The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 5 - The Maid

It wasn’t his first time, so the reincarnation felt familiar now.

Lee Han—or as he was now known in this life, an 11-year-old boy named Lloyd—sat on a damp rock, staring blankly at the turbulent river below.

The rain had swollen the river to a fierce, roaring current.

He wondered if he threw himself in, would he disappear without a trace?

Heh.

Lloyd chuckled bitterly and scratched at his neck. Ever since his previous life, when he had been beheaded, his neck had constantly itched. And whenever the itch grew unbearable, he would hear it again.

— Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

The sound of applause from that day. Ever since he gained a second life, the sound had never stopped. It echoed in his mind, growing louder with each passing day.

"I wish it would just stop."

Lloyd muttered wearily.

Even now, the sound of that applause churned his stomach.

It reminded him of the moment of his execution.

It was the applause of the countless spectators who had gathered to watch him die.

— Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

In a world like this one, where entertainment was scarce, the most thrilling spectacle for the common folk was a public execution. They had clapped as the guillotine fell on Lee Han’s neck, as if it were the curtain call of a grand play.

\'Damn it.\'

Lloyd bit his lip.

The applause always dragged him back into the darkness.

It was as if he were back on the execution platform.

That applause was bitterly unjust. The Demon King had been regaining power. If the Demon King had returned, the first to die would have been the powerless common folk. Lee Han had sacrificed everything, even burning out his mana circuits, to stop the Demon King.

But instead, they had cheered as he was beheaded.

— Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Lloyd felt nauseous. Even after hearing it thousands, maybe tens of thousands of times, it still had the same effect. A fragile thread of sanity snapped in his mind.

\'Stop.\'

He had done everything to save them. And yet, they had cheered as he died. Lloyd shoved his fingers into his ears, desperate to block out the sound. But it was futile. It was all in his head.

— Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

— The demon from another world is dead!

The cheers echoed alongside the applause. Yes, they had rejoiced.

\'Stop...!\'

It was unbearable. Why couldn’t they have just let him die? Why did it have to be like this?

— Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

\'Stop...\'

He had made a mistake. He didn’t know what, but he was sorry. Lloyd whimpered, apologizing for something he couldn’t even identify, hoping it would end the torment.

Or maybe... maybe he should just throw himself into the river.

The rain-swollen river surged below him, deep and powerful enough to swallow a house whole. It was like a giant creature breathing.

"......."

Lloyd reached out toward the water.

It felt like someone was waiting for him there.

…Would it bring him peace if he just jumped in?

But he never got the chance.

"Are you planning to stop the river this time, young master?"

Lloyd quickly withdrew his hand.

His blurred vision cleared as he blinked, and he turned around to face the voice.

"You shouldn’t mock your master, Bella."

"Didn’t you tell me to think of you like a younger brother?"

"It was you who asked me to speak casually."

"What kind of young master uses honorifics with a maid?"

The girl in the maid’s uniform playfully grumbled.

This was Bella, the maid of the Arenberg household.

Though she was only fourteen, her demeanor and behavior were mature enough that, to someone Lloyd’s age, she would seem more like an older sister. The scent of fresh laundry that surrounded her was comforting.

"Besides, I wasn’t mocking you."

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was stating a fact. You could stop the river, couldn’t you?"

"What do you think I am, a grand mage?"

"Well, didn’t you stop a collapsing building last time? When we were visiting the village?"

"That was..."

Lloyd frowned.

That had been an accident.

While they were walking, a building suddenly began to collapse, with Bella directly in its path.

Instinctively, Lloyd had cast a spell.

Even though his mana circuits should have been destroyed in the battle with the Demon King, the magic had flowed out as naturally as ever, as if nothing had changed.

Every piece of debris had frozen in midair.

It was [Mass Telekinesis], a high-level spell, especially impressive coming from an 11-year-old. Bella had stared at the floating rubble in awe and murmured,

"You used your hidden powers to save me!"

"That’s not what happened."

"When I saw that floating debris, I knew! Ah! Our young master is destined to become a grand mage!"

"That’s not it at all."

"I resolved to serve you with all my heart, because you’re destined for greatness!"

"And before that?"

"Before that, you felt more like a little brother. I only put in half the effort."

"I hate opportunists. So just keep putting in half the effort."

"Hehe. You’re acting so shy, like a little boy."

Lloyd said nothing as Bella ruffled his hair. It wasn’t worth the effort to object, and it felt like asserting authority unnecessarily.

Besides, when he was with this somewhat naive maid, the hallucinations seemed to fade. There was a genuine kindness in her touch. At the very least, as a maid of a noble family, she knew her manners, and soon she was smoothing his hair back into place.

"Anyway, it’s dangerous to be near the river when it’s raining like this. Just the other day, a child from the lower village was carried off by a monster."

"This weather gives water monsters a perfect opportunity."

"So let’s..."

— Splash!

Before Bella could finish her sentence, a giant snake erupted from the river.

"Eeeek!"

Bella immediately hid behind Lloyd.

Sigh.

Lloyd sighed and lifted his hand.

In the distance, the giant snake’s gaping maw loomed, its fangs as large as a person, dripping with venom that scorched the ground.

It was a Class 5 or higher threat, classified as a mid-level danger on the continent.

Its weak spot was the long, thin tongue flicking out from its open mouth.

Lloyd’s mind began to calculate.

He visualized and designed the spell’s structure.

The intricate circuit of lines, messy yet beautiful, formed in his mind.

Lloyd channeled his mana through the circuit.

— Drip.

Blood trickled from Lloyd’s mouth.

His body held overwhelming potential.

But his mana circuits were damaged.

"Ugh..."

Ugh. More blood dripped from his lips as he unleashed the magic.

Slice.

The snake’s tongue was severed just inches from his face.

— Screech!

The creature fell back into the river, carried away by the current.

Lloyd wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up.

He helped Bella, who was still trembling, back to her feet.

"Go inside. I’ll be right behind you. Don’t you have to visit the neighboring village tonight?"

"Ah... yes. But what about you, young master?"

"I’m just going to watch the river for a little while longer."

"Why... why?"

Step.

The wet ground squelched beneath his feet.

"I like this river. I think I won’t be able to see it for a while, so I want to remember it."

In this world, his second life...

In his previous life, he had fought to save others until he collapsed from exhaustion, only to be executed in the end. The only things that remained from that life were the bitterness and fatigue, along with the constant hallucinations. It was clearly a case of PTSD.

He just wanted to die.

He repeated those words, countless times, letting them sink in. But Lloyd endured. Or rather, he simply kept living. Two things helped calm his mind: one was the maid, Bella, and the other was this river.

The swollen river swept everything away in its path.

Lloyd hoped that this river could wash everything away. The horrible memory of his beheading. The moments he spent with ‘them’. The decision he had made to try and change this primitive world. He wished for it all to be swept away.

Along with this damn hallucination.

And he steeled himself.

He would live like the river, going with the flow.

He wanted to suppress the flicker of vengeance that still lingered in the corner of his mind.

"You’re not going to jump into the river, are you?"

He turned to see Bella looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"What do you think I am?"

"A tired old man."

"At least call me an 11-year-old boy going through a rebellious phase."

"...No matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem right either. Maybe a boy living his 11th life."

"You do have an eye for people."

"I’m pretty good at reading people. I’ve been around long enough."

"Not bad for a 14-year-old."

Heh.

Bella, who had been walking back toward the mansion, turned around.

"You should come inside soon. Your parents are good people, you know. They’re worried about you."

Good people?

There are no good people in this world.

At least, that’s what Lloyd believed after being betrayed once.

"Bella."

"Yes?"

"Don’t trust anyone. Not even your family."

"You’re so cold, like a person made of ice."

"The world is cold."

"There you go, talking like an old man again. The Lord of Arenberg is a good man. Maybe not as cute as you, young master, but still."

Pinch.

Lloyd rubbed his cheek, bewildered after Bella pinched him.

"...What was that for?"

Bella just smiled and twirled gracefully. Her maid’s dress swirled around her like the highlight of a ball.

Winking playfully, she spoke.

"I believe in my own judgment. I’ll see you after my trip."

Lloyd watched her retreating figure, taking in the memory of her bright smile. The sky, however, was dark, as if ready to unleash another downpour at any moment.

That night, his parents sold Lloyd to a slave trader.

It was a summer marked by relentless rain.