Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Part 22: Promise for Them
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“Hehe, this is all the Won-gak Pavilion’s fields. Impressive, right?”
“Can you see these weeds? We’ve been working on them every single day, but they show no sign of letting up.”
“The smell from those manure piles is worse than you’d think, isn’t it? After a while, it soaks right into your whole body.”
The Triplet Maids, dressed in work clothes along with their servant squad, headed first to the Won-gak Pavilion’s fields.
“Now that you’re all here, we’ll have to grow much more than before.”
“Hehehe. Restoring these fallow fields will get some help from that yellow cow and black cow over there.”
Ilryeong pointed to the two cows.
The cows bellowed in unison, as if responding.
“But this yellow cow and black cow are awfully fierce.”
Ilryeong raised her hand toward its head, and the yellow cow snapped at her hand.
The black cow snorted aggressively.
“See?”
The servant squad leader stepped forward.
“Maid sisters. Shall we start the fieldwork now?”
“Of course.”
Hehehe, the Triplet Maids let out sinister chuckles.
A moment later.
“Ah, no way?! The weeds?! The weeds are disappearing at a terrifying speed!”
As the servants in work clothes charged in with perfect coordination, the thick weeds began vanishing in an instant.
“Those stubborn weeds are getting yanked out roots and all with a single motion…?!”
“Their hands…! I can’t even see their hands!”
“Is that hand technique?! Or maybe capturing hand?!”
At that moment, a few servants approached and asked.
“Should we use the tools in that shed over there?”
“Y-Yes?! Yes. Of course.”
The farming tools that had been abandoned in the shed started getting dragged out one by one, transforming like new.
“No way?! What’s with that expert handiwork?!”
“It feels like the touch of artisans who’ve repaired tools for decades?!”
“The sickles?! The hooks?! The hoes are coming back to life?!”
Some servants climbed onto the shed, kicking off the rotten roof and ripping out the windows.
“Squad leader. We’ve retrieved the tools from that storage shed.”
“For any missing tools, coordinate with the craftsmen repairing the Won-gak Pavilion.”
“Then we can borrow materials from them while we’re at it.”
The servant squad leader’s instructions were ruthlessly efficient, and the servants were already moving before she even finished speaking.
“The shed?! The shed is being reborn?!”
Then Ilryeong looked at the fields and shouted.
“W-What?! People are pulling the plow instead of oxen?!”
“Incredible speed! And what’s with that breathing as synchronized as a joint formation?!”
The servants pulling the plow charged through the fields without hesitation, while those behind adjusted it with delicate touches.
As the Triplet Maids marveled at the instant formation of ridges and furrows, the servant squad leader approached the yellow and black cows.
“Now that our servant squad is here, these oxen are no longer needed.”
She drew her sword from her back, and the yellow and black cows quickly ran off and knelt before an unused plow.
“Ahh?! Those devilish beasts are begging for work!”
“No way?! They’re hitching themselves to the plow and running on their own!”
The yellow and black cows clearly had no intention of becoming the servants’ snacks.
“Hmm. Clever animals.”
The servant squad leader sheathed her sword and approached the Triplet Maids.
“Maid sisters. We still have spare hands, so how about moving to the next spot?”
At her words, the Triplet Maids snapped out of it.
“Y-Yeah.”
“This is just the beginning!”
“The basics, the basics!”
The next spot they moved to with the remaining members was a small lake.
“Now, we have to supply fresh fish from this lake every day. We smoke them, dry them, and make fish sauce too.”
“Hehe. Can you see the marks left on this net? The creatures in this lake are ferocious predators full of wild instinct.”
“They’re tyrants that swim up the lake into Mount Song’s valleys. Scary fellows.”
“Is that so.”
At the servant squad leader’s gesture, servants shed their work clothes and dove into the lake.
“Aaah?! The fish?! The fish are flying through the sky!”
“No way?! Handling three spears at once with such skill?!”
“T-Those servants’ movements?! It’s like watching a pack of massive aquatic beasts on a group hunt! They’re herding the fish toward the net!”
“The net is alive, scooping up the fish! Bumper catch! Huge haul!”
The servant squad leader turned to them.
“Where’s next?”
* * *
“Ah, no way?! The dorms! The servants’ dorms are sparkling like new?!”
“The hallways?! The hallways are blinding?! Not a speck of dust even on the window frames in the corners!”
“The storage sheds?! Those wretched ones we couldn’t even dream of touching?!”
“What’s with this cooking skill?! It’s like watching master chefs who’ve battled oil and flame their whole lives!”
Yeon So-hyeon, who had opened a window wondering what the commotion was, locked eyes with servants wielding mallets and dashing along the outer walls.
“Excellent.”
Yeon So-hyeon clapped in praise, and the blushing servants redoubled their already astonishing pace.
Even Jeong-a, patrolling to supervise the Won-gak Pavilion, was full of admiration and great satisfaction.
The long-dormant Won-gak Pavilion was being reborn.
* * *
On the stone steps bathed in sunset, the Triplets slumped down.
“…We’re useless now.”
“…What have we even been doing all this time?”
“Is this what emptiness feels like…?”
The Eldest Young Master had praised the meal as the best yet, heaping compliments.
The head maid was thrilled that the Won-gak Pavilion finally had structure, letting her focus purely on her duties.
“Hehe. ‘Frogs in a well,’ they say, and we were those frogs.”
“But at least grilled frog tastes good.”
“…From now on, should we be doing the servants’ grunt work?”
The girls sighed in unison and hung their heads.
Then someone approached them cautiously.
“Maid sisters.”
It was the servant squad leader.
“…Hehe. Here to mock us?”
“Go ahead and tear into us.”
“…We’re just defeated dogs, after all.”
The Triplet Maids looked up at her, their eyes unfocused.
The servant squad leader smiled faintly.
“Would you be willing to teach us martial arts from now on?”
Another servant approached.
“I’d be grateful if you could take a look at my swordsmanship.”
Yet another came forward.
“I’ve heard the maid sisters are exceptional at espionage and intelligence missions. We’ve had no training in those specialties….”
“How about the maid sisters giving us etiquette lessons too?”
Come to think of it, all the servants had changed from work clothes to training uniforms.
Tears welled up in the Triplets’ eyes as they gazed at them.
“You all….”
“You still need us?”
“Is there a place for us in this Won-gak Pavilion?”
Surrounded by the sunset glow, the servant squad leader bowed her head.
“We’re mere servants. Everything we’ve learned so far is just menial labor, so we’re only good at chores.”
The other servants bowed as well.
“Leave the grunt work to us from now on.”
“So please, maid sisters, focus on your maid roles.”
“Guide us so we can become like you!”
The Triplets exchanged glances.
“Alright!”
“Your attitude for learning is splendid! But you know the maids of Won-gak Pavilion are nothing like maids elsewhere, right?”
“The path to becoming a true Won-gak Pavilion maid is rough and perilous—keep that firmly in mind!”
The servants shouted.
“Work us as hard as you want!”
“We’ll follow to the end!”
They bonded in an instant.
Chattering and giggling, they headed off for training.
Warm sunset light settled over their heads.
* * *
Night had fallen over the Won-gak Pavilion.
Yeon So-hyeon sat under lamplight, reading a book.
His study, once a total mess, was now impeccably organized—as if that chaos had been a lie.
Thanks to Jeong-a devoting herself fully to him.
As he turned a page, faint voices of the Triplets and servants reached his ears.
“…What are they doing at this hour?”
Jeong-a’s eyes gleamed golden as she cleared his empty teacup.
“It seems they’re holding a basic duties class for the servants, my lord.”
“…Isn’t it too much on the first day?”
Jeong-a shook her head at his words.
“As long as you’re watching over them, my lord, those children will never stop or tire.”
A gentle smile curved her lips.
“Much like myself.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s hand paused on the page.
He closed the book.
“…Rough times and sudden events will come ahead.”
“Now that you’ve ended your seclusion.”
Almost simultaneously with Yeon So-hyeon gazing at the window, Jeong-a moved to open it.
With the cold night breeze came the sound of women laughing.
A distant hall blazed with light.
Even the servants’ and maids’ dorms had lanterns hung everywhere, brimming with life.
After chasing out the attendants, the desolate Won-gak Pavilion now pulsed with vigor and warm human presence once more.
“…Each of those children is precious manpower.”
Jeong-a knew better than anyone the deep, warm master’s heart in his chest.
“Indeed, my lord.”
She remembered his reaction when he first saw the Triplets.
The emotion that had flickered across his eyes then was pain and guilt.
He hadn’t shown it, but she could feel it.
How his heart grew heavy each time he met these ‘made’ children.
That was why Jeong-a hadn’t assigned the Triplets as his personal maids.
She knew how it ached deep in Yeon So-hyeon’s heart whenever he faced them.
And it had been the same today with the servants.
Yeon So-hyeon had made them a promise.
That he would cherish them and hold them dear.
That he would make them happy.
That he would cry for them.
It was not a promise for them, but a vow to himself.
“So….”
Jeong-a placed a hand on her chest and bowed deeply.
“I shall do my utmost, my lady, to ensure their lives and efforts are not wasted.”
Yeon So-hyeon rose from his seat.
“…Yes. You must.”
He headed to his bedroom through the door she had opened.
“Rest well, my lord.”
“You too—have a good night.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s footsteps halted briefly.
“…About the promise I made to them.”
Jeong-a bowed toward his retreating back.
“You mean that, my lord?”
“…It applies to you and the Triplets too.”
He resumed walking.
Jeong-a bowed deeply once more toward his back.
Even after he vanished from sight.