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~Chapter 16~
I was staring blankly at the fallen flowers.
The young lady also followed my gaze to the floor, not moving an inch.
A moment of silence passed.
“…….”
“…….”
The young lady spoke first.
“Th-That’s why I told you to put them away. Why didn’t you listen and just shoved the flowers at me……”
“…….”
“From last time… last time for sure, right? I told you not to bring them. I don’t need them. I said I don’t need them! Then why do you keep bringing them? Why do you keep forcing them on me and making me annoyed!”
“…….”
“…It’s your fault. All of this is your fault. So that’s why…!”
“Milady.”
My low tone made her flinch. I raised my head and gave a bitter smile.
“Calm down. I’m fine, really.”
“…….”
“That’s right, it’s my fault. You clearly told me to put them away, but I went ahead and pushed them at you on my own. I’m sorry. You must have been flustered too, right?”
“…….”
“Still, it’s a shame. I took the time to arrange them, and now they’re dirty. I can’t even put them in a vase like this……”
After hesitating for a moment, I smiled brightly.
“Ah, it’s fine! I can just redo them and bring them again. Oh, right, you said you didn’t like it. Sorry, I won’t bring them anymore.”
“…….”
“Uh, um… should I clear the vase too? Oh, first I should clean up these scattered flowers. Your room got messy… I’ll clean up quickly and leave.”
I quickly knelt on the floor and gathered the scattered trumpet creeper flowers.
“Please wait a little. If I stay too long, you’ll get annoyed too…”
The young lady didn’t say a word. She just stood there, motionless.
After picking up all the trumpet creeper flowers, I also picked up the vase on the side table. The sweet pea flowers inside hung their heads low.
Carrying the vase, I headed straight for the door. But just before stepping out, I paused for a moment.
I muttered:
“Then please, rest, milady.”
Click.
I closed the door.
And that day, I didn’t go back to Sonangwon again.
The chief steward of the main house, Jeok Soon-chung, stared ahead, puzzled.
In front of him sat the young master.
Jeok Soon-chung was there on behalf of the master of the estate, leaving a brief message for the young master as the master returned.
“…It seems the matters outside have been mostly resolved, and they’re returning. Since the message was sent in advance, they should have arrived by now…”
“…….”
“Milady, milady?”
“Ah.”
Only then did the young master regain composure. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if nothing had happened.
“…I see.”
At that, Jeok Soon-chung frowned.
‘Something’s off.’
The young master ignoring his words wasn’t new. He usually only half-listened, replying perfunctorily even after being told it was necessary to take medicine.
But now, it was different. He looked unusually dejected, almost as if he’d lost his spirit…
‘Could it be…?’
Jeok Soon-chung spoke without realizing it.
“Did something happen with Seodan?”
“……!”
The young master flinched violently.
Jeok Soon-chung was certain.
‘As I thought.’
He had already heard what had happened at Sonangwon. There had been a quarrel inside the room, and Seodan had come out looking unusually downcast.
Of course, Jeok Soon-chung didn’t care much. He assumed Seodan had acted up as usual and got scolded by the young master.
But the one sulking now was the young master himself. He rarely looked so downcast…
‘Surely nothing serious happened?’
Just as a chill ran down his spine:
“What do you mean, ‘something happened’!”
The young master suddenly shouted.
“What special incident? It’s the same as always. That arrogant fool acted recklessly, and that’s why it happened…”
“Is that so?”
“Nothing special! Just a few flowers fell… but it’s his fault! I clearly told him to put them away, but he kept forcing them on me. He admitted his fault himself.”
“Hmm……”
“If he admitted it, that’s enough. Why make that face? That insolent fool got a little upset, and didn’t even show up in the afternoon…”
“He didn’t come in the afternoon?”
At the chief steward’s surprised tone, the young master got even more worked up.
“Yes! That idiot’s brain is completely rotten. He begged to be assigned tasks, but when I let him handle something, he tried to slack off? Even a beast would be more grateful!”
“Hmm, that’s a problem. Skipping work on his own…”
“Problem? You should be grateful he didn’t get beaten and kicked out immediately! When will I ever properly teach him…”
“I will educate him.”
“W-What?”
The chief steward said coldly:
“Listening to you, Seodan is very insolent. But he seemed diligent, so I trusted him… and he already skips work on his own. I realized that when he dared oppose you.”
“……That much.”
“You don’t need to worry about that brat. Leave it to me. I’ll whip him until he faints and properly instill discipline…”
“No, no!”
The young master spoke hastily.
“Don’t, there’s no need.”
“Excuse me? But he displeased you, I cannot leave it be…”
“I said don’t!”
Finally, the young master shouted.
“He did nothing wrong! Don’t touch him!”
“…….”
“…….”
A moment of silence passed.
The chief steward stared at the young master with wide eyes. The young master, who had been panting and flustered, realized what he had said and froze.
The chief steward smiled softly at the young master’s awkward state. With a hint of pity, he said:
“It would be better if you spoke just as you did…”
“…….”
“Milady.”
The chief steward said softly:
“Speaking honestly doesn’t mean you’ve lost.”
“…….”
“Your pride may hurt. You may feel you’ve conceded for now. But pride can also create irreparable rifts.”
“…….”
“If you don’t want that kind of relationship, it’s better to speak honestly. Some things cannot be conveyed without words.”
The young master listened quietly. The chief steward ended with a gentle smile:
“If you speak sincerely, he will surely understand. Isn’t he a good child?”
“…….”
The young master muttered after a moment of silence:
“Good? Hardly…”
Though his tone was curt, the chief steward understood. The young master was agreeing in his own way.
A little later, the chief steward left Sonangwon.
The full moon hung in the sky. The young master’s seizure cycle was approaching. Normally, this would deepen his worry, but today he felt strangely lighthearted.
The young master was changing. Someone who had seemed doomed to despair and rejection of all others was now beginning to care about human matters.
Who would have thought he could change like this? Jeok Soon-chung murmured, deeply moved:
“You’ve grown so much…”
If only his illness would heal completely.
The chief steward gazed at the sky for a while.
I was hiding behind a tree, snickering while watching Sonangwon.
The reason I was slacking off here?
‘Hehe, he must be worried, right?’
Because I had lied to the young lady.
I was sulking!
In fact, when the young lady swept the flowers away and I saw the fallen ones on the floor, the first thought that crossed my mind was:
‘Tsk, I have to pick those up.’
Of course, if asked whether I was hurt at all, the answer was no. Going to the garden every morning to tend the flowers was such a nuisance.
But has the young lady acted like this just once or twice? I’ve survived far worse chaos, and this time I was partly at fault for insisting even though she said no…
‘Let’s apologize properly.’
That should calm her down, right? —That was my thought as I opened my mouth.
“…It’s your fault. All of this is your fault!”
The young lady’s reaction was odd.
By this point, she would usually scoff and ignore me, thinking, ‘I told you nicely, didn’t I?’ But instead of ignoring me, she looked restless as if she had done something wrong.
Moreover, while pouting, she looked strangely downcast, almost like a cat with drooping ears…
“Calm down. I’m fine, really.”
In the end, I said it.
Though anyone could tell my voice didn’t actually convey ‘I’m fine.’
