Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 5

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

(5) The East Annex Is Paradise!

“The last person to reside here was Count Glister’s Deceased Sister. She was born with certain… limitations, and the family, fearing she might cast a shadow upon their name, sent her to this place where she eventually passed away—”
“Wow!”
Lea, who had been whispering through tears at this tragic tale, lifted her head in surprise at the sound of Rowan’s jubilant cry, her arms spread wide in celebration as if the maid’s words had never reached her ears.
“My lady?”
“Wow, this is wonderful!”
Rowan, who had been gazing at the East Annex for some time, now swayed with delight, her arms still outstretched.
“This is more than adequate!”
Adequate? Lea questioned her own hearing.
“My lady, I’m not certain you heard what I was saying, but this place is—”
“I heard, I heard!”
Lea attempted to clarify once more, but Rowan continued swaying with undiminished enthusiasm.
“I thought it would be some dreadfully dingy underground cellar!”
“Well….”
As if an annex at the Glister Estate could possibly be an underground cellar!
Lea swallowed the words threatening to burst forth and approached Rowan’s side.
“My lady, this place has been where the abandoned have come to end their lives, generation after generation—”
“Yes, yes, I understand!”
Why must you repeat yourself? Rowan waved her hand dismissively.
“I was worried because you looked so miserable. But this is quite comfortable, truly comfortable!”
What could possibly be comfortable about this? Lea found herself unable to comprehend. Yet Rowan, suddenly energized, strode purposefully into the East Annex. The interior bore the marks of prolonged abandonment—dim and desolate, an atmosphere of neglect hung heavy in the air.
“At least the Butler made sure everything was cleaned before the luggage arrived. Yes, that’s how it should be. The fundamentals of moving are intact.”
Rowan chuckled softly as she examined the contents of the annex, running her fingers along the furniture and window frames to check for dust before nodding with satisfaction.
Lea could not fathom why Rowan seemed so delighted by these worn, dilapidated furnishings and the desolate atmosphere of the annex.
“My lady, as I mentioned before, this place is—”
“Yes, yes, where the abandoned come!”
“Y-yes, that is correct….”
Overwhelmed by Rowan’s momentum, Lea found herself unable to continue. Rowan placed her hands on her hips and turned to face the maid.
“It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? I was terrified, but this is quite splendid, don’t you think? Look—it’s spacious, there should be plenty of rooms. The kitchen is equipped. A place for me to sleep, a place for you to sleep, and a place to prepare meals—that’s all we need.”
“But still….”
“I noticed before we entered that there’s space to make a small garden. We could plant flowers or vegetables.”
Look at the land. The house itself is one thing, but land surrounding it of this expanse is truly vast. Rowan found herself unconsciously recalling the Single Room where she had once lived.
Even a room barely the size of a fist would see its monthly rent skyrocket if it had an additional window, a balcony, or even an absurdly small extra space. But here, far removed from the watchful eyes of the suffocating Glister Estate, she could use this entire space freely.
“This is paradise, absolute paradise!”
Watching Rowan laugh heartily, Lea despaired, finally convinced she had taken a madwoman as her mistress. She could not comprehend what Rowan found so paradisiacal about any of this.
The East Annex. The rumors surrounding it were nothing short of terrifying. Count Glister’s Deceased Sister had lived here recently—born with certain limitations, the family had confined her to this annex to hide her from the world, and there she had lived out her days.
She had always been frail, and according to the stories, she hadn’t lived long—she’d fallen ill in this Annex and died here. Furthermore, in an earlier generation, an Abandoned Concubine had been confined within these walls. The Annex carried such a sordid history across the generations that rumors of ghosts haunting the place had spread far and wide.
“That’s why I can’t visit here often. I hope you understand.”
“That’s not fair!”
Lea stared at the Maid, whose gaze refused to turn toward the Annex, and cried out with tears in her voice.
“I’m frightened too!”
The Maid who had brought Lea’s belongings pretended not to hear that outburst and fled in a flurry. Lea, her eyes glistening with tears, sniffled and accepted the items before stepping into the Annex.
“You’re here?”
Inside the Annex stood Rowan, her sleeves rolled up as she cleaned.
“My lady!”
A startled Lea tossed down her belongings and rushed forward.
“You shouldn’t be doing this yourself!”
“It’s fine. I needed a change of pace and some physical activity.”
Rowan smiled brightly while uttering words that made little sense—something about how people who were accustomed to work couldn’t simply sit idle, and how light labor had left her feeling refreshed.
“Still…”
Lea shifted her weight from foot to foot, but Rowan continued moving about with diligent purpose.
“Why have you taken down all the curtains?”
Lea asked suddenly, noticing the heap of curtains piled in one corner. The heavy, lengthy fabric had been removed from every room—mountains of curtains now lay scattered across the Annex floor, and Lea couldn’t fathom when Rowan had managed to take them all down.
“They hadn’t been washed in years, it seemed. Dust had accumulated, and the sunlight had faded them so badly that… tsk, tsk… I thought they’d bring illness upon us. So I decided to sort them out.”
Rowan said.
“What good is a grand, ornate house if it’s gloomy? Gloom breeds illness and attracts spirits. So what if we’re separated from the Main Residence? If anything, it’s better to live comfortably without the master’s scrutiny.”
The Main Residence, where the people of the Glister Earl Family dwelled, saw the comings and goings of all the important figures. This was only natural—the head of the Glister Earl Family, Count Glister himself, conducted his affairs from the Main Residence, and all the family’s bloodline resided there, receiving education befitting the family name.
To be separated from that place and confined to the Annex like this was surely a psychological torment—a sign of rejection by the family that must have felt utterly hopeless.
“I… I simply cannot understand you, my lady.”
Lea hesitated before speaking quietly. It was a rather presumptuous thing to say, but Rowan merely smiled wryly in response.
“It’s better for two people to share the work than for one to bear it all alone. I’m not entirely useless, after all.”
My body has been hardened by countless part-time jobs. Rowan swallowed the rest of her thought.
Just as Lea had said, this Annex appeared to have been home across generations to those cast aside by the family.
And after assigning a single Maid to attend to it, the family had simply abandoned all concern for it.
If that were the case, then a noblewoman who did nothing and a lone Maid burdened with every conceivable task would have had to live in this vast Annex together. When the body grows weary, the spirit grows weary as well. A Maid serving a mistress drowning in the despair of abandonment, while shouldering all the Annex’s chores, could never have found peace.
“Now then, let’s organize the unnecessary things next!”
Rowan urged the bewildered Lea forward, rolling up her sleeves once more. After that, I would change out of these uncomfortable clothes.
***
It was some time later when Alexis learned that Rowan had been cast out to the East Annex.
“However, Young Master, please do not concern yourself. Your quarters remain here as they always have.”
The Butler spoke to Alexis with utmost deference. A bitter twist played at the corners of Alexis’s mouth.
“You separate a newly wedded couple and tell me not to worry about it? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Ah….”
The Butler was taken aback by Alexis’s sarcasm.
“But Young Master….”
“Enough.”
The Butler’s face flushed as he tried to protest further, but Alexis waved his hand dismissively, as though everything had become tedious.
“Leave.”
Once the embarrassed Butler had departed, Alexis’s expression hardened completely.
His wife—forced upon him by a marriage of convenience between families—held no meaning for him whatsoever. That was precisely why, from the very first night of their marriage, he had abandoned her to wander the streets, drowning himself in drink with worthless companions.
This family, impossible to grow attached to. For someone like Alexis, who could not warm to anyone, this place was nothing more than a prison he was forced to return to. Because of this, he had never once considered what his wife’s circumstances might be while he was away gallivanting.
‘The East Annex.’
Alexis’s eyes grew dim. The East Annex was notorious throughout the Glister Family, but for Alexis, it held a different meaning entirely.
‘It will surely be bleak.’
He collapsed onto the bed. A fleeting image passed through his mind as he covered his eyes with one arm—a woman who always wore a white dress like a condemned soul, her long hair flowing. A woman he could barely remember.
—Alexis….
With a voice fading like embers, trembling fingers, and delicate arms outstretched, she had always wept whenever she saw him.
—Tell my brother… Please… Please… Tell him I am dying in this place… I am dying in this place… Please, let me out of here….
Please!! A white, pale woman crumbling as her suppressed sobs erupted.
Alexis’s eyes squeezed shut. A memory he did not wish to recall surfaced. The East Annex. His bride, whom he could not even remember, would likely fade away in that same bleak place.
Yet, as always, there was nothing he could do. Not then. Not now.
A harsh, biting wind howled within his chest.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————