Chapter 88
I looked at Soya without thinking.
Actually, today, Soya’s outfit was a little different from usual.
She wore the uniform of the Abner administrator, and even had the cravat I tied for her.
The uniform fit her tall, long-limbed frame perfectly, almost as if it were made for her.
She looked like the child of a noble who ruled over a territory.
‘Is that why Burmard is acting like that toward her?’
Just as I thought that, Burmard spoke again.
“If you pick me, I’ll work really hard. The greenhouse… it’s about the ingredients for that new medicine, right?”
Soya didn’t answer and just looked at me.
When I nodded, she finally spoke.
“Oh… Normally you just come to get the list. Please step aside.”
It was a little slow, but her words were clean, organized, and without a single stutter.
A big smile spread across my face.
‘Wow, that’s our Soya!’
I had once heard from Miel about Soya’s past.
That’s when I understood why Soya hesitated around new people and sometimes stuttered.
Her parents died when she was very young, and she had been badly beaten by some strange men.
Soya had a very hard childhood and only barely managed to get hired by Abner.
Even that would have been impossible without Miel’s help.
Still, Soya recovered quickly from both the physical and emotional pain, surrounded by good people.
Now, even meeting new people didn’t make her pale or break into cold sweat.
But she still had a habit of stuttering.
“‘Soya unnie.’”
When I called her that after a long time, her eyes widened, and I could still remember the look clearly.
“Uh, unnie…? My lady?”
“No. From now on, I’m not speaking as a servant. I’m speaking to the unnie who took care of Ria.”
I said it clearly to the confused Soya.
“You’re coming with me to Jezdo.”
“Huh? Th-That… what do you mean?”
“Grandma said I’d get a Bojagan, a Boj…! Boj! Assistant! And I’m going to pick you too, Soya unnie.”
“An… assistant?”
“Yes! Your role will be to manage and oversee the greenhouse we’re building in Ivehill.”
Soya couldn’t close her mouth.
“Ah, my lady… I-I don’t deserve this. H-How could I do such work?”
“No, no one is better than you, Soya unnie.”
Soya was quiet and gentle, but she always did her job better than anyone else.
Most workers only do exactly what they’re told, but Soya didn’t.
‘She’s naturally sharp and clever,’ I thought.
On the day Brook tried to assassinate me, Soya and Miel stayed in the second-floor lounge near my room.
It was Soya who suggested it first, just in case something happened.
“Soya unnie can do this!”
“N-No, I’ve never done work like this, and I stutter so much…”
“That’s okay. We’ll work on it together from now on.”
“My lady…”
I knew Soya stressed a lot about her stuttering.
I had heard her tell Miel, “Why do I always end up like this?” several times.
‘But in front of me, she’s usually fine,’ I thought.
In an environment where she felt safe, she stuttered far less.
“If you worry too much, you get nervous and make mistakes.”
“R-Really…?”
“Yes! I read it in a book. What I read in a book is always right!”
Most importantly, Soya had the willpower.
That alone was a hopeful thing.
‘And I want to help Soya because she seems so stressed.’
When she became an orphan, she developed temporary selective mutism, which eventually became a stutter.
After that, wherever she worked, her habit made others look at her with contempt.
She had even been beaten by a group of passersby simply because they were annoyed by her talking.
“Soya unnie is strong and smart! I really want her to take care of the greenhouse.”
Managing people is never easy.
But the Ivehill greenhouse had to be perfectly controlled, and many secrets had to be kept.
She would handle things like the recipes for medicines developed by the academy or seeds for improved Rubarin plants.
“H-But my lady… there are… many capable servants in the family. Why me…?”
“Because Soya unnie is much better at work and smarter than them!”
Soya stayed quiet.
But I meant it.
“Soya has a sharp side, like a knife,” I thought.
So there would be no problem managing and controlling the greenhouse strictly.
And…
“The most important thing is Soya is also from a migrant background.”
Soya could build strong trust with the workers in the greenhouse.
She shared a common experience: she was a commoner who had come to Abner from somewhere else.
“If you work in the greenhouse, there will be many secrets. Do you know how to keep them?”
Soya’s expression became serious.
She thought for a moment and then answered as if she understood.
“I-I think I understand. Some secrets can’t be kept by strength alone.”
As I thought, Soya already seemed to understand what I was planning.
“Soya is someone I can trust, and she’s a good person. She will get along with the greenhouse workers.”
If I sent an arrogant noble as manager, there would surely be conflicts from class differences, and even small conflicts can ruin an organization.
I didn’t want even that small variable in my greenhouse.
“So I have to build… good relationships with the workers, right?”
“Soya unnie, you’re kind and gentle!”
“And also manage everything properly…”
“Yes! You’re very strong, so you can do it!”
Soya thought for a long time.
Then she nodded and muttered to herself.
“I… I really need to fix my stuttering habit.”
I stayed quiet so she could continue her thoughts.
“You trusted me… but a stuttering manager doesn’t look… proper…”
Finally, a firm determination appeared in Soya’s eyes.
“I… I’m the one who should fix it. I… I need to try.”
I looked at Soya and quickly hugged her around the waist.
“Yes!”
That was the start of the training.
With Miel’s full support, Soya gradually improved.
She spoke slowly, without overthinking her stutter.
“I-I think it’s getting a little… I-It’s still… kind of hard.”
“Wow! Soya! You’re amazing! It’s normal to get better and worse sometimes. I read that in a book!”
And truly, Soya was improving visibly fast.
So today, exactly three weeks after we started, she could communicate slowly but without stuttering.
“Step aside, I said.”
Burmard flinched and stepped back at Soya’s voice.
For a moment, I saw confidence form on her face.
‘That’s our Soya! So amazing!’
My heart leapt as I looked around the barracks.
When Burmard stepped back, I could see more of the room.
I was scanning for people who could work in the greenhouse when my eyes stopped at one corner.
“Huh?”
A pale-faced woman was lying on a small bed, groaning.
Next to her was a strong, broad man…
‘Perfect for the greenhouse!’
From his build, he could probably carry four sacks of herbs at once.
His large, calloused hands were perfect for cultivation work.
“Soya, over there.”
When I spoke, Soya nodded seriously.
We walked inside together and stood in front of the woman and man.
“I-I am the lady. I am Jen from Longton Territory.”
The large man seemed flustered, but then respectfully finished his greeting.
Then he introduced the woman he was protecting.
“This is Shelby, my wife…”
Of course, I had already been observing Shelby carefully.
Specifically, the large wound on her thigh.
“Why… why is this like this?”
