Chapter 296 |
-Swoooosh.
Rain was falling.
The once-clear sky, as if to announce the arrival of summer, erased its blue expanse and brought along moisture-laden dark clouds.
"Hmm..."
Summer must be quite lonely. It ends up entangled with strange folks like butlers living in gloomy estates and villainesses.
I like the rain.
The stories the drizzling rain tells are always fascinating.
Sometimes, it charms a girl’s heart like a middle-aged man going through a midlife crisis, or it stirs the heart of a man nervously in love, pushing him to confess. It’s just droplets falling from the sky, yet it seems to possess a mysterious power to move emotions.
Rain, you see.
-Swoooosh...
I didn’t only have good memories associated with the rain.
Mikhail’s story.
The Young Lady’s story.
Yuria’s story.
Even pain that could be endured more easily felt sharper when it rained.
"..."
Since people can’t only have good memories, I didn’t think badly of it. After all, even if I disliked it, the clouds wouldn’t care about my feelings.
"Yawn. It’s so drowsy."
Today, too, the estate was peaceful.
Outside the window, rain was falling.
Sitting on the bed and looking out the window, the Young Lady let out a lazy yawn.
"Sniff... Hmmnya."
I carefully asked the Young Lady, who was rubbing her nose and staring out the window, if it was fortunate we had visited the valley before the monsoon began.
"Still, it’s a relief we went to the valley before the monsoon started. If we kept postponing, winter would have come."
"You’re right... Sniff."
The Young Lady nodded while gazing out the window. Perhaps moved by the rich sound of rain, she nodded without even looking at me, which made me pout a little.
"Young Lady."
"Sniff..."
"Are you crying?"
"No."
I leaned forward to check the Young Lady’s face as she looked out the window. She had been making strange noises for a while now.
Her voice sounded somewhat nasal.
And she kept sniffing.
Hmm...
"Young Lady."
"Hmmnya."
"Have you caught a cold?"
"..."
The Young Lady, who had been staring out the window, pressed her lips tightly together at my question. She looked as if she’d been caught red-handed, her stiffened posture suggesting she was hiding something.
Under my unwavering gaze, the Young Lady shook her head and answered.
"No, I haven’t."
"It doesn’t seem that way."
"No, I’m really healthy."
’It doesn’t seem that way...’
"Could it be..."
"..."
"You’re lying about not being sick because you don’t want to take medicine or because you’re scared of going to the hospital?"
-Flinch.
"As a proud member of Desmond, surely not..."
"Sniff...!"
The Young Lady nodded confidently and replied.
"Of course not. Do you know how old I am? Sniff... Hmmnya..."
-Sigh...
"I wouldn’t lie to Ricardo about something like that."
"I’m asking because you’re the kind of person who would lie about something like that."
"Eek..."
The Young Lady’s voice lacked energy.
I cautiously reached out toward the Young Lady’s forehead. No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to have caught a cold. But with a swift motion, she dodged, leaving my hand hanging in the air.
I bit my lip as I watched the Young Lady turn her head away sharply.
"Tsk..."
"Why?"
"You shouldn’t avoid this."
"Even nobles have the right to refuse."
"Butler Law, Article 1, Clause 1. If the employer is sick, the butler must confirm it, even by force."
"Eek... Is there really such a law?"
"No, I just made it up."
"Ugh... Achoo...!"
The Young Lady pouted her lips and looked at me.
"Wipe it for me..."
"..."
Now that I could see her face clearly, it was obvious to anyone that she had caught a cold.
Her face was smeared with snot.
Her nose, likely rubbed too much to clear it, was reddened, giving her a flushed appearance.
"Sigh..."
Seeing her labored breathing, I let out a deep sigh and placed the back of my hand on her forehead.
"Ugh... I’m fine."
"You don’t seem fine."
"No, really, I’m okay."
"Young Lady."
"Eek..."
She didn’t seem to have a fever.
Her forehead felt lukewarm, without any noticeable heat. In fact, it was rather cool. Her condition seemed better than expected, so I nodded and let out a deep breath.
"Thankfully, it seems you don’t have a fever."
"See? My head doesn’t hurt."
"But you still don’t look healthy."
"Eek... No, I’m healthy."
"...Young Lady."
"I’m fine. I’m not dying."
The Young Lady gave me a small smile and said.
"If I eat meat, I’ll get better quickly."
"Since when is meat a panacea?"
"It is."
"Ha..."
At the Young Lady’s audacious reply, I chuckled softly and looked out the window.
-Swoooosh...
The pouring rain didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon. As if venting all its pent-up frustration at once, the rain fell relentlessly, making it hard to even think about stepping outside.
Still.
"I think we should go to the hospital."
It seemed like a visit to the hospital was necessary.
As the Young Lady’s butler and cohabitant, her health was my utmost priority. The torrential rain pouring down like a typhoon was no obstacle.
The only thing I was ever stubborn about was the Young Lady’s health.
Since she had been prone to catching colds ever since she was young, I was even more concerned.
-Eeeek! I’m going into the water!
-Young Lady, it’s winter right now.
-Eeeeeek!!! Don’t stop meee!
Of course, it was a cold brought on by the Young Lady’s own stubbornness.
’Hans mentioned he had errands outside, so he’s not at the estate...’
In this increasingly troublesome situation, the only sound that reached me was the Young Lady’s sniffles.
"Huuuh... sniff."
"..."
"Hmph... heehee... ahchoo!"
The Young Lady, who reacted strongly to the word ’hospital,’ narrowed her eyes and spoke to me.
"I hate hospitals!"
"..."
"I’m not going to the hospital!"
"Why not? At the hospital, they give you candy, and you’ll get better."
"Father said it’s dangerous outside the blanket."
"Your current condition seems far more dangerous."
"No, I’m healthy."
The Young Lady rummaged through her treasure pouch, pulled out a piece of chocolate, and began munching on it.
"If I eat this, I’ll get better, so it’s fine."
"..."
"Don’t look at me like that!"
The Young Lady, irritated by my worried gaze, lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket up over her head.
"Since it’s raining so much outside, I’ll tell you if I feel worse."
"Your stubbornness could rival that of a Sword Master."
"Heehee... that’s right!"
"That wasn’t a compliment."
"Huh..."
I touched the Young Lady’s forehead and then stood up heavily.
"Please tell me if you feel worse."
"Okay."
"And once the rain stops, we’re going to the hospital, so don’t think about running away."
"I can’t run anyway because my leg hurts."
At the Young Lady’s candid remark about her own flaw, I nodded.
"Tonight’s dinner will be porridge."
"Ugh... I hate porridge."
"It’s non-negotiable."
The Young Lady grabbed my sleeve as I headed toward the kitchen, smiling bashfully.
"Meat."
"..."
"I like porridge with meat in it."
"Understood."
I ruffled the Young Lady’s hair and smiled, hoping she would recover soon.
*
"Hmm..."
Arriving in the kitchen, I opened a cookbook on the table and traced the text with my finger as I read along.
[How to Make Beef Porridge.]
1. First, soak the rice….
2. Mince the beef and prepare the ingredients….
3. Stir-fry the beef….
"Wash the rice, mince the beef…"
It was easier than I thought.
Since the Young Lady liked dishes that required a lot of effort, I had become adept at preparing even the most complicated recipes. Compared to those, porridge was a breeze.
Watching the steam rise from the black earthen pot, I nodded in satisfaction and busily moved my hands to gather the next ingredients.
"Next is green onions and sesame oil…"
I wondered if there was any sesame oil left in the kitchen.
Since I had made gimbap last time, I vaguely remembered there wasn’t much left….
"Ah... there’s none."
Opening the pantry, I confirmed the empty sesame oil bottle and gave a regretful smile.
"I’ll just use truffle oil as a substitute."
It’s a small indulgence, but we can afford it.
-Clatter, clatter.
The dishes I had carefully prepared began to stack neatly on the tray.
A simple side of pickled vegetables.
Grilled short ribs, the Young Lady’s favorite.
And finally, the porridge with its lid securely in place.
It was a meal tailored to the Young Lady’s tastes. Though, admittedly, her preferences had influenced mine as well.
’I hope she enjoys it.’
Buttoning up the sleeves of my rolled-up shirt, I headed upstairs to the Young Lady’s room.
"Sniff."
There, I found the Young Lady with tissues stuffed into her nostrils.
"Young Lady."
"Mmph."
"Why do you have so many tissues in your nose?"
"Hmph... my nose won’t stop running."
When the Young Lady saw the tray in my hands, her face lit up with a bright smile.
"Food...! Heehee…"
Seeing her delighted expression despite being unwell, I couldn’t help but let out a faint smile. Truly….
The Young Lady stared at me and then naturally closed her eyes.
"...Ah~"
"..."
"Ah…"
-Clink.
"Nom-nom. Heeek! It’s delicious!"
The Young Lady’s eyes widened as she tasted the spoonful I fed her, and she smiled warmly at me.
"Ricardo, you’re great at making porridge."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"And you grill meat well too."
"It’s because it’s something you enjoy."
"Heehee…"
"..."
The Young Lady’s condition didn’t seem to be improving.
I had thought time would help her recover, but her runny nose had worsened, and her cheeks were now flushed.
As I placed another spoonful into her mouth, I gazed at her with a sympathetic smile.
"Young Lady."
"Mmph."
"Are you feeling very unwell?"
"No."
"...Liar."
"No."
The Young Lady closed her eyes again and opened her mouth, telling me to focus on filling her stomach instead of wasting time on nonsense.
"Ah..."
"Here comes the airplane."
"Airplane?"
"It’s something like that."
Thinking that I should make her a nourishing meal to restore her energy once she recovers from the cold, I emptied the bowl. Only after it was empty did the Young Lady smile contentedly and say to me,
"That was delicious."
"Thank you for enjoying it."
"Of course. Since Ricardo made it, I made sure not to leave anything behind."
"Thank you."
About ten minutes passed in silence as I watched her with a worried gaze. Feeling burdened, the Young Lady waved her hand at me from the bed.
"I’m going to sleep."
"..."
"I really am going to sleep."
"If you feel unwell, ring the bell."
"Mm. Don’t worry, I feel better after eating the porridge."
"Haha... Then have sweet dreams."
"Mm, you too, Ricardo."
The Young Lady smiled brightly, promising me with that smile that she wouldn’t fall ill again.
"It’s a promise."
"Mm."
"If you feel sick, tell me right away."
"I’ll be fine."
*
"Haa..."
Lying in bed, I couldn’t fall asleep easily, worried that the Young Lady might still be unwell.
-Cough, cough... Heeheehee... Eek!
"..."
-Weeeek! Stop coughing! Cough... Wheeeze.
"That’s quite the ruckus."
-Achoo! Sniff... Munch, munch... Mmm.
"Why the runny nose..."
With a complicated feeling, I closed my eyes. Setting an alarm to place a wet towel on the Young Lady’s forehead in the early morning.
"Haa..."
I finally managed to close my eyes.
-Swoooosh.
The rain continued to fall.