Chapter 43
After having a good cry. Once I had finally calmed down, I came down holding the Young Miss’s hand.
There were familiar faces waiting below.
Starting with the Estate Master, Steward Jeok, Brother Im, and even Uncle Hwang.
Only then did I remember that the Estate Master had said he would come up after finishing his business. And yet, the fact that he had not come and had instead waited here meant…
“Uh…”
For a moment, my face flushed, and I didn’t know what to do, but the Estate Master said nothing. He merely smiled at my restlessness and said one thing.
“Let’s go home.”
A strange emotion suddenly welled up inside me.
I had thought I was alone now. I had thought there was nowhere left for me to return to.
But when I actually heard someone say that we should go back together…
“…Yes!”
I answered energetically and secretly cried. It was fortunate that it was dark around us.
The preparations to go to the Namgung Clan were almost complete.
Although there was one fewer person, it did not affect the schedule. Most of what we needed had already been perfectly prepared, to the point that there would be no problem even if we departed immediately.
However, there was one person for whom it was a problem.
“Why are you the only one going?”
It was Aso, who was crying right beside me.
“Why, why can’t I go? Why do you get to go while I can’t?”
“Hey, kiddo. Come when you’re a little older.”
“I wanna go toooo!”
In the end, Aso was not allowed to go to the Namgung Clan.
That was something even I hadn’t expected. Since we were traveling with only a small number of people, Steward Jeok wanted to bring only experienced maids and servants, and naturally, the young Aso was excluded.
I was so flustered when I heard about it. But it wasn’t as though I could protest. Honestly, I was basically tagging along because of the Young Miss myself…
“What am I lacking? I can do just as much as most of the older girls! Laundry, cleaning, whatever you tell me to do, I can do it all! So why am I the only one who can’t go? I wanna go to Hefei and eat Wushan Tribute Goose too, and see the Namgung Clan estate…!”
Still, I couldn’t help feeling bad when I saw Aso crying as though the world were ending. I forced a smile and gently tried to comfort her.
“We’re not going there to have fun, you know? We have to leave quickly, so we probably won’t even have time to sightsee. And we have to accompany the Young Miss all the way there. Do you think that’ll be comfortable? Rather than spending all day adjusting to the Young Miss’s temperament, it’ll probably be more comfortable for you to stay here.”
“Hmph…”
“And we’re not leaving forever. The Young Miss might find it uncomfortable and come back soon… Yeah, when that happens, I’ll buy you a present. Is there anything you want? Just tell me and I’ll…”
“How much money do you have?”
“I have lots of money. I don’t have anywhere to spend it anymore.”
At my words, Aso firmly closed her mouth. An awkward silence descended for a moment. I scratched my head awkwardly. I hadn’t meant it that way, but had that made her uncomfortable?
Just as I was about to casually change the subject, Aso suddenly shouted angrily.
“Fine! If you have so much money, then buy yourself lots of delicious food! You’re so skinny that anyone who saw you would think you were the slave of some heartless merchant, not a servant of a noble family.”
“Hey, that’s a bit harsh…”
“Buy yourself lots of pretty clothes, too, and go sightseeing at lots of beautiful places! As you said, you don’t have anywhere to spend your money anymore, so spend it on yourself. You have to enjoy yourself enough for my share too, so I’ll feel less wronged.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And you think I’m acting like this because I want stuff like that? I’m just, just…”
Aso pouted and grumbled.
“I’m sad because I can’t go with you…”
‘We haven’t even been friends for that long.’
Watching Aso mumble that quietly, I smiled without saying anything.
Yeah, Aso was my first friend.
The first friend I had made in this completely unfamiliar place.
Just like my mother, Aso was a big reason I had been able to endure living here. Whenever I was having a hard time, Aso would listen to me, give me advice, and help me in all sorts of ways.
Thinking about that made a sense of sadness wash over me again. I hadn’t expected us to part like this. It would have been nice if we could really have gone together…
I looked bitterly at the sky before suddenly speaking.
“Okay, I’ve decided.”
“What?”
“Aso says she likes me so much she could die without me, so I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know I used to be a dung carrier, right?”
Aso frowned but obediently answered.
“So?”
“Think about it. Where are people supposed to relieve themselves while traveling? Well, people like us can just go in the bushes, but do you think important people can just relieve themselves anywhere?”
“So?”
“We’ll make a portable toilet.”
“…….”
“Get inside.”
I spoke seriously.
“If you hide inside the poop bucket, no one will notice.”
Aso was impressed.
“I don’t wanna!”
Aso went into a fit and smacked my back repeatedly. I deliberately complained, “Ow, ow,” while snickering. Aso kept hitting me for a while, huffing angrily, before eventually bursting into a clear laugh and shouting,
“Have a safe trip!”
Aso wasn’t the only one staying behind.
Steward Jeok and Uncle Hwang were staying behind too. I could understand Steward Jeok staying to manage the estate in the Estate Master’s absence, but I hadn’t expected Uncle Hwang to stay as well, so I said regretfully,
“I didn’t know you weren’t going either, Uncle. There’s no one who works as well as you do…”
The uncle answered with a hearty laugh.
“That’s exactly why I need to stay. You think managing the servants is easy? I have to make sure the supplies come in properly, keep an eye out for anyone slacking off, and there are a hundred things to do.”
“Ah…”
“On top of that, we need to find another dung carrier. The guy we hired last time ran away again. How is it that we can’t find a single one who lasts a month?”
I secretly swallowed the words, ‘Honestly, I wanted to run away too,’ as I watched him grumble. The uncle turned to me and grinned.
“You had incredible grit, though.”
“Come on… no, I didn’t. If I hadn’t been in that situation, I probably would’ve run away within a month too.”
“Kid, the fact that you endured a situation like that in the first place is something to be proud of. How hard do you think it is to care for a sick parent? Nine out of ten people would probably run away and leave their parents behind, let alone become a dung carrier.”
“I don’t think it’s quite nine out of ten…”
“Ehh, that’s how it is! Anyway, it’s difficult. Sacrificing yourself for someone else.”
“…….”
“And you managed to do that difficult thing.”
Uncle Hwang suddenly reached out and placed his hand on my head. His hand, as big as a cauldron lid, enveloped my head. The warmth that began at my head spread all the way to my chest.
“You’re a guy with grit, and you’re an impressive one. I’ll vouch for that.”
“…….”
“So always keep your head high and live with confidence. You’ll do well wherever you go. Got it?”
I stared at Uncle Hwang.
He could be strict when he needed to be, but he was more warmhearted than anyone.
If Aso and my mother had been my source of comfort, the uncle was the person who had helped me become capable of standing on my own two feet.
He taught me how to work, protected me to the very end even when I caused trouble… I wondered if the reason I had been able to remain here was that I had received help from so many people like this.
I spoke sincerely.
“Thank you for everything.”
Uncle Hwang merely laughed heartily.
Time passed quickly. Before I knew it, tomorrow was the day we would leave for the Namgung Clan.
I pulled the blanket up to just beneath my nose. After my mother passed away, I had been staying in the guest quarters of the Xiao Estate.
Even so, since I was a servant, I naturally intended to stay in the servants’ quarters, but Steward Jeok stubbornly stopped me. We weren’t going to be staying there for many days anyway, and the Young Miss had repeatedly told him to make sure I was comfortable.
‘The Young Miss really said that?’
I instinctively felt suspicious, but soon understood. I remembered what had happened between the Young Miss and me at the grave.
“I’ll… become your family.”
The Young Miss had definitely said that.
That she would stay by my side. That she wouldn’t leave me lonely.
It was a strange feeling. It felt like only yesterday that the Young Miss and I had been fighting tooth and nail, yet we had already become close enough to give each other that kind of comfort.
Thinking about it now, I was terribly embarrassed that I had sobbed and sniffled like that right in front of her, but at the same time, I felt strangely reassured. The arms that had held me so tightly had been incredibly comforting.
‘She’s surprisingly strong.’
I had been a little surprised later when I saw how thoroughly wrinkled my clothes had become, but at the same time, I imagined a future like that.
A future after the Young Miss’s illness had been completely cured.
The Young Miss would become healthy, learn the family martial arts from the Estate Master, become a master, roam the martial world, and make a name for herself as a renowned heroine.
Would I still be beside the Young Miss then? Serving her, bragging about myself by her side, and bickering with her.
And someday, if the two of us became sworn sisters…
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
I closed my eyes, imagining the story of the heroine who became a legend of the martial world and her sworn sister.
Just as I was beginning to drift into sleep.
“KYAAAAAAH!”
I woke from my dream to the sound of someone’s bloodcurdling scream.
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