QHIM chapter 35- Fake Companion

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The moment I first met Jerome flashed through my mind, causing my heart to sink.

As I stood frozen in the darkness, something soft brushed against the nape of my neck.

In a brief flash of lightning, Jerome’s face was illuminated.

“Drinking poison unknowingly is a mistake, but…”

His eyes were dark and sinister, entirely at odds with his beautiful appearance.

It was hard to believe they belonged to a living human, as they radiated a savage and murderous intensity.

‘How should I describe it? It’s like being overwhelmed by pure evil.’

Only then did I realize that even my lack of fear toward Jerome was part of his plan.

He had merely been hiding his claws all along; Jerome hadn’t changed at all.

He was still the embodiment of absolute evil.

Jerome, who had been smiling faintly at my frozen figure, continued speaking.

“Knowing it’s poison and drinking it anyway is love, Jeanne.”

As the thunder subsided, the oil lamps flickered back to life.

Jerome, now wearing his usual elegant expression, playfully scrunched his nose.

“Were you tense, thinking I might act out again?”

“…”

“No matter how reckless I am, I know better than to cause a scene in my father-in-law’s house.”

“Enough talk, just follow me.”

I sighed, feeling as if I had aged three years in an instant.

Jerome, However, was too busy smiling cheerfully to notice my relief.

I glared at him before turning away.

Jerome immediately followed, as if he had been waiting for me.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked around like a prisoner seeing the world for the first time in years.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and asked in a low voice.

“How did you do it?”

“Hmm?”

“How did you get out of the trial when you’ve killed so many priests? No matter how influential your father, the Tower Lord, is, you’re still a murderer.”

I had thought Jerome would be imprisoned for at least a few more years, but I never imagined he would be released so easily and be free to wander about.

Jerome hummed, as if deep in thought, before answering nonchalantly.

“Imagine a finely honed sword.”

“A… sword?”

“Yes, a sword so sharp it cuts through any metal, though it slices the hand of its wielder every time it’s used. Even if it’s called a cursed sword, no one would throw it away because there’s no better weapon.”

I stopped walking, feeling a strange sense of discomfort.

It seemed Jerome no longer considered himself human. I looked up at him with an indifferent expression and asked.

“Are you saying you’re that sword?”

“At least to those in power.”

“Stop beating around the bush and answer directly, Jerome. The conservative temple wouldn’t have released you for no reason. What kind of deal did you make to secure your freedom?”

The temple must have demanded something significant in exchange for releasing Jerome.

I was curious about what that was.

Jerome, who had been tilting his head in thought, finally murmured.

“A honey trap?”

“Not funny.”

“It seems you’re not very happy about my release.”

I narrowed my eyes as Jerome slowly approached.

There was something ominous in the air, as if he was about to do something reckless again.

As I stepped back, Jerome grabbed my wrist and whined, seemingly hurt.

“You said you’d come to see me if I behaved. I stayed quiet, believing that promise. Why didn’t you come to see me? I thought of you the whole time, even while enduring all kinds of torture, afraid that you might have grown tired of me…”

I let out a bitter laugh, watching Jerome skillfully evade my question.

It wasn’t the first time I noticed this, but Jerome had a way of throwing people off with sudden, unexpected remarks whenever he faced a difficult question.

If I were truly a delicate noblewoman, I would have easily fallen for his cunning wordplay.

But I wasn’t delicate, nor was I a noblewoman.

“Stop dodging the question and answer me directly…”

“Have you grown to dislike me?”

“…”

“Do you like Carlisle more?”

I couldn’t fathom why Carlisle’s name suddenly came up.

I sighed and turned my head away, only to catch sight of Jerome’s face, which had suddenly turned cold.

The abrupt shift in atmosphere left me speechless.

For a few seconds, silence hung in the air, and then Jerome grabbed my shoulders and shoved me against the wall.

As I groaned in pain from the impact, I felt a large hand slide over my abdomen.

“It’s amazing how all your organs fit inside such a narrow waist.”

“I’m going to count to three. If you don’t let go, I’ll scream.”

“It would be fascinating to cut you open just once. Can’t I? I’ll be gentle, so it won’t hurt.”

“One.”

I dug my nails into Jerome’s hand, which was gripping my shoulder.

His cold gaze didn’t waver as he muttered like a madman.

His eyes slowly turned a deep, dark red, like ink spreading in water.

“Don’t be like that. I’ll stitch you back up when I’m done. No scars, I promise.”

“Two.”

“Or just give me one of your fingers. No, wait. A fingernail or a molar would do. Even a strand of hair…”

“Jerome.”

The sacred runes on Jerome’s arm started to burn in response to his madness.

The acrid smell of burning flesh made me frown.

I suddenly remembered the grotesque transformation Jerome had undergone once before.

“Jerome!”

I quickly grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me.

The deep red in his eyes slowly faded back to a dull gray.

The sacred runes, which had turned crimson, also regained their original color.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

Jerome, who had been watching my ragged breathing, spoke in a gentle voice.

“Jeanne.”

“…”

“The more I like you, the more I want to kill you.”

Jerome pressed his large body against me, leaning into my arms.

I sighed, my arms awkwardly raised above him.

‘To feel both affection and murderous intent at the same time… Is there a worse curse than this?’

Jerome, rubbing his face against my shoulder, asked in a dejected voice.

“What should I do?”

“What do you mean?”

I tried to appear unfazed, but I was just as disturbed as he was.

It felt like living with a walking time bomb.

The only consolation was that I was good in a crisis.

Perhaps because of my archery training, I remained calm in dangerous situations.

If your bowstring wavered, your arrow would miss its mark. In the end, anxiety was powerless.

Because of that, while I remained overly calm, Jerome was visibly shaken.

Despite his immense magical power, it seemed that the idea of not being able to control himself was terrifying to him.

‘He isn’t afraid of deadly centipedes or torture, yet he’s scared of something like this?’

I lifted Jerome’s chin and met his gaze. His eyes reflected a strange sense of relief. I spoke in a calm voice.

“Then we’ll just have to find a solution, even if it takes all night.”

I called for a maid to treat Jerome’s arm. In the light, it looked even worse.

From what I could see, the sacred symbols seemed to burn into his flesh, a testament to how much the temple feared him.

As he was being treated, Jerome spoke with a composed expression.

“It’s strange. This is the first time it’s burned this badly.”

“Has this never happened before?”

“No.”

Jerome seemed like he wanted to say something more but then closed his mouth.

Just when I thought he was being annoyingly vague, Jerome, who had been staring at the wound on his arm for a long time, muttered softly.

“It’s the first time.”

✽ ✽ ✽

After Jerome’s treatment, I led him to the library, where the books were kept.

It was a place I often visited to borrow books to complete my tutor’s assignments.

For some reason, the library in the Efilia Ducal House was larger than most university libraries.

I couldn’t help but wonder who read all these books.

“The Efilia Duchy is certainly wealthy.”

Jerome, glancing around the library, finally spoke.

Since I’d never been to other noble estates, I assumed this was normal, but from Jerome’s words, it was clear this was far from ordinary.

“Is it that impressive?”

Common books aside, ancient texts are incredibly valuable, even among merchants.

Due to their old-fashioned binding, they’re difficult to maintain and are essentially luxury items for wealthy nobles.

But to have so many of these ancient texts…

As I reached up to grab a book, Jerome came up behind me, effortlessly pulling down the one I was struggling to reach.

He gently tapped the top of my head with it, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“It means you have power nearly equal to the imperial family,” he said.

“…”

“I was wondering why Luke was so anxious… Now it all makes sense.”

His words made my expression harden naturally.

In the original novel, Luke frames Jeanne to curb the excessive power of the Efilia Duchy.

If I didn’t know the future, I might have been delighted at my seemingly blessed birth.

But now, the wealth I enjoyed felt strangely ominous, as if it would eventually be the death of me.

Suppressing the uneasy feeling, I turned back to the bookshelf.

“I want to gather information about Mephisto. If he’s such a powerful great demon, surely someone must have documented something about him.”

“Are you planning to go through all these books?”

“I brought you along because I know I can’t do it alone. If we don’t find anything here, we’ll head to the royal library, where they keep even older books.”

In the past, the editor who harshly critiqued my three-year labor of love had said, “In this work, don’t just indulge in world-building for your own enjoyment; write something the readers will find engaging.”

If I had stuck to my original writing style, I would have started by meticulously establishing the world. But I didn’t want another failure.

So, following the editor’s advice, ‘The Servant Extra Hides His Power’ became a work that focused more on the characters’ emotions rather than world-building.

Mephisto, within the novel, was more of an enigmatic figure that even I, the author, didn’t fully understand.

I was too busy pushing Carlisle and Luke toward their kiss to bother explaining who Mephisto was to the readers.

But now, I had to do the legwork to find out.

Find out how to destroy Mephisto.

“I’ll search the right side, Jerome. You take the left.”

Jerome obediently headed toward the left shelf at my firm tone.

As I watched him, a thought crossed my mind.

‘But… does that guy even know how to read?’

From what I’d seen of Jerome so far, he didn’t seem like the intellectual type.

I mean, he’s the kind of guy who’d eat a live centipede; could he really be smart?

I glanced at him skeptically, then turned back to the bookshelf.

My eyes were already straining from the tiny, crawling text.

“Are you sure you brought relevant books?” I asked.

“Of course.”

Jerome confidently pulled out a chair and sat down with the books.

I checked the titles of the books he brought with a suspicious look.

One with a red spine caught my eye.

I read the title aloud, struggling to believe my eyes.

“142 Essential Positions Every Kaisar Man Must Know to Love His Wife…”

“Look, each chapter has illustrations too.”

“Don’t open it!” I snapped, quickly turning away as Jerome opened the book.

I’d never seen a book that was flesh-colored on both pages before.

My ears burned as Jerome chuckled softly.

“I’m going to read it a few dozen times and use it on our wedding night.”

“…”

“And someday, I’ll master buttoning as well…”

“Yeah, I was a fool for expecting intelligence from you. Just sit there quietly and read that.”

I cut him off and opened a book of my own.

Most of the books I’d brought were related to mythology. But the Kaisar Empire was so old that its myths were incredibly diverse.

Finding a story about Mephisto among all that history and mythology was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Are you sleepy?” Jerome asked as I stifled a yawn.

I flipped a page and answered calmly.

“A little.”

“You’re still young, so you need lots of sleep. If you’re tired, go ahead and rest. I’ll find the information.”

His choice of words was ridiculous, and I couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

Young? As if there’s a huge age difference between us.

I rubbed my sore eyelids with the back of my hand and shook my head.

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t want to get eaten while I sleep.”

After a long pause, Jerome smiled meaningfully.

“That was a double entendre.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“I live to talk to you, and now you’re telling me not to.”

Ignoring him, I turned back to the book.

Jerome looked dejected for a moment before he returned to his erotic literature.

‘But… he’s more focused than I thought. I expected him to start getting antsy after five minutes, but here he is, sitting quietly.’

From the way he elegantly turned the pages, he could almost pass for a cultured gentleman.

He even tapped his cheek thoughtfully with his fingers as if deep in contemplation, like a scene from a famous painting.

If only the book he was reading wasn’t erotic literature.

“Hey, Jeanne, aren’t you forgetting something?” Jerome said suddenly.

“What?”

“My mind-control spell.”

My hand froze on the page, and I slowly looked up. Jerome, propping his chin on his hand, continued.

“Don’t be shy. It’s a husband’s duty to take care of his wife.”

“I never asked for that kind of duty. Don’t do it.”

I quickly shook my head, suddenly desperate.

Realizing words wouldn’t stop him, I hastily tried to cover my ears, but his soft voice, as if caressing the surface of my brain, penetrated my eardrums.

“Sleep, Jeanne.”

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