The one who grabbed the back of the Young Master’s neck and made him faint on the first day.
I smiled brightly while answering in my head. As the child of a merchant family, I was very sociable and had a good business smile.
As I smiled, the maids who were watching me in the hallway burst into laughter. Since then, I felt a strange gaze on me wherever I went.
‘Everyone lives in the same place.’
Even for a Great Duke family, it seems that rumors spread quickly overnight.
I walked down the hallway with curiosity and frustration. Even the servants had a great hallway in the Denkart mansion, which was as antique as its long history.
He was filthy and disrespectful, but I finally understood. ‘Yeah, if you live like this, you can afford such a filthy expensive drug—!’ I thought.
Looking around, I headed to the hall dedicated to the servants, then someone called me.
“Hey, Rovel!”
I quickly ran towards him and smiled brightly as I looked up at the servant with his arms around my shoulders.
“Good morning, Rimson Hyung.” (형 (Hyung) : Means older brother. He uses Hyung since she is disguised as a boy. Girl -> older brother (Oppa.) Boy -> older brother (Hyung))
“Yeah, what a good morning. You’re here already? Everyone was surprised because you were more diligent than you looked.”
This young man named Crimson is a newcomer who came with me yesterday. However, he was a strong man who seemed to be much better suited for mercenaries than this job.
In fact, he seemed to have come because of a high salary after doing such rough work, but he tried to take care of me in particular.
He stared at me with pitiful but worried eyes, saying that he had left behind a weak and silly younger brother like me in his hometown.
Still, he looks quite proud today.
‘Did you hear anything about yesterday?’
But my guess was wrong.
“Kid, you were the first to leave the room. What is this? Have you finished bathing already?”
“I’m pretty diligent.”
—Actually, I’m a lazy person who can’t be saved.
Still, in order not to be caught being a woman, I had to be this diligent.
If I’m caught, I might have to face the guillotine right away for offending the Duke’s family. I was worried for a moment, but the freshness was greater.
I returned and walked tiredly on both legs, but this was the first time I walked so healthily.
‘I think my body was properly healed yesterday.’
My condition was at its best.
When I hummed, Rimson, who had been walking side by side with me and watching me, quietly opened his mouth.
“E—Ehem. I heard from Matt yesterday.”
‘As expected, this Oppa— No, this Hyung heard it too.’
I corrected the title myself. I have to make a conscious and outward effort to continue calling him Hyung.
That way, I won’t make any mistakes at any time.
Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone doubting my gender or whether my acting worked, but I carefully lowered my voice to ensure that I was aware of my surroundings.
“But if it’s like that— don’t you usually just leave the room? Why did you go out to the terrace? Without fear.”
I smiled lightly as if not to worry, but he said with a heavy look.
“Phew. What if you really get punished? No matter how generous the Duchess here is, do you think nobles are too fickle?”
“But I’m the servant of the Young Master.”
“….!”
“All of the other Hyung leave as soon as the Young Master gives the order, but if I go over there, who will look after him? The Young Master said that he doesn’t even need to pull the string. Didn’t the butler also say to hang on if possible?”
I said with a big smile, “Even if I get punished, I have to do my duties.”
It meant that even if I was punished, I should take care of everything I needed. Now that I’ve come this far, I’ll pull out the mulberry leaves properly.
But I was too immersed in my purpose and couldn’t see it. Crimson Hyung’s startled eyes towards me—.
*****
“Young Master, please wake up. It’s already past your time to wake up.”
Despite the begging of the servants, the master didn’t show even a single hair. I was troubled because I envied the pile of blankets rising like his body shape.
‘Still, if I want to stay together for more than a year without being kicked out, we have to become close— but how do I earn the trust of Edric, the boy who hates people so much?’
No idea came to mind.
Edric himself didn’t want to live. There was no way that a child who hated himself would like someone else.
Even if I tried to give a present, there’d be no suitable gift because he doesn’t have anything he desires—.
‘For now— Shall we start a light conversation without being greedy?’
I threw the bait at the blanket, which was as quiet as death.
“Young Master Edrick, did you know?”
“—What?”
As expected, is he still curious because he is still a child?
As I waited for my answer to come back, he took the bait. He still didn’t come out like a blanket mole. Someone pulled my sleeve in urgency just then
When I turned my head, I saw the servants standing in a line.
They shook their heads quickly, saying, ‘Stop, stop, stop!’
‘Don’t worry.’
After answering confidently with the shape of my mouth, I put my eyes on the blanket again.
And give him the most polite greetings.
“It’s raining outside today.”
It was something that always appeared in English listening tests.
“—What does that have to do with me?”
“I’m just saying.”
It’s an easy success.
‘I can’t believe I got an answer twice.’
I smiled happily.
I didn’t really want a bigger reaction, so I ended the conversation there.
‘I can’t be greedy from the beginning.’
Then, while he was lying down, he quickly pulled down the blanket and looked at me.
“Are you kidding me now?”
The moment I tried to answer no, my nostrils widened.
‘Ouch!’
In fact, when I entered this room today, I was disappointed. This is because the air was a little less refreshing than yesterday.
But I guess it was because of the blanket. The blanket is blocking the Young Master’s breath. As the Young Master lowered the blanket, the air quickly cleared again.
My mood improved rapidly, and I asked him brightly, who was about to utter harsh words, “I’ll open the window, so would you like to hear the sound of the rain?”
“—Servant.”
There was no response. Then, in anger, he jumped up and leaned his back against the head of the bed.
The air became even fresher.
“Are you ignoring me?”
I asked seriously as if disregarding his words, hiding my pounding heart, “Young Master. I’m sorry, but did you call me by any chance?”
“Yeah, you! You, who else would it be!”
“I apologize. I didn’t understand because there are more than one servants in this room, including myself.”
The moment he moved his lips slightly, I struck the master with my words.
“But! It won’t happen again from now on. I’m Rovel. If you call me Rovel in the future, I will serve you more quickly!”
“….”
I finished introducing myself.
The Young Master, who had been absent-minded for a while, raised his eyebrows again as if he couldn’t even speak because he was amazed.
Then the voices of knocks and the elderly servant were heard.
“Young Master— I’ll bring the breakfast.”
“I don’t need it.”
‘Huh. You haven’t eaten yet at this time?’
I was told in advance that he would skip meals often, but I didn’t expect it this morning.
The other servants glanced at each other as if it was familiar, and then opened the door.
Soon after, food covered with a glass dome came into the three-tier serving cart.
‘—It looks delicious.’
Even though I had breakfast, I drooled at the smell. However, the Young Master went back into the blanket.
But his hand with a silk blanket caught my eye.
‘—It’d be really bad if I left it like that.’
It was the first day yesterday, so I couldn’t see it because I was too busy. However it was clear that it was dangerously dry so that his bones were completely exposed.
Well, he was still young, but he didn’t have any baby fat on his cheeks, and his eyes were already deep and sunken.
They tried to persuade him as if the other servants were thinking the same way I was.
“Young master— it’s dangerous if you skip more. Madam is also very concerned.”
“Take it away.”
“Young Master—”
“Don’t you understand me? I don’t want to eat it!”
A stubborn master and restless servants.
And in the meantime, I—.
I rolled my eyes for a while and spoke in a determined tone.
“Young master. I think I have a way.”
“….”
His silence seemed to say, ‘I’m not going to be fooled twice.’
But I’m not giving up here.
“If you don’t like being alone, how about eating with me?”
“I hate that more.”
As expected, arrogant.
—But why was the answer so fast?
As I pondered the strange feeling of defeat, I heard unexpected words from inside the blanket.
“Who knows if the great Duchess would have poisoned it?”
I sighed.
No matter how much you live today, this is not the case. What if the Duke’s son said something like this in front of an employee—.
Just as expected.
The servants could not hide their bewildered expressions. I sighed at his carelessness, but inwardly understood.
‘—In a word, this is a lifelong resentment of someone who killed his mother.’
Edrick’s mother died from the poison of the Duchess, and Edrick, who was with her at home, the location of the crime, is aware of the fact.
But no matter how much he talks here, no one will believe him.
The Duchess is a double character who is respected by many for her good and generous character.
The longer the silence, the more dense the ice-like atmosphere filled the room.
So I came out again.
“Uhm, Young Master. I definitely have a way this time.”
The servants stared at me with surprised eyes, and the Young Master’s blanket flinched finely.
I said proudly to everyone, stretching my shoulders tightly.
“Then I’ll try eating it.”
Here we go.
I stood in front of the cart right away.
There were already a few spoons because he often throws them. I took it from the glass dome and slowly filled it with food.
As soon as I put them all together, my eyes met the Young Master leaning on the head of the bed.
I looked straight into his bewildered gaze and ate a large spoonful of food with a spoon.
There was no poison at this time anyway, so I was confident that it would be okay.
But—
—What is this? It was so delicious.
The breakfast I had with Rimson Hyung was also great, but this was out of this world.
Spooning naturally became faster.
When I came to my senses, I was scratching the empty plate with only sauce left.
The servant next to me who I couldn’t see said, ‘Stop it. You’ll break it,’ and whispered to me.
It was a little embarrassing, but I still didn’t forget my mission.
I picked up a luxurious plate exclusively for the Young Master and put the food in one by one.
Then I went up to bed and knelt right in front of Edrick’s nose. As I got closer, the air became softer and richer—.
‘This is healing—’
Hiding my joy, I offered him a spoonful with a serious expression on my face.
“Now, say ‘Aa’.”
“….”
“Of course, I believe in Young Masters. He is never a cruel, mean, and ungrateful person who makes the tearful efforts of the servants in vain. Isn’t it?”
“….”
With his eyes closed, he slowly opened his mouth.
It was a face that said, ‘Yes. I lost.’
“Here comes the soup. Swoosh!~”
“—If you talk more, I’ll just drop it on your face.”
I failed.
This must be eaten by younger children.
I put the spoon, which was moving like an airplane, upright, and placed it in front of his lips.
The Young Master came out with an uneasy face, looked at the spoon alternately, and later declared surrender with his mouth open.
“….!”
Soon, his eyes grew bigger.
It was the first time that his withering dark green eyes sparkled.
What do you think? Isn’t it so delicious?
When I asked with a frown in one eye, he turned his head with an angry expression. It seems like he didn’t want to admit it even if he was dead.
The lower lip, which had suffered from being bitten hardly, was also dyed red. It’s kind of cute.
Then should I stop making fun of him and get out of here?
“We’ll wait outside until you finish eating.”
“….!”
He looked surprised as if he had heard something that would never come out of my mouth.
Of course, I’d rather be with him. That’s also my goal.
But don’t you think it should be as comfortable as when you eat?
This will be the first proper meal for him here.
He squeezed a plate and spoon into his terribly dry hand.