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Chapter 81
“So that means Rumi is rich?”
Uben, looking shocked, asked Idorian again. I pushed Idorian’s hand away and stood up — the noise was getting unbearable.
“Rumi hyung, are you wealthy?”
“Yes.”
Giving only a short reply, Rumi nodded. He then turned his head toward me.
I couldn’t believe Rumi was from the family that owned a department store and the Leweni Hotel. It was a surprising fact that was never mentioned in the novel, yet Rumi acted as if he’d merely confirmed having two pet dogs at home — completely unfazed.
“But either way, it’s something we agreed on, right?”
He asked with a desperate look, as if waiting for my confirmation.
“…Yes.”
I nodded, setting aside this new, astonishing information about Rumi. I almost blurted out that I wanted to live alone once we returned to the capital, but if it was something Rumi suggested, then it must be necessary for me as well.
“What?”
“Then what about me? I can’t live with you?”
Idorian and Uben reacted even more loudly than before, and I hurriedly brought a finger to my lips to silence them.
“Let’s eat first. I think everything’s cooked now.”
I quickly changed the subject.
Rumi, looking oddly triumphant, took the lead in cleaning up the table, wiping the dishes with a half-dry cloth before setting them down. Idorian and Uben both seemed to have plenty left to say, judging by their sulking expressions.
Even when Rumi busied himself dividing the roasted crops and serving us, the two continued to look disgruntled. Eventually, I spoke again.
“So then… your family name must be Asherfeld?”
Asherfeld. According to Penelope’s memories, it was a family far wealthier than most noble houses in the empire. Though she had dismissed them as vulgar merchants lucky enough to fall into riches, even she hadn’t ignored their influence. Their reputation was undeniable.
“That’s right. But hearing that name again after so long feels a little strange.”
“…I see. It’s a bit surprising.”
Hearing that made several things click — how Rumi called me by name the first time we met without hesitation, how he acted informally around Idorian as though they were equals.
‘I have parents and an older brother.’
Suddenly, I remembered what Rumi once told me. Yet according to Penelope’s memory, the family had only two sons, and the eldest had died in an accident.
But Rumi clearly said he had an older brother….
Was Penelope’s memory wrong?
“I thought his brother was a commoner, so I assumed he was like me,” Uben muttered with his mouth full.
“So that’s why he couldn’t do anything properly at first. Because he was rich.”
“…What do you mean I couldn’t do anything properly? I tried pretty hard.”
Rumi sounded genuinely offended, but Uben ignored him and moved to his next question.
“But what’s different about being rich?”
“What?”
“I mean, how do rich people live? My friend told me everything in a rich person’s house is made of gold. Is that true?”
Uben turned from Rumi to glance at me and Idorian.
“You must be as rich as Rumi, right, my lady? Is it true rich people never wear the same clothes twice?”
“…That’s exaggerated.”
Idorian shook his head as I sifted through Penelope’s memories. Though Penelope had lived surrounded by golden decorations and endless clothes…
“Just eat, Uben.”
Rumi chewed slowly, as if telling him to stop asking nonsense.
Before long, Uben and Idorian stood up first. When they were no longer paying attention to the table, Rumi quietly ate what was left on my plate.
“But Rumi,” I said, “why did you say you wanted to live together in your house once we return to the capital?”
I calmly asked about the one-sided promise from earlier. I needed to know the reason — only then could I be cautious.
“Do you not want to live with me?”
“That’s not it.”
“Penelope was planning to live alone in the duke’s mansion once she returned to the capital, right?”
He spoke of plans I had never voiced aloud.
“That’s fine, but Penelope needs someone who can update her on what’s happening outside the mansion. Someone who knows her well. Who else but me?”
“…That’s true.”
I could read the big events through newspapers or special editions, but hearing reports from Rumi — who would be beside the main characters — was something else entirely. And locking myself away in the duke’s mansion overnight would certainly raise suspicion.
“Most of all, I want to stay with Penelope in the capital.”
“…Why?”
“Anywhere else would be lonely.”
I stared at him, unsure what he meant, but he only shrugged.
“I like being by your side.”
He took another bite from my plate. I simply watched him.
Come to think of it, though we’d talked a lot, he rarely spoke of his family. I’d avoided asking because of the chaos around us — and because he seemed reluctant to discuss them at all.
There were so many things I wanted to ask.
Why he said he had a brother.
What he meant by ‘other places would be lonely.’
Why he always avoided talking about his family.
But I didn’t ask. I told myself that when the time came — when he wanted to talk — he would.
“I’d be less lonely with you around too. And it would be reassuring.”
I glanced at Uben as I said it. If I accepted Rumi, it would be awkward to reject Uben, who also wanted to live with me.
But accepting Uben as well…
“Anyway, how’s your leg, Rumi?”
“Much better than before.”
He rolled up his pant leg to show his ankle. It was still swollen, but noticeably less than when he was first injured.
“…I think you should rest here at least until today. What did you decide with His Highness?”
“I think Idorian plans to do the same. Once we’re all recovered, we’ll be able to travel much faster.”
Rumi stretched his injured ankle gently.
“I’ll probably be walking more normally by tomorrow.”
Then he suddenly added, as though something came to mind:
“But I’m not sure if the zombie corpse we buried earlier will still mask our scent.”
I sniffed the air unconsciously.
“It’s safer to conceal our scent again before leaving this house.”
I suspected other zombies had sharper senses than I did — or stronger impulses. While I only reacted to the smell of blood, they seemed ready to follow even the faint scent of humans.
I was about to explain this to him when—
“We should all just stay at the imperial palace once we reach the capital,” Idorian said.
“Yes, let’s do that,” Uben agreed, approaching us with a grumble.
“You said you’d develop a cure, didn’t you?”
“…Yes?”
“Then of course Rumi needs to participate in the research. So how could he live at the duke’s mansion?”
Idorian’s voice trembled.
“So he should stay at the palace. But since you two apparently have a promise… we figured we should all just live together at the palace.”
He shoved Uben lightly as he looked away.
“I’d like that too… if the young lady doesn’t hate me,” Uben said, looking at me with pleading eyes — impossible to refuse.
“I think if we’re together, it won’t feel so empty.”
He nudged Idorian again. They must’ve planned this before coming down.
“…Fine. We’ll talk again once we reach the capital.”
I didn’t know why they were being so persistent, but their earnest expressions made me nod in the end.
