Chapter 7
When I came to my senses, I was standing in the front courtyard of the Qing Residence.
Beside me, Aso was crying her heart out.
“I’m sorry, sob, I’m sorry. Sniff, it’s all because of me… Waaah!”
As I blankly listened to her crying, I slowly began to regain my sense of reality.
So, earlier, I…
‘Almost got stabbed?’
The scene from a moment ago suddenly came back to me. The cold edge of the blade that had grazed my neck, the sensation of blood slowly trickling down.
The moment I saw those hostile eyes gleaming in the darkness, I turned and ran.
I had fled in a panic and run into Aso, who had been wandering around nearby. When Aso discovered my wound, she suddenly burst into tears.
Cold sweat trickled down the bridge of my nose.
‘Wow, I almost died……’
Just as I let out a trembling breath–
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“Aso? Why are you crying like that… Oh my!”
“You, you’re bleeding from your neck!”
Perhaps because Aso was crying so loudly, people who had been curious about us began gathering one after another.
When they realized that I was bleeding from my neck, the commotion around us grew even louder. Some told me to hurry to the apothecary, while others said that at least the wound didn’t look too serious.
As the area around us quickly became a madhouse, I grew flustered.
‘Th-this isn’t good, is it?’
Wasn’t it supposed to be a secret that I’d gone in Aso’s place?
Wouldn’t I be screwed if they found out?
But by the time I sensed the danger, it was already too late.
“What happened?”
The higher-ups had finally come.
“Steward…!”
I turned pale and looked toward the voice.
Several people were approaching from that direction. Two middle-aged men and one middle-aged woman.
The man at the very front was wearing an obviously expensive long robe, so he had to be the steward. The maids and servants moved aside to clear a path, and they soon arrived in front of me.
The middle-aged woman beside the steward looked at Aso, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and asked,
“Aso, what happened? Why are you crying like that?”
“Sob, M-Madam Ma…”
The middle-aged woman who had spoken to Aso was none other than Madam Ma, who oversaw all the maids.
“It’s, well, that is…”
Aso wiped away her tears and tried to stop crying. Then, stammering through her words, she explained everything that had happened.
The longer Aso spoke, the quieter the surroundings became, and Madam Ma’s expression grew increasingly grim.
When Aso finally finished her story, a heavy silence descended.
Breaking the silence, Madam Ma shouted,
“Bobo!”
At Madam Ma’s call, one of the maids stepped forward.
Judging from how pale and violently she was trembling, she had to be Bobo.
“Is what I just heard true?”
“Th-that…”
Madam Ma’s face twisted with anger.
“I indulged you and treated you kindly, and now you’ve completely forgotten your place. Do you know what you’ve done?”
“…….”
“Are you higher-ranking than I am? Who do you think you are, ordering people around as you please? You’re nothing but a maid, yet you arbitrarily overstepped your authority… How else am I supposed to take this except as you deliberately disregarding me?”
“That, that’s not…”
“If you knew it wasn’t right, then why did you step in on your own and make things this way? Do you know how many people you’ve put in a difficult position because of your arrogance? How are you going to take responsibility for this?”
Under Madam Ma’s relentless scolding, Bobo finally burst into tears. Of course, Madam Ma didn’t even blink.
“You’re crying? What have you done to deserve to cry?”
‘She’s fucking scary……’
I hunched my shoulders, hoping none of the fallout would land on me. But Bobo wasn’t the only one being scolded.
“And Aso.”
Madam Ma turned toward us.
“If you were treated unfairly like that, you should have come to me and reported it. How could you do something so thoughtless?”
“Madam…”
“It is true that I liked you because you were young but sensible and capable. But after this incident, I am deeply disappointed in you. This concerns the young lady, of all people. What would you have done if something had happened to the young lady because you entrusted the task to just anyone?”
‘But I’m the one who almost got killed.’
I was dumbfounded, but I kept quiet.
The more I listened, though, the more it seemed like she wasn’t entirely wrong. But Uncle Hwang, who had been watching from the side, apparently didn’t agree.
“Now, who got hurt? Isn’t it a bit much to call a kid who works hard ‘just anyone’ simply because he isn’t one of ours…?”
Madam Ma became furious.
“Stay out of this!”
Uncle Hwang clicked his tongue and backed away. Then he looked at me and stuck his tongue out playfully.
Seeing such childish antics from a man in his fifties made my head spin.
‘Agh, Uncle, learn when to mind your own business…’
Because of that, Madam Ma’s angry gaze immediately shifted toward me.
It was my turn now.
Just as I resigned myself to it and squeezed my eyes shut…
“He isn’t crying.”
“Huh?”
I raised my head in confusion.
The steward was standing directly in front of me. Until then, he’d merely been watching from a distance, but now he’d stepped forward.
“Weren’t you frightened?”
“Huh?”
“Judging by the wound on your neck, it seems a blade grazed you. Yet you don’t seem bothered. Are you accustomed to situations like this? Have you perhaps learned martial arts?”
“Y-yes?”
Martial arts? Why would I know martial arts?
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind…
‘Does he suspect me?’
A chill ran down my back.
Come to think of it, it made sense.
What kind of person would go so far as to take over someone else’s task simply because they felt sorry for a maid?
And especially when it concerned the infamous Xiao Yanli.
Unless I had some ulterior motive… Well, I did have a motive, but it wasn’t a bad one.
I merely wanted to get acquainted with the young lady for the sake of my future……!
“N-no!”
I hurriedly waved my hands.
“How could someone in my lowly position have learned martial arts? Of course I was frightened. You can ask the martial artists guarding the entrance to the Xiao Lady’s Residence. They’ll tell you how fast I ran out of there with my tail between my legs.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s just… enough time has passed that I’ve calmed down a little. And it’s not as though I’ve never been hit while working elsewhere before…”
“…….”
“A-anyway! It’s not that I wasn’t frightened. You know how they say that when a person is too shocked, even their tears won’t come? That’s exactly what happened to me. Haha, ah, damn… Now that I think about it again, I feel like crying…”
With that, I lightly covered my face with both hands.
A suffocating silence descended. I could only swallow nervously.
The steward stared at me without saying a word, as though contemplating something.
I secretly glanced at him and thought to myself,
‘Shit, should I poke his eye out or something?’
Just as I reluctantly curled my fingers…
“I see.”
‘Did it work?’
When I cautiously raised my head, the steward suddenly reached out toward me.
“Hold out your hand for a moment.”
“Huh?”
My hand? Why my hand?
I held it out in confusion.
Suddenly, the steward grabbed my wrist.
“……?”
I had no idea what was happening, and could only roll my eyes around.
Then I flinched.
I felt something strange, as though something had entered my body, and my stomach alternated between feeling cold and hot.
Wh-what was this?
While I stood there, not knowing what to do…
Whack!
“Ugh…!”
I was suddenly sent tumbling backward.
My butt hit the ground, and startled exclamations rose from the people around me.
Only then did I realize what had happened.
The steward had hit me.
The steward had struck me on the shoulder…!
“W-wait, what is this……!”
I couldn’t even bring myself to protest and could only open and close my mouth. But apparently pleased with something, the steward merely smiled brightly and said what he wanted to say.
“It really doesn’t seem like you’ve ever practiced martial arts. I’ll believe you.”
‘What the hell? Was that a test?’
“But there are a few things I want to ask you.”
I tried my best to remain calm as I answered.
“Yes, yes.”
“What is your name?”
“My surname is Seo, and my given name is Dan. It’s a single-character name…”
“How old are you?”
“I’m twelve this year.”
“What is your family situation?”
“I have one mother.”
“What are your hobbies?”
“Counting… money?”
“Good.”
What was good about that?
Was liking money a good thing?
“Actually, I’ve heard plenty about you from Hwang. Apparently, you’ve diligently done a job that others run away from in less than fifteen days for half a year? If I hadn’t heard that, I would have beaten you and driven you out. But considering Hwang’s recommendation and the dedication you’ve shown during your time here, I’ll let it go.”
“……!”
“But there’s one thing I need you to do in return…”
I stared at the steward with a bewildered expression. At some point, the steward was smiling.
“You’re going to attend to the young lady.”
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