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Chapter 80
By the time we arrived at the house where Idorian, Lumi, and Uben were waiting, it was a little past noon.
As soon as I stepped inside, the three who had been waiting for me stood close to the door, staring at me.
“…Why did it take so long?”
“Lady, you’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
They fired questions one after another, and I couldn’t properly answer any of them; I just gave a small smile instead.
“You brought a lot. So there was food left in the fields after all.”
Lumi took the curtain full of what I’d collected from my hands and inspected it.
“At first, I didn’t even realize it was a field because of how overgrown the weeds were. But there was a ton of crops growing inside.”
“Why did you bring so much?”
Idorian sighed, barely restraining his frustration.
“I told you, the outside is dangerous.”
At Idorian’s nagging, Lumi scowled as if this was the same old story and shook their head.
“More importantly, how was the village? I assume there were no people?” Lumi ignored Idorian and changed the subject.
“No. There was no one.”
“Well, it has been months since this all started…” Lumi’s voice lowered.
“If only the villagers had known that masking the smell keeps zombies away, things might’ve been different.”
“Right…”
The scene I had witnessed earlier in the village flashed before my eyes, and my voice sank with gloom.
“I’ll cook now. Lady, please get some rest!”
It was Uben who lightened the mood.
He examined the food I had brought, picked out a few things, and went to the stove.
Then he lit a fire. He scraped a match against a brick, and soon enough the stove burned bright.
Using a metal skewer he found from somewhere, he impaled potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, placing them over the flames.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he asked Lumi,
“Hyung, did you eat the bird meat we had at the fortress?”
“Yeah, before we left.”
“It must’ve been delicious. Was it good?”
Lumi nodded, recalling the taste.
“Tch. Lucky.”
“Want me to tell you how it tasted?” Lumi teased.
Uben’s lips pouted even more. He tried to hold back, but finally nodded—only for Idorian to cut in.
“Everyone knows what meat tastes like. Don’t tease the kid with pointless talk.”
He pulled a small stool over and placed it next to me.
“I wasn’t teasing…”
“No, Your Highness. Lumi said you shouldn’t move your arm.”
“Oh, right. Didn’t I tell you to stop lifting things like this?”
As Lumi and Uben scolded him, Idorian stepped back, flustered.
“It’s fine.”
“It is not. If you keep doing that, your arm will—”
“Alright, alright.”
Idorian backed down immediately at Uben’s warning.
I stared at him, surprised by how quickly he yielded; Idorian quickly turned his head away while Uben smirked mischievously.
“Anyway, I miss Sister Lillia and the Grand Duke. They must be worried sick, right?”
“Most likely. Lillia told us again and again to return safely.”
“At least with only the two of them there, they can eat all the meat they want.”
Uben rotated the skewers as he spoke, clearly still thinking about the bird meat he had left behind at the fortress.
“They won’t eat it. Lillia refused because she wanted all of us to eat together, and the Grand Duke said he had no interest.”
“What? But you said you ate before leaving.”
“Just me. We might not get to eat bird meat again once we’re gone, so…”
Rummaging through the corner that served as both kitchen and living room, Lumi continued,
“If I knew things would turn out like this, I would’ve eaten two pieces.”
He returned with a spice jar and sprinkled it generously.
“So they were waiting for us… Even postponing their meal…”
Uben’s voice drooped. I gently patted his back.
“We’ll see them again soon.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. We’ll join the Imperial Army, meet Lady Lillia and the Grand Duke, and head to the capital.”
I spoke confidently.
“And who knows—there might still be meat left in the capital.”
“Really?”
It felt strange—this was the first time I’d spoken about the capital with others.
“When we get there, you can have my share too.”
“Really?”
Everyone had been cautious, weighed down by uncertainty, to the point where even small promises felt risky. But once the words came out—
“Of course. The capital is safe from zombies. Life won’t be like this anymore.”
I said it to comfort Uben, yet the words comforted me more than I expected.
“And once we’re in the capital, smart people like Lumi, His Highness Idorian, and Lady Lillia will quickly make a cure.”
“Then we can see my mom again soon, right?!”
Uben looked between Lumi and Idorian, desperate for affirmation.
“……”
“…A cure. Yes. We need to reach the Imperial Army and get to the capital no matter what.”
Lumi weakly supported my words. Idorian remained silent, lips pressed tight.
“In the capital, we’ll be able to walk around freely inside the walls.”
“Like the fortress?”
“Hundreds of times bigger.”
Uben pondered for a moment, rolling the skewers, then suddenly asked,
“You and His Highness have houses in the capital, right?”
“Huh?”
“And Sister Lillia and the Grand Duke too.”
I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I nodded anyway.
“Then… once we get there, we’ll all separate? We won’t live together like now?”
“I guess so. Why? Do you want to keep living together?”
Uben nodded.
“And Lumi hyung and I don’t have houses. We won’t have anywhere to stay.”
Kids sometimes pick the strangest things to worry about—right outside, zombies lurked, yet this was what he feared.
“You can stay with whoever you want. Everyone will welcome you. What are you so worried about?”
“You really think so?”
“Of course.”
If we got to the capital, Lillia would make sure Uben had a room before he even asked. That was just who she was.
“So then…”
“I want to live with you, Lady.”
“…What?”
I stared at him; his face flushed red instantly.
“You said anyone would welcome me…”
“It’s not that I don’t want you—”
I hurried to clarify. It wasn’t the child I rejected—it was just that…
“I already promised to live with Penelope.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Both Uben and Ichor behind us reacted simultaneously—Idorian’s eyes widened too.
“It’s already decided. Too bad, Uben. You should choose someone else.”
“But… Lady’s house is big, right? If you don’t hate me, you can take me too!”
Uben pushed Lumi aside and moved closer to me.
“And I’m more useful than Lumi! Look—I’m doing all the cooking!”
“What? Fine, then I’ll turn the skewers. Happy?”
Lumi took over the skewers Uben had abandoned.
“No—Penelope, did you really promise Lumi? Live with me instead! I’ll get stronger soon!”
“Penelope. Are you seriously living with Lumi? Why?”
Idorian rushed up behind me, tapping my shoulder urgently.
“Lumi’s family has tons of houses in the capital.”
“They’re my parents’, not mine. I don’t own anything.”
“The department store in the shopping district? The hotel facing the park? Those are yours!”
Idorian began listing all the properties Lumi’s family owned—information I never knew—while shaking my shoulders as if demanding an explanation.
