Chapter 35

As soon as he woke up in the morning, Raon quickly pulled the bell-pull.

“Young Lord, I am coming in.”

As soon as the polite voice was heard from outside, the door opened, and an attendant carrying a basin of washing water and a towel entered.

“You’ve woken up early today.”

The attendant, who had been on standby outside not knowing when Raon might wake, spoke with a gentle smile. Raon was not at all surprised by the appearance of someone he hadn’t seen when he first arrived here.

“I usually wake up early on weekdays. If I woke up late, Mommy would scold… oh. I miss her.”

After washing his face and drying it with a towel, Raon suddenly became somber. Lately, they had been exchanging letters almost every day, but that was far from enough.

“Why don’t you try asking the Duke or the Young Lord about seeing the Lady? I’m sure they would consider it positively.”

“But I don’t want to be a bother.”

“I believe the Duke mentioned that you should never feel like you have to walk on eggshells in your own home. So, why not try speaking up?”

Still not fully adjusted to life here, Raon let out a low sigh, his shoulders drooping. The attendant felt both pity for the young Raon and a sense of envy, offering a faint smile. After clearing away the washing water, they brought over clothes for him to change into.

They were crisp, new clothes, but Raon looked at them with a lukewarm expression, clearly unimpressed.

“The clothes my Mommy made are the most comfortable and the best.”

At Raon’s words, the attendant immediately brought different clothes from the dressing room. They were the ones Ramona had made for Raon. The quality of the garments, which looked far superior to the embroidery done by the estate’s professional seamstresses, gave a glimpse into the caliber of the mother who had raised Raon.

“I have brought the other clothes. Shall we put them on now?”

Seeing the clothes imbued with Ramona’s devotion, Raon nodded. He changed out of his pajamas without another word and sat down on the bed.

“Young Lord, I have arrived. May I come in for a moment?”

“Yes!”

Hearing a familiar voice from outside, Raon answered vigorously and scrambled to his feet. The door opened, and Brown stepped inside.

“Uncle Brown!”

The moment he saw Brown, Raon ran to him with a beaming smile and threw himself into an embrace. Seeing him act like his usual self, Brown patted Raon’s head as he held him.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I slept great!”

Detecting a hint of urgent pestering in the boy’s tone, Brown pulled an envelope from his pocket.

“The Lady asked me to deliver this to you.”

“Wow, thank you! Uncle, you’re the best!”

Now that Brown had produced what he truly wanted, Raon’s cuteness exploded. Hugging the letter tight, Raon looked ready to burst into a dance. After calming the bouncing boy down, Brown motioned for the other attendant to leave the room.

Knowing that Brown and the boy shared a special bond from their time outside, the staff member exited immediately.

“What did Sister write?”

“Um, she said she made kimchi for bossam and ate it with boiled pork.”

Seeing Raon’s face suddenly fall, Brown also looked like his spirit had been crushed.

“I see. If Sister made it, it must have been truly delicious.”

“Of course! My Mommy’s food is the tastiest in the whole world.”

The two of them, both having tasted Ramona’s cooking, began to chatter away on the same topic. Just talking about it made their mouths water.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Young Lord, it is mealtime. I shall escort you to the dining hall.”

At the polite summons, Raon tucked Ramona’s letter into his shirt and set off with Brown. Due to their connection from the outside, Brown had become Raon’s close personal attendant. Many looked on with envy at his unprecedented promotion.

“How is Mommy lately? She isn’t sick or anything, is she?”

“Yes, she is very healthy as always. She goes for walks with Toto, too. I heard Branson came by yesterday but had to turn back empty-handed.”

“I left without even saying goodbye to Lance…”

Baylor had likely told him, but just in case, it seemed Branson had come to find Raon. Having come to the Cassius estate so suddenly that he hadn’t had time to say goodbye to his friends, Raon let out a deep sigh.

“I want to see Lance later, too.”

“It will happen just as you wish, Young Lord. So, why not start today with high energy? Sister would be worried if she heard you were moping around.”

“Yes! I understand!”

Bolstered by Brown’s encouragement, Raon straightened his posture and walked tall. Entering the dining hall, he found Adolf and Adrian already there, conversing.

“Grandpa, Daddy! Good morning!”

Raon greeted them with his hands over his navel and a deep bow. A smile spread across Adolf’s face. He hadn’t realized it while raising his own son, but looking at his grandson made him want to squeeze those cute cheeks.

“Welcome. Did you sleep well through the night?”

“Yes! I slept very well!”

Raon answered Adolf’s question energetically and took his seat as the food was served. Watching Raon chew and swallow everything without being picky, Adrian gave a faint smile. The boy used to complain about food when it was just the two of them, but it seemed that habit had vanished in front of his grandfather.

“I heard Ms. Ramona sends letters; what did she write today?”

“She said she made bossam kimchi and ate it with boiled pork.”

Gulp.

Adolf tilted his head and looked at Adrian. Even though he hadn’t chewed any food yet, his throat moved as if he had just swallowed hard.

“Imagine wrapping soft, tender pork in crunchy cabbage tossed in a slightly sweet, spicy red seasoning… it truly was delicious.”

“Right? Everything Mommy makes is delicious.”

Adrian, who had been completely tamed by Ramona’s cooking over the past few months, swallowed his saliva and cleared his throat, turning his head away when he caught Adolf’s eye.

“It seems the woman who raised our grandson was quite the cook.”

“Yes. Thanks to her, even the Secret Knights ate very well.”

Hearing his son’s words, Adolf finally understood why Billion’s face had looked so plump and healthy recently. He figured that if she was skilled enough to feed not just his incompetent son but also the Secret Knights, her talent must be extraordinary.

“I see. She cooks well, sews well… she’s truly a woman of many talents.”

“Yes! My Mommy is really, really pretty. The neighborhood uncles didn’t just beg her to marry them; they even… threatened? her. Though they usually ended up hanging from the clothesline every time they did.”

Adolf and Adrian tilted their heads, seemingly unable to fully grasp the child’s words. However, when the boy added that he wanted to grow up and marry his mother, they simply laughed.

***

After the meal, Raon began his studies with a tutor, just as he had when he first arrived. While Raon studied, Adrian shared what he had seen and heard outside with Adolf.

“People are starving because of the spring lean season. Shouldn’t we open the granaries to some extent? We risk the people of the fief starving to death while we guard the stored rice.”

“I agree with that to a point. However, Rian, there is no such thing as a free meal. If you give for free once, people will want a second and a third time—that is human nature.”

There is no one in this world without a hint of greed. Thus, Adolf could not simply throw open the food storage.

“Then how about putting them to work? I believe giving grain instead of money in exchange for labor is a good method.”

“Labor? This isn’t exactly the right time to start a major project.”

“I was thinking of water management and flood control. They say you can survive a three-year drought but not a three-day flood. Water is that terrifying. If we prepare for floods, we might naturally pass through droughts more easily as well.”

Thinking that his son was finally using his head for once, Adolf stroked his chin with a satisfied expression.

“Did you come up with this on your own?”

“To be honest, Ms. Ramona suggested it. When I mentioned there were many people starving due to the lean season, she told me this: put them to work. Just as water rots if it stays still, leaving grain in the warehouse only serves to benefit the rats.”

Adolf marveled at Adrian’s words. He almost wanted to bring Ramona in as an administrator for the Cassius estate. This was not the kind of thinking one would expect from a mere village woman.

Just as he was about to tell Adrian to draft a proposal for the water management project, the tutors came in to report. After they finished reciting the exact same praises they had given Adrian years ago and left, Adolf wore a very proud expression. Back then, he had only sent brief letters saying Adrian was a good student, but now, having a grandson too smart for words to describe, Adolf smirked.

“As I thought, my grandson clearly takes after me.”

Watching Adolf credit himself for everything with a look of immense satisfaction, Adrian let out a snicker.

“Father, where is your conscience? I still remember you saying it was a relief I didn’t inherit your brains.”

“Now, who on earth would spread such groundless rumors?”

“Grandmother did.”

“Ugh.”