STABLE BOY ; Trash of the Count's Family

49. BASEN & LILY

"Young Master Basen, I've prepared your horse."

Today was an odd day. Basen and Lily were headed out to town, and instead of a carriage, they wanted to be covert, so they were dressed plainly, with hoods, and they asked for just horses. So South had it arranged.

"I see... you will be riding with Lily?" Basen asked.

"Yes, if I may be allowed," South addressed the young lady of the house on one knee. Her feet couldn't reach the stirrups on a large horse yet, so she had to be accompanied by someone that could. "May I, Young Miss?"

"Ah, yes!" Lily was definitely nervous. She wasn't used to being addressed formally yet, much less outside the mansion. "Thank you."

"No need to be polite with me, Young Miss, it's an honour."

Basen could do it, honestly, he was sufficiently trained on horseback. But he wasn't a confident rider yet, so for Deruth's peace of mind South was going to accompany them.

Since Lily was an underage (and thus undebuted) noble girl, she didn't have a lot of opportunities to go outside. This was all very exciting to her. It's not her first time sneaking out like this, but she likes it all the same.

"Then, let's go," Basen said.

"Yes, Young Master Basen."

-

"I see, so you both snuck out to buy a return gift for Young Master Cale?"

"Yes! It wouldn't be anything special like from the Capital but O-Oppa got me a sword so I... I..."

South thought that was rather adorable of them. They both seemed eager and excited to sneak out like this. They'd never have done it before, but now that their opinion of their brother had changed a little, they wanted to bridge that decreased gap just a little more by taking initiative.

Even if it's something small, they wanted to return the kindness Cale had given them by actually getting them a souvenir.

See, South secretly thought, this is why I told you to pick their gifts yourself, Young Master. They liked it.

Basen seemed troubled though.

"I wouldn't know what to get, though. I don't really know Hyungnim that well."

South figured that would be the case. Unlike with Basen and Lily who told Cale directly what they wanted, they have no frame of reference at all. Cale was still really good at choosing gifts, though.

"I'm sure Young Master Cale would be happy to see Young Master Basen studying well, and Young Lady Lily training well."

Yeah, that's the safe answer. Cale honestly just wants them to grow up well and strong and take over the county without him so he can have his slacker life or something.

"But that's for us," Basen seemed to sulk.

"What does Oppa like?" Lily asked.

They paused and thought about it.

South eventually relented, "he likes money. Lots and lots of it."

Basen and Lily glanced at each other. They then huddled together in a crouch, whispering to each other away from South. South could still hear them though.

"We could just give him all of our allowance."

"But the Countess always said giving money directly is disingenuous and like a donation," Basen said. "It wouldn't be a gift then."

"Yeah but," Lily whined, "we got so much allowance money."

Count Deruth, did you distribute that insane pocket money with all of your children? Why are you like this, and is your county treasurer crying? South just wants to know if that guy needs a beer in these trying times.

South then remembered Cale would also like Ancient Powers, useful pawns, and for Ron Molan to stop harassing him with lemon tea, but he didn't think the kids would be able to do those.

"He likes to relax and sleep peacefully, and he likes food made by Vicross-nim."

-

Cale stared at the items on his table with all the skepticism in his poor, pathetic, anxiety-ridden slacker-lacking self and South enjoyed the sight from the depths of his heart.

First was a single, rather elegant earring piece. It supposedly had a noise-cancelling effect, and since it was very expensive it wrecked better than common magic items.

It was a price tag Cale would probably not like to look at either, especially for such a trivial problem the dragon could solve. Don't get him wrong, he appreciated it and the defensive spell on it, even if it was inferior to the dragon but—

Dammit he's not ungrateful, okay, he just can't help but compare everything to the dragon now.

"I'll find a use for it," Cale sighed. Always good to have insurance anyways, he's not going to turn down something useful. It's a thoughtful gift, even if all he wants is for Basen and LIly to leave him alone. Why in the world are they giving presents to the trash of the county? Agh, his slacker life's drifting further away.

"Oh and," South added cheerfully, "Young Lady Lily's return gift to you is a full-course meal prepared by Vicross. She hunted a rabbit by herself today, it was very cool!"

Cale groaned immediately, "why rabbits?!"

"Are you not going to eat it, Young Master?" South asked, like the all-knowing menace he was. "It's fine, I will relay the message to Young L—"

"Stable Boy, silence."

"Yes, Young Master," South practically sang.

"Choi Han is back now, so I'm going to tell him you're not allowed to work for the next three days."

"WHUH?! Young Master, this is an abuse of power!"

"You started it!"