Chapter 2 Part 1

I’m Good at Cooking, Master.

“Lucy, you’re only 8 years old and yet you have to work. I’m so sorry, Mom feels really guilty. But if you go there, at least you’ll have food and a place to sleep…”

Lucy’s mother, her voice choked with emotion, said as she caressed Lucy’s cheek. Lucy was about to leave for the mansion where she would work. Behind her, a carriage was waiting, and the coachman gestured to leave quickly, looking at his watch.

Lucy grasped her rough mother’s hand and spoke.

“Mom, don’t worry too much. You’ve taught me a lot, so I know how to take care of household chores. I’ll go out and earn a lot of money! I’ll buy a house and we can have plenty of delicious food. Then, can we live together again?”

Instead of answering, Lucy’s mother pulled her into an embrace. After a moment, she spoke.

“If things get tough, think of the ring Mom gave you as me. Mom will always be with you. Okay?”

Lucy nodded.

“Mom, I’ll be back!”

Lucy climbed onto the carriage and waved her hand to her mother. Lucy’s mother continued to wave her hand until Lucy was no longer visible. She knew this was the last time, so she waved until the very end.

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

“…… Ah.”

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, feeling the warmth on her cheeks. Her childhood memories appeared in her dream.

‘… Dreams often bring back past events without warning. I can’t let my guard down.’

Lucy blinked, trying to adjust her blurred focus. As she rubbed her eyes, she could barely make out her surroundings. The first thing she saw was the face of an unfamiliar man. He was so close that she could have kissed him if she made a mistake.

“Huh?!”

Lucy quickly lifted her upper body.

The man lying in front of her was wearing a sleeping gown, the front of which had been burned to rags. Thanks to that, his chest was clearly visible, and naturally, the tattoo engraved on his body caught her eye.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that not only his chest, but his entire body was adorned with a sinister snake tattoo, emanating an eerie aura. It felt creepy as if she would be cursed if she continued to stare, so she looked away.

In the next moment, Lucy froze. It appeared that under the man’s gown, a tail was hanging limp. It was a thick, scaly tail resembling that of a reptile.

“…….”

Lucy pressed her finger firmly against the tail as if she were possessed. It was very cold and hard, yet she could sense the unmistakable vitality of a living creature.

‘It’s not fake.’

Lucy froze, her expression stiffening.

‘If there’s a real tail attached, then this person must be the mastermind behind all the incidents… the dragon they called Scar. But why was he lying unconscious here with me?”

As Lucy carefully surveyed her surroundings, she realized the peril she had narrowly escaped. The area where she had fallen was deeply sunken, more than a meter deep, as if something had attacked her.

Whoosh.

A chilling sound, caused by the wind shaking the front door, echoed through the air. As she lifted her head, she noticed that the door was open. The coldness of the autumn ground crept up, causing her buttocks to shiver.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lucy grunted and started moving Scar.

‘I hope he’ll understand why I need to drag him.’

With that thought in mind, Lucy dragged Scar through the front door of the mansion.

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

As a child, Scar had grown up chained in a dark room. 

He had no knowledge of who his parents were or why he was held as a possession of humans. He could only endure the pain that came his way every day. There was no one to protect him…

The floor creaked, and the former owner approached and sat on the bed where Scar was bound. He appeared polite, but his face was marred with a despicable lust. His honey-colored hair that grew to his chin, as if he found it bothersome to cut it, always disgusted Scar.

His former owner, as if examining Scar’s skin condition, ran his hand over his body, causing his hair to stand on end. Scar’s arms and legs were connected to the chains, making an unpleasant sound whenever he moved. His former owner spoke.

“It seems like we can do more today… You know what you’re going to do from now on, right?”

Young Scar nodded as he stared at the ceiling. He didn’t want to see the human if at all possible.

“That’s right. Give up… Dragons are born for this purpose…”

His former owner turned his back and clapped his hands.

“Madam, please come in.”

With a creaking sound, a middle-aged woman filled with excitement entered the room. She covered her face with a loose robe, but the presence of a servant behind her indicated that she was a woman of high status.

“Well, have a pleasant time.”

His former owner smiled kindly and quietly left the room. From outside, he locked the door.

Click.

Upon hearing that sound, the middle-aged woman, seemingly relieved, slowly began to remove her robe…

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

“Gasp…!”

Scar jolted upright, drenched in sweat. It was just a dream.

To think that he couldn’t even realize it was a dream, despite having the same dream repeatedly.

Looking around, Scar found himself lying on the sofa in the first-floor reception room. Firewoods crackled as it burned.

‘Was it something that woman did…?’

Rubbing his forehead, Scar recalled the woman who had collapsed in the yard. From her appearance, she seemed to have come to work as a maid. Unfortunately, the woman bore a striking resemblance to his former owner.

Perhaps it was because their hair color was similar.

Upon closer consideration, they didn’t actually look that similar. Although he didn’t get a proper look, the woman belonged to the type of people who looked good even when their eyes were closed. Her eyelashes were long, and her facial structure was completely different from that of his former owner. They were so different that it was almost an insult to say they looked alike.

‘Among the humans I’ve hired so far, I haven’t come across anyone with that hair color.’

Most people in this area had reddish-brown hair. Judging by the slight difference in color, she seemed to be from a different region.

That was the problem. When Scar unexpectedly encountered someone who reminded him of his former owner, he instinctively attacked Lucy. Although he knew in his head that she was a different person, he couldn’t control himself. His instinct was to burn Lucy, while his reason tried to stop him.

When the urge to burn her didn’t go away, even after barely diverting his magic elsewhere, he made up his mind. Scar created a massive fireball and attacked himself, resulting in him losing consciousness.

‘For the next job posting, I’ll have to put a hair color restriction.’

Scar rose from the sofa and made his way slowly towards the kitchen. He intended to chew on some raw vegetables until the next prospective maid arrived. However, something seemed off.

“Hmm…?”

The hallway leading to the kitchen was strangely illuminated. The orange glow flickered on the antique candle lamps. Scar had excellent vision even in the dark, so he rarely lit candles unless necessary. It was too bothersome to maintain them.

“Did that woman do this too…?”

A faint scent of burning wax filled the air. It was a fragrance he hadn’t smelled in a long time.

She showed such kindness to someone who told her to disappear. Is volunteering her calling?

Just as Scar was pondering whether he should send a tip to the job placement agency, he reached the kitchen door. However, he was left speechless at the sight before him.

“Ah, Master! You’re awake?”