The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 12

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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 12
I crouched among the shrubs in the garden, my small frame folded tight.
Returning directly to the Separate Quarters would only guarantee tears the moment I faced Chung-yeon.
Though truthfully, I wasn’t exactly dry-eyed now either.
Sniffle.
A delicate sound of a runny nose echoed through the quiet garden.
I wiped my tears away hastily with my sleeve.
‘When will I have to leave?’
In a month? A week?
Perhaps as soon as tomorrow.
At that thought, my small chin crumpled like a walnut. I swallowed hard against the sobs threatening to break free.
That’s right. The fact that I’d been able to stay here this long was nothing short of a miracle.
Blood relation or not, Seowan was the head of the Yul Clan, Tamlang Seongggun, while I was merely a servant girl.
I harbored no resentment toward Seowan. This was my own fault for losing sight of my place and getting carried away.
“Fool….”
I struck my own head lightly with my small fists.
I should never have allowed myself to hope from the beginning.
I should have asked to stay, promising I could do any work required.
But Seowan would never keep me here, not even as a servant.
During my stay at the Residence, all I had done was eat and sleep.
Foolishly accepting the treatment of a young lady, I had never once washed even a single sock I’d worn.
And yet I shamelessly emptied three full meals a day, slept under silk quilts in a warm room blazing with firewood….
‘If I were in their position, I’d send me away too.’
What household would welcome a child who only consumed rice and fuel?
“Sniff….”
A whimper escaped my clenched lips. I buried my face in my knees.
I didn’t want to leave. Shameless as it was, I wanted to remain at the Yul Family Residence.
Parting with kind people like Chung-yeon pained me, but the real reason—the greatest reason—was Seowan.
‘I want to stay by her side.’
If we lived in the same residence, I would see her often.
But if I became a servant in an entirely different household, I had no idea when I might see Seowan again.
‘Where will they send me?’
I hoped it would be somewhere close to the Yul Family Residence….
‘Wait?’
My listless eyes suddenly widened. Now that I thought about it, the Blue-haired Man had mentioned ‘information about various households’.
Didn’t that mean they hadn’t yet decided which household to send me to?
My eyes grew wider, then gleamed with sudden resolve.
‘If I could show them right now that I’m a useful worker….’
They might accept me as a servant of the Yul Clan instead of sending me elsewhere!
I sprang to my feet, hope rekindling in my chest.
I was confident in my ability to work.
From laundering silk garments to feeding horses, there wasn’t a single chore I hadn’t done at the Yeon-ga.
After brushing the dust from the clothing with practiced efficiency, I dashed toward the Separate Quarters.
Before I could even knock, the sliding door opened at the sound of my hurried footsteps.
“Oh my, Miss. You’ve come?”
“Yes!”
I answered breathlessly, my face flushed from exertion.
Then I immediately grasped Chung-yeon’s collar and asked urgently.
“Chung-yeon, where is the Laundry Room?”
* * *
Chung-yeon didn’t answer my sudden question right away.
Instead, she said it was time for lunch and led me to a table laden with food.
After all that crying and running about, I was famished.
But true to my nature as a diligent worker, I tried to eat only a little.
“You won’t eat it all? Then I’ll have to throw away the leftovers, and if I do that, I’ll become so sad that I won’t be able to tell you where the Laundry Room is…”
I nearly dropped my spoon at those words.
My desire to make a good impression on my sister mingled with the hope that Chung-yeon wouldn’t be sad.
“…I’ll eat it all!”
In the end, I cried out those words.
Chung-yeon smiled warmly, and I couldn’t resist that smile—I scraped my rice bowl clean.
Having learned the location of the Laundry Room that way, I then asked where the Kitchen was.
“Hmm, shall I tell you that after you finish dinner?”
But Chung-yeon, wearing an enigmatic smile, said exactly that.
Since I was too innocent to throw a tantrum and simply ask her to tell me, I nodded with a dejected expression.
Before I knew it, I had eaten dinner to my fill, bathed thoroughly, and was lying on the Bedchamber’s sleeping mat.
“Tomorrow, I absolutely must…”
I fell asleep before I could even finish my resolve.
The next morning, the moment I opened my eyes, I rushed to the Laundry Room without even changing clothes.
It was still early, before Chung-yeon had come to find me, but the morning hour was already approaching.
‘By now, they must have just started working.’
The servants’ day began far earlier than their masters’. The Yul Household was better in that regard—at the Yeon-ga, we used to start work from the fifth hour of the morning.
The Laundry Room was located near the back gate, even from the Main Residence.
Beyond the small door through which servants passed, a stream flowed.
I stood before it and rolled up my sleeves neatly. Just as I was about to knock after rolling up my elbows and knees, the door swung open.
Creak!
“Well, who is it?”
“A child? Did you come looking for your mother? Did you have a scary dream? You didn’t even change your clothes.”
“Didn’t we say the youngest daughter of the Hwang family was about this tall? Come on out! A child’s come to visit!”
Behind the suddenly opened door stood the Middle-aged Female Servants.
With their sleeves rolled up and their skirts hitched high, they commanded a presence more formidable than most men.
“W-well, I… that is…”
Hae-na faltered before them, the memory of an elderly female servant from the Yeon Family surfacing—one who had often scolded her.
“What? Speak clearly, child. Enunciate your words properly!”
“Wait, hold on. Isn’t this the girl? You know, the one the mistress brought…”
At one of their remarks, the whispered murmuring ceased abruptly.
Immediately, all eyes fixed upon Hae-na.
Trembling slightly, Hae-na stepped forward and, drawing strength from her core, cried out loudly.
“P-please, let me work!”
Though she had shouted with all her might, her voice was utterly dwarfed by the women’s booming tones.
The woman standing at the front let out a soft laugh.
“Young lady, what is all this commotion about so early in the morning? Go back inside at once.”
“That’s right. A noble girl shouldn’t soil her hands with labor.”
The female servants waved their hands dismissively as though the very notion was absurd. Hae-na grew anxious.
“No, I can do this. Really, I can.”
“Heavens, if you do, the mistress will be absolutely furious. Off with you now, quickly.”
Just as Hae-na was being ushered out helplessly, a commanding voice rang from within.
“What is all this noise about so early?”
A woman with her hair pulled tightly back and a stern, imposing countenance appeared. Those who had been pushing Hae-na naturally turned their gaze toward her.
“Oh, the overseer has arrived.”
“Yes, I’m here. How can I stand idle when you all chatter so loudly?”
Her face, etched with deep lines, and her sturdy frame commanded an air of authority.
Hae-na instinctively recognized that this woman was the one who oversaw this entire place.
“Ah, hello! My name is Hae-na!”
Hae-na bounded over the threshold and rushed inside, then bowed her head respectfully.
“I’ve come to work starting today. Please, give me any task you wish!”
Having spoken with such boldness, Hae-na clasped her trembling hands tightly together.
Determined eyes met the narrowed gaze of the wrinkled-faced woman.
“Who are you, girl?”
“Well, overseer, you see… she’s the new young lady who arrived.”
A female servant standing beside the stern-faced woman nudged her repeatedly.
The woman nodded in understanding.
“What business does a noble girl have working?”
Her voice was curt and dismissive. Hae-na answered with unwavering resolve.
“To earn my keep!”
A sound—whether a scoff or a sigh—escaped the woman’s lips.
As she bent down to meet Hae-na’s gaze, the girl spoke again.
“I’ve done almost every kind of work there is. Just let me try once, please!”
Hae-na spread her hands wide, revealing small palms hardened and calloused from countless menial tasks.
At the sight of those hands, all fell silent. One of them sighed deeply.
“Well, well, well. This child’s hands are quite impressive.”
The Female Overseer laughed heartily, her weathered face creasing deeply as she rose to her feet.
“Very well then. Let’s see you try.”

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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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