STVS 12

~Chapter 12~

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

W–What was that? What did I just hear?

“Uh… Miss? Did I hear that right just now? You definitely told me to get out, didn’t you? Or was it ‘scram’? There’s no way our miss would calmly tell me to come in. Ah! I guess I’m still not fully recovered. Now I’m even hearing things—hallucinations and all…”

“Come in!”

At the vicious shout that rang out again, my mouth finally fell open.

The miss told me to come in.

The miss… told me to come in!

At the same time, a phrase brushed past my ears—

“Rest easy and get some proper sleep. This won’t happen again.”

It must be real.

Our miss has really changed!

“Y–Yes! Miss, I’m coming in! I’ll come in right away!”

I answered in a voice brimming with joy and grabbed the doorknob. My heart was pounding so hard that I had to take a deep breath before forcefully opening the door.

“Miss, it’s been a while since I last—!”

And then I froze.

‘W–What is this?’

What I saw was nothing like what I had imagined. Standing in the dim room was—

A sack ghost.

Not a person, but a sack ghost.

…Why is that here?

“M–Miss?”

When I asked in disbelief, the sack ghost turned around. Shockingly, a young voice came from inside the sack.

“Yes.”

“No, I mean, why—”

Why are you dressed like that?

The words Are you trying to play ghost with me? rose to the tip of my throat, but I swallowed them back. Looking more closely, I realized it wasn’t actually a sack. The miss was wearing a veil made of opaque fabric.

A veil… indoors?

What was even more absurd was that the white cloth draped all the way down to her feet, completely covering her body. Judging by how thick it looked, it didn’t seem to be just one layer.

‘Is that a sack or a human curtain?’

I was utterly dumbfounded, but I forced myself to calm down and spoke professionally.

“I was wondering why you called for me. Is there something you need? Or is it finally time for your medicine—”

“I heard you like money.”

Before I could even respond, something flew at me.

Thud.

I looked down at what had landed by my feet. It was a high-quality money pouch.

“Open it.”

As if possessed, I picked it up and carefully loosened the string. Inside was a silver ingot shaped like a horse’s hoof.

A silver ingot… a silver ingot?!

“T–This… what is this…?”

My voice trembled on its own.

What was a silver ingot? Wasn’t it worth fifty taels of silver?

With just one and a half taels, a poor commoner could survive for a year. So fifty taels meant—

Enough for a poor commoner—meaning my mother and me—to live for about fifteen years!

“That should be enough, right?”

YES!

—No, wait.

“P–Pardon? I mean—yes? No?”

“I’m telling you to take it and get lost.”

“W–What?”

My eyes widened.

“Where else would you ever get your hands on this kind of money? Frankly, considering everything you’ve done so far, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to kick you out with nothing. But for Chief Steward Di’s sake, I’ll show this much sincerity.”

“……”

“Take it and disappear while I’m still being nice. Don’t hang around in front of me anymore. Get lost. Understand?”

I couldn’t say a word. At my silence, the miss’s tone grew even sharper.

“What, is it not enough? Even when I’m handing you money you couldn’t earn in a lifetime? Are you protesting for more? Hah, they say people behave according to how they look. As ugly as your face is, your nature is just as repulsive.”

Please refrain from factual violence.

“Your father must’ve taught you that way, huh? Like father, like son. As expected of lowly trash—there’s nothing to be done. If you’re uneducated, you should at least be humble. Greedy beyond your station, courting disaster.”

I don’t have a father.

“After everything that’s happened, you still don’t get it? Did you hit your head and completely lose it? Or were you born stupid, unable to tell right from wrong? I’m giving you a chance right now—a chance to leave quietly. Yet you can’t even understand simple words. Why do you even carry that brain around?”

So I can listen to you, miss.

I was secretly impressed. I had no idea the miss could talk this much. How had someone this talkative lived in silence all this time…?

“Alright, I get it!”

Get what?

The answer came immediately. Something else dropped at my feet.

Thud.

I looked down with trembling eyes. Another high-quality money pouch, just like the first. I picked it up to check—and sure enough, there was another silver ingot inside.

‘Just how many of these does she have?’

If I hold out a bit longer, maybe another one will fly over?

But the miss mercilessly crushed my budding greed. Her voice fell like a death sentence.

“Decide now. Will you take that too and leave? Or will you be thrown out with nothing?”

I swallowed hard.

This time, I really had to choose.

‘What should I do…?’

Honestly, if I said I wasn’t tempted, I’d be lying. Two silver ingots—one hundred taels. An enormous sum.

With that kind of money, I wouldn’t have to worry for a while. No—more than that. I could wear nice clothes, eat good food, and get as much medicine for my mother as I wanted.

Anyone would be tempted by this money.

And yet—

“That’s enough.”

I spoke while swallowing a sigh.

“I don’t need this kind of money.”

“What?”

“Well, it’s not that I don’t need money at all. I do need money. But taking it like this feels… uncomfortable. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“You…!”

“Anyway, there’s no need to give me such a large sum. Even if I had this much—”

It wouldn’t really help.

What had I wanted to ask for first once I earned the miss’s trust?

A renowned physician to treat my mother. Rare medicinal herbs.

All of that was far beyond what a hundred taels could cover. Not just in money, but in other ways too. Resources like those required not only wealth, but connections and information.

And the mysterious divine physician known as the Medical Immortal—you couldn’t even catch a glimpse of them with money or ordinary connections.

‘But the So family estate might be able to.’

With the information network, connections, and wealth the So estate had built while searching all over the Central Plains to cure the sickly miss since her childhood…

“Would I even use it properly? Getting a huge sum all at once would likely just lead me to gamble it away or squander it. And I know my place—who knows what trouble I’d invite if I accepted something like this? What if I die an unjust death from a blind blade?”

Of course, I had no intention of telling the miss any of this honestly. She was desperate to get rid of me—why would she help if I told the truth?

‘I need to build trust first.’

And to do that, I had to cling stubbornly to her side—but I couldn’t think of a convincing reason.

Who would refuse two silver ingots just to stay?

Unless they had some ulterior motive…

“Then I’ll write you a draft. If you keep it on you—”

“I don’t know any martial arts. How am I supposed to carry a draft around? If I run into some alley thug, it’ll get stolen nine times out of ten.”

An ulterior motive…

“T–Then I’ll send you money little by little every month—”

“How is that any different from working here? And for how long would you send it? What if I go somewhere else?”

“That’s—!”

An ulterior motive…

“Miss, do you really want to give me money that badly? Actually, there is something I need more than money…”

“Something you need?”

When I deliberately trailed off, the human curtain shook violently. She was definitely flustered. Realizing that made my heart waver for some reason.

After hesitating for a while, the miss finally asked in a small voice,

“…What is it?”

“My need is…”

My mouth moved on its own.

“Your love.”

The curtain went rigid.

“At last, it’s time to confess my feelings. I… have been watching you all this time, miss.”

“W–What…?”

“The way you quietly listened to me from behind the door. The way you threw things at me. The way you waited briefly when I was injured. The gentle way you spoke to me for the first time…”

“……”

“All of it has been piling up in my heart, piece by piece. Before I knew it, I was only looking toward where you were. When I eat, when I go to the latrine, when I sleep—I’m always looking your way…”

“Stop…”

“And during the seven weeks I couldn’t see you, I finally realized it. I can’t live without you, miss. I can’t survive without seeing you! I—I—!”

I saw a hand shoot out from the curtain and grab a teacup nearby, but I didn’t stop. The brakes on my mouth had broken long ago.

Just as the teacup flew toward me, I shouted at the top of my lungs—

“I love you, miss—!”

Crash!

I passed out again.