rebecca spoke up again timidly.

"...Um."

"Eh? What?"

"...I heard that Lord Lambert was... My Lady's... well... special partner... and that you might get engaged."

She looked away from Wendy as she let the words out. If she confirmed it, her heart might stop. She waited for Wendy's answer, half-resigned.

"Eh? Well, he is a special friend in a sense, but... we aren't getting engaged."

Rebecca gasped at Wendy’s words.

"You aren't getting engaged!? Really!?"

"Eh? Yes."

Wendy answered clearly and nodded firmly.

"I-Is that so..."

Then, she unsteadily sat down on the spot. Filled with relief, her voice leaked out.

"Not getting engaged... My Lady isn't getting engaged..."

Repeating the words over and over as if to confirm, she looked up at the ceiling. If she didn't, tears looked ready to spill again.

At that moment, a light snap was heard.

"Wendy!!"

Hearing a loud voice, she turned her face toward it. Standing there with Rieserago were Christopher and Reed.

Christopher rushed over to Wendy, his face pale. He hugged her tightly.

"Thank goodness... I'm so glad you're safe..."

Wendy moved her hands in the air, perplexed. Then, after a while, she lightly patted Christopher on the back to reassure him.

"I am glad you are safe as well, Miss Rebecca."

Reed also called out to her, looking relieved. However, Rebecca was still muttering,

"Not getting engaged... she's not getting married..."

She kept saying it while clenching her fist tightly.

Seeing this, Rieserago tilted her head in puzzlement.

***

After hugging Wendy to confirm her safety, Christopher turned to speak to Rebecca and Rieserago.

"Thank you. Thanks to Rebecca and Miss Rieserago, my sister was saved. Truly, thank you."

Christopher said this repeatedly, bowing his head to Rebecca and Rieserago and grasping their hands.

"Don't worry about it."

Rieserago waved her hand dismissively, checking the time repeatedly. She was probably worried about the opera she had missed. She wanted to leave right this instant.

"Ah— well then, I'll be heading back. I have personal business."

"What! But we haven't thanked you yet!"

"Ah— like I said, don't worry about it. Just pretend I wasn't involved. I don't want to interfere in your affairs, and I want to avoid getting involved. I only came tonight because Rebecca begged me to."

Christopher insisted he wanted to thank her, but Rieserago shook her head repeatedly in refusal.

"If you're grateful, please keep quiet about me to the guards and knights. Just fudge the story somehow. I have various circumstances I can't talk about."

When she said that, Christopher nodded reluctantly.

Rieserago exhaled in relief, then whispered to Rebecca.

"See you later."

"Yeah. Thank you so much, Riesy."

When Rebecca nodded, Rieserago grinned. Then, with a snap, she disappeared.

"...Just who is that person, really?"

Wendy asked Rebecca. Rebecca smiled and held Wendy’s hand.

"She's my best friend. That's all."

After that, under Christopher’s arrangements, Estelle and Brooks were handed over to the guards. The two were to be taken in for questioning.

Rebecca and Wendy also had to respond to questioning. However, given their injuries, Christopher pulled some strings so that they would be questioned tomorrow. Rebecca got a headache thinking about how she would have to come up with a cover story for the guards by then.

Rebecca and Wendy received medical treatment from a doctor and returned to the Caldwell house. Fortunately, Wendy escaped with minor injuries, and Rebecca only had the wounds on her hands, so treatment finished quickly.

"Rebecca—!!"

When Rebecca returned to the mansion, Carrie was the first to welcome her.

"T-Thank goodneeeess! Ah, jeez, I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry, Carrie..."

Carrie hugged Rebecca vigorously, tearing up. Feeling guilty for worrying her, Rebecca apologized repeatedly.

Afterward, Rebecca returned to her private room and changed into suitable clothes. Then she immediately left her room and headed for Wendy’s room.

When she knocked on Wendy’s door, a voice returned immediately.

"Come in, Becca."

Even though she hadn't said anything, Wendy knew it was her. Rebecca slowly opened the door and stepped into the room.

"My Lady..."

In the dim room, Wendy was sitting on the bed. When her eyes met Rebecca’s, she smiled softly and reached out her hand.

"Come here."

Normally, she would always refuse to get on the bed. But the current Rebecca obeyed the words honestly. Wendy pulled Rebecca’s body, which had climbed onto the bed, close. Then, she hugged Rebecca from behind, as if covering her completely. Rebecca placed her hands over Wendy’s arms.

For a while, both Wendy and Rebecca were silent.

"...My Lady, what about the academy?"

Rebecca finally asked in a whisper. Wendy brought her lips close to Rebecca’s ear and answered quietly.

"I'll rest for a while... I'm a little confused, too."

"Confused..."

"Yes... I never thought Colin’s sister would do something like this... My... no, our actions might have been wrong. My thinking was shallow. We should have talked properly..."

"My Lady?"

Wendy gently held Rebecca’s bandaged hand.

"Becca, you heard the rumor that I might get engaged, didn't you?"

"Ah, um... well... that is..."

When Rebecca's eyes darted around involuntarily, Wendy giggled.

"You're easy to read. You really are cute."

Then, wiping the smile from her face, Wendy continued with a serious expression.

"You know, it's all a lie."

"...Eh?"

"I'm sorry. I probably should have told you properly... I absolutely didn't want to get married. And Colin... I can't explain his circumstances, but he was the same as me. Our interests aligned... so we just spent time together. We were pretending to be lovers."

Rebecca’s eyes widened at that story, and she looked at Wendy’s face. Wendy’s face clouded over as she stroked Rebecca’s head.

"I don't know the full details yet... but I think Lady Estelle misunderstood our relationship. Colin hadn't told her, so it's understandable, but... She said I 'stole Nicholas' and 'seduced him'... The most important person to Colin isn't me... it's undoubtedly Lady Estelle. I should have told her properly... Even if I couldn't speak of Colin’s circumstances, there surely must have been a way to convey it well."

Wendy continued to stroke Rebecca’s hair as she spoke. Rebecca gasped and spoke up.

"Um... then, could it be that the harassment you received at the academy was..."

Wendy smiled bitterly at that question.

"You know about that well... I don't know about that part. They seem to be interrogating them now, so I'll probably know for sure by tomorrow."

Saying that, Wendy kissed Rebecca’s hair. Then she lay down, still holding Rebecca.

"...But, I feel truly sorry for Colin."

"My Lady..."

Wendy’s eyes wavered with regret. Touching her still slightly flushed cheek, Rebecca spoke.

"You really are close with Lord Lambert, aren't you?"

"Yes... I suppose so. He’s probably the person I can open my heart to the most. Excluding you, of course."

Her heart stung a little at those words.

"Um..."

"Hm?"

Wendy looked at Rebecca with a smile. Rebecca gathered her courage and spoke.

"How did... um... you become close with Lord Lambert?"

"Eh?"

"Ah, well... um, I am truly, truly happy that My Lady has made a precious friend, but... um, I thought it was rare for My Lady to speak of someone else that way..."

Wendy treated everyone around her except Rebecca—even her own brother and the servants of this house—with ice-cold detachment. For such a Wendy to say this much about a person named Nicholas Lambert, Rebecca couldn't help but be genuinely curious. How on earth did they meet?

Wendy spoke as if thinking a little.

"Colin is... how should I put it... we met by chance... and just became friends."

"...By chance?"

When Rebecca looked her straight in the eye, Wendy uncharacteristically averted her gaze, looking flustered.

"Right... by chance..."

Muttering that, Wendy immediately held her head and sighed deeply.

"...I suppose hiding it has reached its limit."

"Eh?"

Rebecca tilted her head at the cryptic words. Hugging Rebecca again, Wendy continued.

"I share a secret with Colin."

"A secret?"

"Yes. My precious secret. Due to a slight mistake, he found out about it... and that was the trigger for us starting to interact."

Rebecca was slightly shocked that there was a secret of Wendy’s she didn't know.

"What is... the secret?"

When she asked fearfully, Wendy hesitated for a moment, but soon brought her lips to Rebecca’s ear. And she whispered softly.

The moment she understood that whisper, Rebecca’s eyes widened.

"He... hh...?"

She looked up at Wendy, dumbfounded.

"...Eh? You're lying... It's a joke, right?"

Wendy was smiling a little, but her eyes were dead serious.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

Rebecca sat up and let out a huge scream. Wendy also sat up and frantically covered her mouth.

"Becca, it's late at night so keep it down a bit! Okay?"

Rebecca nodded repeatedly while her mouth was covered. Finally, Wendy released her hand, so she fired off questions rapidly.

"Eh? Is it true? Really? Not a joke, but really?"

She took a deep breath. Then asked again.

"Is it really, truly, genuinely true that My Lady is the author 'Renatoa Ser Ward'!?"

Wendy smiled wryly but nodded firmly.

"Eh, eeeeeh? What is that...? You're lying... right? Eeeeeh?"

Still unable to accept reality, she covered her face with her hands. She jumped off the bed and paced around the room. It felt like a bad joke, but she knew Wendy wouldn't tell that kind of joke or lie to her. So, this must be a fact.

"What is this, really... I haven't heard about this..."

"I didn't say anything."

Wendy answered with a cool face. Rebecca took her hands off her face and looked at Wendy.

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

At those words, Wendy looked away and answered while fidgeting.

"Well... somehow... it was embarrassing to say..."

"E-Embarrassing..."

"I thought I had to tell you someday. But because you praise my work so much... it became harder and harder to say..."

She remembered discussing "Renatoa Ser Ward’s" works in the library once. She finally understood why Wendy had made such an uncomfortable, complicated face back then.

"No way... I didn't know... you were writing novels..."

When she muttered that, Wendy giggled.

"I've been writing since long ago... reading books just wasn't enough, I wanted to write myself. I started writing seriously after my brother gave me a typewriter for my birthday."

She recalled the sight of a young Wendy tapping away on a typewriter, hiding from Rebecca. She realized only now that she had been writing novels.

"I debuted when I was 13. Becca, come on, don't you remember? Before you disappeared, I invited you to dinner, didn't I?"

"Huh?"

She searched her memory. Then she remembered Wendy calling out to her before she was abducted by her brothers.

‘Guess what, guess what, I have wonderful news.’

‘Wonderful...?’

‘Yup!’

Wendy had been smiling with heartfelt happiness back then.

‘Mhmhm. Tonight, I'm having dinner with Brother in my room. Please come too, Becca.’

In the end, Rebecca couldn't make it to dinner, and the "wonderful news" remained unknown.

"The 'news' back then was about my debut. publication of a novel I wrote had been decided for the first time. So, I thought I'd tell you at dinner. In the end, I couldn't tell you, though."

"Ah, aaah... I see..."

Answering in a daze, Rebecca suddenly remembered something and looked up.

"Huh? But wait a minute!"

"What?"

"U-Um... before, in a certain town, I met someone who said they saw 'Renatoa Ser Ward' at the publishing company."

She remembered what she was told by a bookstore clerk in the town of Farishka, where she stopped before returning to this mansion. If she recalled, the clerk had said:

‘Surprisingly, it was a man who looked older than me. He seemed a bit grumpy, but he was tall and sharp, with a scary atmosphere...’

When she told Wendy this, Wendy voiced an "Ah."

"That was Brother’s butler."

"Eh? Ah! Mr. Reed!?"

Indeed, Reed fit the description of "looking a bit grumpy and having a scary atmosphere."

"Only a limited number of people know that I am 'Renatoa Ser Ward.' Only Brother, my sister-in-law, Brother’s butler and his wife, the maid Jeanne, and a few people at the publisher. When there was business at the publisher, Brother’s butler went as my proxy most of the time..."

Which meant Carrie and Jeanne knew everything, and Rebecca felt weak realizing she was the only one kept in the dark.

Looking at Rebecca, Wendy continued.

"It was difficult. While in this house, I wrote novels secretly, hiding from you... I wanted to restrict work so I could spend time with you, but that butler brought work to me... Apparently, the publisher begged for the next work no matter what, but it was truly the worst."

Come to think of it, she remembered Reed coming to this room and whispering about something with Wendy. It seemed they were holding a meeting about the novel.

"...I wanted you to tell me sooner."

When Rebecca said that sulkily, Wendy crouched down and reached out. She gently stroked Rebecca’s head.

"Becca, are you mad?"

"...I'm not mad!"

"You sound mad."

Giggling, Wendy pulled Rebecca close again.

"Because I was embarrassed."

"But! Even so! Something so important..."

Wendy looked away as if thinking a little, then stroked Rebecca’s back and whispered.

"As an apology for keeping silent, I'll listen to a selfish request of yours this time."

"Eh."

She cried out involuntarily and looked at Wendy’s face. Wendy was smiling mischievously.

"I'll grant any wish you have, Becca."

Hearing those words, Rebecca touched Wendy’s arm, seeming hesitant. Then, wavering, she spoke.

"...I want you."

"Hm?"

"Today, please just hold me. I want you to stay with me... forever."

Tomorrow, the head maid might get angry. But just for today, she absolutely didn't want to be apart from Wendy.

Wendy’s eyes wavered in slight surprise. Then, she kissed Rebecca’s bandage-covered hand.

"Of course, Becca. I'm happy that you would wish for that."

Then, smiling, she took Rebecca’s hand and led her to the bed.

***

I fell a bit ill, so the update was delayed. The ending is approaching little by little. I will definitely complete it, so please continue to support me.