The Attendant in the Horror Game C33

Chapter 33

Ian had been cold and distant since the previous evening, but perhaps he had thawed a little. A child’s heart was impossible to predict.

He was breathing hard from rushing after Jade, yet stubbornly looking elsewhere with an air of haughty indifference. He must have rushed out so quickly he didn’t even dress properly—his coat buttons were fastened in the wrong order.

“You’ll be cold like this.”

Setting the sack down, Jade crouched and unfastened each button one by one, redoing them neatly in the correct order. As he bent forward, his hair brushed against Ian’s forehead. Soft strands slid across Ian’s skin, carrying with them the cool scent of the forest.

“S-stop…!”

Ian instinctively tried to step back, but the coat tugged him in place. He swatted reflexively at Jade’s hand, yet Jade didn’t seem to notice, fully absorbed in buttoning the coat.

“S-stop—”

“I said it’s cold.”

Only after securing every button did Jade straighten. Ian, cheeks tinged red, brushed the spot on his forehead where Jade’s hair had touched.

His forehead tingled faintly. Jade always carried a refreshing scent. At first it reminded Ian of the forest, and then—somehow—of the sea. Warm, yet crisp.

Ian had never seen the sea before. The only ocean he knew was from an illustration Jade had shown him in a fairy tale.

When Ian had admitted he’d never seen the sea, Jade described it to him—the calm that turned suddenly wild with crashing waves, the sunlight that glimmered on the surface, and the dangerous depth beneath its beauty.

Jade said he loved the sea. Said he used to see it often.

The sea lay far to the south, worlds away from the capital. Since Jade had claimed to be from the capital, Ian had found the statement strange—but didn’t voice it. Instead, he listened as Jade spoke, and thought Jade himself resembled the sea. Beautiful like sunlit waves, yet so deep one could drown in him.

“Let’s head in. Tonight’s menu is baked potatoes.”

“……”

Jade pointed ahead and walked. Ian rubbed the round top button of his coat. It was warm from Jade’s touch.

He caught a glimpse of Jade’s reddened hand—right where Ian had struck him earlier. Ian’s brows knitted faintly.

“This forest has such a pretty name, don’t you think? Elrovan. Sounds like something magical could happen.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Ian replied flatly. He had come to this forest several times alone to find food, but never once had he thought about its name. Jade really was an odd servant.

I shouldn’t have come.

He had resolved to avoid Jade. He had, in fact, kept his distance since yesterday.

But once Jade left the villa saying he was going to gather firewood, the empty house felt suffocating. The moment the door closed, all the small daily noises vanished, and the silence pressed in. It felt like being left alone in an endless snowfield. And Ian—somewhere along the way—had become unable to tolerate that feeling.

Before Jade came, Ian had lived alone in the villa for over half a year—nine months, to be exact. He had always been alone at the main estate as well. Solitude was familiar, sometimes even preferable. Others rarely intruded into Ian’s space anyway.

But now, every time Jade left the villa, Ian felt that strange discomfort again. Unwanted. Restless. And so, when Jade left today, Ian had run out after him. He’d been so rushed he hadn’t even put on socks. His coat buttons were wrong. He’d shoved his bare feet into boots and dashed out like a fool.

But watching Jade walk farther away had driven him into a panic. Even though Ian was the one who had decided he should keep his distance.

“Hurry up, or you’ll get lost!”

Jade turned and beckoned cheerfully, waving his hand. Ian’s small bare feet wriggled inside the boots as he quickened his pace. The deeper they went, the louder the crunch of untouched snow beneath them.

“This forest feels too quiet. Not scary anymore since I come here so often, though.”

Walking side by side, Jade tried to make small talk. Ian barely replied with one word for every five Jade spoke, but Jade didn’t seem bothered.

Ian found this part of Jade strange. Everything about him was open and unreserved.

“It’s scary deeper in.”

“Oh? You’ve gone deep inside before?”

“…Yes.”

He had no choice if he wanted to find food. Alone, Ian had explored every corner of the forest in order to survive.

Which made Jade even more curious. The forest was full of poisonous mushrooms, yet Jade somehow always found edible ones—despite claiming he’d never gone deep.

“Let’s stop here.”

Jade set down the sack and took out the hand-axe. Ian sat on a tree stump nearby.

Elrovan was an ancient northern forest, its tall trees leaving little room for young saplings to grow.

Jade approached a fallen tree. Thick, but dried out—perfect for firewood. He had learned after struggling with wet branches his first week there.

“Let’s test the axe.”

“…Can you cut that with it?”

“Should be fine. Probably?”

Grinning confidently, Jade aimed at the trunk’s thickest part. Thud—the dull impact ran from the axe blade through his palms and up his arms.

“…Haha. Maybe it’s too thick to carry back?”

“……”

Compromising with reality, Jade turned to the branches instead. A few swings and a branch snapped cleanly.

Repeating the process several times left sweat beading on his forehead, but wood chips flew with each strike.

Jade wiped his face and began stuffing the cut branches into the sack. Ian watched him quietly, propping his chin on one knee.

“Is it that fascinating?”

“Not really…”

Despite the answer, Ian didn’t take his eyes off him. Sometimes he even mimicked Jade’s movements with his hands.

Smothering a laugh, Jade kept chopping. He soon picked out a thinner branch and held the axe out to Ian.

“Want to try?”

“…I’ll try.”

Surprisingly, Ian accepted readily. He stepped off the stump and held out his hand for the axe.

Jade placed the small branch on the stump.

“Try practicing on this first. You might get hurt if you start with the real thing.”

“……”

But Ian ignored him entirely and walked to the main trunk. Then he swung at one of the thick branches.

“Ian, that one’s too thick—!”

Crack.

After only two or three strikes, the thick branch snapped.

“…Huh.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ian shrugged while holding the heavy firewood with ease.

Jade was astonished. He had thought Ian’s small arms could barely hold the axe—yet he had chopped through a thick branch with that frail-looking body.

Ian moved to strike a second branch. But his form was awful—if he kept that up, he would strain a muscle or damage a joint.

“You should hold it higher. Here, let me help.”

Standing behind him, Jade gently placed his hands over Ian’s, adjusting his grip and stance. With their hands aligned, Jade helped him raise the axe—and then brought it down. Thud—the branch split in one go.

“You can do it, right?”

“……”

Jade stepped away and packed the cut wood. Ian, still holding the axe, stared dazedly at the ground.

“Ian?”

Worried, Jade called out. Ian slowly turned toward him. His pale face had flushed red—whether from the cold or something else—and his expression had gone stiff.

“Are you very cold? Want to head back first?”

Ian only shook his head. He looked down at the axe and at Jade’s hand gripping it earlier.

Maybe he disliked Jade touching him to correct his form. Ian had been avoiding him lately—so it was possible.

But contrary to Jade’s expectations, Ian suddenly lifted his small hands again.

“I forgot where to hold.”

“…Pardon? Ah, a bit higher, like before—”

“…I can’t do it.”

Ian extended the axe again, clearly asking him to teach him once more. So he wasn’t upset.

“You said it was easy earlier…”

“It’s difficult.”

His voice was barely audible. Despite chopping a thick branch on his own earlier, his grip was clumsy now—worse than before Jade corrected his stance. It must have been beginner’s luck.

“Alright. No harm in learning properly.”

Jade stood behind him again and held the handle together with him. Ian’s neck had turned red as the cold settled in.

Though it was spring, the air was cold enough to see their breaths. Jade resolved to give Ian a scarf once they returned, and resumed chopping. The wood they cut together piled up neatly at their feet.