Surviving as the Villainess’s Servant in a Martial Arts Novel - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 15

 

“Sigh, everything failed…”

 

I sat in front of the servants’ quarters and let out a deep sigh.

 

To cut to the chase, my secret weapon ‘Heart-fluttering Semi-Formal Speech Skill’ had failed.

 

If it failed, I thought it would be because she’d hate how cringeworthy it was, but the Young Miss’s actual reaction came from a different direction.

 

“How dare you speak so rudely to me?”

 

‘Ah, that way?’

 

So I thought maybe mixing in more formal speech would work and tried “Did you eat well?” but ended up running away. Because the Young Miss overturned the table again.

 

Anyway, I was back to square one.

 

No matter what I tried, the Young Miss would shudder with disgust, and I’d keep acting up and then running away. At this rate, three months would pass in the blink of an eye…

 

While I was just sighing deeply.

 

“Did you run away again?”

 

I looked up.

 

A familiar silhouette came into view. A cute young maid with dumpling-shaped hair.

 

“A-so!”

 

Recently, A-so and I had become much closer.

 

Until then, even though we were friendly, there had been a strange awkwardness, but when I was staying in the medicine room, she nursed me and we spent all day together, naturally becoming closer.

 

A-so was just a little blunt, but we surprisingly got along well. When we sat together and chatted, we’d lose track of time.

 

Thanks to that, I told her all sorts of things. For example, even the fact that I had falsely confessed to the Young Miss…

 

“You, you, you’re really crazy?!”

 

Of course, A-so was shocked.

 

She had thought the Young Miss just got angry by herself and fainted, never imagining it could be for such a reason.

 

“What are you really planning to do? You know you’ll be in big trouble if you’re found out? Even if it’s a lie, that’s still making a fool of the Young Miss!”

 

“Wouldn’t it work if I do well so I don’t get caught? If I treat the Young Miss with sincerity…”

 

“Would that work? Unless you actually start liking the Young Miss for real. Ugh, I’d be angry too. If a guy who was hitting on me was actually just joking around, I’d just… grr…”

 

I smiled bitterly and slightly turned my head away. A-so glared at me with disapproving eyes, then let out a deep sigh.

 

“Fine, since it’s come to this anyway, try your best. Though I don’t know if the Young Miss will fall for it.”

 

“Your romance business isn’t going well, I see?”

 

At A-so’s sarcastic words, I drooped my eyebrows.

 

“It’s not easy.”

 

“Didn’t I tell you from the start? The Young Miss has such high standards, how could you possibly meet them?”

 

“Right, her standards are really high. Whatever I do, she just says she hates it, hates it all. Now I’d like to see her happy about something…”

 

“Hmm…”

 

For a moment, A-so looked at me with drowsy eyes, but then shook her head. Then she plopped down next to me and spoke as if it was no big deal.

 

“Then you can just do something she likes from now on. What does the Young Miss like?”

 

“I don’t know that…”

 

“What’s she interested in these days?”

 

“I don’t know that either…”

 

“What do you even know?”

 

Nothing.

 

I scratched my head awkwardly.

 

Come to think of it, that was true. I knew nothing about the Young Miss.

 

It was quite a shock. I thought we’d spent quite a bit of time together, but I didn’t know anything? I knew she disliked me, but other than that…

 

“Sigh, it can’t be helped.”

 

A-so sighed and said.

 

“Honestly, I wasn’t going to tell you because I hoped you’d give up. But seeing how you act, you’ll never give up, so I’ll tell you just this one thing.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“You know there’s a flower garden next to So-nang Garden, right?”

 

I nodded. I often passed by it when I worked as a Night Soil Carrier. But I knew not just anyone could enter it…

 

“That flower garden was specially built by the Master for the Young Miss who couldn’t go outside because she was sick. He hoped she could at least feel the atmosphere of the outdoors there.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“Actually, the Young Miss used to spend time in that flower garden often before she shut herself in her room. She especially enjoyed sitting in the pavilion and looking at the flowers.”

 

“…”

 

“Do you understand now?”

 

I blinked blankly.

 

A-so smiled slightly.

 

“What you need to do.”

 

It seemed like a halo was shining behind A-so’s back.

 

* * *

 

The final method to win over the Young Miss.

 

‘Bringing her flowers.’

 

Since the Young Miss shut herself in her room, she probably hadn’t seen any flowers at all.

 

Since I couldn’t move the flower garden to So-nang Garden, I thought it would be better to bring flowers from the garden to the Young Miss instead.

 

However, I couldn’t enter the flower garden without permission. I immediately went to get permission from the Chief Steward.

 

“You want to enter the flower garden? Why there?”

 

The Chief Steward looked puzzled. But when I said ‘I want to show flowers to the Young Miss,’ he was delighted and readily gave permission.

 

“The Young Miss will be pleased.”

 

I got A-so’s help in selecting the flowers.

 

When it came to actually bringing flowers to her, I knew nothing about flowers. So I asked an expert for help.

 

“Ugh, do I have to help with this too?”

 

A-so was even capable.

 

I had noticed it from when Lady Ma said she was fond of her. She knew various things from the types of flowers to how to choose fresh flowers, how to thin them out, and even how to weave flower bouquets.

 

I was able to learn knowledge about flowers and various techniques from A-so.

 

When I completed my first flower bouquet like that.

 

“Young Miss~!”

 

I burst into the Young Miss’s room almost running.

 

“I’m here, did you spend your time well while I was away? Didn’t you miss me?”

 

“Get out.”

 

“Oh come on, you’re happy to see me but you act like that again! Anyway, I brought a gift for the Young Miss who must be alone every day. What is it? What do you think it could be?”

 

“Get out.”

 

“Ta-da, it’s White Garden Flowers!”

 

“Get o…”

 

The Young Miss, who was about to answer mechanically, suddenly hesitated.

 

Oh, is it having an effect?

 

“I heard you used to visit the flower garden often before, Young Miss? But now you can’t go because of your illness. I thought you might want to see flowers.”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t the white and modest flowers look just like you, Young Miss? The moment I saw them, I thought of you and my hand reached for them without realizing it! How is it, is it okay? If you took walks with me, you could see many flowers like this…”

 

“…”

 

“Oh, of course if you don’t particularly want to go, you don’t have to! I can bring flowers to show you like this. Right?”

 

“I…”

 

The Young Miss hesitated for a moment. But in the end, she turned her head and spoke coldly.

 

“I don’t need it.”

 

I almost asked back for a moment.

 

‘Really?’

 

I had already noticed that the Young Miss was paying attention to the flowers.

 

Even now. When I said “Then I’ll put them in the flower vase for now” and turned around, I noticed her face veil swaying as if the Young Miss was looking toward me again.

 

I was newly amazed.

 

‘Do you like flowers that much?’

 

It makes sense since it’s been a while since you’ve seen them. Still, I didn’t know you’d like them that much, and since this is the first positive reaction I’m getting, it feels strange…

 

‘Then I should bring them every day!’

 

From then on, I wove flowers every day and frequented the Young Miss’s room constantly.

 

“Young Miss, today I brought gardenias. The white flowers are really pretty and I heard they’re also used a lot as medicine. Isn’t that fascinating?”

 

“Young Miss, this time it’s crape myrtle! I wondered what crape myrtle was, and it turned out to be hundred-day red? There are tons of colorful hundred-day reds planted in the flower garden and they’re so beautiful…”

 

“Young Miss, this flower is called forget-worry grass! It got its name from meaning grass that makes you forget worries. I hope the Young Miss can also look at the forget-worry grass and be free from worries and concerns…”

 

“Young Miss, I brought purple jade hairpin flowers! Not only are the flowers pretty, but the flower language is really wonderful – do you know what it is? It means ‘fate sent from heaven.’ It seems like it represents the relationship between you and me, Young Miss…”

 

Of course, the Young Miss’s reaction was enthusiastic.

 

“I don’t need it.”

 

“I said I don’t need it.”

 

“I told you not to bring them, didn’t I?”

 

“Stop it-!”

 

Though she did speak curtly.

 

Still, I knew. That the Young Miss didn’t really dislike it deep down.

 

Every time she said “I don’t need them,” the Young Miss never actually stopped me from putting flowers in the flower vase. Sometimes I even noticed the flowers had been moved to slightly different positions.

 

‘She must have touched the flowers.’

 

If that wasn’t liking them, then what was it?

 

So I seemed to weave and bring flowers even more enthusiastically. However, the Young Miss apparently found such behavior of mine burdensome.

 

“Young Miss! What are today’s flowers~? They’re trumpet vines! Aren’t these vermillion flowers so beautiful? I brought so many thinking of you…”

 

This time too, the Young Miss got angry first.

 

“Why have you been acting like this since before?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Why do you keep doing things I didn’t ask for? When did I ever tell you to bring them? Why are you acting on your own!”

 

“Pardon? But…”

 

I tilted my head while holding the trumpet vines.

 

“You like them, don’t you?”

 

The Young Miss shouted as if she’d been caught.

 

“I don’t like them!”

 

I smiled and nodded. In my ears, it was already being filtered to sound like “I like them.”

 

Come to think of it, the Chief Steward had hinted that the Young Miss particularly enjoyed looking at trumpet vines. Then wouldn’t she be even more pleased? Out of meddlesomeness, I suddenly held out the trumpet flower bouquet in front of the Young Miss.

 

“Oh, I understand. Then won’t you take a close look this time? Maybe because it’s peak season, the trumpet vine fragrance is really nice. If you bury your nose in the flowers and smell them, they’re really fragrant…”

 

“Put it away.”

 

“Don’t be like that, just once. If you smell them just once, you’ll really feel better. Here…”

 

“I said put it away!”

 

Smack!

 

In an instant, the Young Miss swung her hand.

 

The Young Miss’s hand struck the trumpet flower bouquet. Startled, I lost strength in my hand, and the trumpet vines that escaped from my grasp floated up into the air.

 

Soon after, the trumpet vine blossoms fell with a thud to the ground. I lowered my gaze to the ground.

 

“…”

 

The trumpet vines were a mess.

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