My Lord Chapter 6

“Oh.”

 

After cleaning Sedian’s room with the help of the maids, I regained my senses and saw golden sunlight pouring in through the wide-open window.

 

Since Sedian had kept both the curtains and windows tightly shut, the room had felt bleak, but now it seemed to regain its vitality. With light gradually filling the space, it felt as though the last traces of gloom in the room would completely evaporate, and a sense of satisfaction filled me, instantly lifting my spirits.

 

As I approached the window with a refreshed mind, a sea breeze blew in.

 

The early afternoon breeze carried a fresh, sweet fragrance—it was like the dense saltiness of the sea or maybe the scent of lush pine trees.

 

Could this be how true freedom, as held by the sea, is expressed through fragrance? I wondered vaguely.

 

Come to think of it….

 

I realized that in my past life, I had never actually seen the sea.

 

Subconsciously, I leaned forward and stuck my head out the window. The brilliant blue sea spread out as far as a full page could cover.

 

The horizon where the blue sky met the sea was so clear that just looking at it felt like I could breathe freely. The sunlight glittered, turning the water golden—so dazzling that it almost hurt my eyes.

 

It’s beautiful.

 

Crash! Swish—

 

The sound of waves repeatedly crashing against the cliff and then vanishing into the water was pleasant to listen to. I leaned against the window frame, closed my eyes, and quietly listened to the sounds of nature.

 

The town I lived in during my previous life was Incheon. Although it wasn’t close to the sea since I didn’t live on the Incheon coastline, the sea was just six or seven subway stops away. But I never went. I lived there for more than twenty years without ever seeing it.

 

As a student, I was too stingy with bus fare; as a working adult, I didn’t have the time. Later, later. I’d go if I had the chance.

 

And so, I put everything off until later, and then I died, without ever seeing the sea.

 

I wanted to try grilled clams.

 

Since there’s probably no such thing as grilled clams in this world, I’ll never get to taste them in my lifetime.

 

A laugh slipped out. I realized there were so many things I had put off for later. Too many things I’d never achieved. So…

 

This time, I’ll do everything.

 

After all, being the Duke’s steward isn’t a lifetime job. Once I lift Sedian’s curse, I’ll leave. I can’t live forever hiding the fact that I’m the one who cursed him.

 

If he finds out, I’ll probably die.

 

Since I don’t want to die, I’ll lift the curse and run away.

 

But to do that, I have to keep touching Sedian, and every time I lay a hand on him, he has a fit, so it’s impossible to do anything properly. I need to thoroughly feel his body and try different experiments, but…

 

Well, I didn’t expect immediate change anyway.

 

If I survive a few more weeks, he’ll have to accept my claim that the curse isn’t transferring. Then he’ll be okay with me touching him, though he’ll curse me out.

 

That prickly—prickly cat-like brat. I mumbled with a vague sense of optimism. Just then—

 

“Um, Mr. Rey.”

 

Daisy spoke to me. I opened my eyes slightly and turned to her. I thought I saw her cheeks flush a little. Was it my imagination?

 

“It’s not much, but since we’re almost done with the cleaning, don’t you think it’s time to bring the young master?”

 

“Oh.”

 

I’d been thinking only about touching Sedian’s body and hadn’t considered actually bringing him here. I clicked my tongue and scratched the back of my head.

 

“Where is the young master?”

 

“Right down there.”

 

Following Daisy’s pointing finger, I saw Sedian standing idly under a thick elm tree.

 

Why’s he just standing there alone? Poor thing.

 

“Hey, don’t we have something like a tea table? Why leave the young master standing there like that?”

 

I asked with a hint of sharpness, wondering if the servants had abandoned Sedian on purpose. He’s still a patient, after all—what if he collapses?

 

“No way!”

 

Daisy quickly jumped to deny it, so it seemed that wasn’t the case. Well, judging by her expression, she wasn’t the type to torment others.

 

“We don’t have a tea table readily available. Normally, the young master doesn’t go out…”

 

“That’s reasonable.”

 

Nodding, I accepted her answer.

 

“But now it’s time to purchase one. The young master will be going outside to get fresh air every day from now on.”

 

“Is that… something the young master agreed to?”

 

Instead of answering, I smiled, and Daisy’s face fell.

 

“Mr. Rey. You’re really going to die if you keep this up…”

 

“I’m not going to die. I should wear a sign on my forehead saying that. So people stop saying it every time they see me.”

 

“It’s because I’m worried.”

 

Sigh. Daisy let out a long breath and stepped a little closer to me.

 

“The young master may not seem like it, but he took it really hard when the last steward passed away. He blamed himself a lot. He may not look like  it, but he’s a sensitive person. I mean, though he doesn’t look like it.”

 

“I don’t know how many times you’ve said he doesn’t look like it,”

 

“Anyway, I’m saying you should be careful. If Mr. Rey passes away, it’ll be really hard on the young master… and maybe a little hard on me too.”

 

Daisy glanced at me and fidgeted with her body.

 

What’s with her? Is she itchy somewhere? Tilting my head in confusion, I sensed something strange and quickly looked out the window.

 

“What?”

 

At that moment, Daisy let out a small gasp. The garden was becoming noisy.

 

Sedian was still standing under the elm tree.

 

But something had changed. Reporters were leaning over the low stone wall, shouting at him.

 

“Young master! Please say a word! Is it true that the former steward died because of you?”

 

“There’s a rumor that everyone near you is cursed—can you explain this?”

 

“If that’s true, shouldn’t a different measure be taken rather than a mere stay in the annex?”

 

Daisy and I exchanged glances and, without a word, ran toward Sedian.

 

Exposing him to a pack of wolves like that—he’s just too fragile right now. This isn’t the Sedian from the original story, the villainous secondary male lead. He’s still a kid!

 

The garden wall was significantly lower than the main gate, though it was still tall enough to be well above a person’s height. Still, reporters were pressed up against it, craning their heads over and thrusting recording magical devices in.

 

“Young master! Please respond!”

 

“We have the right to know!”

 

“If someone died because of you, shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

 

We needed to get him away immediately. As I moved closer and clearly heard their words, I was momentarily stunned.

 

When you hear something that makes sense, you think about how to respond; when you hear utter nonsense, your mind goes blank. I felt dazed.

 

What about Sedian?

 

When I hurriedly looked under the elm tree, Sedian was still standing there, just as before.

 

Though his face was obscured by the shade cast by the thick leaves, the trembling hands and slumped shoulders made it easy to guess what kind of expression he wore.

 

I quickly ran to him.

 

“My lord!”

 

Sedian turned to look at me, eyes wide open as if he hadn’t expected me to come. But I ignored that and positioned myself between him and the wall. I could hear the buzzing of reporters, but I paid it no mind. I spoke to Sedian.

 

“The cleaning is done.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I’d come to escort you when the cleaning was done. I’m here to escort you now.”

 

Perhaps because of my casual attitude, Sedian just stared at me, still looking somewhat dazed.

 

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. So, I suddenly grabbed his hand. Only then did he startle, like a doll whose button had been pressed, and opened his mouth.

 

“You… again… your hand…!”

 

“Yes, yes. But I need to hold your hand like this so I can support you and get you back to the room quickly, right?”

 

“…”

 

Sedian wiggled, as if to pull his hand away, but soon stopped resisting. Whether it was because he realized he couldn’t overpower me or because he guessed why I’d openly taken his hand in front of the reporters, I couldn’t be sure, but whatever the reason, he didn’t continue rejecting me.

 

So, I gave a gentle smile, held Sedian’s hand even more firmly, and placed my other hand on one of the large wooden pillars standing in the garden.

 

And then,

 

“My lord! Are you going to remain silent?”

 

“Shall I take your silence as consent?”

 

“Please say something!”

 

Grabbing the wooden pillar in one swift motion, I threw it toward the shouting reporters.

 

Boom!

 

The wooden pillar crashed to the ground with a heavy thud after hitting the wall, and the reporters, seemingly startled, froze in place, their voices suddenly silenced. I spoke to them coldly.

 

“My hand slipped.”

 

Then I added,

 

“If you don’t leave now, another one’s coming. One… two…”

 

At that moment, I felt Sedian’s fingers grip my hand tightly. When I glanced over, he seemed slightly pleased, so I threw the wooden pillar again before even counting to three, and the reporters scattered in a panic.

 

Ah, that felt refreshing.