chapter_0214

213 – Instruction

213 – Instruction

Unable to refuse what felt like an order, Daniel sat at the table.

Lucy was intentionally avoiding eye contact, but he didn’t particularly mind.

Daniel neatly cut the stollen and placed it on Lucy’s plate, and each time, Lucy accepted the stollen like a baby bird.

After this was repeated several times, tears began to well up in Lucy’s eyes.

“Lady?”

Thinking she might be choking from eating too quickly, he poured her some water and offered her the cup, but Lucy didn’t take it.

Left awkwardly holding the water cup, Daniel watched as Lucy swallowed the stollen and opened her mouth.

“…Why are you being so nice to me? What are you after?”

Daniel was speechless, quite shocked by Lucy’s words.

“I heard. That you volunteered to be my attendant. Are you stupid?”

Lucy continued as Daniel set the water cup down.

“Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know why I was adopted as the Count’s daughter? It seems like you don’t, so let me make it clear: just because you get close to me—”

“What does it matter?”

Lucy’s shoulders trembled, as if she were about to burst into tears.

As Lucy slowly raised her head, Daniel let out a low breath.

“Since you seem to want me to dig into the past, I’ll ask. Is what happened in the past your fault, Lady? And do you want me to dislike you if I find out about that past?”

After a brief silence, Lucy shook her head.

“Then that’s that. No matter what past you have, Lady, I will treat you the same. Besides, you’re being rather presumptuous. This isn’t being nice….”

Daniel leaned closer to Lucy, a subtle smile on his face.

“This is just treating you normally. The moment I truly decide to ‘be nice,’ you won’t know what hit you. You’ll fall head over heels for me. So, be on your guard.”

Lucy’s eyes widened at Daniel’s jest.

“What….”

She was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t help but laugh.

“You really are an idiot.”

With that, Lucy raised her hand and lightly dabbed at her eyes.

Lucy, who had managed to alleviate some of the emotions bottled up inside her through Daniel, took a deep breath and parted her lips.

“You know, I don’t usually ask things like this….”

Hesitating for a moment, as if shy, Lucy mustered her courage and looked at Daniel.

“What’s your name?”

Finally, he thought.

Daniel hesitated, wondering if he should give a false name, since he couldn’t reveal his real one.

But he didn’t want to lie to Lucy, even in this memory.

So, after a brief moment of contemplation, Daniel had an epiphany.

“Seo Do-yoon.”

His name from his previous life, which no one here would know.

“That’s my name.”

It was the only name that was truthful but wouldn’t intrude on this world of memories.

*

After exchanging names, Lucy and Daniel were able to become friends quickly.

Lucy was ostracized even by the mansion’s servants, so it was only natural that she would develop a liking for Daniel, who took her side.

And so came summer.

Even in a season where flowers of every color flaunted their beauty, the two of them were happily spending time indoors.

“You know, I have so many things I want to do when I leave the mansion someday.”

Lucy suddenly spoke up while Daniel was working on the crossword puzzle in the newspaper he had brought.

Curious about what she wanted to do, Daniel also looked away from the crossword puzzle and leaned back in his chair.

“Things you want to do? What specifically are you talking about?”

“First, I want to see the ocean. Melly told me there’s an endless salt lake. And then… hmm. I definitely want to raise a puppy.”

“A puppy. That’s nice. I used to have one myself.”

“Really? What kind of dog was it?”

Lucy’s sparkling eyes felt both awkward and, at the same time, reassuring.

To think that this child was once so expressive….

It was a shame that she had become so expressionless by the time she grew up, due to the ostracism at the mansion.

Even though this was just a world within his memories, Daniel felt relieved to see Lucy regaining her vitality.

Daniel smiled and said, “She was an incredibly cute dog. Just looking at her gave me strength, and holding her made me feel like I had the whole world. I still vividly remember her perking up her ears and running straight to me when I called out, ‘Kelly!'”

Lucy’s face went blank as she listened to the story.

“Kelly? That name sounds familiar….”

Daniel also became serious.

If Lucy regained her memories like this, he might be able to return to reality.

“Hmm….”

You can do it, Lucy! Daniel cheered in his heart, but Lucy simply shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe there was a servant with a similar name.”

“…I see.”

It seemed that the keyword “Kelly” was not enough to stimulate Lucy’s memories.

It was a shame, but what could he do?

Still unable to give up, Daniel cautiously broached the subject.

“Speaking of Kelly, it reminds me of a story. There was a woman I was close to, and when she heard about Kelly, she mistook her for my lover. I was so flustered.”

“Huh? She mistook Kelly for your lover?”

Lucy blinked, not understanding, and then covered her mouth and giggled softly.

“I don’t know who she is, but she’s really stupid. How can you mistake a dog for a person? Isn’t that common sense? I would never do that.”

The words That’s you in the future rose to the roof of his mouth, but he decided to hold them back.

“Yes, our Lady would never mistake a person for a dog. By the way….”

Daniel examined Lucy’s appearance.

She had a ribbon tied behind her head and was wearing a long blouse that covered her arms and a skirt that reached her ankles.

The material was luxurious, but Daniel wondered if she was sticking to the same kind of outfit too much, and he raised a question.

“It’s almost midsummer now. Wouldn’t it be better to wear something a little more airy? You’ll get too hot if you keep wearing those clothes.”

“…It’s okay.”

“Even so, there must be many outfits that would suit you, Lady.”

“I said it’s okay.”

Her firm tone made it seem like she wouldn’t allow any further questions.

Thinking there must be a reason, Daniel nodded silently, and then someone knocked on the door.

“Lady. It’s time for your private swordsmanship lesson. The Count instructed me not to let you be late.”

Hearing this, Lucy took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

“I know. I’ll be there soon.”

With that, Lucy stood up.

“You can go back now too.”

Taken aback by her uncharacteristically cold tone, Daniel stood up and bowed slightly.

“I will see you at dinner.”

With that, Daniel opened the door and went outside.

Even so, he couldn’t shake off a strange feeling.

Definitely….

It was only for a moment, but he had seen a shadow cross Lucy’s face.

*

When he visited Lucy’s room with dinner in the evening, it was in vain.

“Lady?”

Lucy, who should have been in her room, was absent.

Normally, he would have placed the tray of food on the table and left, but something felt off today.

His hesitation was brief, and his actions were swift.

Worried about Lucy, Daniel immediately ran to the mansion’s basement, where the swordsmanship lessons were held.

He went down the stairs, passed through the dark corridor, and came to a clearing filled with bright light.

Two men and women were on the stage in the clearing, holding swords, while the servants watched.

Both of them were people Daniel knew well.

The one who was breathing heavily and desperately gripping the wooden sword was Lucy, and the one standing leisurely in front of her was Hamilton.

…Lieutenant Hamilton?

They had fought to the death in the research facility, so he couldn’t forget his face even if he wanted to.

So, that guy was Lucy’s swordsmanship instructor.

He now understood why he had acted like he knew her at the research facility.

But….

He wasn’t sure if the title of “instructor” was appropriate for Hamilton.

Even though Lucy, who was panting for breath, was barely able to stand, Hamilton hadn’t stopped the lesson.

“What are you doing, not attacking? Are you already tired?”

Hamilton scratched his neck as if annoyed.

“I was expecting something since they said you were useful this time….”

It was a mumble, but Daniel heard it clearly.

If Daniel could hear it, there was no way Lucy hadn’t heard it as well.

Hamilton was deliberately oppressing Lucy.

“Please do better. If you keep acting like that, Lady, it will be difficult for me when I report to Count.”

Lucy’s hand, gripping the wooden sword, was trembling.

Her clothes were already covered in dust, from how many times she had been hit and rolled around.

“I’m… trying hard….”

Lucy squeezed out the words, but Hamilton simply clicked his tongue openly.

“It’s not about trying hard, it’s about the results. I guess not. In that case, it seems better for you to just keep getting hit by me and build up your resistance.”

Hamilton stretched his shoulders and approached Lucy.

Each time, Lucy stepped back, but Hamilton was approaching faster.

Seeing this, Daniel kicked off the ground without even thinking.

Hamilton, not expecting anyone to interfere, raised his sword.

“Now then, Lady? This time, I’m going to attack with a series of strikes, so try your best to block them.”

With that, Hamilton raised the wooden sword above his head and brought it down.

Whack!

However, Hamilton’s wooden sword never struck Lucy’s body.

Daniel, who had intervened, blocked Hamilton’s wooden sword with his wrist.

“What are you doing….”

Startled, Hamilton stopped speaking mid-sentence.

It was because Daniel was glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him.

Feeling the pressure, Hamilton froze, and Daniel growled.

“You better not overdo it.”

His eyes, filled with anger, narrowed sharply.

“Unless you want to die again.”

Author’s Note

Thank you, Hae-dal Joa, for the 10 coin donation! Thank you for your kind support today! It gives me strength every time! I will continue to write hard!

Thank you to all the readers who read my work!

Are you having a good weekend? I hope you have a day full of happy things today!

Then, I’ll see you again tomorrow!