Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Neck Exercises for Grandpa
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The grandfather, who had been watching my every move, finally spoke to me for the first time.
"What are you doing right now?"
"Mariella sleeps uncomfortably. So my shoulders and neck hurt."
"And?"
"Doing exercises like this makes it feel better. Should I teach Grandpa and Chief Secretary Grandpa too? It's good!"
"What...?"
"Grandpa and Chief Secretary Grandpa's necks hurt too. Mariella likes kneading them like this. Can't hurt."
Judging by their postures, Chief Secretary Grandpa's condition looked even worse.
His neck was bent forward, his shoulders slightly hunched, and while it wasn't obvious from the front, from the side, you could clearly see his upper body curving inward.
Grandpa's wasn't quite as bad, but he seemed to be suffering from pain just the same.
In my eyes, this was what people commonly called a herniated disc.
The infamous intervertebral disc herniation.
Our grandpa seemed to be on the verge of a cervical disc herniation—in other words, his cervical vertebrae discs were bulging out.
I'm no doctor.
But even without being one, there were several telltale symptoms that led me to that conclusion.
His shoulders moved decently enough, but his neck felt especially stiff when he turned it.
He often unconsciously massaged his fingertips as if they were numb.
I'd even seen him press his temples like people do when they have bad headaches.
He did it several times yesterday when he was angry.
Grandpa probably wasn't aware of it, but people unconsciously fiddle with parts of their body that feel uncomfortable.
It wasn't certain, but given his age and workload, it was entirely plausible.
There was still a mountain of documents piled on his desk.
Herniated discs often happen to people who sit for long hours handling paperwork or driving.
And like most ailments, it was influenced by aging.
If he did some exercises early on, it would definitely improve.
I couldn't just pretend not to know.
It went against my professional ethics, and he was my grandfather, after all.
"Doing that posture doesn't make your neck hurt?"
"Nope. If you do it a little bit, often, it gets better."
The principle was simple.
Like most physical therapy exercises, when pain arises in one area, you strengthen the surrounding muscles to distribute the burden.
Strengthening the back muscles naturally improves posture, which in turn reduces excess pressure on the neck.
Strengthening the painful area directly is risky for injury.
A common misconception among people who only hear that muscles are important is that you need to strengthen the hurting muscle itself.
The way to build muscle is by stimulating it.
More bluntly, it's about tearing the muscle fibers and letting them repair bigger.
If you do that to an already sore spot... oof.
If you haven't trained the muscles in that area beforehand, trying to build them up can make the pain worse instead.
So Grandpa needs to start with back exercises.
Chief Secretary Grandpa, who was standing beside me, followed my instructions first and raised both arms.
As expected from the one in worse pain.
"Like this...?"
"You need to put strength right here, Chief Secretary Grandpa."
As I poked his back, he quickly got the hang of it.
After a few stretches, he tilted his head side to side and his eyes widened.
These exercises don't usually show immediate effects.
But after being stiff all morning from intense work, the stretching must have felt especially pronounced.
"It really does feel refreshing."
"See?"
"Your Excellency should try it too. The headache eases up more than anything—it's bearable."
With Chief Secretary Grandpa's testimonial, our grandpa hesitated before raising his arms to the sides.
I could see him wince from shoulder pain.
"Elbows can't come down too much. Keep them a bit up."
Following my directions, he corrected his posture precisely, tensed his back, pulled his arms slightly behind him, then released. He repeated it.
While he was exercising, I took the chance to move the tea and snacks from the wagon I'd brought onto the desk one by one.
These are all chosen with care, you know.
Exercise works best when done consistently for gradual results.
But from experience with clients who lost faith if they didn't see quick effects, I had my tricks.
Health is psychological too, so prepare things that relieve stress.
The snacks I'd asked the nurse to prepare today!
Refreshing mint tea to wake you up, and pound cake for that sugar high.
After finishing work, you'd be hungry and foggy-headed.
Stretching to loosen up, then sipping cool tea and having a sweet treat—how refreshing would that be?
A few good experiences like that, and they'd stick with the workouts.
"Grandpa, have some of this."
The moment Grandpa finished stretching, I quickly offered the mint tea.
It had cooled since I brought it, but with his body warmed from moving, the chill would feel perfect now.
I'm putting in this much effort, so please look after my dad a bit.
Defend him sometimes when Uncle bullies him.
More often would be even better!
Grandpa stared at me silently before downing the tea I gave him in one go.
He didn't say it, but his throat must have been parched from working all morning.
I swiftly moved again, placing a plate of neatly sliced pound cake in front of him.
He took the fork without resistance this time and chewed slowly on the pound cake, softened with rum-soaked chestnuts.
"The duke's kitchen staff are truly skilled."
After a few bites, even Chief Secretary Grandpa's voice had softened noticeably.
Grandpa said nothing in response but stared intently at me before opening his mouth.
"Child, where did you learn these exercises? Your father can't be having body troubles already."
Hmm.
I chose my words carefully.
"Before, Chief Secretary Butler Grandpa was hurting. I taught him then."
To be precise, I'd taught him.
Even before my past-life memories returned, I'd unconsciously shared various exercises with those around me.
The main target was the butler grandpa. He was the oldest in our house.
And he loved me dearly.
"The butler—the one who got seriously injured because of the intensity?"
"Yes."
I nodded, ignoring the pang in my chest.
After coming here, I'd taught the butler grandpa exercises too.
And even earlier, I'd taught Director a few things...
Thinking of Director's face from our last meeting warmed my heart.
Out of all the kids she raised, I—the one who exercised the hardest and chased the healthiest life—died first in an accident.
Our grandpa and Director were around the same age. So was the butler grandpa.
Wanting to be good to this grandpa I'd just met wasn't just because he was the family's top powerholder.
Don't cry.
In the end, my eyes welled up. I dropped my gaze to my feet.
Grandpa hates crying kids.
Everyone does. Noisy crying kids annoy everyone.
Especially now, when I was finally getting in his good graces—if I didn't hold back...
A large hand rested on my clenched head just then, my jaw aching from grinding my teeth.
What?
The hand belonged to Grandpa.
He'd placed it on my head but seemed unsure how to stroke it.
His hand hovered awkwardly stiff above my hair.
"No need to cry."
The words sounded cold and heartless at first, but his hand was warm.
He stroked my head a couple times before pulling away.
Our eyes met, and Grandpa chuckled softly.
Then he nodded toward the snack plate in front of him.
"Want some?"
"Yes!"
Maybe our grandpa isn't as terrifying as they say.
I wiped the tears pooled at my eyes.
Then I speared a big chunk with the fork and shoved it into my mouth.
A wave of sweetness filled me.