Chapter 29
Children Grow Up
“Ugh…”
I fanned myself irritably. It was still spring, so why was it so hot? I knew the weather was going crazy, but I didn’t expect it to ignore the seasons entirely.
The heat felt worse than midsummer, making my irritation rise. My maid uniform was thick enough as it was, and with the weather like this, it felt like dying.
Couldn’t they at least give us a day off on days like this? Or provide summer uniforms, maybe.
I swept my sweat-drenched hair up and opened Lu’s door.
In the center of the room, Lu had collapsed.
“…?”
He really had fallen.
What now? Was I hallucinating from the sudden heat? I rubbed my eyes, but it wasn’t a trick of the mind—someone who looked like Lu was still lying on the floor.
“Master Lu?!”
Finally panicking, I ran to him. Because he was face-down, I couldn’t see his expression. I crouched beside him and shook him urgently.
“Master Lu! Don’t die! If you die here, I’ll be the prime suspect!”
“…That’s what you’re worried about?”
Lu turned his head and looked at me with a baffled expression.
What the heck, he’s fine. He didn’t even faint—so why was he sprawled on the floor?
I looked at him again, expressionless.
“Go sleep in your bed.”
“No… the floor is cooler…”
“Since when do noble masters sleep on the floor because it’s hot?”
“Better than melting to death…”
Lu was extremely sensitive to heat. Sure, I had complained about the heat too, but I never considered sleeping on the floor. I stared at him in disbelief.
Spending time with commoners must have drilled a survival-first mentality into him, completely overriding his noble status.
“Use a magic stone, or something. Wind magic, maybe.”
“Wind magic isn’t precise… I tried it before and almost blew up the mansion…”
Ah, he had tried it before. That explained why a wealthy duke’s family hadn’t prepared for extreme heat. Some things can’t be solved with money. Seeing Lu practically dying, I quietly shook my head.
Well, you can blame being born in a pre-air-conditioning era…
Seeing someone hotter than me, my irritation vanished instantly. I was quietly pitying Lu when the door suddenly swung open.
And, as expected, Odin was standing there. I was almost used to him barging in without knocking.
“….”
Odin looked back and forth between me and Lu. Now that I thought about it, it must have looked strange.
I smiled awkwardly and poked Lu’s arm. Hurry up and get up—he’s going to misunderstand.
“….”
“…Master Lu?”
Even after I touched him, Lu didn’t move. Thinking maybe he didn’t notice, I tapped his shoulder—but he still lay face-down on the floor.
Panicked, I glanced at Odin. He was staring at me with a look of firm misunderstanding.
“I didn’t do anything!”
I really hadn’t, but I couldn’t help shouting at him. I kept poking Lu’s arm, but he remained motionless.
He hadn’t fallen asleep, so why no reaction at all?
“Lily, do you think this is the kind of situation where we should call the guards?”
“What are you talking about? He’s alive!”
Odin’s calm tone made me frown. Then, I heard a laugh from the face-down Lu.
This little brat was clearly pretending to faint just to tease me.
“Get up, Lu.”
Odin’s serious expression faded, replaced with a smile as he spoke to Lu.
Even Odin joined in on the prank. Those two brothers only seemed in sync when teasing me. I glared at Odin indignantly.
Not only Lu, but you too?
Lu slowly sat up beside me and asked Odin:
“What’s the matter?”
“This summer break, Mother…”
Odin trailed off as his gaze landed on me. He abruptly shut his mouth. Lu softly said “Ah,” then looked at me sitting right beside him. His violet eyes were practically inches from mine.
…Too close. I tried to step back slightly, but Lu spoke first.
“Lily, go out for a moment.”
Wow, being kicked out again?
Despite my grumbling head, my body naturally bobbed in a small bow to Lu.
Kicking me out once a day is becoming a habit now, huh?
I grumbled and walked past Odin, exiting the room.
No sooner had I left than Odin closed the door. What were they going to talk about in there?
With nothing else to do, I decided to grab a snack and headed to the kitchen.
“Lily! Long time no see!”
Drum, the cheerful head cook, greeted me with his usual jovial smile. I naturally reached for some chocolate from the cupboard, unwrapped it, and took a bite.
“That’s Miss Able’s snack!”
“I got permission.”
I waved to reassure him. Permission or not, I didn’t even know who it belonged to, but it was already in my mouth, so I decided to enjoy it.
Chewing chocolate, I looked around the kitchen. It hadn’t changed much over time. Maids bustled about, and the smell of food wafted in the air.
Even in the busy chaos, everyone chatted and laughed. Since becoming a personal maid, I rarely visited the kitchen, so it felt nostalgic.
“Master Lu?”
Among the various chatter, I caught a familiar name. I turned to find a group mentioning Lu.
Three young maids peeling potatoes were blushing as they talked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh! Hello!”
Curious, I spoke up. They seemed to recognize me and greeted me warmly, even though I had never seen them before.
“We were talking about Master Lu anyway!”
“Ah~ gossip?”
“No!”
A black-haired maid hurriedly denied it. I smiled gently.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I gossip sometimes too.”
“No, really! We were talking about how amazing Master Lu is!”
She buried her face in her hands shyly. The two girls beside her giggled, patting her shoulders. It felt like watching fangirls gush over a celebrity.
I sat down beside them, nibbling my chocolate. Just months ago, I had only heard scary rumors about Lu. This was the first time I heard compliments from the maids.
Excited by my interest, they began chattering nonstop about him.
Master Lu! He’s so cool! This is cool, that is cool…
It was so excited, I couldn’t keep track, so I clapped loudly to calm them. The maids’ praise didn’t even register in my ears.
I lazily said:
“Summarize it in one sentence.”
“Master Lu is handsome!”
Satisfied, I smiled. Handsome really is the best.
“Before, I didn’t think much of him, but now that he’s grown taller, he’s even more handsome!”
I nodded vaguely. He had grown significantly after going through his growth spurt. Just now, his seated height was almost level with mine.
But height alone doesn’t matter. While the young maids found him impressive, I still saw him as a kid. The black-haired maid asked excitedly:
“As his personal maid, you must see him a lot! So jealous!”
“Yeah, he’s practically with you every day! Have you ever felt your heart flutter around him?”
“Ugh…”
Annoying.
I chewed my chocolate while giving her a scornful look. She quickly stopped her excited expression and looked down.
“Stop slacking and get back to work.”
“Yes…”
I lightly tapped her shoulder and stood up.
As I left, the maids immediately resumed their chatter about Lu, seemingly unfazed. I couldn’t help but laugh.
It wasn’t just his looks—Lu’s personality had softened in this story. In the original, he never really became close to the staff.
I chewed the last piece of chocolate, feeling warm inside, and returned to Lu’s room.
Odin had apparently left after their conversation. Only Lu sat at the tea table.
“What took you so long?”
Lu asked irritably, clearly annoyed that I had ignored his previous order to leave for a moment.
I said nothing and simply looked at him. Sitting there, it was clear he had grown taller.
I had wondered when he would grow, and now it was evident.
“…Why?”
He asked cautiously, a stark contrast to earlier. I must have been staring too intently. I stepped closer, keeping my gaze locked on him.
Was he really handsome?
I leaned slightly against the table, facing him, and met his eyes. Standing so close, I could see every subtle change in his expression.
We remained in a short, tense silence. Neither of us spoke.
“…Hey, wait a second.”
Finally, Lu looked away first, hiding his face with one hand.
I tried to see his face, but stepped back casually as if nothing happened.
“You’re popular, huh?”
“…?”
Lu gave me a look as if to say, What are you talking about? I just shook my head lightly.
