Chapter: 14
Breathing heavily, Ricardo buried his head deep into the sofa, and once again, Mary’s words echoed in his ears.
“Young Master is younger than me, after all.”
“How much younger do you think I am?!”
Ricardo, frustrated, kicked the blanket away violently.
He knew that Mary often treated him like a child.
It was inevitable. After acting so outrageous when they first met, he couldn’t help but seem like an immature, uncontrollable brat.
So Ricardo had been trying to change his image.
He had been making an effort to show himself as a worthy master who cares for his people…
But there was one problem.
Age.
No matter how mature he might be for his age, he could never become an adult before Mary. To her, Ricardo would always be “the younger brother.”
“Young Master, you shouldn’t throw books like that.”
Looking up at Mary as she picked up a book, Ricardo was struck by a sudden realization.
He was smaller than Mary.
His height, his hands, his feet—everything was smaller.
How weak and small must he look in Mary’s eyes?
Sigh…
Ricardo tore at his hair.
Why was it so hard to apologize for once?
He felt pathetic for only managing to make more reasons to apologize, and sighed repeatedly.
Calm down.
He finally managed to steady his racing heart.
There was still plenty of time before the day ended.
I’ll find the right moment to apologize before the day changes.
He would apologize not just for yesterday, but also for what he had just said.
It seemed that the list of things he needed to apologize for kept growing.
Just one word would be enough.
“Sorry.”
Too short?
“I’m sorry.”
Too childish.
“I apologize.”
Too formal, like a favor—it didn’t feel right.
Ricardo muttered to the empty air over and over, rehearsing so he could finally say the word naturally in front of Mary.
He ran simulations in his head countless times. In truth, it wasn’t even a simulation—he just had to say it naturally, like water flowing, without overthinking it.
He swore on Hamilton’s name that he would apologize today, no matter what.
Yeah. How hard could one simple apology be?
Ricardo tugged at the cord of the bell with renewed determination.
Not long after, Mary entered the room. Even after being shooed away earlier, she smiled brightly.
“Young Master, may I start cleaning now?”
“Do as you see fit.”
Mary began cleaning.
Ricardo, captivated by the way her chestnut hair swayed gently, shook himself awake from his daze.
This isn’t the time to just stare.
He had practiced saying “sorry” aloud multiple times before Mary arrived, so now he felt ready. One word, that was all he needed.
Just as he was about to call Mary over, he suddenly remembered.
How should I call her?
Ricardo had never called Mary by name before. Whenever he watched her quietly, Mary would sense his gaze and naturally speak first: “Young Master, do you need something?”
He seriously considered what to call her. Actually, it wasn’t a difficult question—he could just say her name.
Yet strangely, saying “Mary” felt awkward. The very thought of calling out her name made him blush and feel a ticklish unease inside.
Mary. Mary. Mary.
Why did such a common name feel so embarrassing?
Calling the maid’s name turned out to be just as difficult as apologizing.
Forget using her name. There has to be another way…
Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of any alternatives.
Hey.
Not exactly appropriate.
Maid.
Even worse.
After thinking hard for a long time, Ricardo decided to just get straight to the point.
Yeah, it wasn’t like he was going to say anything fancy.
“Sor—”
He barely got a sound out when Mary suddenly turned her head. The moment her shining golden eyes met his, his mouth betrayed him.
“Sor—there’s a stain left, isn’t there? Clean it again over there.”
“Huh? Where?”
Even he knew he was nitpicking. While Mary looked around for the stain, Ricardo wiped his face with both hands.
Another failed attempt.
It’s okay. There’s still plenty of time. I can apologize today.
Surely he wouldn’t spend the whole day like this.
“I—make sure the floor is properly dry. You don’t want it slippery.”
“Yes, Young Master! I’ll clean it again!”
This wasn’t what he intended.
Ricardo watched Mary busily cleaning and tried again.
“Pay attention to…your hair. It’s all messy.”
“Huh? My hair is really that messy?”
Another miserable failure.
So many words in the world start with “mi.”
How many times would he unintentionally divert the conversation before finally saying “I’m sorry”?
By the end of the day, he had only managed to nag at Mary.
This is maddening.
After a few more futile attempts beginning with “mi,” the sun was already setting. Mary would soon return to her room.
No…!
His anxiety grew.
Mary, who had patiently endured Ricardo’s nagging all day, asked.
“Young Master?”
“What?”
“You kept starting words with ‘mi’ but never finished.”
Ricardo remembered his repeated failures and instinctively looked away.
“…”
“Were you trying to apologize to me?”
The blunt question made Ricardo’s face flush crimson.
She already knew?
It was embarrassing.
But perhaps it was also a relief. Simply nodding “yes” could count as a proper apology. Even a small gesture of acknowledgment would convey his remorse.
Yes. Just say it naturally after that.
But Ricardo’s mouth betrayed him again.
“Are you crazy? Why would I apologize to you!”
Mary’s eyes narrowed.
Ricardo flinched unconsciously. Her sun-like gaze seemed to pierce right through him.
“Right… I suppose.”
Mary soon relaxed her suspicious look and nodded.
The conversation ended vaguely, and she left.
And just like that, the day ended futilely.
“Phew.”
Back in her room, Mary finally let out a sigh.
Today, the Young Master had been particularly persistent with his nagging, leaving her no time to rest all day.
It had been truly exhausting.
Changing into her pajamas, she crouched on the floor, gently lifting the hem of her skirt.
Looking at her knees, mottled and bruised, tears pricked her eyes. The Young Master had been unusually sharp today, and she felt even sadder.
I thought he had finally started opening up to me.
Had it all been her imagination?
As she sighed in melancholy, there was a sudden knock.
Knock… knock.
Who could it be at this hour?
If anyone were to visit her now, it would only be Lady Lisa.
But Lady Lisa had never come at such a late hour. Could something urgent have happened?
Mary hurried to open the door.
But it wasn’t Lady Lisa standing there.
“You… Young Master?”
She was startled.
According to Lady Lisa, the Young Master had rarely left his room.
Indeed, since she began her duties, he had stayed in his room constantly, except for meals with Lady Lianne.
And now, he was here at her door.
“What brings you here…?”
“You… did you cry?”
“Huh? Ah, no! I didn’t cry!”
“Your eyes are red. There are still tears.”
“That’s not tears!”
Mary scrambled for an excuse.
“I-it’s sweat!”
“…Who sweats from their eyes?”
“Um, I’m not an ordinary person—I’m a descendant of witches… so sometimes sweat comes from my eyes.”
Seeing through the lie, the Young Master’s expression darkened.
Mary realized that forcing the lie would only make things worse, so she confessed honestly.
“Actually… I cried a little. Not really crying, just some tears…”
As she mumbled and trailed off, he asked in a trembling voice.
“Was it because of me?”
“Huh? No!”
She quickly shook her head.
Of course, he wasn’t entirely irrelevant… but if pressed, the reason was her aching knees.
No matter how much she denied it, his green eyes showed deep guilt. His face looked like he might cry, and the corners of his eyes were red.
