Episode 32
Translator : missme Editor : Aru
I couldnât immediately understand what Dylan was saying, but one thing was clear.
Sir Daveryâs clearly embarrassed, so this must be a very interesting story.
âDylan, what do you mean?â
âDonât you know, Princess? How Davery came to this mansion. It was worth noticingâ¦..â
âDylan, thereâs a lot of stories we havenât finished yet.â
Sir Davery hurried to stop Dylan. He was pushing the sword as far as he could then pulled it back.
âItâs been a long time since we had our sword fight. Is once enough? Well, if Dylan can pull her tail as easily as a defeated dog, thatâs fine.â
No, what the hell?
Seeing how he suddenly started provoking Dylan, it seemed to me that it was a story that should not be revealed to Sir Davery, whatever it was.
âWhat? A defeated dog, a tail?â
I regret to say that I could not add to the backstory because Dylan was so brilliantly taken by the provocation.
I watched Dylan and thought about what I had heard.
âIf it was five years before Sir Davery first came to the mansion, so the Duke she said about was maybe Ash.â
âAt the timeâ¦â¦I followed the grown-ups out of the house and picked up Sir Davery on the way back.â
For your information, itâs a quote from Ash. My personality didnât blow up like that.
âAnyway, what happened in the process at that time?â
I knew nothing about the secret of Sir Daveryâs obtainment. I didnât ask because I didnât think it was necessary for me to know.
However, there seems to be an interesting story which has been hidden in the process.
I looked at the two from afar, who had begun to put their swords together again. There was around a crowd of a bystander who was more violent than before and dispersed by the Truth and Dare.
âWell, if Iâm really curious, I can ask Ash directly.â
I thought Iâd get the story from Dylan through Ari, but I stopped.
Itâs Sir Daveryâs story, so I should hear it from him.
âIf I canât hearâ¦.. well, itâs okay.â
Itâs not a big deal if I donât know.
At that time, Sir Davery was seen to have been hit by Dylanâs sword, perhaps because of his hasty provocation.
Yay. I swallowed the cheer inside.
***
I glanced up at the sky over the window.
The day dropped down in a flash. The autumn year, which was significantly shorter than summer, so the sun soon passed through the mountain without keeping the day long, and soon the moon rose in the darkened sky.
It was a full moon.
Ariâs voice rang in the ear.
âItâs going to work, right? Ugh, Iâm nervous. Fighting, eonni!â
Ari went out to the garden alone a little while ago, leaving words of support that were unspecified to others.
She said she wanted to take a quiet walk alone for a while, so Dylan didnât follow her.
Ten oâclock at night.
Itâs time.
It was time to put the plan that I had prepared into practice. Now that Ari has gone out first, as I have told her to, all I have to do is take Ash out to the appointed place.
âWhoa.â
I took a deep breath and moved my steps back.
I was heading to Ashâs room after removing Sir Davery with a lie that I was going to bed.
Ash just left the Oval Office and entered his room.
He wonât be sleeping yet. It was too early for him.
Soon after, I arrived in front of Ashâs room and knocked on the door. As soon as he recognized I was knocking, the door clicked open.
âNoonim.â
Ashâs face was slightly weird.
Itâs too early to go to bed, but itâs not too early to come all of a sudden. Iâm slightly ashamed and mumbled.
âWould you like to take a walk?â
âA walk?â
âItâs cool outside.â
The excuse felt like to search for someone missing somewhere.
But I couldnât think of any other excuseâ¦
âYes.â
Despite the sudden offer, Ash soon accepted lightly.
There was no sign of embarrassment. Because of it, I suddenly thought about something.
âDoes Ash ever get so flustered that his eyes avoid other gaze?â
There will be, but I donât know when I could see it.
I tried to imagine Ashâs flustered face in my mind, only to confirm that my imagination was too âpoorâ to accomplish such an extraordinary face.
âShall we go?â
Itâs just a walk in a garden attached to a mansion. Ash was dressed in casual clothes. He turned his back on the door, with no other preparation.
I went down the stairs through the quiet hallway at night.
âWhat is it?â
I was embarrassed for a moment at this time. This is because a corner of my heart, which was strangely shaken during the day, was in trouble again at this moment.
âDid I still have the aftereffects of nagging?â
Is it too tenacious?
Maybe it was because I was a little confused, I caught the rail as I went down without realizing it.
Ash saw me do it and held my other hand.
ââ¦..â
I wasnât doing it because I was afraid Iâd fall.
However, I couldnât think of any other excuse to shake off his firm hand, so I just grabbed it and went down.
It was really cool outside. The cool air woke my head as soon as I came out.
It was dark outside where the night had fallen, but not so dark.
The moonlight was strong, and there was also a subtle light coming out of the mansion. It wasnât difficult to find a familiar path and walk.
The garden was close. As I turned right and walked a little, the smell of grass quickly came to my mind.
I suddenly realized that my steps were slowing down little by little.
âWhy?â
It was an unknown act.
âItâs dark.â
Yeah, itâs not very dark, but itâs night anyway. What if I fall over something while walking fast?
I guess so.
ââ¦..â
It was hard to find anyone who took a walk at this time except in cases where there was a purpose like me.
There was no one around, so it was naturally quiet.
The sound of the beetle tickled my ears in the silence. The soft grass on my feet has been softened.
Then I suddenly heard Ash chuckling.
ââ¦â¦why?â
The answer came right back as if I had not misheard it.
âIt reminds me of our childhood.â
âOur childhood?â
âWe used to play tag in the garden. When I was very young.â
ââ¦â¦ you remember that?â
That was so old that it lacked the expression âold.â
If it comes to tagging, I remember Ash was about four or something.
âI remember that. I also climbed up a tree to hide during the tag.â
ââ¦..â
âand now Noonim would be climbing a tree to catch me but would slip and fall.â
âThat.â
I was so embarrassed that I almost said âHeyâ.
That was my dark history. I didnât know weâd suddenly talk about our childhood at this moment.
When Ash was four, I was eight. Ash was very young, and I was young.
I was young, but the problem was only the body was young. Since I remembered my past life, I was eight years old, but my mind was in the 20s.
And in my 20s, I tried to climb the same tree to catch my four-year-old brother who hid on top of a tree while playing tag.
âAsh can get up to the tree, so it means I can too!â
â¦â¦ I wonder if he raised his confidence since he was 4 years old.
As a result, it was very false confidence.
Ash was not a typical four years old and was able to jump lightly like a bird, while I was a very ordinary eight-year-old who did not inherit even the blood of a monkey, let alone a bird.
The mind climbed up a tree with flying colours like a squirrel, but the body was different. When I climbed halfway up, I felt something wasnât right, but it was already late, and the next moment I missed my step and slipped right down.
I had a bump on my head, maybe.
Fortunately, I was not seriously injured enough to leave a scar. To be honest, the scars and injuries were not my concern at that time.
It was more embarrassing. It wasnât until I fell down with a loud noise that I realized what I was trying to do.
I also felt a sense of shame. At that age of 20.
So then I lay down and didnât move for a while. I did it because I was so embarrassed.
I think I didnât even open my eyes because I wanted to turn away from reality. I was lying there like that, not moving at all â¦..
âUh.â
I hesitated to recall.
I looked up at Ash.
I didnât cry that day. Thatâs of course. Even so, I was already embarrassed, ashamed, and distressed, but I didnât want to cry.
However, there was someone who burst into tears on the spot.
It was ash.
âNoonim.â
Ash jumped out of the tree at a second. I heard the noise. Then a small hand shook me.
âAre you dead?â
I was still lying on the floor, closing my eyes and pretending to be dead, trying to calm myself down.
Then, I got up in a fit of a surprise after hearing his cry.
When I opened my eyes in a hurry, I saw the four-year-old Ashâs face, it was a complete mess covered with tears.
I saw Ash cry then.
For the first time.
âThatâs right. I thought Noonim was dead so I cried sadly.â
ââ¦..â
âI remember everything.â
Ash, who said so, grins.
The moon was bright. In the middle of the promenade, there was a light hanging. At this distance, the expression was clearly visible.
The moment I saw his smiling face, my heart sank.
There was a very strong sway somewhere that I couldnât reach with my hands. beyond the description of the aftereffects of what to do
âNoonim?â
Ash called me in surprise.
I was finally aware of my actions. I was standing still. I also grabbed Ashâs shirt hem.
As soon as I realized, I let go of the hem.
I was embarrassed. Truthfully, embarrassed.
âIâllâ¦â¦hey, Iâll head back to the mansion. â
If I walk a little longer, the fountain will come on view soon.
But I donât have the confidence to walk with Ash with this feeling.
âThen letâsâ¦.â
âAsh, you know, would you go to the fountain?â
My gaze fell down to the ground as I spoke. It was difficult for me to maintain eye contact.
âI think I left something there during the day, Itâsâ¦.. something important. Youâll see it.â
ââ¦..â
âPlease. â
âIâll get it, so go back carefully. Itâs dark so make sure you wonât fall.â
Soon after, the footsteps and the shadow on the floor showed that Ash, who had accepted this request, moved away toward the fountain.
I watched the shadow until it was completely wiped and it was then I looked up.
I raised my gaze only when his shadow had completely disappeared.
I turned.
Then I ran towards the house aimlessly.
âMy lady, right now â¦.â
I was shocked to find the butler who was equally surprised to see me running but I ignored him, crossed the rest of the stairs hurriedly and entered my room.
I ran this far without a break as if I felt like my heart would burst.
I leaned back on the door and breathed heavily.
I didnât get chased but I entered the room running and noticed something. I touch my cheeks with my hand.
I was crying.