STVS 06

~Chapter 06~

“Are you saying I have to serve the young lady’s medicine?”

Aso nodded gloomily. I let out a sigh.

Being told to serve the young lady’s medicine was basically the same as being told to die.

The reason was simple.

‘Soyeon-ri’s personality has to be absolutely vicious…’

When I first started working here, I was trying to figure out a way to get close to Soyeon-ri.

No matter how much I knew about her illness, it was useless if I couldn’t deliver the information. And if some random person suddenly appeared and tried to say something, it would only raise suspicion—or lead to an accident.

So I thought I’d slowly build trust. Even though I was just a lowly servant, eventually, there would naturally be an opportunity to approach her…

But then—

“Waaah!”
“My arm, my aaaarm!”
“I can’t do it! I really can’t do it!”

I… can’t get close?

The more I observed, the more absurd the situation became.

I knew Soyeon-ri had a bad temper. Even in the novel, her illness had left her worn down, making her unusually irritable and sharp-tongued.

But I hadn’t expected this level.

In reality, Soyeon-ri’s hobby seemed to be tormenting her attendants.

“How many times has this happened now?”
“I don’t know… twenty? Twenty-five?”

Whenever she got bored, she would terrorize her attendants. And not quietly—she would yell, hit, or use all sorts of abusive behavior to drive them off.

Truly, all sorts of incidents happened: slapping attendants, cursing at parents, grabbing hair, punching, kicking, biting arms…

And the cherry on top was…

“Aaah! Blood, blood…!”
“Hurry, to the pharmacy, move her to the pharmacy!”
“Someone get the steward… no, call the doctor!”

This had happened recently—one of Soyeon-ri’s attendants had been struck in the head in a fit of rage and fell into a coma.

The manor was in complete chaos.

Some carried the injured attendant on a stretcher, others sobbed nearby, someone ran for the steward, another brought the doctor, and I stood there frozen, dumbfounded.

I thought helplessly,

‘Is this really happening? Am I supposed to handle Soyeon-ri?’

Shouldn’t I just switch to a wealthy and easygoing secondary character instead?

Fortunately, the attendant didn’t die, but the incident shocked everyone. Even the braver attendants ran away at the mere mention of the young lady.

I was starting to wonder if I should give up on my chance to turn my life around—when I met Aso here.

“I argued, saying this isn’t my job, but turns out I’m the only one who hasn’t served the young lady yet. I’ve been spared because I’m young, but that’s not fair….”
“……”
“Ha, and who’s been considerate? Lady Ma! When they heard the steward said he’d double the salary, they got greedy, said they’d take over, but were actually too scared to go and tried to secretly dump it on me. You think I didn’t notice?”
“……”
“And then, threatening Lady Ma that if she tells, we won’t have an easy time working in the future… We have to deliver medicine right now…!”

Aso sniffled again, tears welling from the injustice of it all. I watched bitterly, thinking,

‘What can I do?’

Aso was pitiful, but… there was nothing I could do here.

What could a lowly servant like me do? Accompany Aso to Lady Ma? I could support Aso, but then how would I serve the young lady’s medicine right now?

Unless someone went in for me…

‘Someone…?’

I blurted out,

“Shall I go instead?”

At the entrance of the Sonaeng Residence, I stood holding a tray with the medicine, feeling dazed.

‘…Can I really do this?’

I regretted it too late; I had already spoken and come here with the medicine Aso gave me.

Why did I even say that?

‘Isn’t this an opportunity?’

I had been waiting for a chance to meet Soyeon-ri, but I had never succeeded. Partly due to her temperament…

The real problem was her quarters.

Sonaeng Residence, deep inside the manor, wasn’t a place just anyone could enter. Only the head of the house or a few permitted people could go there. Even I, who cleaned all the filth in the manor, wasn’t allowed.

And now, the opportunity had arrived?

‘It’s okay to try and then give up, right?’

Of course, my madness made Aso jump.

“You’re crazy! Have you ever served someone above you? Do you think this is a joke? One wrong move and—!”
“I’m not saying I’ll keep doing it. We just need to bring the medicine first. I’ll go first, and then we can go together to Lady Ma. We’ll tell her then, okay?”
“Still…”

Aso hesitated but ultimately accepted. Her fear of the young lady outweighed the guilt of dumping the task on me.

“Alright. Then let’s go reheat the medicine first. I’ll explain everything on the way…”

Fortunately, the task wasn’t difficult. I just had to bring the medicine and hand it to the young lady.

Normally, there were other small tasks, but now just this alone was overwhelming. The young lady refused to take the medicine herself.

“Most attendants got hurt because they forced the young lady. You just have to speak from outside. Tell her the medicine has arrived. Don’t step inside first. Don’t raise your voice. Understand?”

Aso even handed me her padded shoes so I could quietly enter and repeated her warnings.

As I put them on, I thought,

‘Do I really have to go this far?’

Seeing the stern guards at the gate, I understood in three seconds:

‘Yes, I really have to.’

With how delicate things were, even the guards couldn’t move. I swallowed hard, tried to act calm, and approached the gate, showing my pass. The guards turned their heads slowly.

One spoke:

“Is that a boy? Did you finally find a new attendant?”
“I have the pass, so I guess so.”
“Well, after last time, ordinary strength won’t cut it…”

One muttered, and the other barked,

“Don’t talk nonsense! Go on, enter.”

I wanted to ask,

‘Ordinary strength?’

They must have meant the incident when an attendant’s head was injured. If so… something worse could happen this time…

I shook my head to clear my fear, gathered every ounce of courage, and stepped over the threshold.

What I saw inside Sonaeng Residence was…

‘…Huh?’

It was desolate.

Sunlight didn’t reach the house, leaving it dark. Even the front garden’s grass was all dead.

It looked like a plague had swept through. I shivered in the eerie atmosphere.

‘This is where Soyeon-ri lives?’

Soyeon-ri, who must be cherished by the house head, why was she staying here?

Feeling strange unease, I cautiously approached the house, tiptoeing as instructed.

When I reached the door, I took a deep breath. My back was drenched in cold sweat.

I spoke:

“Young lady, I’ve brought your medicine.”

No sound came from inside.

“Young lady, I’ve brought your medicine…!”

Still nothing.

“Young lady, young lady?”

Calling several times yielded no response.

I began to feel afraid. It was already dark and ominous, and the quieter it got, the more my heart raced.

Wait… was it really quiet? I thought I heard a faint sound nearby…

Then—

—Srrrk.

Something brushed against the back of my neck.

Goosebumps erupted all over me. My mind went blank, thinking only to escape. I grabbed the door handle desperately.

“Ah, young lady, excuse me, I’ll come in for a moment!”

I pulled hard—and…

—Shhh!

“Huh?”

I blinked. A gust of wind brushed past, and warmth touched my neck.

I raised my hand and saw blood.

Blood…?

I instinctively turned back. Something was embedded in the floor at a distance.

A dagger, its steel blade gleaming…

I looked forward again.

And finally, I saw it.

Eyes flashing toward me in the still darkness.

Like a predator spotting its prey, I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

The beast slowly spoke:

“Leave.”