Episode 17
Translator: missme
âLady, did you deliver the honey water properly?â
When I left the room, I found Sir Davery faithfully waiting in the hallway.
I glanced up at his fine face, but quickly lowered my gaze with a subtle sigh.
âHereâs one life on my handsâ¦â¦â
âYes?â
âNo, itâs nothing.â
shook my head and dragged my legs
âEveryone but you.â
That voice still seemed to be ringing near my ears.
After saying that, Ash had casually changed our talk to the next topic.
The following topic was my birthday present.
The other day, before my birthday, Ash had asked me if I needed anything, and I only answered that I didnât.
Referring to that, Ash said, âItâs okay. Whenever you have anything you want, tell me.â
When I heard that, I maintained silence for a while and then pointed to the bed.
Then, I said what I wanted was for him to take a nap right now, I put Ash on the bed, made sure to see that he closed his eyes and only then had I left the room.
ââ¦â¦.â
Iâm a little slow in my step, as I was lost in thought.
Iâve thought about it.
What if I were Ashâs real sister?
If I wasnât adopted, but born in the family?
If I had, could I have been purely pleased with this moment?
With Ashâs excessive special treatment, could I have just smiled and said, âMy brother is a bit extremeâ and brag about it?
My heart was feeling heavy.
Whenever Ash distinguishes me from others and treats me differently, I had no choice but to indulge myself into this fantasy.
Well, thatâs actually my situation.
Although Iâm still prevailing in the fake family tree, Iâll soon be thrown out.
Itâs also a crime of contempt for pretending to be a family member without sharing a single drop of blood.
â¦â¦And it came with death as the price.
âLady?â
I stopped walking unknowingly, and Sir Davery, who was following me, called me worriedly.
I came to my senses by the voice and began walking again.
âHuuuu.â
I understood this in my head.
It wouldnât help my situation if Iâm immersed in this dark sentiment.
At this time, it would be much more efficient to find a way to survive somehow, rather than calmly accepting the inevitable fact that will not change regardless.
But even though I knew it, I fiddled with reason and emotion separately.
I couldnât shake off my pent-up feeling and suddenly opened my mouth as I walked.
âSir Davery.â
âYes?â
âWhat is a family?â
The answer to the abrupt question was not immediately available. I didnât even wait to hear the answer, as if it wasnât my purpose.
âHow precious is your family for you?â
I wanted to relieve my frustration. I was afraid that Iâd feel better if I said something, so I was fidgeting as I said this.
Then the answer came from the back.
âWell, itâsâ¦â
In a slightly embarrassing direction.
âI donât have a family, soâ¦â¦.â
âHeok.â
I almost missed my step. I forgot.
Sir Davery was an orphan who had never been associated with a family. So Ash found his talent early when he was yet not able to settle down somewhere and moving around in the back alleys.
Thatâs what he meant.
I was looking for a way to patch up the slip of the tongue when Sir Davery continued.
âIâll answer assuming that I haveâ¦â
âNo, not necessarily.â
âItâs question you asked.â
Sir Davery, who made me feel uncomfortable, went on, looking troubled for a moment and then he said,
âMaybeâ¦â¦if I had a younger sister, I would have cherished her a lot.â
âYounger sister?â
âYes, I would have done anything I could to the extent of my ability. Except for me to die.â
ââ¦â¦then why younger sister?â
âI donât think the younger brother would be that cute.â
âHuh?â
âAnd it. Would be the same for an older Brother, and, uh, I think I need to think about it if itâs an older sister.â
âHold on, I think Iâve heard some very explicit prejudice and discriminatory remarks.â
âSo? Whatâs wrong with it? Itâs not even real.â
Sir Davery deftly added, âLetâs be generous with hypothetical discrimination.â
It was a natural and brazen tone. I laughed in vain and asked something else that was concluded from his reply.
âThen why is your sister cute?â
âHmmâ¦â
âJust because sheâs your younger sister?â
âFirst of all, my sister would look pretty like me.â
ââ¦..?â
âShe would be talented, intelligent, smart, unassuming, humble, kind and righteous, compassionate to the weak, strict to the strong, and basically cautious in everything, but sometimes clumsy in terms of surprise, and being wary of strangers, she would always be cute to her brotherâ¦â¦.â
âJust a moment.â
I looked back, slowing down the dryness.
Sir Davery, who had been attending to the impassioned speech, tilted his head with a proud sickle.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âIs that your fantasy?â
âFantasy?â
âYes, of course, itâs a fantasy no matter who hears it. Youâve been waiting for someone to ask you about it, havenât you? How could you hold it in without telling anyone yet?â
âItâs, itâs a misunderstanding.â
He made an appeal.
âI only described my sister most realistically, based on real factors.â
âSir.â
âYes.â
âI just picked something up in the mansion.â
I pretended to take something out of my empty arms.
âMaybe itâs your conscience that you droppedâ¦..â
âNo way.â
âor perhaps itâs your disgrace?â
âWell, whoever misplaced it, itâs not me. Iâm running around with everything with me.â
I looked into his brazen face and rapidly shook my head. Yeah, he had that kind of personality since the beginning. I just forgot for a while without seeing it for nearly a year.
I turned my eyes back and began to walk diligently again, and Sir Davery followed me at his pace and talked to me.
âLady.â
âWhy?â
âHow precious is your family to you?â
I was at a loss for words.
âFamilyâ¦â¦â
Considering the facts, I was also an orphan.
There was no such thing as a blood-related family here.
There is no way for me to know even if Iâm alive somewhere.
âMy family went to America as yours did.â
Of course, I couldnât answer like this.
Roughly somewhat like this.
âAs much as wide as the sky, as big as the earth.â
âWowâ¦â¦.â
âWhatâs with that exclamation?â
âWas that the answer?â
âDo you have a problem?â
âNo, then Iâll correct it. For me, a family is as deep as the sea, as high as mountains.â¦â
âItâs late.â
Sir Davery burst out laughing in the background.
While thinking about where the laughter element was, words continued.
âYou know what?â
ââ¦..?â
âI donât have a sister, but I do feel like I have one.â
âReally?â
âAlthough I am the only one who thinks so.â
Sir Davery confessed that he had a sister, not a crush. No, you have to answer this.
I declared it after thinking about it.
ââ¦â¦Someday she will recognize Sir Daveryâs heart, so cheer up.â
âThank you.â
âWhat kind of person is she?â
Suddenly I asked, and after a brief silence came the answer.
â Itâs the same as I said before.â
âHuh? Donât tell me that fantasy sisterâ¦â¦?â
âYes.â
Suddenly it became suspicious. Are you sure itâs real?
âSheâs a real person.â
âI didnât say anything.â
âI must have misheard.â
I glanced back. Sir Davery had a bright smile on his face.
Well, I shrugged. In the meantime, I could see that my destination, my room, was getting closer.
I stopped walking after a while. Sir Davery accompanied me just to the door.
Before entering the room, I looked up at him and asked.
âYouâve been told not to slip away from me even for a momentâ¦..â
âThereâs an exception when safety is guaranteed or extremely personal.â
âThatâs a good thing then.â
So do you rest while Iâm in the room?
When I asked, Sir Davery looked serious as if he hadnât thought about it.
ââ¦take a rest. Iâll call you back when I want to go out.â
âOkay.â
Soon I entered the room. After I came in and closed the door, I felt somewhat relieved.
I approached the bed slowly and sat down.
Still, I felt a little better than before because I conversed with Sir Davery on the way here. I sat down and looked at the closet.
âThe luggage, I need to get it out and sort it.â
I came back to my room, but first of all, I hid my stuff in the closet.
Now I have to take it out in the room and clean it up.
Originally, my plan was to carry the luggage from the mansion, but the situation has changed anyway and I canât do that right now. It would be better to clean it up in advance than to keep it in there and get caught.
âBut I donât want to move.â
I felt exhausted. I didnât even know who or what I was because I used up all my intellect right after I woke up.
I sat back and lay down on the bed.
âI can take a rest and then clean it up.â
I stared at the ceiling and closed my eyes.
It was not bad. I just wanted to do nothing and only wanted to rest, so I was simply doing it.
How much time has passed?
A knocking sound marked the end of the break before the clock.
âMy Lady, Grace Ladyâ¦.â
Agrita has come to meet me.
***
After separating at the dining room with Agrita, I had one of the worst situations. While I was leaving her alone to give her time to think, this damned world will be trying to kill her.
Fortunately, that didnât happen.
ââ¦..â
With the reception table in the middle of the room, Agrita sat opposite me.
Steam rose above the teacup that Bessie had brought for me.
While the steam rose into the air and continued to dissipate, I gently waited for Agritaâs mouth to open.
I felt my joints stiffened because of the tension.
ââ¦â¦maybe she had decided.â
I stared at Agritaâs face.
âDead or alive.â
I gave Agrita the choice of preference and separated. Technically, I did not give her a choice, but the fact.
She had made a decision, so she came to see me.
Which one did she choose?
Agritaâs lips were squashed several times. Itâs as if she had something to say but itâs not as easy as she thought.
It was only a little longer before Agrita finally hurled her words.
âSister, you know Iâ¦.â
ââ¦â¦â
âYou know what?â
The voice emanated hard and thin.
âAm I dead?â
âWhat?â
I asked back without realizing it, wondering what it meant.
Words followed.
âNot Agrita Grace, but for me. Well, I slipped on the stairs andâ¦..â
She bit her lips and gulped audibly.
âAm I dead?â