STVS 07

~Chapter 07~

When I came to my senses, I was standing in the front courtyard of the Qing Residence.

Beside me, Aso was crying at the top of her lungs.

“I’m sorry—hic—I’m so sorry. Sniff… It’s because of me… Waaah!”

Listening blankly to her sobbing, I slowly began to feel reality return.

So earlier, I had almost—

‘I nearly got stabbed, didn’t I?’

The scene from just moments ago suddenly resurfaced in my mind: the chilling blade grazing my neck, the sensation of blood trickling down.

The instant I saw the enemy’s young eyes flashing in the darkness, I’d turned and run without hesitation.

That was how I had burst out in a panic and run straight into Aso, who had been lingering nearby. The moment she noticed my wound, she had suddenly broken down in tears.

Cold sweat trickled down the bridge of my nose.

‘Wow… I almost died.’

Just as I let out a shaky breath—

“What is it? What happened?”

“Aso? Why are you crying like—oh my goodness, child!”

“Your neck—there’s blood! Blood!”

Maybe because Aso was crying so loudly, people nearby began to gather one by one.

When they realized there was blood on my neck, the commotion grew even worse. Some told us to hurry to the infirmary, others said it didn’t look too serious. Watching the crowd form in an instant, I panicked.

‘Th-this isn’t good, is it?’

Wasn’t it supposed to be a secret that I went in Aso’s place? If this gets found out, won’t I be screwed?

But by the time I sensed the danger, it was already too late.

“What is going on here?”

A superior had arrived.

“Chief Steward…!”

I turned pale and looked toward the voice.

Several people were approaching—two middle-aged men and one middle-aged woman. The man walking in front was clearly the Chief Steward, judging by his refined long robe.

As the maids and servants parted to make way, they soon arrived in front of me. The middle-aged woman beside the Chief Steward looked at the sobbing Aso and asked,

“Aso, what is the meaning of this? Why are you crying so hard?”

“Hic… Ma, Madam Ma…”

The woman addressing Aso was Madam Ma, the one in charge of all the maids.

“Well, um…”

Aso wiped her tears, trying hard to stop crying, then haltingly explained everything that had happened.

The longer Aso spoke, the quieter the surroundings became, and Madam Ma’s expression grew steadily darker.

When Aso finished, a heavy silence fell.

Breaking it, Madam Ma shouted,

“Bobo!”

At her call, a maid stepped forward. Judging by her pale, trembling appearance, she must have been Bobo.

“Is what I just heard true?”

“Well, th-that is…”

Madam Ma’s face twisted with rage.

“I’ve been indulgent with you, and now you don’t even know your place. Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“……”

“Are you higher in rank than me? Who do you think you are, ordering people around at will? You’re nothing but a maid, yet you dared overstep your authority. If this isn’t blatant disrespect toward me, then what is?”

“That’s—that’s not—”

“If you knew it wasn’t, why did you meddle and let things get this far? Do you know how many people you’ve put in an awkward position because of your arrogance? How do you plan to take responsibility for this?!”

Under Madam Ma’s relentless scolding, Bobo finally broke down, letting out a sob. Madam Ma didn’t even blink.

“You’re crying? What have you done right to deserve tears?”

So scary…

I hunched my shoulders, hoping the fire wouldn’t spread to me. Unfortunately, Bobo wasn’t the only one being reprimanded.

“And Aso.”

Madam Ma turned toward us.

“If you were subjected to something so unfair, you should have come to report it to me. How could you commit such a thoughtless act?”

“Madam…”

“It’s true that I found you cute for being upright and capable despite your young age. But this incident has deeply disappointed me. This concerns the young lady. What if something had happened to her because you entrusted the task to just anyone?”

No, the one something happened to was me…

I felt wronged, but I stayed silent. Thinking about it, her words weren’t exactly wrong.

However, the Uncle Hwang who had been watching from the side seemed to disagree.

“Well, someone got hurt, didn’t they? Calling a hardworking child ‘just anyone’ seems a bit harsh—”

Madam Ma snapped back sharply.

“Stay out of this!”

Uncle Hwang clicked his tongue and stepped back. Then he looked at me and cheekily stuck out his tongue. Seeing a man in his fifties act cute made my head spin.

Ugh, sir, please read the room…

Because of that, Madam Ma’s furious gaze shifted straight to me. So now it was my turn.

Resigned, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Not crying, are you?”

“Huh?”

I lifted my head in confusion.

Standing right in front of me was the Chief Steward. At some point, he had stepped forward from the sidelines.

“Weren’t you frightened?”

“Pardon?”

“Judging by the mark on your neck, it seems a blade grazed you. Yet you appear perfectly calm. Are you accustomed to situations like this? Have you perhaps learned martial arts?”

“W-what?”

Martial arts? What martial arts?

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Is he suspecting me?’

A chill ran down my spine. Thinking about it, it made sense. Who would risk themselves for a maid out of sheer pity?

And especially when it involved the infamous So Yeon-ri—there had to be a motive.

I did have a motive, but it wasn’t a bad one! I just wanted to get on the young lady’s good side for the future!

“N-no!”

I waved my hands frantically.

“How could someone like me ever learn martial arts? Of course I was terrified! Please ask the guards at the entrance of the So Pavilion—I ran so fast my tail was practically on fire!”

“Hm…”

“It’s just that… enough time has passed for me to calm down a bit. And I’ve been beaten before while working elsewhere, so…”

“……”

“A-anyway! It’s not that I wasn’t shocked at all. Haven’t you heard that when someone is too shocked, they can’t even cry? That’s exactly my state right now! Haha… ah, goodness… now that I think about it again, I might start crying…”

I lightly covered my face with both hands.

A suffocating silence followed.

I swallowed dryly, over and over. The Chief Steward stared at me without saying a word. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and thought desperately,

‘Should I just poke my eyes or something?’

Just as I curled my fingers—

“I see.”

‘Did it work?’

When I cautiously lifted my head, the Chief Steward suddenly reached out toward me.

“Hold out your hand for a moment.”

“Pardon?”

My hand? Why my hand?

Confused, I held it out. Suddenly, the Chief Steward grabbed my wrist.

“…?”

I could only roll my eyes in confusion. Then I flinched. A strange sensation spread through my body, as if something had entered it. My abdomen alternated between cold and hot.

Wh-what is this?

While I stood there helplessly—

Smack!

“Ugh…!”

I went tumbling backward. When I landed flat on my backside, gasps rang out around us. Only then did I realize what had happened.

The Chief Steward had struck me.

The Chief Steward hit my shoulder…!

“What—what is this—?!”

I couldn’t even protest, my mouth hanging open uselessly. But for some reason, the Chief Steward smiled brightly and continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“Indeed, it seems you truly have no martial arts training. I’ll believe your words.”

So it was a test?

“However, there are a few things I’d like to ask.”

I forced myself to stay calm and answered,

“Yes, sir.”

“What is your name?”

“My surname is Seo, and my given name is Dan.”

“Your age?”

“I am twelve this year.”

“Family?”

“I have only my mother.”

“Hobbies?”

“Counting… money?”

“Good.”

What’s good about liking money?

“I have already heard of you from the Hwang family. They say that while others run away within half a month, you’ve diligently worked for half a year. If I hadn’t heard that, I would have had you flogged and expelled. But considering the Hwang family’s face and your dedication thus far, I’ll let this slide.”

“…!”

“However, there is something you must do in return.”

I stared at him with dazed eyes. The Chief Steward was smiling now.

“You will serve the young lady.”