Chapter 8
“Did nothing happen?”
Chuseol asked me hesitantly. Danso was in her place, but she had leaned forward slightly, peeking over.
“Huh? Uh… yeah.”
I was about to say more when Danso suddenly rushed over and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“No, it’s okay. If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to. You can tell us later. Later.”
While being hugged by Danso, I looked over at Chuseol, and she too was fidgeting awkwardly.
“R-right. There’s no need to force yourself to talk about what happened.”
What misunderstanding were these two having right now? Just as I inhaled to explain something, Danso suddenly covered my mouth with her palm.
“No. Don’t say it.”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“For today, just wash up and go to sleep early. Chuseol, you too—don’t just stand there. Lie down.”
“Ah, okay.”
It seemed the two of them had seriously misunderstood something. Only after Danso confirmed that I had quietly pulled the blanket over myself and closed my eyes did she finally head back to her own bedding.
I needed to think about the characters that had appeared from the bamboo pipe… think about them…
But perhaps my body was too exhausted.
Before I knew it, I had fallen fast asleep
Some bustling movement made my eyes snap open. Danso had just come back after washing. As soon as I quickly sat up, Chuseol gestured with her hand.
“I’ll wash first. Go back to sleep.”
“Ah, okay. Thanks.”
Watching Chuseol leave while yawning made my heart feel strangely warm.
There was no point in trying anything else now, so from now on I would have to recall the contents of the novel.
“But this body is really sturdy.”
It really was.
After trimming vegetables all day, swinging the laundry bat as if my arms would fall off, and even falling from that height…
Aside from a few light scratches, not a single bone had been broken.
“What kind of body is this?”
Shaking my head, I folded the blanket when I suddenly heard the door open. Turning my head, I saw my Head Steward standing there.
“Ah, Head Steward. You’ve come.”
“I had something to tell you, so I came personally.”
“Yes?”
“Sansan, starting today, you will go to the residence of the Third Young Master.”
“Pardon?”
Danso, who had been adjusting her clothes, shrieked in a higher voice than mine in surprise. Even Chuseol, who had been washing, rushed in, startled.
“The laundry room… you mean not there?”
“That’s right. From today on, you will work at the Third Young Master’s residence.”
What kind of bolt from the blue is this?!
After escorting the maid who had thrown herself from the cliff back to her quarters, Moyong Sehui immediately headed toward the Head Steward’s residence.
“Head Steward, this is Moyong Sehui.”
The Head Steward Joo suddenly opened his eyes. Though irritated at having his deep sleep disturbed, he quickly composed himself and began putting on his clothes.
Still, it was far too early an hour to be discussing business.
“Please wait a moment while I tidy my attire.”
He quickly changed clothes and opened the door in a flawless appearance.
“My apologies for coming so early.”
“Not at all. It must be urgent business if you’ve come at such an hour.”
If it’s not urgent, that face says you wouldn’t let it slide. Moyong Sehui chuckled inwardly.
“Then I will speak quickly. I need a maidservant.”
The Head Steward wondered if he was still half-asleep. A man who kept only a single servant boy named Sobuk suddenly asking for a maid…
“Has the child currently serving you made some sort of mistake?”
“Not at all. Sobuk does his duties well. I simply need one more maidservant.”
The Third Young Master oddly emphasized the words “one more” rather than merely asking for another servant.
“Hm. But as you know, it has only been a week since the maid assignments between the outer and inner quarters were changed. I’m not sure if there’s a capable child available…”
Thunk.
Moyong Sehui placed a silk bundle on the table.
“Silver Dew Jade Tea.”
Silver Dew Jade Tea! It was an extremely rare tea. Even if it was something that perfectly matched his taste, the Head Steward believed that if he accepted it along with a request, he must repay it with a proper exchange.
“You shouldn’t give something like this to me.”
“There is a child working in the laundry room. Please review whether she is truly indispensable there.”
“You are putting me in a difficult position.”
“My father will soon return. By then, my residence should at least look properly staffed.”
The Head Steward’s face stiffened.
“Then I will assume you’ll handle it that way. I’ll be going.”
Though he phrased it indirectly, he was essentially saying that his residence—with only a single servant—would appear inadequate in the eyes of the family head. And he had specifically singled out one child.
A girl who had lost her memories and had yet to be influenced by anyone’s faction.
He was telling him to assign that girl as a maidservant in his residence.
Before the Head Steward could even respond, Moyong Sehui had already disappeared.
Letting out a weary sigh, the Head Steward collapsed into his chair.
He covered his gaunt face with both hands and rubbed it dryly.
“What the—? No matter how many times I asked before, he absolutely refused to have a maid. And now he suddenly brings a bribe? What kind of whim is this?!”
Sansan stood outside the door, her heart pounding heavily.
“What should I say? Should I greet him first? Or thank him for saving me?”
She struggled to choose her words when footsteps sounded behind her.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, well… starting today, I’m assigned to the Third Young Master’s residence—”
“Oh, so you’re that girl?”
A boy who looked quick in his movements raised his index finger to his temple and spun it in a circle.
What does that mean…? Is he asking if I’m crazy?
He asks if I’m crazy the moment he sees my face? What kind of guy is this?
“Third Young Master, the girl who will be working here has arrived.”
Wait—what?! I haven’t even decided what to say yet.
“Alright. Tell her to come in.”
“Yes.”
The boy looked at me.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”
Shrugging once, the boy entered politely and opened the door.
Damn it. I’m not mentally prepared yet.
I slowly walked into the room and closed the door behind me. Just as I awkwardly glanced around the interior—
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you greeting the Young Master?”
The boy, who looked about my age, wore a relaxed expression.
Right. You’re the old hand here, huh?
“I am Masansan… who will be working at the Young Master’s residence from now on.”
For nearly half an hour, the Head Steward had drilled the proper way to greet a master into my ears until they hurt.
His words were still vivid in my mind.
After offering your greeting, you must not raise your back until you hear the words ‘That’s enough.’ If you do not hear it, keep bowing and wait.
The items in the room I had briefly scanned before greeting were quite modest. And smoke from the incense burner rose in graceful lines.
But the unfamiliar scent was the problem.
The rough sensation in my throat, as if something were stuck there, made me uncomfortable.
Endure it. Just endure—
“Cough.”
At the sound of my cough, the boy standing beside the screen glared sharply.
No, that’s an unavoidable bodily reaction—why glare like that?
My brief sense of injustice faded quickly, because the words still hadn’t come.
Those words: “That’s enough.”
I had already been displeased the moment I heard I had to stand like this without moving.
If the person receiving the greeting happened to be in a twisted mood, this was no different from forcing someone to remain bent over in punishment all day.
I only greeted him because I had to—yet if he disliked it, it turned into punishment.
Even as those thoughts ran through my mind, the words still didn’t come.
Fine. I’ll count to thirty seconds.
One—
Two—three—four…
My waist began trembling.
Still, I endured and counted to the end.
Thirty.
The moment I finished counting, I straightened my body sharply.
The boy beside the screen went pale and began mouthing something in a panic.
Whatever.
Taking a deep breath, I bowed again and spoke loudly.
“Once again! I offer my greeting. This servant is Ma San—”
“The greeting.”
A clear, powerful low voice.
They said even voices could carry dignity. This voice overflowed with elegance.
“There is no need to do it twice. That is enough. You may withdraw for today.”
I straightened my back and cast a direct glance toward the screen.
It was a small act of rebellion against the tingling pain in my waist.
It’s not like he’s trying to torment me.
The screen stirred. The master of this residence—the Third Young Master, Moyong Sehui—seemed to be rising.
“Yes, I will take my leave.”
Sansan stepped backward slowly, sneaking glances at his movements.
Seeing him up close…
His lowered eyes somehow gave off an arrogant impression.
A smooth, well-shaped forehead. Thick eyebrows. Blue eyes that seemed to pierce through people, with long eyelashes above them.
Below the high bridge of his nose were neat, full red lips.
The kind of strikingly handsome face that anyone would turn to look at, even in passing.
Sansan’s backward steps carried her past the threshold.
She turned and closed the door to the residence.
As she walked away, a sudden anxiety struck her.
“Is it because I didn’t listen that day…? Did he assign me here just to make my life miserable?”
A chill ran down her spine.
