Festival Night – 1

Because there were few forms of entertainment in the world, the festival started earlier than Kang In-ho had expected.

The sun had barely risen, but people were already out on the streets, forming groups of three or five, holding drinks and wandering around.

Or perhaps they had been drinking since yesterday.

The festival was said to last for three days.

People came from outside to enjoy it, and since it was one of the few days off in the year, the wallets of the usually tight-fisted residents were expected to open.

Perhaps that was why the merchants were preparing as resolutely as soldiers going to war, ready to face this peak season.

The noisy sounds traveled over the firmly closed iron gate.

Kang In-ho rose and rubbed his bleary eyes.

“……”

He clenched and unclenched his hands a few times.

The strength was gradually weakening, unlike the day before yesterday and yesterday.

Inho stared at his hands for a moment, then raised his arms and stretched.

-Knock knock

“Master, it’s Emma. Are you awake?”

“Yes. Come in.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened.

Emma brought in a small silver basin.

Inho used the water in the basin to wash his face and brush his teeth.

After rinsing his mouth with water, Inho spat it out, and Emma took the basin filled with the used water.

“Since you don’t have any plans to go out today, I’ve prepared comfortable clothes.”

She left the clothes she had bought from the clothing store last time.

After the door closed, Inho changed his clothes and left the room.

He carefully went down the stairs, and Emma, who had disposed of the water, was setting the table for breakfast.

Warm soup and bread were on the menu.

Inho wished he could eat meat from morning till night, but he was disappointed that his body couldn’t keep up.

“This is cream of mushroom soup with sliced mushrooms and white bread.”

As he sat at the table, Emma briefly explained the breakfast.

“There are also jams for dipping.”

She placed small dishes containing apple jam and strawberry jam respectively.

With practiced movements, Inho used a knife to scoop up the jam and spread it on the bread.

“Emma, sit down.”

At his words, Emma cautiously sat across from him.

He had started eating with Emma because he felt awkward eating alone, but she still seemed to be having trouble adjusting, showing unnatural movements at every meal.

‘But she’s gotten much better than the first day.’

On the first day they ate together, Emma had been as stiff as a robot.

“The bread is delicious. Soft.”

“Yes. It seems to be quite well-baked.”

The bread was baked in the oven the night before.

“The soup is perfect too. The seasoning is just right.”

Inho praised as he munched on the bread and sipped the soup.

“Thank you.”

Emma smiled brightly, as if she was very happy to be praised.

-Waaaaaaah!!

Cheers from outside reached the dining room.

“Is there some kind of competition at the festival?”

“There are things like soccer or tug-of-war that the village men participate in.”

“This early in the morning?”

“The schedule is packed, so I think they’re doing the preliminaries in advance.”

“I see.”

As Inho listlessly answered while continuously sipping his soup, Emma watched him carefully.

“Um… Master. If it’s too noisy, should I do something about it?”

“Do something? How?”

“I was thinking that if we put wooden boards on the windows, it might reduce the noise.”

“It won’t work. And don’t waste your energy. It’s not that loud anyway.”

This time, Inho tore off a piece of bread and dipped it in the soup as he spoke.

“If that’s what you say, Master.”

Emma also realized that what she had said was a bit much, and immediately took a small piece of bread, put it in her mouth, and chewed.

Apart from the commotion outside, it was a typical breakfast scene.

After breakfast, Inho went to the study.

Emma began her morning chores. Today was laundry and grocery organization day.

–

Waaaaah!!

–

Stop right there!

–

Try and catch me~

The noise was louder than usual, and Inho, who was writing, often turned his head to look out the window.

The streets were definitely more crowded, and there were stalls here and there.

“Is the festival food any different?”

He wondered about the food sold at the stalls.

-Cough! Cough!

Inho coughed as he muttered and took a sip of the tea that Emma had brought.

His cough didn’t stop easily.

-Ahem, ahem

“Oh, I thought I was going to die.”

Still touching his uncomfortable throat, he tried to get back to writing.

“Huh?”

As he turned his gaze, a familiar young man standing in front of the gate caught his eye.

It was Hans.

There was a story he had heard from the nurse on the day he stayed at the hospital.

[Miss Emma beat up Hans.]

Emma’s sudden outburst was somewhat expected.

It was obvious how Emma’s anger, for not being able to protect her master, would have been expressed.

After being taught such a lesson, how could he even think of coming back?

He thought the power of love was truly amazing.

Hans hesitated for a long time in front of the mansion’s bell.

The confident demeanor he had shown before was nowhere to be seen.

“…He’s gone.”

Hans, who had been hesitating in front of the mansion, lowered his shoulders and turned away, disappearing into the street.

Whether he had taken a step back or was retreating for good, Inho hoped that he would meet a good person in some form.

Even though he seemed a bit clueless, he didn’t seem to have a bad character.

-Knock knock

While thinking about Hans’ future, Emma knocked on the study door.

“Master, may I come in?”

Emma, who had finished her morning chores, asked Inho.

Was it just his imagination that she was finishing her morning chores earlier and earlier these days? Inho wondered.

“Yes. Come in.”

As soon as Inho finished speaking, Emma opened the door and entered.

“Is the writing… going well?”

Keeping a reasonable distance, Emma sat on a chair and asked.

“Yes. It’s going to be a masterpiece. I’m sure of it. It’s a story that will announce the perfect return of the writer Kang In-ho.”

“If you rate it that highly, Master, it must be a work that will be passed down to future generations.”

“Yes. I think I’ve almost finished writing it… I’ll start proofreading from tomorrow… Cough!”

-Cough cough

Inho, who had been talking excitedly, coughed.

Inho covered his mouth with his hand.

“Are you alright?”

Emma jumped up and tried to approach him, but Inho held out his other hand.

“I just choked for a moment. Don’t worry.”

Inho said in a slightly hoarse voice, and Emma sat down, but she couldn’t hide her worried expression.

“Emma. I’m curious. What kind of food do they sell at the stalls?”

At her master’s question, Emma put her finger to her chin and thought about something.

“There are stick-like breads covered in sugar and cinnamon powder, rice dishes steamed with seafood… and salted pork knuckles.”

“If you haven’t prepared dinner, should we try some of that?”

“Yes. Then I’ll go out and buy some after lunch.”

Since they were going to eat festival food for dinner, they ate a similar lunch to breakfast.

This was because Emma said that if they ate something greasy for lunch, they might not be able to properly enjoy the food in the evening.

After lunch, Emma quickly finished her afternoon chores, put on the fur coat she had bought last time over her maid uniform, and went outside.

Inho watched her from the study window as he waited for her.

Emma’s shopping took about an hour.

She came back with something in both hands, but the shapes of the bags were different.

It seemed she had bought various kinds of food for her master, who was curious about the festival food.

Since it was street food, Emma carefully arranged the food on the table, thinking that it should be well-presented before her master ate it.

“Oh, this is quite interesting.”

Inho said as he put a stick of candy in his mouth, and Emma ate the candy as well.

“But the ones you make are more delicious, Emma.”

“O-Of course. Even if it’s the same food, I’m confident I can make it more delicious.”

Emma, who was eating the candy, was startled by Inho’s sudden compliment.

“What’s that?”

“This is the salted pork knuckle I mentioned earlier.”

“Is it like ham? Can you pass me some?”

“It’s very salty, so please don’t eat too much at once.”

“Alright.”

Inho and Emma ate the festival food while chatting.

The sound of children singing could be heard from outside.

“It seems like the first day of the festival is coming to an end.”

Emma said as she listened to the singing.

“On the first night, the neighborhood children gather and sing.”

Inho looked at her, wondering what she meant, so Emma explained further.

“What about the second and third days?”

“The second day is the day they choose the village queen. The village women gather and dance, and the people who watch them throw flowers at the person who danced the most beautifully.”

“It’s a popularity vote.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Emma replied to Inho’s words.

“As you know, the third day is the day they light the firewood piled up in the center of the village and dance in pairs. At this time, the village queen can dance in the best spot.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Yes, there are fireworks during the dance, so it will be a good sight to see. You can see the fireworks from your room, Master.”

“Okay, then I’ll watch the fireworks on the last day. By any chance… can I drink alcohol that day?”

Inho cautiously asked Emma for permission.

“Alcohol… you mean?”

“Yes, I just want to have some fun.”

“There’s some alcohol stored in the cellar… I’ll check it out. If there’s nothing suitable, I’ll buy some tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

“But please don’t drink too much.”

Emma said what she had to say.