Surviving as the Wife of the Swordsmanship Clan’s Troublemaker - Chapter 109

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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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Chapter 109

Watching her constantly complain about food, I couldn’t help but let out an exasperated laugh.
‘The Maids in the Main Building earn considerably higher wages, I’ve heard.’
And their meal quality is supposedly far superior as well. That’s why, before I arrived, the Annex staff had apparently made efforts to transfer to the Main Building due to the welfare disparity—or so May told me.
Geti was one of them.
‘Geti really hasn’t come back. I wonder if she’s doing well somewhere.’
I still didn’t know her whereabouts or the exact reason she fled. I wish I had apologized for what happened that day and we could have gotten along.
Clack, clack.
I lit the fire under the pot and prepared rice. I set out a full meal with braised meat and radish salad.
While I organized the Kitchen—a task I’d been putting off—the rice cooked quickly. It was barley rice. There was no white rice here, but barley was abundant. I couldn’t express how grateful I was to be able to prepare barley rice at all.
“Sit here.”
The meal was complete with freshly cooked rice. The woman’s eyes widened instantly, and she hurried over to sit down.
“Wow, what is this?”
“Rice.”
“Rice?”
“You eat it here with this meat, egg, and radish salad.”
She awkwardly scooped rice with a spoon and picked up a piece of meat, watching my expression carefully. When I nodded, she pushed the rice into her mouth.
“Mmm!”
That was her last coherent word.
One bite.
Two bites.
Three bites.
Chomp, chomp!
The rice disappeared at a rapid pace.
“Meat!”
“Yes, yes. Just a moment.”
I served her more braised meat.
“More!”
“It’s rice. Wait.”
I gave her a generous portion of rice, and she devoured it without even noticing how hot it was.
“Meat!”
“What, again?”
“Rice!”
“Sure.”
“Meat! Rice!”
“There’s plenty of meat left.”
She alternated between rice and meat, consuming everything. Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s, then deflated repeatedly.
“Ugh. I think I’m going to gain weight.”
Finally, once her stomach was full, she set down her utensils.
I rested my chin on my hand and watched her from across the table.
“You really do eat well.”
She seemed similar in build to me, yet the quantity she consumed was staggering. Had she been born in modern times, she would have made a fortune with mukbang videos.
“Ahhh. This is the first time in my life I’ve eaten such novel and delicious food until I was completely full….”
Her eyes sparkled with emotion. She patted her adorably protruding belly with one hand.
“It is delicious. Whoever made it.”
“Did you make all of this yourself?”
“Yes.”
“That’s incredible! What kind of talent were you born with? Seriously? You’re even more insane than a mage! Do all the people here have such good hands?”
People here?
Was she referring to the Annex?
“That’s right.”
Ever since Hotsen began culinary research with me, his skills improved day by day, and the Maids in the Kitchen all had excellent dexterity. So naturally, the food eaten in the Annex felt special.
“I really want to live here now…. Sniff.”
The woman even wiped away tears from how moved she was. Though I was taken aback, it was a response that made me feel the effort of cooking was worthwhile.
“You’re welcome to come eat anytime. Of course, please let me know beforehand? Seeing how much you eat, I’ll need to prepare in advance.”
Whether it’s the Main Building, the Annex, or the Stables, we’re all family.
Her face brightened.
“Really? Then I’ll come in four days, no, two days, or if I’m fast, tomorrow! I snuck out this time.”
Anyone seeing her would think she’d traveled from far away. As if the distance from the Main Building to the Annex took any real time.
“Come whenever you like. Though I might not be here then. Instead, I’ll have the Head Chef prepare your meal.”
“You’re not only incredibly beautiful but also kind…. Wait, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before?”
She narrowed her eyes. The memory didn’t seem to come to her.
“You must have seen me around. Anyway, it’s getting late, so you should go. It’s already four in the morning.”
“What? Four in the morning? Insane! I should get going. See you tomorrow, pretty.”
She uttered an endearment I’d never heard before and quickly disappeared. After extinguishing the lamp and stepping outside, she had vanished without a trace.
​
***
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Sunlight poured down over my tightly shut eyes. As I barely managed to open them, I found May organizing luggage in my room.
“My lady, you’re awake?”
“May, please tell me it’s not already noon. Please.”
“I’m afraid it is. It’s lunchtime, actually. Shall I prepare lunch for you?”
How could this be? My body felt surprisingly refreshed.
“How long did I sleep?”
Even though I’d arrived late in the early morning hours, I’d never woken at such a late hour before. I had mountains of tasks waiting for me after breakfast!
“You deserve the rest, my lady. You returned immediately after arriving in the Southern Empire, after all. Young Master Docheop mentioned you spent day and night traveling by carriage and ship without properly stretching your back.”
May approached and examined my face with concern, then added that my skin had become rough.
“Has Casio arrived?”
“He stopped by briefly at dawn to change clothes and left. He specifically asked that you not be disturbed. He said you should rest well today.”
That kind, foolish man.
I’d managed to doze fitfully in the carriage, but Docheop had spent the entire night awake in his. The one who truly needed rest was Docheop, yet here I was, having slept soundly while he went without.
“Where did he go?”
“He didn’t say, but he asked me to tell you he won’t be returning today.”
It seemed he was still with Casio. I couldn’t simply lie here doing nothing.
“My lady! Where are you going?”
“I’m going to wash up first.”
“Going where, my lady?”
May blocked my path in front of the bathroom.
“I need to see my mother-in-law. There’s something urgent I must ask her about. She hasn’t gone out, has she?”
“The Mother-in-law is in the Annex.”
“The Annex?”
“Yes. Actually, she came looking for you early this morning. When she saw you were deeply asleep, she left.”
“My mother-in-law came to my room?”
May nodded. Francesca had mentioned before that she could visit for tea time, but this was the first time she’d come to my room directly. Wondering what might be the matter, I washed quickly and left my room.
As I emerged from my secluded room and entered the Lobby, the Annex was bustling with activity.
Maids from the Annex and unfamiliar servants were moving in and out, busily transporting belongings.
“What is all this about?”
May’s eyes widened in surprise as well.
“I’ll go find out right away.”
“All right.”
As she left, someone suddenly grasped my arm.
“Hallara.”
It was Francesca.
“Mother-in-law, have you been waiting long?”
“You deserve a scolding from me today, it seems.”
But her expression was far from ordinary. She looked thoroughly angry.
Even if she treated me like family, making my mother-in-law wait while I slept in was wrong. If this were my own mother, she would have pelted my sleeping face with salt by eight in the morning. There was no guarantee that Francesca’s kindness toward me meant she would tolerate everything.
“I apologize for making you wait so long. I don’t usually wake up this late, but somehow I did today.”
I should start with an apology.
“I know you wake up early. Come along with me.”
She swept past me with quick strides. This was serious. I had managed to upset Francesca—the one person I needed to impress most.
‘And I still need to ask her to let me see Elise.’
Today, not a single strand of Francesca’s hair was out of place; it was bound tightly and perfectly. I found myself recalling a few techniques I hadn’t used in ages for appeasing my mother-in-law’s anger.
Then Francesca stopped abruptly in front of a room in the middle of the second floor of the Annex. The Shopkeeper Karl stood before the door.
“Oh, you’ve arrived at just the right moment. Young Madam, it’s been a while since we last greeted each other.”
He offered a bright greeting. I wanted to smile back and exchange pleasantries, but the atmosphere didn’t permit it.
“Shopkeeper, open the door.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Karl responded cheerfully and opened the door. This must be it—the place where I would receive my first scolding from Francesca.
Creeeeak.
The door swung open with a heavy sound. Brilliant sunlight flooded in, and my eyes were immediately drawn to a bed adorned with gold leaf and gleaming decorative pieces. Had such a luxurious room existed in the Annex? I realized I must have simply overlooked it, never having paid much attention to the rooms here.
“This is your room.”
Francesca turned to face me. Her eyes, which I thought were angry, had turned red.
“Who told you to use such a warehouse-like room!”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Who made you suffer in such a cramped space where sunlight barely enters!”
Her voice finally broke. Tears fell from Francesca’s eyes.

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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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