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Chapter 34
I shivered and rubbed my arm.
“Ugh, why does it feel so cold?”
“Why, are you cold?”
The young lady beside me asked as she sipped her tea. I scratched my head and shook it.
“Must be my imagination. The sun is shining so brightly—there’s no way it should be cold.”
At that moment, the young lady and I were in the garden.
It was the same garden I had frequented while trying to charm her relentlessly—a garden the master of the manor had made for her.
Honestly, after that, I never thought we’d come to the garden together. But she had spoken up first.
“Let’s go to the garden.”
“Huh? Go where?”
“To the garden. I’ve been curious ever since you brought the flowers. Councilor Jung also said it would be good to get some fresh air, and besides…”
“Besides?”
“…Well, you said you wanted to go for a walk with me.”
I blinked in surprise. That was true. And not just once—twice.
Once when I had forced her into conversation, and once when I was carrying flowers while trying to charm her.
At that time, I had spoken knowing she would likely refuse. But now…
“If you don’t want to…”
“No, no, no! Let’s go! Right now!”
So, the young lady and I often went for walks in the garden.
Of course, she would sit quietly in the pavilion, sipping her tea, and I would chatter beside her—but that brief, peaceful time was incredibly comforting.
Even today, as I rambled enthusiastically beside her while she sipped her tea…
“But, milady, there’s no one else in this garden, so you could take off that veil, right? And I’ve always wondered—can you even see while wearing it? I can’t see out from the outside, so how…?”
“Milady.”
A voice called from behind. It was Captain Lim, guarding the garden entrance to make sure no one entered.
“Lord So requests your presence.”
Without hesitation, the young lady answered,
“Send him away…”
“Lord So of the So Clan requests an audience with Miss So!”
We heard Lord So calling from afar. Both the young lady and I frowned.
‘Here we go again.’
So had been quiet until now. Perhaps he’d been chastised by Namgung Jeong at the inn, or maybe Namgung Jeong’s presence had drawn everyone’s attention away from him. Either way, he’d been forced to stay quiet—at least inside the So Estate. Outside, he probably drank and roamed about as usual. As long as he didn’t cause trouble inside, I didn’t care.
But now he appeared suddenly.
“I know how many offenses I, Lord So, have committed against Miss So! I realize it’s shameless to request an audience like this. But I have one final thing I wish to say, and so I have come!”
“….”
“This is the last time, Miss So. It is truly important, and once I deliver my words, I will not approach you again. I will return quietly to the So Estate. Please grant me this one chance!”
‘If it’s so important, why not tell the master instead of her?’
It was obviously nonsense, but the promise not to approach again was tempting.
Apparently, the young lady thought the same, showing a moment’s hesitation. Perhaps because of her ties to the So Estate, she eventually nodded and allowed him to enter.
I felt uneasy but reassured myself:
‘Anyway, Captain Lim and the other warriors are outside. Inside the So Estate, is he really going to do anything if he’s thinking straight?’
Soon, the slick-faced Lord So appeared.
Fortunately, he didn’t bring his usual large servant along. Seeing him alone was a relief, and I bowed slightly in greeting.
As expected, the arrogant Lord So ignored me entirely and went straight to the young lady. He clasped his hands politely and greeted her.
“It is an honor to see you again, Miss So. This is our first meeting since the unfortunate incident. How have you been?”
“….”
“You’re still wearing that restrictive veil today. Isn’t it uncomfortable? Since it’s just the two of us, you may remove it. Of course, I do not care about your appearance…”
“….”
“The garden is quaint and has its charm. Do you enjoy viewing flowers, Miss So? Perhaps next time, you could visit the So Estate to see the garden.”
“….”
“The So Estate garden gathers rare flowers from across the Central Plains. Its scenery rivals that of the imperial gardens. If you come, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it…”
“….”
Watching all this, my thoughts were:
‘Try as you might, try as you might.’
Who is our young lady?
She has the skill to dismiss nonsense, whether it’s a hundred words or a thousand.
Let’s see if he can get a single response. Even I was ignored for three straight days standing outside the door.
Ah, thinking about it makes me want to cry…
“So, what is the main point of your visit?”
“Huh?”
“You said you have something important to say, didn’t you? If it is truly for her sake, then start with that.”
“Well…”
Lord So cleared his throat and smiled good-naturedly, then slyly changed the subject.
“Since you have a guest, wouldn’t you offer a cup of tea? It would be laughable if Lord So of the So Estate were turned away without tea.”
He subtly invoked his clan’s reputation—it didn’t sit well, but it was technically true. The young lady let out a small sigh.
Perhaps thinking her sigh was consent, Lord So quickly climbed onto the pavilion. He sat before her and poured tea into a cup without asking.
“Mmm~ the aroma is wonderful. What tea is this? I, Lord So, know little about tea, but my mother enjoys it, so there’s plenty of fine tea at the So Estate…”
And his nonsense continued.
He rambled in a way that made no sense at all, sipping tea constantly.
Fearing he might pour tea directly for her, I poured a cup first to protect her.
The young lady also took a sip, calming herself, but eventually spoke up.
“It’s time for you to leave.”
“Huh? Miss So, what do you mean…?”
“From my perspective, it seems you have nothing important to say. Or perhaps, you never had anything important to begin with.”
“Miss So…”
“I believe I have been polite enough. If you have something truly important, speak to my father, not me. Now, please leave.”
“….”
“If you persist, you will be committing a breach of etiquette. Hey!”
The young lady called loudly for the warriors outside—but strangely, no answer came.
“Is there no one outside? I asked if there’s no one!”
Still, no reply.
“Why is no one answering…?”
“Khup.”
That was when Lord So started laughing.
“Khuh, hahaha!”
“Lord So?”
“Call all you want. I wonder if even a single rat would come.”
“What…?”
“I’ve put them all to sleep!”
Finally, Lord So revealed his true nature. The friendly face from earlier twisted into something vicious and terrifying.
“Drugging the underlings’ food? That’s nothing. But timing the effect took a few hours, so I had to be careful. You think I was rambling just to waste time?”
“….”
“Though Miss So nearly ruined the timing by completely ignoring me, it was thrilling in the end, wasn’t it?”
I couldn’t hold back and said,
“You’re insane…”
Lord So snapped his head toward me.
“You’re the insane one! How dare you, a mere lowly thing, interfere with your superiors? I never liked you. You’re ugly and clueless, just like a useless insect!”
“L-Lord So, please calm down…”
“Calm down? How can I calm down without teaching you your place? Fine. Now that there’s no one to help you, it’s time to show you your lesson properly…!”
“Lord So! Don’t….”
As he reached for me, the young lady rushed to stop him but stumbled.
I quickly supported her and shouted,
“Milady! Milady! What’s happening…?”
‘These bastards…’
Even the tea she drank had been poisoned!
But how…? By what means…?
