295 – Monsoon -1-
– Swoosh…
It is raining.
The once clear sky has now erased its blue, bringing with it heavy clouds, signaling that summer has arrived.
“Hmm…”
It seems summer has quite a few friends. Entangled with the butler living in a gloomy mansion and strange beings like a wicked woman.
I like the rain.
The stories told by the drizzling rain were entertaining.
Sometimes, it would make a girl feel like a middle-aged woman going through menopause, and ignite the heart of a man who nervously likes someone, prompting him to confess. It’s just droplets falling from the sky, yet it seems to possess a mysterious power that stirs emotions.
The rain, you see.
That’s why I like the rain.
– Swoosh…
I don’t only hold good memories of the rain.
Mikhail’s affair.
The lady’s affair.
Yuria’s affair.
—
Even the pain that could be accepted with less hurt felt more bitter when it rained.
“…”
A person can’t only hold onto good memories, so I didn’t think badly of it. Even if I disliked it, the clouds wouldn’t know my heart.
“Haam. I’m feeling drowsy.”
Today, the mansion was peaceful once again.
Outside the window, the rain was falling.
The young lady, sitting on the bed and gazing out the window, let out a languid yawn.
“Sniff… hmm.”
I cautiously asked the young lady, who was rubbing her nose while looking outside. I was relieved that we had visited the valley before the rainy season began.
“Still, I’m glad we went to the valley before the rainy season started. If we had postponed it to tomorrow, winter would have come.”
“Right… sniff.”
The young lady nodded as she gazed out the window. Perhaps influenced by the rich sound of the rain, I felt a pang of disappointment at her nodding without looking at me.
“Young lady.”
“Sniff…”
“Are you crying?”
“No.”
I leaned forward slightly to check the young lady’s face as she looked outside. She had been making strange sounds for a while now.
Her voice sounded somewhat dull.
She was sniffling.
Hmm…
“Young lady.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Have you caught a cold?”
“…”
The young lady, still looking out the window, pressed her lips tightly together at my question. She looked stiff, as if hiding something, like someone who had been hit right on target.
Under my steady gaze, the young lady shook her head and replied.
“No, I haven’t caught one.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“No, I’m really healthy.”
‘I don’t think that’s true…’
—
“Perhaps…”
“…”
“You’re not lying because you don’t want to take your medicine, or pretending you don’t have a cold because you’re scared of going to the hospital, are you?”
– Flinch.
“As a respectable member of the Deathmunt, surely…”
“Ugh…!”
The young lady nodded and replied nonchalantly.
“Of course not, how old do you think I am? Sniff… hmm…”
– Thud…
“I’m not the kind of person who lies to Riccardo about such things.”
“I’m asking because you are the kind of person who lies about such things.”
“Eek…”
The young lady’s voice lacked strength.
I cautiously brought my hand toward her forehead. No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to have caught a cold. But with a swift motion, she dodged, and my hand hovered in the air.
I bit my lip as I watched her turn her head away sharply.
“Ugh…”
“Why?”
“You shouldn’t avoid me.”
“Nobles have the right to refuse.”
“Article 1, Section 1 of the Butler Law. If an employee is sick, you must confirm it by any means necessary.”
“Eek… Is there really such a law?”
“No. I just made it up.”
“Eek… ugh…!”
The young lady pouted her lips and looked at me.
“Clean it for me…”
“…”
Now that I could see her face, it was clear to anyone that she looked like someone who had caught a cold.
Her face was smeared with snot.
Perhaps she had rubbed her nose too much to clear it, as the bridge of her nose was flushed red.
“Ha…”
I let out a deep sigh at the sight of the girl, her breath ragged, and placed the back of my hand against her forehead.
“Ugh… I’m fine.”
“I don’t think you’re fine.”
“No, really, I’m okay.”
“Miss.”
“Ugh…”
It didn’t seem like she had a fever.
It felt lukewarm, so there was no heat to be felt. Rather, it was cold—considering her forehead was in better condition than I expected, I nodded and exhaled deeply.
“Fortunately, it seems like you don’t have a fever.”
“That’s right. My head doesn’t hurt.”
“That doesn’t mean you look healthy.”
“Ugh… no, I’m healthy.”
“…Miss.”
“I’m fine. I’m not dying.”
The girl said to me with a small smile.
“If I eat meat, I’ll get better soon.”
“Is meat some kind of panacea?”
“That’s right.”
“Heh…”
I let out a chuckle at the girl’s bold response and looked out the window.
– Whooosh…
The pouring rain showed no sign of stopping today. It seemed to be ready to burst forth with all the pent-up frustration it had been holding back, and the sound of the heavy downpour made me hesitant to step outside.
Still.
“I think we should go to the hospital.”
It seemed necessary to go to the hospital.
As the butler serving the girl, and as someone living together with her, her health was my top priority. The torrential rain was not a problem at all.
The only stubbornness I held was regarding her health.
Since she had always been prone to catching colds since childhood, I was even more concerned.
– Eeeek! I’m going to jump in the water!
– Miss, it’s winter right now.
– Eeeek!!! Don’t stop me!
Of course, it was a cold born from the young lady’s stubbornness.
‘Hans is also out on an errand, so he’s not in the mansion…’
In this increasingly troublesome situation, the sound of the young lady sniffing reached my ears.
“Ugh… hmm.”
“…”
“Ugh… heehee… heh-choo!”
Reacting strongly to the word “hospital,” the young lady opened her eyes wide and spoke to me.
“I don’t want to go to the hospital!”
“…”
“I’m not going!”
“Why do you say that? If you go to the hospital, they’ll give you candy and you’ll get better.”
“My dad said that outside the blanket is dangerous.”
“Your current condition looks much more dangerous.”
“No, I’m healthy.”
The young lady rummaged through her treasure pouch and soon popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth, starting to mumble.
“If I eat this, I’ll be fine, so it’s okay.”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that!”
The young lady, annoyed by my worried gaze, lay back on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her head.
“It’s raining a lot outside, so if I feel worse, I’ll let you know.”
“Your stubbornness is that of a sword master.”
“Hehe… that’s right!”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“Ugh…”
I touched the young lady’s forehead and then heavily rose from my seat.
“If you feel worse, you need to tell me.”
“Okay.”
“And once the rain stops, we’re going to the hospital, so you can’t run away.”
“I can’t run away anyway because my legs hurt.”
With a naive expression, I nodded at the boldness of the young lady as she pointed out my shortcomings.
“I’ll make porridge for dinner tonight.”
“Ugh… I don’t like porridge.”
“That’s not acceptable.”
The young lady grabbed my sleeve ‘firmly’ as she headed toward the kitchen, smiling brightly.
“Meat.”
“…”
“I like porridge with meat in it.”
“Understood.”
I smiled as I tousled the young lady’s hair, hoping sincerely that she wouldn’t be in pain.
*
“Um…”
Upon arriving in the kitchen, I spread the cookbook on the table and followed along, tracing the words with my finger.
[How to Make Beef Porridge.]
1. First, soak the rice….
2. Chop the beef and prepare the ingredients….
3. Stir-fry the meat….
“Washing the rice, chopping the meat….”
It was easier than I expected.
It might feel easy because the young lady enjoys cooking complicated dishes and can whip up even moderately difficult recipes with ease, but there’s no dish as simple as porridge.
I nodded while watching the steam rising from the black earthenware pot, then busily moved my hands to find the ingredients.
“Next is green onion and sesame oil….”
I wonder if there’s any sesame oil in the kitchen….
Since I made kimbap last time, I think there wasn’t much sesame oil left, but it’s a bit hazy….
“Ah… it’s not here.”
I opened the cupboard and confirmed the empty sesame oil bottle, giving a wistful smile.
“I guess I’ll have to use truffle oil instead.”
Since I’m doing well enough to eat, I suppose I can afford this little luxury.
-Clatter clatter.
The dishes, crafted with care, began to stack neatly on the tray.
—
Simple pickled vegetables.
The grilled short ribs that the young lady likes.
And even the porridge with the lid on.
It was a diet that the young lady enjoyed. Perhaps it was also because she had become accustomed to the tastes of the possessed.
“I hope she enjoys it.”
As I buttoned up my rolled-up shirt, I walked up to the young lady on the second floor.
“Sniff.”
I found the young lady with tissues stuffed into her nostrils.
“Young lady.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Why do you have so many tissues in your nose?”
“Ugh… my nose won’t stop running.”
The young lady looked at the tray in her hands and began to smile brightly.
“Food…! Hehe…”
Seeing the young lady, who was sick yet still delighted by the food, brought a silly smile to my face. Truly…
The young lady stared at me intently and then naturally closed her eyes.
“…Ah~”
“…”
“Ah…”
– Clatter.
“Mmm! Heehee! It’s delicious!”
With her eyes wide open at the spoon I was feeding her, the young lady looked at me with a cheerful smile.
“You make good porridge, Ricardo.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“And you grill meat well.”
“Because it’s what you like, young lady.”
“Hehe…”
‘…’
The young lady didn’t seem to be in good condition.
I thought she would feel a bit better with time, but her runny nose had increased, and her cheeks had turned red.
—
I looked at the young lady with a sympathetic smile as I brought the spoon to her lips.
“Miss.”
“Yes.”
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
“No.”
“…That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not.”
The young lady closed her eyes again and opened her mouth, urging herself to focus on filling her stomach rather than rambling on.
“Ah…”
“Here. The airplane is coming.”
“Airplane?”
“Yes, something like that.”
I thought about preparing a nourishing meal to help her regain her strength once her cold was gone, and as I emptied the bowl, the young lady finally smiled contentedly and said to me,
“Thank you for the meal.”
“I’m grateful you enjoyed it.”
“Of course. It was made by Ricardo, so I made sure to eat it all.”
“Thank you.”
Our silent exchange of worried glances lasted about ten minutes, and feeling the weight of it, the young lady waved her hand at me from her bed.
“I’m going to sleep.”
“…”
“I’m really going to sleep.”
“If you’re in pain, ring the bell.”
“Yes. Don’t worry, I ate and I’m better now.”
“Haha… then sweet dreams.”
“Yes, you too, Ricardo.”
With a bright smile, the young lady made a promise, assuring me she would not be sick.
“It’s a promise.”
“Yes.”
“If you feel unwell, tell me right away.”
“I’m fine.”
*
“Haah…”
Lying on the bed, I found it hard to sleep, worried that the young lady might be unwell.
– Cough… cough… heeheehee… eek!
“…”
– Ueeek! Don’t cough! Cough… huff…
“It’s too noisy.”
– Ahem! Sniff… yum yum… mmm.”
“Why is your nose running…”
I closed my eyes with a troubled heart. I had set an alarm to place a wet cloth on the young lady’s forehead at dawn.
“Haah…”
I struggled to close my eyes.
– Swoosh…
The rain continued to fall.