Chapter 10
“P-please spare me! I was too shortsighted to comprehend the Young Master’s intentions!”
Of course, I wouldn’t just die without a fight.
I prostrated myself flat on the ground and begged Jeok I-geon for mercy.
“When did I ever say I was going to kill you?”
Jeok I-geon scoffed, sounding amused.
“Since earlier today, I’ve noticed you have an unusual tendency to fear me excessively. Did someone spread a rumor that I devour maids or something?”
“N-not at all! The maids in the Inner City speak so highly of your noble character that my ears could fall off from hearing it.”
“Is that so?”
“To have disturbed the serenity of such an honorable person, I truly deserve to die. However, please grant me an opportunity to explain myself.”
When I cautiously raised my head, Jeok I-geon had fully turned to face me.
His lips curled slightly, betraying his amusement. He seemed to be finding this situation rather entertaining.
What a vile man.
Here I am, my nerves completely frayed, and he’s amused?
I was incredulous, but I didn’t dare show it. Doing so might very well mean saying farewell to this world.
Steeling my nerves, I took a deep breath and began my explanation as calmly as I could.
“Traditionally, rice balls are something prepared quickly by commoners to stave off hunger. Naturally, it would be unfitting to serve such a humble dish to someone of your esteemed status. Rice balls are made by mixing leftover rice and side dishes, a far cry from anything worthy of being served to you, my lord.”
“Cheon Gang seemed to find it quite delicious.”
“If you are curious about the taste, I could prepare some to accompany your dinner. Rest assured, they will not be made with leftovers but with freshly prepared ingredients.”
“Very well. Do so.”
The moment Jeok I-geon said this, turning away as if satisfied, I finally realized something.
This is what he had wanted to hear all along.
He frightened me just to get me to say it.
If he wanted rice balls, why not just ask for them outright? Instead, he toys with people’s lives for fun?
Knowing that Jeok I-geon is insane is one thing. If I hadn’t known, I would’ve been utterly bewildered and likely sent to an early grave.
From iced water to noodle soup, and now rice balls.
Am I the one leading him astray?
There was no mention of gluttony in the original novel.
“I shall leave now to ensure dinner is ready as soon as your bath is complete.”
I couldn’t bear to spend another second with Jeok I-geon. The moment he gave his permission, I backed out of the bathhouse as quickly as I could.
“Phew!”
My legs were completely useless.
The tension left me so drained that I couldn’t walk more than a few steps before collapsing onto the ground.
I had truly almost died this time.
If I hadn’t begged for my life, I would have been a cold corpse lying on the floor by now.
That ominous tone he uses right before making a move—it’s unmistakable.
He may have pretended otherwise, but if I hadn’t caught on, my fate would have been sealed.
“Grandma…”
The joy of survival was fleeting.
I found myself desperately missing Shin Geum, who was probably busy making noodles at her shop.
She has no idea how many times I’ve brushed past death today alone.
If I ever escape the Demonic Cult and live to see the day Jeok I-geon leads his invasion of the martial world, I’ll tell her everything.
I’ll boast about how I survived these two terrifying months by the skin of my teeth.
I’ll even claim that I saved her life, too.
Firmly resolving to keep these vows a secret until then, I gathered myself.
There was no time to waste. Adding rice balls to the dinner menu meant I had to hurry.
Jamigwan would undoubtedly be thrown into chaos again.
“What? You want me to make rice balls for Young Master? Me?”
As expected, So-ok looked like she was about to faint.
She could whip up rice balls in her sleep, but now her hands were trembling as she teetered on the edge of panic.
Still, under my relentless urging, the rice balls were finally prepared, and I managed to serve dinner to Jeok I-geon without incident.
All my effort to increase the number of rice balls compared to the noodle soup portion earlier had paid off.
Jeok I-geon ignored the main dishes entirely, focusing solely on devouring rice balls one after another.
If only those rice balls were stones.
How satisfying it would be if he broke three or four teeth!
Even just imagining it made me feel a little vindicated.
But if that ever actually happened, it would be disastrous.
I must survive, no matter what.
As humiliating as it is, my only option is to serve him well.
“Phew, only the midnight snack remains.”
As I returned from bringing the dinner trays back to Jamigwan, a long sigh escaped me.
Today felt unbearably long. It was only my first day, yet I was already so drained…
I didn’t even want to imagine what the coming days would be like.
If only every day could be like today.
Maybe then I could endure this.
“Seol-ha!”
Lost in such nonsensical thoughts due to extreme stress, I was jolted back to reality when someone called out to me from the Geonyeong Pavilion gate.
“Senior Gaye?”
It was a third-year senior I barely knew by name, not someone I was particularly close with.
“What brings you here, Senior?”
Curious, I asked her, and she approached me with a smile, linking her arm with mine.
“What do you mean, ‘why’? I’m here to celebrate you.”
“Celebrate me?”
“It’s your first day as the Second Young Master’s dedicated maid, isn’t it? On days like this, we usually congratulate each other. Now, let’s go.”
“…Uh, but I really shouldn’t leave my post…”
“Second Young Master is reading his books right now, so it’s fine. Do you think we’d take you away without knowing that?”
She reassured me and pulled me toward the wall. Her grip was so strong that my hesitation turned into reluctant compliance.
“So, you’re finally here?”
A woman chewing something while crouched near the wall stood up with a sneer when she saw me.
Behind her was a familiar face.
“Didn’t I say we’d meet again later?”
Do-ae greeted me with a smug smile and a wave.
So this is what she meant when she said “later.” It turns out she had planned this.
“You dared to lay a hand on my sister?”
Sister?
I glanced back and forth between them in confusion, and Do-ae lifted her chin with a smirk.
Apparently, they were sisters. No wonder their faces had a similar unpleasant meanness.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? A senior is speaking to you, and you just sit there mute?”
“Ji-ae, don’t push her too hard. She looks scared.”
The woman who brought me here, Gaye, now stood with them, clearly on their side. Her gaze toward me was full of animosity, though I couldn’t recall having wronged her.
“You must think you’re something special, flaunting that pretty face around. Do you think the Second Young Master would see you any differently because of it?”
Ah, so that’s what this is about.
I had briefly wondered if I’d unknowingly upset her, but it turns out Gaye was just like the others—jealous of my position as Jeok I-geon’s maid.
“There’s a hierarchy and rules among us maids. Even if you’re the Exclusive maid, you shouldn’t hit your seniors.”
“They attacked me first.”
It was three against one. I only acted in self-defense.
Isn’t it more disgraceful to tattle to your sister for getting hit in a fight?
“Oh, now you’re talking?”
Do-ae’s sister spat on the ground in front of me. When I frowned, she suddenly swung her hand at me.
Seeing the slap coming, I stepped back to avoid it.
“You dodged?”
Her hand cut through the air, and her expression turned sour.
“I was going to settle for just slapping you, but now you’ve made me change my mind. You’re going to get a real beating today.”
Her hand swung again.
This time, her movements were different.
Her steps weren’t just random. She was deliberately driving me into a corner, forcing me into a specific direction.
It’s a footwork technique!
Unlike her sister, this woman clearly knew martial arts.
No wonder they had confidently dragged me out here.
But unfortunately for them, I wasn’t someone to be easily defeated.
I wasn’t a great martial artist like the protagonists of typical martial arts novels, but I was strong enough to handle an ordinary maid.
After all, my grandmother Shin Geum didn’t raise me without preparation!
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