Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(6) Alexis the Drunkard

For Rowan, survival had never been an easy affair. She had to exhaust herself with endless effort just to endure each passing day, which meant she possessed far greater resilience than her peers.
“Look, the seedlings are already sprouting and growing!”
The world into which she had transmigrated—the Medland Kingdom—was a land blessed with warm weather year-round. With occasional rainy seasons, it proved ideal for plant growth.
Rowan discovered herb trees that flourished without the gardener’s careful touch and fruit-bearing trees laden with small, sweet-tart fruits, which she tended with devotion. She cleared the overgrown weeds behind the East Annex, prepared a vegetable garden, and began planting various vegetables.
Lea, who had initially protested vehemently—questioning why a noblewoman would bother with vegetables rather than ornamental flowers—now gazed at the garden with sparkling eyes.
“I must say, I never expected them to sprout so quickly…”
Though Lea had grumbled while assisting Rowan, she marveled at how the seeds they had planted germinated in unison. As a maid who served the nobility, this was her first experience with genuine farming.
“Never underestimate the power of the blazing sun.”
Rowan smiled contentedly, envisioning the harvest she would reap from the seeds she had sown. Lea watched in wonder as Rowan watered the garden directly under the sun, heedless of her skin darkening.
“Sell all of these things.”
From time to time, Rowan sorted through items in the East Annex and entrusted their disposal to Lea, instructing her to obtain cash payment regardless of the price.
Initially, Lea had pleaded that she dared not dispose of the Glister Family’s possessions, but Rowan remained resolute. After all, the items left in this remote East Annex were unlikely to be valuable treasures.
Moreover, her reasoning was that clearing away the dingy, space-consuming clutter and keeping the proceeds in cash would serve as a safeguard against emergencies.
Certainly, large furniture and tapestries could not be sold, but at least vases and stacked dishes could be explained away as broken.
‘Perhaps I’m being too harsh.’
Rowan occasionally felt a twinge of guilt. Strictly speaking, the items in the East Annex were not her personal property. But…
‘If I scrutinize every little thing like this, how will I survive?’
She quickly shook her head.
‘If they’re letting me live here, it means I can use the things in this place freely. And besides…’
Delving deeper into the matter, it was they who had confined and neglected the eldest daughter of the Hartwood Family, the daughter-in-law of the Glister Family, to this place.
Rowan had to secure her own survival. She was even prepared to abandon both families and strike out alone to find a way to sustain herself if worst came to worst.
“Lady Rowan, should we dispose of these as well?”
“Hmm… let me take a look.”
Lea had just pulled out some glass cups from a corner of the kitchen cupboard. Rowan approached and examined them. The dust-covered glasses appeared not to have been used in quite some time.
Now Lea was far more proactive about disposing of items than Rowan herself. The Lea who had initially trembled with fear and wept about being unable to dispose of the Glister Family’s possessions was long gone. After all, everything is difficult at first.
“Having cash is really wonderful.”
After money began accumulating, they would buy delicious things from the town and share them, and they started purchasing necessities for the East Annex.
Though not lavish by noble standards, the Main Residence regularly sent money, essentials, and provisions. Rowan felt pity for Lea, whose fate had been swept up in this situation and whose future as a maid had become uncertain, so she set aside a portion of any cash she obtained for her.
Lea, who had initially waved her hands in protest and been terrified, gradually began saving money after Rowan explained that she might not be able to support her indefinitely and that Lea needed to prepare for her own future. And once one develops a taste for saving, money accumulation becomes its own reward.
“Isn’t even cheap curtains so much prettier?”
They sold the expensive, high-quality but heavy, aged curtains and replaced them with inexpensive, easy-to-wash curtains that were currently popular in town, making the house feel far more comfortable.
Rowan hung flowing daisy-patterned curtains to her taste, and she allowed Lea to decorate her own room as she wished.
“Yes, it’s truly so much prettier.”
They had transcended the relationship of noblewoman and maid, becoming true companions who shared hardship and joy in the East Annex. Just as camaraderie blooms amid warfare, Lea found herself unable to resist developing a special bond of solidarity with Rowan.
‘The lady is an unusual person, but still…’
She had been a good person to Rowan. The two of them had fairly divided and shared the provisions sent from Count Glister’s Main Residence.
“Put plenty of the Carea herb I dried into the soup. It has no bitter taste, so it’s pleasant to eat.”
“I will. And I’ve ground the dried Merun leaves. Can I sprinkle them on the marinated meat later?”
“That sounds perfect. Before sunset, I should pick some lemons from the lemon tree. I’d like to drink it as fresh juice in the evening.”
After watering the vegetable garden and tidying up the Annex once more, Rowan washed and emerged into the First Floor Living Room. Changed into a light muslin dress, she stretched her legs comfortably and reclined halfway on the couch with a refreshed expression.
“Lea, go wash up too. I need to rest now.”
“Of course. I’ll just organize the pantry and then wash.”
“Yes, yes. There’s no rush.”
After finishing the kitchen, Lea saw Rowan already dozing lightly on the couch.
She wore a dress purchased cheaply from town and altered for easier movement, her face peaceful and serene as her eyes remained closed.
Lea’s maid uniform was similarly loose-fitting and simple. She hummed softly to herself as she entered the bathroom to wash.
***
Time flowed like water.
That night was no different from any other. Rowan was sleeping peacefully as usual. Though I had possessed this body in a strange world, I felt no great disturbance. After all, the burdens I had to bear in my previous reality were no lighter than those in this world.
Rather, now I could sleep without worrying about rent in this palace-like Annex, and with money coming in regularly, I could tend the vegetable garden and save without anxiety.
More at ease than before, Rowan had been falling into very deep and peaceful sleep lately. That peace was shattered several months after I had moved to the East Annex.
“…I’m sorry.”
Yet Rowan’s vigilance had never completely relaxed. When I heard soft whispers repeating, my eyes snapped open in the darkness.
“I’m sorry….”
I rolled my eyes around. Was I finally encountering the ghost of someone who had died harboring deep resentment in this East Annex? How could there be a ghost in a place I had so carefully maintained?
I took a deep breath. Right now, I had nowhere else to go. Ghost or not, I could not retreat.
‘Let’s see who wins—the living or the dead.’
With resolve steeling my heart, I moved my body toward the source of the voice.
“…I’m sorry.”
In the darkness, a shadow even darker than the night crouched across from the bed. My heart had nearly sunk when I first saw it, but in the moonlight seeping through the window, I could examine it more carefully.
“I’m sorry….”
The shadow was immense yet curled in on itself. As I drew closer, I realized my suspicion was correct. Hair gleaming faintly in the moonlight. That incomparably beautiful face I could never forget—my husband, Alexis.
“Excuse me.”
Though he was my husband, we were less than strangers. We were the family’s unwanted children, forced to swear marriage vows before God, yet we had never spent even a few hours together.
Moreover, his beautiful presence, which had left such a vivid impression when I first saw him, was gradually fading from my memory.
I carefully tapped Alexis’s shoulder. But he only muttered one phrase repeatedly, his voice so small—almost like sobbing—that I had to listen intently.
“…I’m sorry.”
What was he so sorry about?
I tried to shake Alexis awake, but soon withdrew my hand.
‘Ugh, he reeks of alcohol.’
He came here drunk and maudlin. My brow furrowed.
‘A drunken nuisance.’

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