Vol. 7: This Is Our First Kiss!
âWhy are you acting like that? Disgustingly.â
âJust shut your mouthâ¦â¦â
With one more word, I was convinced Penny was going to beat Shannon to death with the duster she was holding.
I quickly sent Penny out when I started to notice her fern-like fist shaking.
âPenny, could you get me a cup of herbal tea?â
Penny stared fiercely at Shannon as I pushed her back until she left the room.
âI want mint tea.â
Iâm not sure if sheâs tactless or purely shameless.
âAlso bring caramel too when you come.â
Shannon shouted obnoxiously.
âShould I justâ¦â¦â
The problem is that snout mouth.
Even if I wanted to help her out of sympathy, sheâd lose all credibility due to her snobbish mouth.
âSheâs only seventeen, seventeen, seventeen.â
Yeah, just hold it in. Sheâs still a child.
âShannon. â
I sat at Shannonâs feet, reflecting on my patience inwards three times.
And making eye contact, I whispered pitifully like a poor girl who became Cinderella.
âIn fact, I am scared of Mother.â
Shannon flinched.
âEvery time I see Mother, I could hear the sound of a whip, and I remember the times she made me read the things aloud in front of the maids.â
This was what I read in the original book.
Selina was easy prey for Camilla.
In the name of education, when she was bored, Camilla would ask Selina to read books in front of the maids and make her a laughing stock.
âI still even could hear the sound of the maids giggling and laughing at me.â
Laughter began to play in my ears as soon as I finished speaking.
The maids, who were laughing with their fans covering their mouths, shouted.
âWhat should we do about this? It will bring shame to the Crawford family if it is revealed that Lady Crawford was a stuttering lady.â
âYou need to practice more!â
My heart pounded.
What I read in print became audible to me.
The voice was also vivid.
Laura, Emma, and Sandy.
They were all maids who had been evicted.
I used to feel sorry for those who were expelled, but not anymore.
I felt relieved as I remembered what they had said.
âThatâs why. How can Iâ¦â¦ how can I be confident in front of Mother?â
Shannon was taken aback when I spoke as if I was appealing.
âArenât you afraid of Mother?â
ââ¦â¦â
Shannon avoided my gaze without saying anything.
That was the most honest answer.
If there was anyone in the world who scared Camilla the most, it was Shannon.
âI thought you could understand me.â
I murmured bitterly.
There has been no word between us since.
âMy Lady, I brought you the tea.â
Penny, who entered quietly, set each teacup in front of Shannon and me and began pouring tea.
Shannon remained silent even then.
âItâs the mint tea, please drink it before it gets cold.â
Penny suggested it with a faint smile, as if she was relieved.
Shannon sneaked out of bed.
âMe tooâ¦â¦â
Shannon parted her lips with difficulty as she grabbed the doorknob and tried to walk back to her bedroom.
âI am afraid of Mother, too.â
It was a word she kept to herself. Shannonâs small murmuring voice was audible.
âEonni.â
Then Shannon closed the door and left my bedroom.
âEo-eonni!?â
Penny snorted in surprise.
âDid Lady Shannon just call you eonni, My Lady?â
ââ¦â¦â
I donât know. I think I heard it tooâ¦â¦
But, come to think of it, this wasnât the first time Shannon had called me with eonni.
When we all went to the temple shortly after Emma died.
He once met a stranger and addressed me as âeonniâ because she had nowhere else to turn.
It was the first time in a long time.
Penny, who was standing next to me, expressed regret.
âUgh, she should have drank the tea before leaving.â
âThen give it to me. Let me drink it.â
Because mint tea could soothe my mouth.
Penny shook her head in disbelief as I reached for a glass.
âOh, no, My Lady!â
It was a suspicious reaction.
When I looked at her as if asking what she had done, Penny said timidly.
âLaxativeâ¦â¦ I added a laxative to the tea.â
âWhat?â
Noâ¦â¦ Why did this child become this way?