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Chapter 5
The
next morning, I woke up hungry and immediately headed to the dining room
wearing a black dress. Then, as if this was a matter of course, I ran into the
Duke's relatives who also wanted to enter the dining room.
"Good
morning."
I
just stood still, even though I couldn't even hold the handle of the dining
room door to enter until someone's hand opened the door. He is Alexander.
"Sister,
you didn't come in?"
He
stepped aside, asking me to go inside first. I stared at him expressionlessly
and I had no other choice but to step into the dining room. Immediately the
sound of forks and knives clashing stopped.
"Alex,
you've come. Come and sit here. The fruit is very fresh."
It
was the old woman from yesterday. She wiped her mouth with a rag and said that.
Then, the maid standing behind her pulled out the chair beside the old woman.
"Sister,
where do you want to sit?"
But
Alexander pretended not to hear the old woman's words and instead spoke to me.
Instantly, the atmosphere in this dining room grew cold. A fork made of silver
fell to the floor, making a small noise.
"Alex,
you didn't hear what aunt said?"
Catherine
smiled awkwardly. Alexander who found an empty seat for me who couldn't choose
a seat took me to his side.
"Alex?"
Catherine's
voice trembled, nervous. Alexander helped me to sit on the chair, then he moved
to the chair beside me and sat there. Only then did he raise his face.
"Oh,
Cathy. Sorry, did you say something?"
"...No,
it's fine."
Nervously
Catherine asked for a new fork from the waitress. She stopped eating the salad
that was in front of her and whispered to the old woman beside her. The old
woman looked at Alexander, looking embarrassed.
"This
soup is a little cold."
Alexander
tapped the glass to get my attention. He looked at me, then he pulled the
corners of his lips, smiled faintly, and laughed.
"Sister,
aren't you don't fond of eating food that is still hot."
"...Yes.
How do you know?"
I
was surprised, but I tried not to show the shock in front of him.
"Twice.
I saw you in pain because your tongue burned."
Alexander
spread his 2 fingers wide. A cheerful smile like when Duke and Mother were
alive. I stirred the soup with my head down. I did it slowly as if I was
playing a game.
"Do
you want plums? They say it's fresh."
As
I drank my drink after eating in silence. Alexander took a plum from the fruit
basket and gave it to me. Plums are hard to find in the North, maybe in about
half a year, we can find plums here. When I lived in the South, I loved to eat
it.
"Thank
you. It reminds me of the past."
I
looked at him with a dim look, as if I wanted to laugh but I didn't either. I
could feel Alexander staring at me, but I ignored him. I have many memories of
plums. Almost everything has to do with Mother.
"Sister,
you reminiscing about the past? I'm curious. I want to hear it."
Alexander
tilted his head and smiled gently. To be honest, the look he gave off didn't
suit him. For the first time, last night, I saw Alexander crying. But to me, he
still looks cold as ice.
"Oh,
I mean. It happened when I was 12."
I
stopped talking and took a bite of a plum. The sour taste spreads in my mouth.
My fingers are covered with the juices of the fruit. After I finished the plum,
Alexander seemed to want to talk to me again, but Catherine walked behind
Alexander and said, "Alex, since you've finished eating can we talk?"
Catherine's
long red hair fell on Alexander's shoulders. Then Catherine bent down and
kissed Alexander on the cheek. For a moment Alexander flinched, but then he let
it go. Then Alexander wiped his cheeks with a rag naturally.
"Such
a greeting is uncomfortable. I think I've said it to me many times."
Alexander
said it without looking at Catherine. Then the old lady also walked over here
and put her hand on Alexander's shoulder.
"You
have to understand. You've always been like this since you studied
abroad."
"And
I've always hated it."
"It
can't be helped, isn't your reaction so cute?"
Catherine
pulled up a chair and sat beside Alexander. She reached her hand into the fruit
basket and picked up the plums.
"This
is a hard fruit to find in the North. How did you get it? I haven't seen it in
a long time."
She
waved the plum in front of Alexander. Alexander just smiled faintly but I could
see that his eyes weren't as bright as usual.
"Even
in Cassier I never saw it. Thanks for the food."
Catherine
didn't seem to notice what Alexander's eyes looked like because they were so
brief. Catherine then ate the plums cheerfully.
"Yes,
please enjoy."
Alexander
looked at me and wanted to talk to me again when Catherine picked up the plums
for the second time. However, at the same time, a mustachioed middle-aged man
and a blonde-haired maid entered the dining room.
"Oh,
Alex! Sorry for the delay. I was in a hurry, but I still missed the
funeral."
"...Uncle
Adrian."
Alexander
stood up and shook hands with the man. The man treated Alexander with respect
and looked at me who also stood up after Alexander stood up earlier. Then, the
man brushed his hand to his chin and made a good impression.
"Could
it be, this Miss is?"
Whenever
I meet the Duke relatives, I always show courtesy but they don't accept my
existence. But this man is not like that. He turned around the table and
approached me.
"I've
heard it. You must be in trouble. What's your name?"
"...My
name is Ophelia."
I
shook hands with him. This feels very strange. Though normally none of the
Duke's relatives acknowledged my existence.
"You
are a very beautiful girl. I was surprised. I haven't seen a beauty like you in
a long time."
The
man held my hand firmly. It felt so uncomfortable, he slowly stroked my wrist
with his fingers. I tried to pull my hand away, and that's when Catherine said
irritably,
"What
the hell is this, Adrian? Can't you see I'm here?!"
"Aha,
Cathy. Of course, you're beautiful too. But I'm more interested in this
girl."
The
man lowered his head (greeted) and laughed loudly. Those are very unacceptable
words. I pulled my hand hard.
"I'm
sorry, but I haven't washed my hands yet."
"No
wonder you smell sweet, Miss. I think that's your natural scent."
He
touched the remaining plum juice that was on my fingers and told the maid
nearby to bring water immediately to wash my hands. The blonde-haired maid
lowered her head and immediately left to carry out his orders.
"So
how old are you this year? I'm currently looking for a bride."
"Uncle."
Alexander
calls this man in a warning tone. I looked around, washing my hands of the
water brought by the maid. The whole Arpad Family looked at us while sitting in
their respective chairs. "Stop it, Adrian. Ophelia is still young. I was
thinking of talking over tea with Alex to talk about my move. How about you?
Would you like to join me?"
asked
the old woman. The man looked me up and down and shrugged his shoulders.
"What
do you mean young? She looks like a blooming lily."
"She's
too young for you. This year you turn 40."
"I'm
only 39 years old."
I
can't believe he's 39 years old. He is older than my mother. It's hard for me
to control my expression. I feel very disgusted when a man who is practically
the same age as my father actually sees me as a woman.
"Did
Uncle come to Arpad to look for a bride?"
There
was sarcasm in Alexander's words. He walked over here, he was standing right in
front of me and handed me a handkerchief to dry my hands.
"I
didn't mean it like that, but yeah."
The
man replied with a sly smile. The old woman clapped her hands, brought all the
attention to her, and said, "Come on, stop it." As the man and
Alexander turned their faces away, the old woman took Catherine's hand and
stood up.
"Alex,
we don't need to talk anymore. It's very warm today, how about we go to the
greenhouse?"
"Sorry,
but I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You
don't understand? Tristan is dead, so we were worried about you. That's why
we'll stay at Arpad and help you."
"I've
never heard of it. It feels like a one-sided decision."
I
returned Alexander's crumpled handkerchief. He tilted his head and smiled
faintly at me.
"Last
night you disappeared out of nowhere. That's when we talked about this."
The
old woman looked calm as if she had expected Alexander's response. Catherine
continued to nod beside the old woman.
"Then,
my room was moved? The guest room is too far from the dining room and main
room. Alex, next to your room there is an empty room, can you give it to me? It
will be good if we meet often. Then, for aunt's room. I don't think the 4th
floor is appropriate for her considering aunt is old and her knees often
hurt."
It
seems that yesterday Catherine was strolling through the Arpad Manor. She
smiled like a child and said, "I found a room whose decor matches auntie's
taste." Alexander just sighed hearing all those words.
"Thank
you for your condolences."
"Come
on, don't be like that. You'll be safe with us."
"No,
thank you."
Alexander
turned his face and looked at me as if he didn't want to hear what they were
saying. Why are you staring at me when I don't want to interfere with your
problems? I felt a little embarrassed when my eyes met Alexander's. Did he ask
me for help? What power do I have?
"There
are no adults in the Manor. Alex, don't be like that, and let us help
you."
The
old woman showed a very awkward smile. It seemed that she had not expected
Alexander to say such a thing.
"What
do you mean there are no adults? My sister, Ophelia is here."
"...Alex!"
Catherine
shouted loudly. Alexander ignores it and holds my hand. He smiled brightly, a
little too much.
"I'm
grateful, I have a Sister. Thank you for your concern, but I'm not alone here.
It's all thanks to My Sister."
I
blinked my eyes a few times before nodding. Then, I saw him who blinked one eye
quickly at me. Ah, I see... That's why he asked me to stay here until he
becomes an adult. Because the Duke's relatives could threaten his rule in this
Manor if he was alone.
"Alexander,
I don't know if you're naive or stupid. Leaving aside the question of being an
adult or not. Indeed she is a beautiful and charming wo-"
"Adrian,
stop! Stop it!"
Finally,
the old woman spoke again. Then, she glared at me intently. She had never shown
her true feelings to me before.
"Alex,
you really think like that? Do you just need Ophelia? Really? I can't
understand what you're thinking. You're still young, and neither is she. So
listen to what the adults have to say..."
It
seemed that the old woman realized that the intonation of her voice had risen
earlier, so she immediately lowered the intonation of her voice. Her speech was
also soft again as usual. But Alexander remained firm with his decision.
"Thank
you for your concern for making you negotiate without me yesterday. But I want
you not to have to stay in this Manor for too long. This morning alone more
than 5 servants have been absent from work due to illness."
Before
saying all that, Alexander clicked his tongue earlier, the sound of the click
was so loud that everyone present heard it. The words he spoke were also quite
shocking. He said there was a maid who was beaten, and there was a male servant
whose leg was stepped on until his leg was badly injured. There was even a maid
who was punished for standing outside in only her underwear in this cold
winter.
"If
you can't control your emotions, how can you help Arpad? What a shame!"
Alexander
looked around, looked at all of them one by one, and smiled coldly. The next
day, the dining room was empty. None of the Duke's relatives dined here.
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1 Comments
thank you for translating this novel!
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