The Young Lady and the Butler
The Young Lady and the Butler
After hearing Lucy's true feelings, Rabi couldn't help but hesitate.
'For such a pretty unnie to....'
If she liked Daniel Steiner sincerely enough to be thinking about marriage, there seemed to be no chance of winning.
No matter what, Daniel Steiner was a prince-like figure who had protected her from the villain's attack.
Rabi, who didn't want to give up, mustered her courage and spoke.
"Th-this will be a good rivalry then. Just one unnie is something I can manage if I work hard enough."
Rabi placed her hands on her hips and said with a bit of bluster.
Finding that adorable, Lucy chuckled and raised her hand.
Lucy tidied a stray lock of hair that was sticking out from Rabi's bangs and opened her mouth.
"It probably won't be just one. There are two other women besides me who want to marry Daniel."
Rabi's eyes widened in shock.
Gulping, Rabi spoke in a trembling voice.
"...There are two more? Who are they?"
Lucy pondered for a moment but decided to just tell her.
By now, there was hardly anyone who didn't know that those women harbored feelings for Daniel.
"One is my colleague. And the other one is...."
Lucy raised a hand to her lips and whispered playfully.
"Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress."
Rabi's mouth fell open blankly.
Though Rabi had spent her entire life in the Republic, she knew just how great a position the Empire's Empress held.
Because when it came to discussing the great powers of this world, it was the Empire that occupied the foremost seat.
If the Empress of such an Empire liked Daniel Steiner, there was no way she could possibly compete.
'I-if I said I wanted to marry Daniel oppa, she would kill me without anyone ever knowing.'
If it were Selvia, she would have laughed it off as cute, but Rabi was more serious than ever.
By nature, a child's thoughts tended to jump to conclusions easily, even with contradictory logic.
It was no different for Rabi, a child of the upper class.
'My father and mother might also be attacked and killed by the Empire's Empress....'
It was a tremendous misunderstanding, but in Rabi's mind, the existence of Her Imperial Majesty was comparable to a great villain.
It was perhaps a natural thought, since the Republic reported daily on the Empire as evil.
Because Rabi was still young and had not yet developed critical thinking, she could not help but believe everything she saw and heard as the truth.
'...I have to protect my family, even if it means giving up on love.'
Having cast herself as the tragic heroine in her own little delusion, Rabi bit her lip firmly.
"In that case, I will give up. Even though my heart aches a lot, it can't be helped."
Tears welled up and trickled from her tightly shut eyes.
Finding that unbearably adorable, Lucy couldn't help but let out a laugh.
At that, Rabi opened her eyes slightly and glared at Lucy.
"Why are you laughing? I'm being so serious here."
Only then did Lucy compose her laughter and look at Rabi, who was sulking.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to dismiss your sincerity."
"Really. I'm telling you, I've made a big decision to give up on Daniel oppa."
"Okay. I understand. But don't be too disheartened. When you get older, plenty of good men will come looking for you all on their own."
Seeming a little cheered up, Rabi's pouty expression relaxed.
"Really? Will men better than Daniel oppa come looking for me?"
A man better than Daniel? It would be best to say yes here, but Lucy's conscience made her hesitate.
Because from Lucy's perspective, there was no man better than Daniel in this world.
She might have been blinded by love, but Lucy judged herself to be objective.
Thinking that she shouldn't lie, Lucy carefully opened her mouth.
"...That might be a bit difficult."
At that, a look of shock appeared in Rabi's eyes.
Seeing her eyes fill with despair, Lucy hurriedly changed her words.
"I-I was joking. Surely, he must exist somewhere."
"...But you just said it would be difficult?"
"That was just from my own perspective. To me, Daniel is more precious than anyone else. I think you'll understand once you come to know the feeling called love."
After hearing Lucy's explanation, Rabi was unsure for a moment before nodding her head.
Since Lucy had seemed like a good person, she decided to trust her this once.
"I understand. Then promise me just one thing."
"...A promise? What kind of promise?"
"Unnie, you're the one who made me give up, right? So take responsibility and show me a picture of you marrying Daniel oppa and living happily. Don't you think that would make my giving up worthwhile?"
It was a bold statement.
Thinking she was a child with real grit, Lucy smiled and offered her pinky finger.
"Yes. Let's promise."
The bright-looking child hooked her own finger around Lucy's finger.
As they were facing each other and laughing, the sound of footsteps approached.
Turning their heads, they saw Daniel and Meranto, who had come back after exchanging greetings with the intellectuals attending the banquet.
"Adjutant. Were you having a good time playing with Rabi?"
The first to answer Daniel's words was Rabi.
"Oppa. Lucy unnie wasn't playing with me, she was giving me love advice."
At that, Lucy swallowed nervously.
She had been nervous that Rabi might tell Daniel that she 'wanted to marry Daniel.'
However, Rabi winked at Lucy as if to say not to worry, and then looked at Daniel.
"As a result of the love advice, I've decided to give up on you, oppa. Since I've decided to let you go, now you should cherish the person beside you."
"Huh? Me?"
A question mark floated above Daniel's head as he experienced a 0-confession 1st-rejection without having done anything.
Wondering what she meant, Daniel tilted his head, and Meranto let out a hearty laugh.
"General. Please forgive me. My daughter can be a bit bold."
"Ah. No. Rather, I'm grateful she speaks to me without reservation. Usually, most people are afraid of me, you see."
"Hmm. That must be because those people don't know your true self, General. My daughter and I know exactly what kind of person General Daniel is...."
While Meranto was speaking, fireworks shot up into the sky.
Peobeobeong─
The fireworks that rose high into the sky created a spectacle of colorful flames and exploded in all directions.
Meranto, who had been looking up at the sight, pushed up his glasses.
"It's the celebratory cannon signaling the end of the festival. It seems the parade has begun. General Daniel?"
As Meranto gave him a hint, Daniel nodded and reached out his hand to Lucy.
"Adjutant. I heard there's a terrace on the third floor of this mansion that offers a great view of the parade. Professor Meranto here is specially yielding that spot to me. Would you like to go with me?"
Having no reason to refuse, Lucy took Daniel's hand and stood up.
As their eyes met, Lucy gave a faint smile.
"Yes. I will follow you."
*
Upon arriving at the terrace on the third floor, Lucy and Daniel looked down at the street where the parade was taking place.
As girls and boys led the way singing, a procession of carriages followed behind them.
An excessive number of lanterns hung from all sides of the carriages, causing them to brightly illuminate the parade route.
They could also see a Shinmyo statue carved from ice located at the center of the procession, flaunting its massive presence.
Many other spectacles followed, so there was no rest for the eyes.
"It's amazing. Enough to understand why the citizens here won't give up festivals even in wartime...."
Daniel stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth.
Because Lucy, standing beside him, was watching the parade with her eyes shining.
'Well....'
Lucy was someone who had lived her whole life following others' orders, so she couldn't even enjoy proper entertainment.
Even with the memories of a modern person, Daniel found the parade astonishing—so how much more so for Lucy?
Thinking he shouldn't disturb Lucy's enjoyment of the parade, Daniel maintained his silence.
Just as the parade procession was coming to an end, Lucy expressed her thoughts.
"...It's incredible. I'm seeing something like this for the first time."
Seeing her somewhat visibly elated expression, he thought that he had done well to show it to her.
"It makes me happy to see you like it. Someday, I wanted to show you something like this."
"To me, you mean?"
"Yes. Don't I know about your childhood? Even if it's only a world in my memories, I know what a terrible life you endured."
Lucy's childhood was a world of nothing but pain and oppression.
"So I wanted to let you know, even now, that the world is full of enjoyable things. I thought that was the only way your painful past could be diluted."
Lucy stared directly at Daniel.
Perhaps feeling that gaze, Daniel let out a fake cough.
"Of course, this might just be me being meddlesome. If you dislike me dragging you around even a little, I hope you'll tell me. Then—"
"I like it."
Having spoken firmly, Lucy turned her gaze toward the parade procession.
"...I really do like it."
Relieved, Daniel let out a sigh and walked over to the terrace railing.
"If you like it, then I may continue to bother you. Later, when the war is over, let's go see the sea together. Because the young lady I know said she wanted to see the sea."
It was just as Daniel placed his hands on the railing and savored the chill of the night wind.
"That young lady might not have actually wanted to see the sea."
Lucy stepped closer and came up right beside Daniel.
"Perhaps she simply didn't want to be apart from her butler, and so she made up an excuse to go see the sea together."
The night breeze was refreshing.
After staying still with her eyes closed for a moment, Lucy continued.
"To the young lady, the existence of the butler was the very miracle that bloomed in the darkness. She didn't want to lose him, and she didn't want to be separated. Though it seemed like her foolish butler hadn't realized that."
Slowly opening her eyes, Lucy glanced sideways at Daniel, who looked awkward.
"Even now, that butler probably thinks the young lady sincerely wants to see the sea. How insolent of him."
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Daniel composed his voice to lighten the mood.
"Then, what does that young lady want to do now that she has become an adult? I think I should know so I can use it as a reference."
"There are surely so many things she'd want to do. But right now, immediately...."
Lucy placed her hand atop Daniel's hand, which was holding the railing.
"She says she wants to spend this moment preciously, together with her butler."
The moment the warmth of their hands touched, a belated firework soared high into the sky.
The firework exploded, and Lucy's face was dyed in the five colors of the blazing light.
With a confidence that came from somewhere, Lucy gave a somewhat bold smile, as if she had returned to the past.
It was a smile that was playful yet somehow bewitching.
"Your answer is late. Butler?"
At that teasing, Daniel was unconsciously shaken.
After a short silence, Daniel opened his mouth.
"As you wish, my lady. If that is what you desire...."
With Lucy filling his entire field of vision, Daniel gave a soft smile.
"I will also treasure this moment we have now."
And so, the final day of the festival drew to a close at the intersection of past and present.