🔊 TTS Settings
Episode 8
The young master leaned back fully into the soft sofa and started reading his book.
Listening to the pages flutter softly, I suddenly felt like yawning.
No matter how much he told me to sit, I couldn’t fall asleep.
I was forcing my eyes open when he glanced at me and spoke in a strangely gentle tone.
“If you’re bored, read a book or something.”
“A… a book?”
“Don’t like books?”
“No, I like them. Then I’ll go get one I can read.”
Not wanting to ignore his thoughtfulness, I went to the bookshelf, picked a book that wasn’t too thick, and sat back down on the sofa.
Seeing that I had a book, the young master went back to his reading.
I quietly turned the pages, careful not to bother him.
Shhk— shhk.
The soft sound of paper turning echoed lightly through the quiet room.
I’d never imagined a life where I could sit on a soft sofa and read so calmly.
Becoming a maid at the Hamilton household really felt like a blessing.
I was turning pages at a relaxed pace, lost in thought, when the young master suddenly turned his head sharply.
“Are you reading?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“You’re lying.”
“What do you mean by lying? I’ve already read this much.”
I waved the pages I’d turned so far. He looked at me like I was ridiculous.
“Do you normally read books upside down?”
“Huh— it was upside down?”
Caught red-handed, I laughed awkwardly.
“Hehe… you caught me.”
I thought my acting was perfect. Who knew the book was upside down?
I decided to be honest.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t go to the academy, so… I can’t read.”
I said it in a tiny, embarrassed voice. The young master tilted his head and asked,
“Then how did you read that fairy tale with the cursed prince?”
“I didn’t read it. The lady next door read it out loud to me. I just looked at the pictures.”
He scowled.
“Then why pretend to read?”
“Because you told me to.”
“I’m your maid, so I should listen to you.”
When I repeated what he’d said earlier, his lips twitched.
The tension in his eyes softened, and his chubby cheeks lifted slightly.
“Yeah. You know that well.”
His tone was still gruff, but there was happiness he couldn’t hide.
Thank goodness. He must’ve liked my answer.
He cleared his throat and asked,
“But you don’t have to force yourself to do things just because I tell you. If you can’t do something, just say so.”
“Yes, Young Master. I will next time.”
“Good. And from now on, I’ll teach you how to read.”
The unexpected offer made my eyes go wide.
“What? You will?”
“You don’t want to?”
“No! I want to! I really, really want to!”
I nodded again and again, afraid he might change his mind.
I’d always wanted to learn how to read properly someday.
Not being able to read was embarrassing—and inconvenient.
But I’d never had the time or money to even dream about it.
So the fact that the young master himself would teach me made me truly happy.
“Since we’re already talking about it, should I start now?”
“Is that okay? It looks like you haven’t finished your book yet…”
“I can read it later.”
With a faint smile, he went to the desk and brought back paper and a pen.
“I’ll start with the basics, so watch carefully.”
Letter by letter, he neatly wrote on the paper, looking unusually pleased.
As I stared seriously at the black letters appearing on the white page, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘If he’s in a good mood… maybe he’ll let me open the curtains?’
I asked carefully,
“Young Master, it’s a bit dark to see well. Would it be okay to open the curtains?”
“What? Just turn the lights up.”
Ah… not easy.
But I didn’t panic. I played along smoothly.
“I’m not used to this kind of lighting. And I always dreamed of learning to read by a window with warm sunlight. If you allow it, I feel like I could finally make that dream come true… would that be okay?”
I clasped my hands and looked at him with pleading eyes.
He flinched.
“W-what kind of dream is that? It’s so small… Fine. I’ll allow it. Just this once.”
Yes!
I cheered silently inside.
Now, sunlight could finally fill this room every day!
“Thank you so much, Young Master!”
I ran over and pulled the curtains open. Bright sunlight poured in, making my eyes sting.
The moment Ricardo finished speaking, Mary ran over and pulled the curtains open.
Standing against the flood of sunlight, she smiled brightly.
“Look, Young Master. The sky is so clear today.”
Mary squinted, laughing as she complained that the sunlight was too bright.
Unfortunately, the blue sky and the light pouring in through the window didn’t register in Ricardo’s eyes at all.
His gaze was fixed entirely on Mary.
Her wheat-colored hair looked as soft as freshly spun thread.
Her golden eyes sparkled brighter than jewels.
Tiny freckles dotted her soft, pale cheeks like little stars.
“Yeah… it really is bright.”
Half-dazed by her smile—brighter than the sun itself—Ricardo murmured without even realizing what he was saying.
He almost said it.
Mary, you’re brighter and warmer than sunlight.
His face felt hot. The back of his neck burned, and his head felt fuzzy.
It had to be because the sunlight was too strong.
The room that was always dark was suddenly filled with light—so hot that his face must’ve heated up too.
That had to be it.
After that day, I learned how to read from the young master every afternoon.
Thanks to that, I didn’t have to keep going back and forth to my room.
And he reduced the number of times he rang the bell—just a little.
Of course, sometimes he still rang it at the exact moment I tried to leave, just to tease me.
But I decided to endure it as a cute prank from a child.
While we were studying every day like that, the young master asked,
“Why didn’t you go to the academy? These days, even commoners learn basic things there.”
He was right.
In the past, commoners barely had access to education.
But after the imperial laws changed, many public academies opened for commoners.
Even small villages had teachers sent to them.
My hometown, Millerton, had a small academy too.
“You didn’t want to go?”
He asked again.
I quickly shook my head.
“No. I really wanted to.”
Most village kids went to the academy. I envied them.
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Well…”
I laughed awkwardly and answered honestly.
“We didn’t have money.”
“But academies for commoners are free.”
“You don’t pay tuition, but you still have to buy books and pens.”
He looked like he didn’t understand what the problem was.
Of course, he wouldn’t. He didn’t know how expensive books and pens were for poor commoners.
“And if I went to the academy, I wouldn’t have time to work.”
“…How old were you when you started working?”
“Hmm… maybe seven? I cleaned tables and washed dishes at a restaurant. When I got a bit older, I sewed and took care of the kids.”
As I listed the things I’d done, he asked in shock,
“Do all commoners start working that early?”
“No, not really. These days, most kids go to the academy until they’re about ten. I just started working earlier than most.”
“Why?”
This time, I hesitated.
I wasn’t ashamed—but my throat tightened.
It’s okay. I didn’t do anything wrong.’
I took a deep breath and smiled.
“My parents passed away.”
My voice trembled.
It wasn’t supposed to be sad. It really wasn’t.
But my heart started pounding, and my throat burned.
For some reason, memories of my past began flooding back into my mind.
