53. Life on a Time Limit
“Are you already here? I thought you’d take your time looking around.”
Edan hurriedly approached from across the street. The tails of his black coat fluttered.
“I’ve just parked the carriage, so it’ll take a while for the coachman to come. If you’re already inside the shop, I’ll have him waiting for you in a moment.”
I couldn’t hear him. Edan’s words passed by my ears.
When I didn’t respond, Edan asked,
“You look pale. Is something wrong…?”
“Edan.”
I quickly interrupted his words. Whether my face was pale or yellow didn’t matter. I didn’t have the time or attention to worry about my complexion.
“Yes. Please tell me.”
“Can you explain to me what the oaths are, the oaths that the duke’s maids made when they were staying in the north?”
I spoke hesitantly.
“Why suddenly… What’s the matter?”
“What happens if it’s violated?”
He looked around. Whispering softly as he quietly surveyed the surroundings.
“It doesn’t seem like something to discuss on the street.”
“Surely, you’re not tongue-tied?”
He was taken aback by my words.
“What… did you see?”
Tongue-tied, huh. That’s right. I bit my lips without giving any response.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
I released the bird in the greenhouse. The bird, which had been unable to spread its wings in my hand, soon flew towards the greenhouse ceiling.
“I’m relieved it’s safe. It seemed weak for a few days.”
The bird, wilted from its long journey, revived when released into the greenhouse. It seemed like a miracle.
Chirp.
After circling the greenhouse once, the bird perched on my finger and chirped prettily.
“You said it wouldn’t cry, but it seems happy.”
“It must be in a good mood.”
“…Are you sure you didn’t mistake the bird’s species?”
“I’m sure. Sometimes it cries too. It’s just said to be too rare to cry often.”
Somehow, I was hoping it would live longer than four months.
Yet, even so, it didn’t contradict the fact that this bird was a seasonal bird, and I was a blood bag.
“Do you know that all your siblings are dead?”
Chirp.
Most of the eggs bumped against each other in the carriage had broken. Despite lining the box with straw and wrapping it in cloth to cushion it, it was useless for long-distance travel. I had to helplessly watch the liquid seeping through the cracks.
The bird cried again, as if it had its own voice.
“How are things these days? When is the merchant going to visit?”
I asked Suren, who was pruning, about it. Since moving to the imperial palace, Suren had been busy non-stop.
“I’ve informed the merchants. Tomorrow, they’re supposed to bring in some decorative tree branches.”
The greenhouse, as seen upon arrival, was poorly maintained, though not as bad as in the North, as Deon had described.
As Deon had said, the greenhouse was spacious. But with great size came the need for greater effort. To fill it without any gaps, one had to be diligent.
There wasn’t enough time to order flowers, trees, vines, cacti, pots, and covers.
With more items to adorn, the cost multiplied. A significant portion of the budget allocated to the imperial palace was invested in the greenhouse. He decided to lower the price of the two quilts in his bedroom and buy trees instead.
Although the chamberlain shook his head, he didn’t change his opinion. It wasn’t until four months later that he might change it. If there wasn’t enough money, they would buy the greenhouse and resell it.
Eventually, a young maid, knowing that they would share the quilt in the bedroom anyway, suggested that it would be better to change it to something nice.
Smiling faintly at her words, she shyly lowered her head. It was quite adorable.
Her hair was neatly tied up with a beaded headband.
It was the young maid who had come in when I and Deon had fallen into bed.
She diligently managed the greenhouse.
Ignoring the offer to bring in the plants a week later at half price, I made an advance reservation. Every day was precious to me.
“Young Lady, do you know what rumors are circulating these days?”
Suren, who was pruning, took hold of the scissors again and nervously trimmed the branches. The thin branches looked pitiful.
“There are rumors that they’re using me and Young Lady to trap the royal family. It’s said to be one of the integration policies for minority groups. Regardless of which side you’re on, the reputation isn’t bad. But you’re not that considerate about minority groups. Is that right?”
Suren snorted.
Anyway, unlike me, the rumors surrounding him in the capital were all positive.
Come to think of it, it was natural.
This world revolved around him. Not just positive rumors, but also hardships, crises, and clichés. They were all just devices to highlight him.
I worried for nothing. To worry about the protagonist in an extra subplot.
“Let’s plant some trees tomorrow. Now that the bird has revived, it needs branches to perch on and nests to build. Since it’s a bird you’ve seen in your homeland, you should have an idea of what its nest looks like, right?”
Suren nodded.
“You’re calm. You used to get angry over less. Since you got lost in the mountains, somehow…”
“Somehow?”
She hesitated before answering.
“It feels serene.”
Pftt.
Laughter burst out.
“I’m serious.”
As expected, Suren was the only one who noticed my change.
Eventually, you’ll have to serve another master a few months later. How will you live without me?
In this world full of discrimination against minority groups, as she said.
In Imperial Palace, if I disappear, there will be no one left from the minority lineage but Suren.
I chuckled softly and stroked Suren’s head. I brushed her hair behind her ears. Her white hair looked even brighter in the capital’s sunlight. Sometimes it was dazzling.
Perhaps I should slip a ring on her hand the day before I dies.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
His return banquet and charity auction were held. It was too extravagant to call it a charity auction.
Diamond-studded chandeliers, long stairs branching out in two directions, luxurious carpets, and untouched food lined up for a long time.
The nobles seemed more satisfied with their hypocrisy of charity than the actual charity.
It was cliché.
Still, I came to the banquet hall, swelling with vague expectations that Isella might reveal her sword… Although it was a futile hope, I didn’t want to relax.
The ones who stood out at the banquet were Deon and Isella, as expected.
The two stood side by side in the center of the banquet. Although they exchanged simple conversations while looking at each other’s opposite sides, they fit together perfectly. Even if they held hands, it wouldn’t feel strange.
“They suit each other quite well.”
Viter also murmured as he looked at her.
Viter had been sorting through engagement proposals until last night. His family was at the top of the brown basket.
“Do you like her?”
“Of course. She’s one of the most outstanding unmarried women in the empire right now. The Snowa family is also a powerful noble family in the capital. If Isella becomes the duchess… It might be easier afterward. People who are favorable to her family will flock to her.”
His words were not a joke.
Perhaps there would be someone proposing not to Deon, but to her.
Moreover, her family sponsors many events, has many connections, and has a large private army. A strong force would be a reliable ally for him.
“Last time I checked, she’s a bit of a character, and I’m afraid she might be a bit difficult to serve…”
Viter glanced at me.
“The maids will adapt quickly. They’ve already experienced it.”
No way, is he talking about me?
Although I said it myself, I was actually a pretty good master. I’d never received any complaints since living in Korea, and I took care of myself, even arranging my own dishes.
“Don’t interrupt this time.”
“When have I ever?”
“Didn’t you have the first dance at the last banquet? Please refuse. This time I will make sure he dance with another young lady.”
“You should align your words with the lord. On one hand, he ask for love, and on the other, you ask not to interfere…”
He was taken aback by my petulance.
“His Grace… asked you to love him?”
“Yes. He was desperately pleading for love. It was quite entertaining to see him begging for love.”
I approached Deon, leaving the flustered Viter behind.
He was standing where the auctioneer could be seen well. As I approached, he naturally pulled out a chair for me. The manners he had become accustomed to were the ones I taught him. I was satisfied.
“Let’s start the auction. This artwork is well known to nobles who are knowledgeable about paintings. It’s the early work of the first commoner painter. Bidding starts at 500 credits.”
The auctioneer raised the hammer. Several items were displayed on the raised platform.
“3,000. Any more bids? Sold to bidder number 45 for 3,000 credits.”
Old furniture, paintings, and tacky jewelry were exchanged.
I glanced at the items behind the raised platform. There wasn’t much left. And of course… Isella didn’t bring the sword. What she offered was an arrowhead made by an ancestor 300 years ago. I could easily recognize it, displayed next to the silk Elizabeth had provided.
I leaned forward to see the remaining items. Items behind a red curtain were hidden. And something familiar caught my eye.
A gun?
Though rusty and with the grip leather peeling off, it was undoubtedly a gun.
The gun was stuck in a corner. It probably couldn’t be raised because it was considered worthless and abandoned.
“I’ll buy that.”
Deon followed my gaze to my fingertips.
And seeing that I was pointing not at the platform, but at the item hidden behind the curtain, he asked with a puzzled expression.
“That piece of junk? What is that?”
“That? It’s a valuable item that can make anyone powerful. It’s like magic that can make even physically weak children or those without money stronger.”
“Is it poison?”
“It’s more spicy.”
“Really?”
The gun didn’t go up on the platform. He brought it after the auction was over through the attendants. He didn’t forget to call it ‘that piece of junk.’
He took the gun I handed him.
As expected, it was a revolver.
Although it wasn’t a professional gun, it wasn’t bad.
I turned it carefully. There was only one bullet. At first, I thought it was a well-made toy, but seeing the bullet, it wasn’t. But the lack of bullets made the piece of junk even more threatening.
Still, it was an unexpected harvest.
If there are such items in this world, could you find bullets somewhere? If not, you could make them.
Thinking about this and that, a servant carrying champagne approached at the banquet and whispered.
“Miss, the head of the Kandall top has arrived. He wants to meet you.”
Kandall?
I frowned. I tried to recall the name ‘Kandall,’ but it wasn’t in my memory.
“He says you’ll know him well. He made a prior appointment.”
“Me?”
Olá 🇧🇷