Chapter 53
“Haha, you are right. Somehow I fit right in, it’s making me sappy.”
“Sappy?” Roman asked in puzzlement.
“Ah, sad and happy. Well, there is a slang like that. Roman, now let’s go to the stables. I’m sure we can’t be late.”
“Yes. Please follow me, Madam.”
“Roman, please talk comfortably with me. We might end up getting caught like this.”
“Bu… but!”
“Ahem!”
As Amethyst made a serious expression and looked at her, Roman nodded unwillingly.
Smiling, the mistress continued to follow the maid’s lead.
“Dammit… I can’t help but want to swear.” Amethyst muttered under her breath.
“Sorry?” Roman stilled and looked at the other.
“Are you saying it’s only the two of us that need to clean this large stable?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Last month I didn’t pay my deposit.”
“What, this crazy bastard…!”
“Madam… no, Carol!” Roman hurrielded exclaimed.
“Haha… okay. I will watch what I say.”
There seemed to be no end to the stable. It seemed to be at least a few thousand square feet. This Dajal guy was definitely a psycho.
Amethyst started to brush the horses angrily.
“Erm, Carol…”
“Hmm?”
“Apparently a few days later they have a riding training, so we must be careful and clean without stressing the horses… if you brush roughly it will scare them Mada… scare them.”
Roman seemed to be having a hard time talking informally.“I understand…”
Amethyst’s responses were inadvertently funny as well.
Amethyst smiled and started to brush them gently.
It felt good to do some physical labor but Dajal was nowhere to be seen even as they came to finish cleaning up the stables.
※
An exhausted Amethyst fell asleep after quickly finishing her dinner as she heard Alexcent would be returning late from the palace. Normally, she would wait up for him and fall asleep together. But today she dozed off the moment she lied down in bed.
After getting ready to sleep and only wearing his gown, Alec looked down at Amethyst who had fallen asleep first and was mumbling away.
“I wonder… what she’s dreaming about.”
Her round forehead, tightly closed two eyes and lips that were slightly ajar … She had a child-like expression in her sleep, it somehow comforted him. He looked at her longingly before bending down to bring his lips to her forehead.
He caught a whiff of hay and soil, followed by the smell of horses … he automatically frowned.
Then he carefully lay next to her and brushed her hair to the side. Then listening to the sound of her rough breathing, he tried to fall asleep.
※
Thankfully it seemed like Alexcent had gone ahead to enter the palace. Quickly, Amethyst rushed to get ready and headed down to the side building while avoiding all the eyes around her.
Roman must have been worried as she got up from her seat as she saw Amethyst hurrying in.
“Are you all right? You must have been tired from yesterday?”
“Mmm…I can’t say that I’m not… but I’m fine. But more than that, are you okay Roman? You worked more than me yesterday.”
“Well, it’s normal for me.”
“Please don’t say that such unfair treatment is normal. You’re breaking my heart!”
“Madam…”
“Let’s stay strong! So, what are we doing today?” Amethyst flashed a bright smile.
“Today we are cleaning the garden.”
“Garden?”
“Yes.”
“Are we by chance… cleaning the garden that looks like terrains of huge paddy fields?”
“I’m not sure what rice paddy fields look like but if you are referring to the garden in front of the mansion then you are right—”
“Is it just you and me today as well?”“—Yes.”
“Ah, this crazy bastard!”
“Madam, please calm—” Roman hastily urged.
“How can I calm down? It’s not once or twice that I got lost there, so for the two of us to…!”
Roman must have felt apologetic as she looked down at the floor. After all, it was a consequence of her not paying the deposit. So she couldn’t help but feel apologetic that the mistress had to suffer along with her.
“Roman, let’s go! You just wait and see, I will pay him back double, no triple times!”
Amethyst huffed and puffed as she headed to the garden together with Roman.
They started to sweep and gather the fallen leaves. For today, Amethystcouldn’t help but resent the wind that kept blowing their way. Thanks to it, the leaves incessantly showered making her want to chop down all the trees in the garden.
“Gah!”
Amethyst threw her broom and shouted.
“Ma…no, Carol. If you are tired please take a rest… no rest. I will finish up….” Roman panicked.
“What? Do you think you’re made of steel? Are you superwoman?” Amethyst looked her in the eye and retorted.
“What?” Roman was dumbfounded.
“No, I meant you should come over here and rest as well.”
“But I must finish this by today,” said Roman. She didn’t have the liberty the other had.
“Ha…I swear I will uproot these trees.”
“Pfft!”
“Why? Why are you laughing.” Amethyst looked at the laughing maid in puzzlement.
“How can the wife of the prince say such a thing? Normally you can’t do all this alone.”
“I know. It was just empty words and me ranting.”
While they were taking a breather they heard footsteps.
The sound of leaves being stepped on. It was very fast.
“I see you still haven’t come to your senses and still have the time to rest.”
As she heard a hoarse voice, Amethyst turned to look behind. It was a man neither short nor tall with a paunch, and a head with barely any hair left. Just the looks of it, and his oily forehead seemed to say ‘I am Dajal’.