The Survival Story Of A Fallen Lady - Chapter 9

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

The Survival Chronicle of a Fallen Noblewoman — Episode 9
‘This is bad!’
Tears welled up in Hye-rang’s eyes once more.
At that moment, Jae-in’s gaze turned toward the table.
Her eyes held the watchful intensity of someone surveying whether the food had been eaten well.
“H-hiccup, I-I didn’t mean to…….”
Just as a terrified Hye-rang stammered out her words in a trembling voice, Jae-in raised her hand.
Startled, Hye-rang flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.
But then.
Soft.
A gentle hand came down to caress the top of her head. A warm, pleasant fragrance drifted from somewhere.
Still bracing herself, Hye-rang cracked one eye open cautiously.
Jae-in was smiling beautifully.
“You like cucumbers?”
“P-pardon?”
“It seems you rather like cucumbers.”
Jae-in gestured to the table, laden with cucumber dishes.
“W-well, that is…….”
Hye-rang’s eyes darted about, hesitant.
Would she get angry if I said I didn’t like them?
Just as Hye-rang bowed her head in fear—
“On such a cold day as this, the Mute King’s Palace is brimming with precious cucumbers?”
Jae-in turned her gaze toward the attendants.
“Wang-ya sent these cucumbers especially for the young lady.”
“Wang-ya sent them personally?”
“Yes. Others cannot obtain such rare provisions. Yet it seems you leave behind Wang-ya’s thoughtfulness so carelessly.”
The attendants chattered away excitedly.
Jae-in smiled softly.
“You’re right. Each and every one of these cucumbers carries the blood and sweat of our people — how could one leave them uneaten? Truly, your loyalty runs deep.”
“As expected, you understand us so well! We were at our wit’s end, thinking the young lady’s pickiness would only grow worse.”
The attendants’ mouths stretched wide with pride at Jae-in’s praise, and they fixed their gaze triumphantly on Hye-rang.
“Hiccup!”
The moment their eyes met hers, another hiccup burst from Hye-rang’s lips.
Then Jae-in looked down at the cucumber stew that had fallen to the floor and parted her lips.
“The food meant for our lord has fallen to the ground — bring it again, will you?”
The words struck like a thunderbolt, and Hye-rang froze.
“No, on second thought, bring all the cucumbers.”
All the cucumbers.
Hye-rang’s vision went dark.
* * *
[Report on Casualties to Civilians and Military Horses from Demon Attacks at the Northwest Border]
Seo-heon pressed his temples as he read the report.
‘Just a few days away, and the demon attacks have increased again.’
Whenever he was absent from Mute King’s Territory, the demons from Demon Valley would cross over.
‘I’ve taught the Seonwi Unit the Immortal Sword, but still only I wield it properly.’
The reason he, who could not even speak, had become the Border King of Mute King’s Territory.
His very presence was what held the demons in check.
‘If only I could speak, I could pass on the Immortal Sword to the Seonwi Unit more quickly…….’
His throat tightened with frustration once more.
Suffocated by that choking sense of helplessness, he opened the window.
Just then, a long shadow descended upon the windowsill.
‘A crow?’
But the crow’s beak held a crimson cord.
‘What is that……?’
A red ribbon embroidered with rose petals.
It was surely Hye-rang’s possession.
‘Why would that bird have Hye-rang’s ribbon…….’
At the moment an ill foreboding took hold, the crow holding Hye-rang’s ribbon soared high into the sky.
* * *
Hye-rang recalled a nightmare she often had.
I was wandering about looking for my mother and father when the Mute King appeared, wearing a terrifying mask. He approached like a ghost and peeled away his face-covering with chilling slowness.
The identity hidden beneath the mask was none other than a Cucumber Demon!
‘So frightening!’
The Cucumber Demon with its green face let out a sharp cry and swallowed Hye-rang in a single bite.
And now the table was piled high with cucumbers.
‘Mountains of cucumbers……!’
An abundance of cucumber dishes that would have done justice to any grand feast.
Beyond the heaping platters, across the table sat the Mute King’s attendant.
The attendant sat still and watchful, waiting for Hye-rang to pick up her spoon before making any move.
“Do, do I have to eat all of this?”
Hye-rang’s voice trembled before the table laden with food that seemed about to collapse under its own weight.
“We cannot leave uneaten the precious food that Wang-ya has sent.”
“But, but…….”
Hye-rang turned ashen.
The mere smell of cucumber already threatened to make her retch.
Jae-in tilted her head, studying the woman’s expression closely.
“My lord, are you unwell?”
“I, I…… my stomach, my stomach hurts.”
Hye-rang whimpered out the excuse.
Though in truth, her stomach did seem to genuinely ache.
Jae-in approached with a look of concern.
“Dear me, my lord! Your lips have gone white and your hands are cold as ice.”
Jae-in clasped Hye-rang’s hand firmly as she spoke, and the tears Hye-rang had been holding back came pouring forth.
“Sniff, I, I don’t want to eat the cucumbers……!”
The scent of Cucumber Soup wafted from the sleeve where she’d hidden it, and unable to lift her head, she wept in great heavy drops.
Then a warm hand came to stroke her hair again.
“Oh my, my lord, it seems you are truly unwell.”
Jae-in turned to address the servants.
“It appears my lord is no longer able to take meals.”
“Yes? Then what of all this food…….”
“Now that I think of it, don’t you all wish to eat?”
“Yes?”
“You faithful ones deserve a meal of your own. Come, sit.”
Jae-in smiled warmly and gestured for them to take seats.
“But, but…….”
“Won’t you sit?”
Jae-in gave a nod toward the chairs, and the servants reluctantly shuffled forward to settle themselves onto the seats.
“Come now. It’s not every day you find food like this.”
The servants picked up their chopsticks awkwardly, but soon enough they began eating with genuine appetite.
The Cucumber Soup overflowed its basin and was stacked like a tower. The Light Meat Dish held more cucumber than meat, and even the beef stir-fry was nearly one-third cucumber.
But to servants who harbored no dislike of cucumbers, it was simply delicious and abundant fare.
‘Cucumbers on a cold day—now that’s true indulgence.’
The servants’ chopsticks began moving with even greater vigor.
Jae-in watched the servants eat with genuine relish and nodded with satisfaction.
“Children who labor faithfully deserve such blessings too.”
Hye-rang watched the scene unfold and her tears finally ceased. Though relief washed over her at being spared from eating cucumbers, she could not fathom Jae-in’s true intentions.
‘Is she doing this deliberately to give the servants something delicious?’
Hye-rang looked up at Jae-in with eyes reddened from crying.
Jae-in gazed warmly at the dining servants and offered them more of the delicious dishes.
Time passed.
The servants set down their chopsticks, their meal complete.
“Thank you, Jae-in. That you would share such food with us…….”
“Did it taste good?”
“Yes. It was so delicious we ate far too much—our stomachs feel ready to burst.”
“Is that so? Yet there is still food remaining on the table.”
Jae-in gestured toward the table.
Though the servants had eaten their fill, the dishes still overflowed across the surface.
“No, we are satisfied with what we’ve had.”
“……What do you mean, ‘no’?”
Jae-in tilted her head in confusion.
“Didn’t I tell you to eat?”
Jae-in gestured coldly at the food with a flick of her eyes. The servants’ faces, which had been glowing with satisfaction, began to harden.
What they’d taken for kindness became a command.
“Surely you wouldn’t be so disrespectful as to leave the sincere gift Wang-ya has sent us?”
Jae-in echoed their own words back at them.
“B-but Miss Jae-in, there’s easily enough here to feed twenty people!”
“And?”
Jae-in blinked serenely.
“Would it be right to waste food that carries the blood and sweat of our people?”
The servants’ faces grew progressively pale beneath her gentle smile.

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