DM Side Story 09
She also read in the newspaper that Nikolai had died. It was a dangerous environment, not a suitable one, for the child. If she were in her right mind, she should have sent the child far away.
But when she thought about it, the days she and the child had lived up to now had not been smooth either. Since she had lived far from an ordinary life, Sarin considered this moment to be the warmest time in her life.
“Sarin.”
“…Yes?”
“The child seems to be bored.”
Owen, holding the Hayan child in his arms, glanced outside. From early in the morning, Kirill and Garen were happily chatting while holding the reins of the horses, seemingly enjoying a ride.
Hayan’s gaze was entirely focused on the horse he saw for the first time in his life. He’s halfway out of Owen’s arms, his mouth open, ready to break through the window.
“Hayan, hi.”
Gayeon, having spotted the child, shouted loudly.
With a weak immune system, even dogs couldn’t enter Hayan’s room. When he went outside to play occasionally, he would wear a mask and be disinfected, so the horses were a far-off existence to him.
While nodding his head towards the adults outside, the child’s sparkling, curious gaze never left the horses. Sensing this, Gayeon brought the horse closer to the window.
And just on the other side of the glass, the child faced the horse.
Hayan’s small hand touched the glass. He stroked the glass as if he could feel the sweat on the bridge of the horse’s nose.
Neigh.
When the horse suddenly shook its head, a spray of mucus and saliva splattered all over the glass. Startled, Hayan hugged Owen tightly.
“Hahaha. Looks like he’s saying hello to Hayan. You should say ‘hi’ to him, Hayan.”
Gayeon said, bursting into laughter. Still hugging Owen tightly, Hayan poked his head out again and shyly spoke.
“Hello, horse.”
The horses he had only seen on TV or in books were different from the real thing. They were so big that it was amazing to think how people could ride them.
Gayeon, who had been walking with the reins, leading the horse back and forth in front of Hayn for a while, soon waved to Sarin. Then they rode back to Martha with Kirill waiting in the rear.
Owen took the wistful child in his arms and started walking away.
“Where are we going?”
“This place is old, so there are a few interesting spots.”
He extended a hand to Sarin.
It was a clear sign for her to come along, so she took his hand. She’d never seen a mansion like this before, and though she couldn’t show it, the feeling of exploring together excited her.
“Did you live here?”
“After I returned from Ireland, I’ve been here ever since.”
“So, that room yesterday…”
“That was my room.”
There were many other kids like him here. Nikolai loved to collect, whether it was children or art.
There wasn’t much to see on the second floor as it was mostly divided into bedrooms and small parlors. The real attractions of the mansion were the storage room in the basement, the garden influenced by French garden styles, and the greenhouse.
Nikolai’s storage room likely had more to see than the Russian National Museum, filled with items he greedily hoarded.
Owen naturally led them there. When Nikolai was alive, perhaps only Pavel had access to this place.
Strict entry restrictions were in place to prevent anyone from sneaking away with his treasures, but Owen headed there without hesitation.
After Sarin left, he had taken some of the nicer jewels from here, but the vast collection of artworks, jewels, and historically valuable items remained.
Sarin had never worn the big, shiny jewels he had gifted her. Thinking they might not be to her taste, he figured letting her pick something herself wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The path leading down to the basement was grand, almost like descending into a temple. The intricate carvings on the stone walls made it clear this wasn’t just an ordinary mansion basement.
Even Hayan, who had been sad to leave the horses, looked around in awe from Owen’s arms. His small hand brushed over the rough carvings. Sarin, realizing she was doing the same as the child, gave a sheepish laugh.
“It doesn’t feel like a basement.”
“The air might actually be better down here than above ground. The man who lived here embraced all the world’s treasures.”
Owen shared his brief thoughts on Nikolai as they arrived at the storage room. At the end of the spiral staircase was the iron door of the storage room. The guard, who stood watch 24 hours a day in front of the massive iron door, bowed his head upon seeing Owen.
When the guard recognized the owner and opened the door, lights gradually turned on inside in sequence. The space was so vast that it seemed endless. This storage room spanned the entire underground of the property, not just beneath the mansion but also extending far into the grounds where they had driven in by car.
“Wow…”
“Even if you came here every day during your stay, it would be difficult to see everything.”
That’s how extensive the collection was. Owen put the child down, and he quickly wandered around, fascinated by the labyrinth-like interior.
“Hayan, you can’t touch anything.”
Even though Sarin knew nothing about art, she instinctively felt these were items not to be touched carelessly. Hayan responded energetically to her warning.
“Yes!”
It wasn’t a problem if he touched things; the concern was that he might hurt himself by mishandling one of the larger objects. Owen gave a nod to the guard to keep an eye out.
“You didn’t seem to like the things I picked for you. Why don’t you choose something yourself?”
“Huh? Choose what…?”
Sarin followed Owen in a daze as he led her. They passed through the artworks to a section where jewels from all over Europe were displayed. The entire space was dazzlingly bright. Sarin finally understood the origin of the fist-sized jewels in the dress room at Eden City.
She knew that the kind of jewelry that medieval noblewomen wore wouldn’t suit her. When Owen asked why she didn’t wear them, she couldn’t answer. They were items she couldn’t normally use. Instead, she had been wearing simple pieces, similar to the earrings Karlena had thrown into the river.
“I can’t wear these,”
Sarin said, stepping back, afraid he might actually give them to her. As her hand pulled back, Owen pulled her forward again.
“Then just keep them. You’ll wear them someday.”
“No. The ones in the dress room are enough,” she insisted, even though she wasn’t sure when she would ever wear those.
Sarin refused desperately. Owen looked at her with unreadable eyes. Most people were greedy. Even he had his own greed, though it wasn’t for jewels or other such things. That was why he hadn’t swallowed Eden City whole.
“Then what should I give you?”
“You don’t need to give me anything. I have everything. I have… you.”
“You like me more than jewels? I don’t sparkle as beautifully as they do.”
Ah, Lee Sarin’s greed was for him.
When Owen heard Sarin’s beautiful words rejecting everything he offered, his mood softened. There was only one answer to the arrogant man who asked with a smile he couldn’t hide.
Sarin nodded.
She had achieved everything she wanted. This man had made it happen, like a miracle. She had no other desires; she just wanted to be with him for a long time.
“To me, you’re more, more beautiful than any jewel,”
He let out a low laugh. She wasn’t spreading her legs or clinging to him, but Sarin’s face flushed red at her own words calling him beautiful. How long would it take to carry her to the bedroom from here?
The unnecessarily large mansion was annoying.
“Then you should give something to me, who is more beautiful than jewels,”
“What?”
“I’m giving you all these things, right? Shouldn’t there be some balance?”
He pulled her hand, drawing closer. Her upper body leaned backward, almost toppling if he let go. It was so close to falling backwards if he let go. She hesitated, then swatted his hand away with a loud thud.
“Ah!”
When he let go of her hand, Sarin took a deep breath, almost a sigh, and regained her balance.
“Did you remember something?”
“Just a moment. Stay here… just stay here.”
“What if I, more beautiful than any jewel, get stolen while you’re gone?”
She couldn’t argue back. It was unfair how charmingly he smiled while saying that. Not the shining jewels, but only Owen’s figure caught her eye. After hesitating, Sarin turned around. He watched her walk quickly out of the storage room, his smile fading.
Every time she turned her back on him like this, he wanted to grab her.
Owen tried to stay calm, thinking she would come back. Having lost her once, he felt anxious every time she left.
How long did he wait with eyes sinking deeper?
He finally saw her running from afar. He was afraid she might fall but he didn’t even tell her to come slowly instead he wished she had been quicker.
Standing among the jewels, he rushed toward Sarin in one leap. If she was slow, he would move first. He scooped her up by the waist and lifted her. Holding her like he did with the child, supporting her bottom, Sarin let out a small scream as she was suddenly lifted above his eye level.
“Ah, no, I was startled. You came in so suddenly.”
“Why did you rush over like that?”
Actually, he had hoped she would come faster. Owen said with a somewhat concerned tone.
“Put me down.”
Ignoring Sarin’s request, Owen buried his face in her chest. Her heart was pounding roughly, as if it might burst. Hearing that it beat like this because of him wasn’t entirely unpleasant, so he just listened for a moment. After a while, Sarin finally planted her feet on the ground, still gasping for breath.
She slips one hand into the pocket of her cardigan and fiddles with it, the hard end of the case catching in her hand. Avoiding Owen’s gaze, Sarin tapped her toe on the ground unnecessarily, dragging out the time.
He finally spoke with impatient eyes.
