The Sub-Heroine's Butler Is a Vicious and Innocent Idiot

5. Birthday (1)

After catching a brief bit of sleep, I headed to Arlot’s room.

I brought a blindfold with me, so we could head to the banquet hall together.

Sitting in her wheelchair, she looked blankly at the blindfold in my hand.

“A blindfold? Just to go eat… is this really necessary?”

“Yes, my lady. I’d be very grateful if you could wear it.”

“…!”

Her narrow eyes widened slightly and blinked a few times.

She must have realized what day it was.

“Shall I help you put it on? Or—”

“I’ll do it.”

“Ah, understood.”

She took the cloth from my hand and covered her eyes.

She tied it on rather tightly—it seemed the surprise birthday event had her genuinely excited.

“Shall we go?”

“Mm.”

I stepped behind her and gripped the handles of her wheelchair.

From the side, I could see the corners of her lips twitching—she could barely contain her delight.

Maybe this time, I’ll finally see the bright, innocent Arlot again…

With that hopeful thought, I let my imagination wander.

The Duke of the North had surely gone all out preparing this banquet.

Maybe he had finally brought that elusive royal physician who always refused to come.

Maybe he had even found some rare treasure that could slow her illness.

Whatever it was, I hoped it would bring her some strength, some joy.

With that wish in mind, we crossed the threshold together.

I hadn’t yet realized fate was laughing behind our backs—my steps were far too light.

“A… ah.”

“Hm? What’s wrong, my lady?”

“Ah… Ahh…”

“Are you that excited? This birthday, His Grace put an incredible amount of effort—”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

She clutched her eyes and toppled out of her wheelchair.

It was a scream unlike the ones she let out during her pain fits—this one chilled me to the bone.

Even at her worst, Arlot had always tried to stifle her voice.

But now she was screaming from the bottom of her lungs.

Not since the day her legs became paralyzed had I heard her scream like this.

Realizing that sent a cold sweat down my spine.

“My lady..! Are you alright? Lady Arlot!”

Panicking, I reached out to lift her up.

Whatever was happening, the floor was no place for her—at least her bed would be better.

With that thought, I tried to help her up—

Smack!

The moment my hands touched her, she swatted them away.

I don’t know how such thin arms managed such strength, but it was a clear rejection.

She had never rejected me like that before.

Then, from beneath the blindfold, a trickle of blood began to seep from her eyes.

Was the blindfold too tight?

I hurriedly untied it.

Her eyes, exposed beneath, stared blankly upward—lifeless, unfocused, like a frozen corpse’s.

“My lady… your eyes… are they…?”

“A… ah… I can’t…”

“My lady, what’s wrong?!”

“I… can’t see…”

My heart sank like a stone.

I dropped to my knees, bringing my face level with hers.

But she ignored me, frantically rubbing at her bloodied eyes with shaking hands.

Her pupils remained fixed and unfocused, staring straight ahead.

…So this was the day she went blind.

In the original story, she entered the academy already blind and paralyzed.

She’d lost her legs three years ago—so it wasn’t odd that her vision would fail now.

But of all days, why today? On her fifteenth birthday?

Was this some kind of cosmic cruelty?

I rechecked the blindfold, just in case—but there were no signs of poison or enchantment.

Which meant her blindness… had simply been coincidence.

If there really was a god in this world…

I wanted to scream at them: Why? Why do this?

“Sch-Schmitz, are you there? You’re… in front of me, right?”

I wanted to run outside and call for someone.

But I couldn’t leave her—not with her arms flailing blindly in terror.

I grabbed her hands and guided them to my face.

“Yes, my lady. I’m right here.”

“It’s really you? My head hurts so much… I can’t see anything…”

“I’ll summon a physician right away…! So please—”

“No!”

She cut me off with a sharp cry, violently shaking her head.

I’d never seen her like this before.

Rationally, I should go get help. But…

“Don’t leave me… I’m so scared…”

“But, my lady—your eyes are bleeding—”

“No… please, I’m begging you… don’t go…”

“…”

After a moment of hesitation, I gently embraced her.

She wrapped her trembling arms around my neck, clinging as if she’d never let go.

Her body, pressed against mine, sucked away my warmth like ice.

Was this what it felt like to hold a block of frozen sorrow?

I laid her gently onto the bed.

Blood from her eyes quickly soaked the pillow.

Normally, blood would have at least some warmth.

But hers—

…It’s cold.

Not just the blood.

The little arms wrapped around my neck.

The shallow, tear-filled breaths she let out.

All of it was bitterly, unbearably cold.

What was I even waiting for?

In the game, she had already been blind and paralyzed.

Was I just passively waiting for her illness to take her down the same path here?

Was this what I had reincarnated to witness?

“Ugh… Schmitz… I can’t see…”

“It’s all right. I’m here.”

“Uuuuh…”

I waited in silence as her sobs slowly quieted.

Even after all her screaming, not a single servant had entered the room.

They must’ve gathered all the staff elsewhere for the surprise—so it made sense.

If Arlot didn’t show up soon, someone at the banquet would realize something was wrong and come.

Until then… I just needed to stay by her side.

Being left alone in total darkness must be the most terrifying thing in the world.

Rustle.

“…My lady?”

Still in our tangled embrace, her right hand began to move.

It slid across my body, searching.

At first, I thought she was just blindly reaching out, unable to see.

But I was wrong.

Her fingers weren’t searching aimlessly—they were looking for something specific.

The dagger strapped to my waist.

Clink!

“W-What?!”

“Let go!”

Before I could stop her, she had pressed the blade to her own neck.

Despite her frailty, she moved with desperation—and I reacted too slowly.

Only just before the blade could pierce her throat did I manage to stop her hand.

A bead of blood welled up from where the blade had grazed her.

My eyes went wide. My whole body froze.

A second later, and…

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

A noble daughter and her servant, tangled together on a blood-stained bed.

And the servant—me—holding a dagger aimed at her throat.

Anyone who saw this would assume the worst.

I opened my mouth to speak—to calm her—but it wasn’t easy.

“W-What… what are you doing, my lady?!”

“…”

“Answer me! Please, Arlot, stop this!”

“…Kill me.”

Her voice was calm. The words were not.

In that instant, I saw her face clearly.

Her sickly, hollow cheeks.

Her expression—so desperate, so crushed, so utterly lacking in dignity.

From her bloodstained eyes flowed silent tears.

“Haven’t I had enough…? I can’t walk. I can’t see. I don’t want this life anymore…”

“Arlot…”

“You’re the only one I can ask… Please—”

“……”

“Kill me… We’re… we’re friends, right?”

Friends.

Her words triggered a memory from when we were eight.

[Let’s only say this when it’s just the two of us, okay? It’s a secret from everyone else.]

[Y-Yeah! We’re totally friends, right?]

…This isn’t how I wanted to remember that.

I had hoped this birthday would bring back the old Arlot.

Hoped we could become close friends again.

But this?

Being asked to kill her as her friend?

“Please… I’m begging you… please… Sch-Schmitz…”

“.........”

The dagger slipped from her trembling hands.

She must’ve used up the last of her strength.

Now, with both hands, she wiped at her blood-soaked eyes.

Her tear-streaked face, mottled with blood, radiated a suffering I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

I couldn’t bear to look at her anymore—I shut my eyes tight.

Would she truly find peace in death…?

My thoughts tangled like a knotted thread.

I wanted Arlot and Evan’s pure ending from the game.

But wasn’t that selfish of me, toward the real Arlot who had suffered so much?

She had endured fifteen years of agony—could I really ask her to endure five more?

If death could bring her peace… should I release her from this life?

Rustle.

With her crying like a child, I reached for the dagger.

Its design was simple, but it's blade sharp.

Sharp enough to pierce the carotid artery of a patient frail from disease.

My hand trembled violently.

Maybe because of the cold her body had passed to me.

Maybe because I was terrified.

It was time to decide.

To grant her request…

Or to hold out hope for her future.

But the decision was taken from me.

BAM!

“What do you think you’re doing, Schmitz.”

A hulking figure burst through the door, half-shattering it.

His white hair bristled with power, his massive muscles twitching beneath his clothes.

The Duke of the North—Eral de Lochni, Arlot’s father—glared at me with the fury of a man ready to tear me apart.

The unthinkable had happened.

He had arrived to see his daughter entangled with her servant—who held a dagger—on a blood-soaked bed.

From his perspective, it was enough to make anyone lose their mind.

“If you don’t offer a proper explanation… you will face the consequences.”

The moment he finished, a chill ran down my spine—and all my senses screamed in alarm.