The Peaceful Life of a Maid Who Hides Her Power and Enjoys It

<Episode 73>

 

Did they say life was a series of unexpected events?

From that day on, the man naturally attached himself to my house. 

We would go to the beach together when the sun rose and return home together as the sun set. And this man…

 

“There was a storm last night, and the left side of the roof has a hole. I’ll give you a ladder, so you can go up and fix it.”

 “I don’t know how to do it.”

 “You don’t know?”

 “I haven’t done it before. Well, to be exact, it’s been so long that I don’t remember how.”

 

 He was cheeky and shameless, but surprisingly useless. 

It was ridiculous. 

Why was he acting like a well-groomed princess at a height of over 190cm? 

 

“…Why do you keep replacing the bucket for collecting rainwater with those small, cute cans? It makes the room even messier when it overflows.” 

“It looks prettier that way.”

I did the housework and the cleaning.

 

“You sleep on the floor today.”

“As I’m getting older, my body is becoming stiffer. You take the floor, Miss.”

He was also trying to sleep on someone else’s bed! 

 

“Stop sleeping and get up. Didn’t I ask you to find boots or a military ID tag? Did you find them?”

“Yeah. In my dream.” 

 

He didn’t even help with exploring the beach!

 “Cut off the fish’s head for me.”

 “Cut off the head? Isn’t that too barbaric? I don’t know how to do that.” 

 

And now I had to cook too? I had to even feed a foreign man with my terrible cooking skills? As I was cutting the fish’s neck, I couldn’t overcome the frustration welling up inside me and asked the man.

 

“How long are you going to keep following me?”

 Rue, who was putting wildflowers of unknown origin in a can of tomato stew, smiled mischievously. 

 

“Why are you following me?”

 “Because I like you?”

 “Why do you like me?” 

“I just find you a bit cute, that’s all.”

 

 Everything this person said felt insincere and like a joke. 

Suddenly, irritation surged within me, and I slowly shook the kitchen knife in my hand. 

“Don’t like me. If you don’t want to get hurt.”

 

 He responded nonchalantly, shaking his shoulders as if he was scared.

 “Well, that’s a shame. Since we’ve been living under the same roof for three days, I thought you would open up more.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

 

Still, there was one thing good about having a friend.

On the calm nights without wind, we lay side by side on the narrow bed, engaging in casual conversations. 

 

Although the conversations were meaningless, whenever I talked with the man, the nights that used to feel endlessly long passed by in an instant, and I liked that. 

 

“Sir.” 

“Yeah.” 

“You said there was something you were looking for on Queen Island. What are you looking for?” 

 

No response came. 

Perhaps he didn’t want to speak about it. I didn’t force the conversation any further. 

 

In fact, living together with someone and sharing a living space was something I hadn’t done in a very long time. 

 

‘So, I guess I can’t easily push away this suspicious and useless man whose name I don’t even know.’  

 

Could it be that I was a little lonely even if I didn’t realize it?

I’d spent well over 15 days alone on Queen Island.

 

After the black flames fell from the sky like a bombardment, the surviving residents, lucky enough to stay alive, became refugees overnight and fled to the mainland. 

 

What remained on Queen Island was scorched land, patches of sparse grass, ruined villages, and the graves of the deceased residents, covered in stone.

 

And me. 

 

“I’m looking for my younger brother.” 

 

The man’s body moved ever so slightly. 

“My brother’s ship sank in this vicinity. Since Queen Island is the closest, I thought if I search around here, I might find it.”

“Aha. That’s why you roam around the beaches so much? You’re a sweet sister. Even if you’re a little bad at cooking.”

“My younger brother was the one originally in charge of cooking. I can’t help it.”

“Oh, of course. I’ll trust your words. There’s nothing to worry about.”

 

“While we’re exploring the coast today, I’ll also try to find the item you’re looking for.” 

The man smirked and chuckled as if laughing at my words. 

 

“Indeed, you are a kind person. …Alright, I can’t keep my mouth shut when facing a lovely lady like you. The information I’m about to share is confidential, so don’t go blabbering about it anywhere.” 

 

Then, he detached one of the earrings dangling from his ear and handed it to me. 

“This is the item I’m looking for.”

 

 A small, creamy-colored bead. It had a smooth texture. It was a pearl. 

 

“Unfortunately, our island doesn’t have pearls like this. We also don’t have many big shells.”

 

 “Does it look like a pearl? It’s different. That’s just a semi-precious stone that has a similar color and shape.” 

 

“So, is it an imitation?” 

 

A soft voice whispered in my ear.

 “No. It’s a heart.”

 

 …A heart? This small, beautiful bead like a pearl?

 

 ‘Well, it must mean it’s as important and precious as a heart.’

Feeling undeserving to possess it, I quickly returned it to him.

 

“You can’t afford to lose a heart. I hope you find it as soon as possible.”

With a grateful nod, the man put the pearl, or rather, the heart, back on his ear. 

The next day was the first day the man assisted in the search.

 

“Mister! Look at this!”

After a few days, we had our first harvest. 

On the northern coast, I stumbled upon a tattered military boot. The man, who was leisurely strolling along the shorelines as if he was on vacation, asked.

 

 “Doesn’t it just look like an ordinary military boot? Is there anything special about it?” 

“An ordinary boot? Have you ever seen such a big shoe? I told you, my younger brother is as tall as you, mister. Unless it’s a shoe this size, it won’t fit him. He must be around here somewhere.” 

 

My brother was a soldier. The ship he was on, along with Queen Island, burned and sank.

 

 As siblings who lost our parents early on, we were each other’s only family.

 That’s why I didn’t make a grave for Andert.

 Because I knew better than anyone else that he would come back someday. 

 

The man, who had been silently staring at the shoe, averted his gaze to somewhere on the horizon and parted his lips. 

 

“Do you think your brother is alive?” 

“Of course, isn’t it obvious?” 

“Oh, right. It’s not a matter like that. I understand your feelings, but let’s go back now.”

 “Why?”

“It looks like it’s going to rain heavily.”

 

As if to confirm his words, thunder cracked in the dry sky. 

“The wind…” 

 

It seemed like it was going to rain heavily, just as he said. I left my regrets behind and headed home, clutching the shoe to my chest. 

The next day, it rained heavily from morning till night.

 

‘I can’t just sit here like this. I’m sure Andert’s near that beach.’

 

His body was probably already weakened, I must find him as soon as possible. 

 

“Sir! I’ll be right back.” 

Leaving behind the man busy putting dry firewood into the fireplace, I dashed out of the house. 

 

After a long while, I arrived at the coast, where objects that were not visible until yesterday were floating around. 

Combat boot. 

 

I urgently ran to the beach and confirmed the tattered combat boot. It was the same size as the left boot I found yesterday, and it was even the right boot. 

 

“Indeed, he is in this area.” 

 

Andert was nearby. 

He must be alive, waiting for me. 

 

With excitement rising in my blood, I explored the coast and even climbed up the cliff. Being at a higher point allowed me to see what was below better. 

 

Through the gaps of crashing waves against the cliffs, something shiny caught my eye. It looked like a necklace. No…. that was-

 

‘A military identification tag?’ 

Without hesitation, as soon as I recognized the shape, I jumped into the sea.

Splash.

 

Sharp waves lashed against my skin. 

In the meantime, the waves got even more violent mixing together with the rain. 

Swimming across the current, I reached out and grabbed the identification tag after struggling for a bit.

 

The familiar name was neatly engraved on it.

 

Andert Fager.

Queen Island.

Blood Type A.

Magic affinity type C.

 

While staring blankly at the identification tag, something caught my foot.

Instinctively, I dived.

 

 Something was wedged between the rocks coming down from the cliff. 

My heart sank. 

 

‘No… It can’t be. I’m just worrying unnecessarily.’

 

Yet, even so, I was pulled by a line that swayed like seaweed. 

Without budging, I struggled to remove whatever was firmly attached to my feet. Giving up pulling the line, I vigorously cleared the pile of rocks. 

 

From beyond my vision blurred with sand, something hidden among the rocks revealed itself. 

 

The decapitated body of a soldier.

 

‘This… isn’t Andert.’ 

 

Andert hadn’t died. 

He must be drifting somewhere on the island.

He just…lost his identification tag… that, under there, that must be the body of someone else… 

 

“Ugh.”

 Breathing became difficult. 

 

After gripping the cliff and catching my breath, I had to slowly move back towards the beach. However, the raging waves were so intense that my body couldn’t easily get away from them. 

 

“Phew! Haah, haah… ugh!” 

 

But was there really a reason for me to stay alive? 

My strength gradually started to fade. 

Falling endlessly, deeper and deeper.

 

 My younger brother was dead. 

My only family was gone. 

That child would never come back. 

 

‘Do I have a reason to live anymore?’

 

Paradoxically, my heart felt at ease amidst the despair. 

I let go of everything. 

 

If someone hadn’t reached out and pulled me up, I probably would have sunken even deeper.

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Author writes grief so good that it sends me into my own grief. Oh my god. Daisy.

Also, is it just me or did Rue learn cooking to make up for a certain someone’s lack thereof? hehe