Daldal: Main story

Chapter 23

Tap- Tap-

The fire crackled within the hearth, sending sparks into a lively dance. Ae, wielding a long pair of tongs, skillfully arranged the logs, fueling the flames. Behind her, a maid holding a basin emerged. Feeling the presence, Ae turned and sighed before speaking.

"How is his condition?"

The maid lowered her head hesitantly, conveying a negative response.

"Fever is high, and the coughing is severe... Seems like he caught a serious chill."

"Well, it's understandable. Being outside all night in this cold."

This morning, Eun-oh, who hadn't shown up even as the distribution of meals was concluding, was discovered at the gazebo in the pavilion by the maid who came for cleaning.

"Why would he do that? Leaving a warm room."

"Why? indeed, Probably because of the guy."

"Guy? Why would he?"

Dong-chi was the name of the male servant who shared the room with Eun-oh-the one he referred to as the snorer.

"It seems that guy harasses the kid every night. But Eun-oh doesn't even seem to realize he's being harassed."

Ae's words stiffened the expression on the maid's face. Catching onto the reason, Ae clicked her tongue.

"Accusing a kid who doesn't even know what harassment is and telling such a damn lie. You hasn't even apologized yet?"

"..."

Guilt weighed heavily on the maid's silent expression. She couldn't say that she didn't have any part in getting Eun-oh caught up in Gak-sae's lies. So Nayeon was always uncomfortable with Eun-oh. Of course she knew she had to apologize, but when it came time to face him, she hesitated, missing the chance.

"That's why we're in this situation now."

The motivation was clear. Tending to the ailing Eun-oh wasn't solely about easing his pain; it served as a means to lighten the weight of guilt pressing on her conscience.

"But if Dong-chi is the problem, shouldn't we get punish him?"

"And if we don't?"

"No spare rooms?"

"I don't know. Mr. Cho should know, but he's out of his mind right now and it's hard to talk to him."

After one of his arms was injured, Mr. Cho was confined to his room and has not been able to leave the house since. It was unclear how the aftereffects would manifest, and there was concern that it might worsen into some kind of mental crazy.

"It's also difficult because Mr Cho has the key to the storage, making it hard to administer the medicine."

"If things get worse, what should we do?"

"Well, how many people die in winter? Life and death are in the hands of fate. If they're meant to live, they'll live, and if they're meant to die, there's nothing we can do to prevent it."

Ae's words were pragmatic, though not typical of her usual manner of speaking. Yet, the harsh reality was just as she said.

Winter was a season of rampant illnesses.

Even in the estate, there were cases of servants mysteriously falling ill and dying during this time.

Nayeon was well aware of this. However, for some reason, she found it challenging to become as indifferent as Ae. Perhaps it was because she felt responsible for some committed sin.

"Should I go to the main courtyard and ask for some medicinal herbs?"

"Oh, girl. Do you think they'll willingly give us anything at the main courtyard?"

There was clear disdain in Ae's tone when talking about the servants from the main courtyard. The servants of the outer courtyard generally disliked those from the main courtyard, thinking they looked down on the outeryard servants.

"Still, just in case... I'll go."

Nayeon's willingness to undertake the troublesome task surprised Ae. It was unusual for Nayeon to voluntarily take on something burdensome, especially for Eun-oh.

"Do you feel sorry for the child?"

"...Yeah, well."

Nayeon couldn't bring herself to say she was sorry. If Eun-oh were to die like this, she would have to live with this guilt for a long time. She didn't like that idea.

"Yeah. If a person commits a sin, they should reflect. But what if you run into the young master on your way? Scared to death, huh?"

At the mention "young master" Nayeon's face turned pale. As Nayeon had become truly terrified of the young master, just as Ae said. It was understandable; she almost got her mouth torn apart.

"Yeah. Yesterday afternoon. Apparently, he came back with blood-stained armor, having killed who knows how many."

"..."

Ae sensed the maid's uncertainty written across her face. The girl was now in a state where she couldn't go even if she pushed her back to tell her to go.

"Just leave it. Let's wait until tomorrow for now"

At Ae dissuasion, Nayeon nodded her head with a heavy face.