Chapter 34
I rubbed my goosebumped forearms.
“Ugh, why am I suddenly feeling so chilly?”
“Why? Are you cold?”
The young lady beside me asked while drinking her tea. I scratched my head and shook it.
“Must be my imagination. How could I possibly be cold when the sunlight is this nice?”
At present, the young lady and I were out in the flower garden.
It was the very same flower garden I had frequented back when I was constantly trying to win the young lady over, the flower garden that the Master of the Manor had made for her.
In fact, after that, I hadn’t even thought about going to the flower garden with the young lady. But then she was the one who brought it up first.
“Let’s go to the flower garden.”
“Huh? Where did you say we’re going?”
“The flower garden. I’ve been curious about it ever since you brought me those flowers. Physician Jeong also said it would be good for me to go outside little by little, and also…”
“Also?”
“…You said you wanted to take a walk with me.”
I blinked blankly.
Come to think of it, she was right. I definitely had said that. And not just once, but twice.
Once when I was desperately trying to strike up a conversation with her, and once when I was trying to win her over while carrying the flowers.
Back then, I had said it without thinking because I knew the young lady would refuse, but now…
“If you don’t like it, then–”
“I like it, I like it, I like it! Let’s go, let’s go right now. Right this instant!”
And so, the young lady and I began going for walks in the flower garden from time to time.
Though all the young lady did was sit quietly in the pavilion and drink tea, while I simply chattered away beside her. Even so, I couldn’t have been happier with these brief moments of peaceful tranquility.
Today as well, while I was enthusiastically spouting nonsense beside the young lady, who was sipping her tea…
“But, Miss, there’s no one else who would come to this flower garden besides you, so can’t you take off your ‘myeokri’? And I’ve been wondering about this for a while. Can you actually see through that thing? No one can see you from outside, so how do you–”
“Miss.”
A voice calling for the young lady came from behind us.
It was Brother Im, who had been standing guard at the entrance to the flower garden to keep anyone from entering.
“The Young Master of the Thunderblade Sect requests an audience.”
The young lady answered without even giving it much thought.
“Send him ba–”
“The Young Master of the Thunderblade Sect, Wang Ju-geon, requests an audience with Miss Xiao!”
The Young Master shouted from afar. Both the young lady and I furrowed our brows.
‘Here we go again?’
The Young Master had been quiet all this time.
Perhaps because he had been thoroughly beaten down by Namgung Jeong at the inn, or perhaps because Namgung Jeong’s appearance had drawn everyone’s attention toward him, he had been forced to remain relatively quiet until now.
Though, from what I could tell, he seemed to spend every day outside drinking himself senseless. As long as he didn’t cause trouble inside the Xiao Family Manor, I didn’t care.
But I hadn’t expected him to suddenly show up like this.
“The Young Master knows how terribly rude I have been to Miss Xiao all this time! I know that it is shameless of me to ask to meet you like this. However, I have something I desperately wish to tell you one last time, which is why I have come here!”
“……”
“This is truly the last time, Miss. What I have to say is extremely important. Once I tell you this, I will never approach you again and will quietly return to the Thunderblade Sect. Please give me just one chance!”
‘If it’s something important, shouldn’t he tell the Manor Master? Why does he have to tell the young lady?’
It was obviously some sort of trick, but the promise that he wouldn’t approach her again was rather tempting.
Apparently, the young lady felt the same way, because she hesitated for a moment. Perhaps because of their relationship with the Thunderblade Sect as well, she eventually nodded and allowed him inside.
I was uneasy, but I tried to reassure myself.
‘There are Brother Im and the other martial guards outside anyway, and we’re inside the Xiao Family Manor. Surely he wouldn’t cause trouble if he has even the slightest bit of sense?’
It wasn’t long before the Young Master appeared, his handsome face looking as polished as ever. Fortunately, he had come alone instead of bringing along the large servant who was always with him.
Feeling somewhat relieved, I bowed at the waist and greeted the Young Master. Of course, the arrogant Young Master didn’t even treat me as a person and went straight to the young lady. He clasped both hands together and politely greeted her.
“It is an honor to meet you again, Miss Xiao. This is our first meeting since that unfortunate incident last time, is it not? Have you been well in the meantime?”
“……”
“You are wearing that stifling ‘myeokri’ again today. Is it not uncomfortable? There are only you and me here, so you may take it off. Of course, this Young Master doesn’t care in the slightest what you look like, so–”
“……”
“The flower garden is rather quaint. It has its own charm. Do you enjoy looking at flowers, Miss? Then how about visiting our Thunderblade Sect sometime and taking a look around our flower garden?”
“……”
“Th-the flower garden of the Thunderblade Sect contains rare flowers gathered from all across the Central Plains, and its scenery is said to rival even the Imperial Palace. If you came, I’m sure you’d enjoy–”
“……”
And after watching all of that, my only thought was:
‘He’s really trying. He’s really trying hard.’
Who was our young lady?
Didn’t she possess the ability to treat everything someone said as nonsense, whether they spoke a hundred words or a thousand?
Go ahead and try. Let’s see if the young lady even gives you a single response.
I had talked to her endlessly for three days and three nights at her door, and all I got was complete indifference.
Ah, now that I think about it, I’m getting teary again…
“So, what is the main point?”
“Huh?”
“You said there was something important you wanted to tell me, did you not? If you truly mean well for me, then please tell me that first.”
“Well…”
The Young Master cleared his throat for a moment before putting on a genial smile. Then he subtly changed the subject.
“Even so, I am a guest. Will you not at least serve me a cup of tea? If word gets around that the Young Master of the Thunderblade Sect was sent away without even being offered a cup of tea, I will become a laughingstock.”
I didn’t like how he was subtly invoking his family, but what he said wasn’t entirely untrue either, so the young lady let out a small sigh.
Perhaps he interpreted her sigh as permission, because the Young Master immediately climbed onto the pavilion.
He sat down in front of the young lady, casually picked up the teapot, and poured himself tea into another cup.
“Hmm~ The aroma of the tea is wonderful. What kind of tea is this? I don’t know much about tea myself, but my mother enjoys it, so there are many fine teas in the Thunderblade Sect as well…”
The Young Master’s nonsense continued after that.
He kept drinking tea while rambling on about things so disjointed and contextless that I couldn’t even tell where one subject was supposed to lead into another.
I was afraid he might eventually decide to pour tea directly for the young lady himself, so I poured tea into her cup first. I didn’t know what he might do to the tea.
The young lady also took a sip of tea and tried to suppress her irritation.
Eventually, she could bear it no longer.
“I think it would be best if you left now.”
“Pardon? Miss, what do you mean by that…?”
“In my opinion, Young Master, you do not seem to have anything important you wish to say. Or perhaps you never had anything important to say in the first place.”
“Miss…”
“I believe I have shown you sufficient courtesy by my standards. If you truly have something important to say, then tell my father instead of me. Now, please leave.”
“……”
“If you insist on being stubborn, I will have no choice but to commit an discourtesy. Guards!”
In the end, the young lady called loudly for the martial guards waiting outside. But strangely, no matter how long they waited, there was no response from outside.
“Is no one outside? I asked if there was no one!”
Still, there was no answer.
“Why is no one answering…?”
“Heh.”
That was when the Young Master began to laugh.
“Heh… Hahaha!”
“Young Master?”
“Call until your throat bursts. Do you really think even a single rat will come running?”
“What are you talking abo–”
“I put them all to sleep!”
Only then did the Young Master reveal his true colors.
The friendly smile he had worn moments ago twisted into a vicious expression like that of a demon.
“It wasn’t difficult to put some medicine in the food of the underlings. The only problem was that it takes one or two hours for the drug to take effect, so I had to work hard to time everything properly. Did you think this Young Master was making idle conversation for no reason?”
“……”
“However, because you were completely ignoring me, Miss, I nearly failed to time it properly, which made things rather dangerous. But doesn’t that make it all the more thrilling, Miss?”
I couldn’t hold back any longer.
“You’re crazy…”
At my words, the Young Master abruptly turned his head toward me.
“You’re the crazy one! How dare a lowly wretch like you interrupt when your betters are speaking? I’ve disliked you from the beginning. You’re ugly as well, yet you don’t even know your place and keep acting up like you’re something special. You’re worse than a bug!”
“Y-Young Master, please calm down…”
“Calm down? How can I calm down until I teach you your place?! Fine, good. There is no one left to help you now, so I’ll take this opportunity to properly teach you a lesson!”
“Young Master! Don’t touch–”
The moment the Young Master reached his hand toward me, the young lady hurriedly tried to stop him.
Then her body suddenly staggered. I supported the young lady, who had suddenly lost her balance, and cried out.
“Miss! Miss! What is this…?”
‘These bastards… seriously.’
They had drugged the tea the young lady drank too!
But how on earth…?
With what method?
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