Chapter:24
Eugenia trudged up the stairs with heavy steps.
“Maybe it’s because I’m finally relaxing…”
Her whole body sagged like a wet rag.
She had to grip the handrail just to climb the next step.
She had acted tough in front of Enrique, but the situation inside the inn wasn’t much different from the outside.
Especially as she went higher up, it grew darker, and every time she stepped on the warped wooden floorboards, the creaking was loud enough to send chills down her spine.
Standing in front of the room where the children were waiting for her, Eugenia paused to catch her breath.
All the things she had experienced today flashed through her mind like a fast-forwarded reel of memories.
‘This is really… too much to handle.’
Her knees almost buckled beneath her, but she forced herself to stay standing. If she collapsed now, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get up again for a long time.
“If I panic, they’ll get anxious and scared too.”
She took several deep breaths.
“So I shouldn’t tell them I’ve been listed as a wanted person.”
After quickly steadying her voice, she patted her cheeks with both hands several times, trying to snap herself back to composure.
Then, she forced a bright smile and entered the room.
“Kids, I’m back. You waited a long time, didn’t you?”
Despite being siblings, Selmia and Joshua reacted in completely opposite ways.
“Unnie!”
“Oh, you’re back?”
Apparently, nothing much had happened in her absence, as Selmia leapt off the bed and dashed toward Eugenia.
Fwump—
Hugging her around the waist, Selmia’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“Did you bring candy?”
The way she swallowed her saliva again and again in anticipation was so adorable that Eugenia couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle along with her.
“Of course I brought it. Here! The promised candy!”
“Yay! I’m so happy!”
As Eugenia handed over the bag of candy, her brows drooped slightly.
“But Selmia, I’m really sorry… it got a little wet because of the rain outside. Still, some of them should be fine.”
“It’s okay!”
Just then, Joshua, who had been watching the two from a distance, sharply commented.
“For something that’s ‘a little wet,’ the bottom of the bag looks totally ruined.”
That sharp little brat.
Couldn’t he just pretend not to notice?
Eugenia swallowed a sigh and forced a calm expression and voice.
“Ah, well… it’s embarrassing, but I fell down. So it got kind of soaked. I’m really sorry, Selmia.”
Eugenia gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of her head.
And then—
“What? You fell?!”
“You fell down, unnie?!”
The twins shouted in unison.
“…Huh?”
Their sudden change in tone caught Eugenia completely off guard.
She instinctively took a step back, startled.
Selmia, looking like she might burst into tears at any moment, anxiously examined Eugenia from head to toe.
“Are you hurt? Does it hurt? Want me to blow on it?”
Eugenia quickly shook her head.
“No, I’m fine. I got up right away.”
“But still…”
“Really, I’m okay. I think I scared you with something silly I said.”
Eugenia hugged Selmia tightly and gently patted her back.
At that moment, she noticed Joshua’s face, deeply furrowed with concern.
As soon as their eyes met, the boy suddenly began coughing as if something had gone down the wrong way.
“You okay?”
Once he had calmed down, Joshua muttered, eyes glistening with tears.
“Idiot… is now really the time to be worrying about me? Seriously, you’re so clumsy.”
This little rascal?
Eugenia narrowed her eyes at Joshua.
But she couldn’t stay mad—not when he was standing a distance away, clearly worried, scanning her with anxious eyes.
‘What can I do? I have to let it go.’
With a soft voice, she spoke to him.
“Sorry for making you worry. But I’m really okay. I didn’t get hurt.”
“…Well, that’s good, then. Be more careful.”
“Yeah, I will.”
At her obedient reply, Joshua relaxed his expression.
Still holding Selmia in her arms, Eugenia continued gently.
“Selmia, unnie needs to change clothes. Want to eat your candy while you wait?”
The girl nodded while still in the hug, then stepped back slowly.
“Okay. How many can I eat?”
“You can have two. But remember to brush your teeth after, okay?”
“Okay, unnie! Promise!”
After a firm pinky swear, Selmia turned around, clutching the candy bag tightly.
Eugenia straightened herself and headed toward the wall where the coat hooks were.
Only then did Joshua casually approach her with his hands behind his back, glancing around the room as if pretending to be interested in anything else.
Once he was close enough for a whisper, the boy asked her a question.
“Did you find a job?”
“Ah, yeah. Fortunately.”
Eugenia answered lightly.
‘I’ll have to explain it at some point…’
She still hadn’t figured out how to explain what kind of job it was, so her thoughts were jumbled.
But Joshua wasn’t asking about the kind of work.
“That guy—who is he? Don’t tell me you’re working with him?”
“Huh?”
When Eugenia turned around in mild surprise, she saw Joshua frowning as if deeply displeased.
Clearly annoyed even at having to explain it himself, Joshua added,
“The guy who brought you here. He was tall… well, not that tall, just… a bit taller than most.”
After an awkward cough, he continued.
“You know, that man.”
“Oh.”
Eugenia blinked slowly.
“When did you see him? Don’t tell me you were watching from the window the whole time? Until I got back?”
“Answer my question first.”
“Tsk. What does it matter who asked first? What’s the harm in answering someone else’s question first? Anyway, yeah. He’s my employer.”
Eugenia nodded and added in a quiet but clearly excited voice,
“Thankfully, he understood our situation and agreed to take you both in too. Just wait a bit—I’ll explain the job after I finish cleaning this.”
But Joshua’s reaction wasn’t what Eugenia had hoped for. He looked grumpy as ever.
Clicking his tongue barely audibly, he asked sulkily,
“Is he someone with a trustworthy background?”
“Who knows?”
Eugenia shrugged and resumed cleaning her robe.
She needed to wear it again soon, and though she couldn’t dry it perfectly in time, she at least wanted to get some of the stains out.
“My background isn’t even trustworthy. So isn’t it a bit much to question the background of a guy offering us a big paycheck?”
It was just a casual remark, but Joshua clearly didn’t like the answer.
He let out a deep sigh through his lips.
“Eugenia…”
With a tone far beyond his years, he began to lecture her.
“How do you expect to survive in this cruel world being so naïve?”
“…What?”
“You have to assess things and ask the right questions!”
This ungrateful little brat.
‘If I’d been calculating like that, I wouldn’t have taken you two in to begin with.’
But worried he’d be hurt, Eugenia kept her mouth shut.
Just then, Selmia—who had been sitting on the bed, rolling candy around in her mouth with bliss—suddenly cut in.
“You know, Shushu… From Sherry’s point of view, unnie seems to be surviving better in the world than you.”
Joshua looked like he had just been punched in the face.
“…What? Sherry, what did you just say?”
“You’re the one with no people skills. It’s true.”
His voice wavered in disbelief at the blunt jab from his own sister.
“How—how could you say that to me…!”
Selmia, seemingly finished with one piece of candy, crunched down on it and added nonchalantly,
“Isn’t it obvious? Without unnie or me, people would probably dislike you. Even thinking about it ‘objectively,’ like you like to do—it’s still true.”
“Sherry! You’re supposed to be on my side!”
Selmia calmly nodded and popped another candy into her mouth.
“I’m always on your side. But I can’t lie if something’s true.”
Eugenia felt like laughing for some reason.
But she held it back—Joshua would definitely hate it if she laughed now.
Of course, that didn’t mean the urge disappeared. But she did her best to contain it.
“That’s enough, Selmia.”
Eugenia pretended to scold her gently.
“Joshua’s probably hurting from that verbal blow. Don’t make it worse.”
Joshua’s face turned bright red.
Not from embarrassment, but from anger—his face was flushed with heat.
“Eugenia! You too?! I’m just trying to be concerned here!”
“I know. I know how much you care about me. I really appreciate it.”
She deliberately used the cute nickname Shushu to tease him.
She expected him to stomp his feet and yell that cutesy names didn’t suit him—but surprisingly, Joshua didn’t react.
Instead, the tips of his ears turned redder than ever.
