1. Meaning of the Name (4)
Ethan did not back down and continued speaking.
"You will collapse again. Please steady yourself."
"If only you weren't here, I wouldn't have any reason to collapse! How dare you show your face before me!"
"I was very rude back then."
Ethan offered a polite apology, but the elder simply scoffed. A fierce aura filled his face.
"Don't waste your breath. Even if you do that, my answer will not change."
"Yes, I know. I wanted to apologize to you."
"I don't need it!"
The elder shouted again before bursting into a coughing fit. When the maid rose from her chair and asked if he was alright, he waved his hand, signaling he was fine. The servant patted his back to help him breathe easier. Ethan's face darkened as he watched the situation.
"I heard you haven't been eating well."
"Hmph. What does it matter to you?"
"Everyone is worried that your condition might worsen."
"Worried, my foot. There are only bastards swarming like a pack of dogs trying to snatch more from me. And you're one of them."
The elder smiled bitterly.
"Since everyone wants me to leave this world quickly as they wish, you should just honestly rejoice."
It somehow sounded closer to sarcasm. Ethan was heard letting out a small sigh.
"I didn't say it with any ill intent."
"Do you even know what kind of nonsense you're spouting?"
"It's late, but I want to apologize. Back then, you were the only one I could ask, Uncle... I thought it would be nice if at least one more person could stay by your side on your final journey."
"Shut up! I'll handle my own way! Get out this instant!"
The elder burst into a coughing fit again. The maid and the servant watched anxiously as he clutched his chest and gasped for breath.
After catching his breath for a moment, the elder suddenly looked around.
"What are you looking for?"
At the servant's question, the elder answered fiercely.
"Where's my cane. I need to drive that bastard out."
"Oh, Master. Please stop."
When the servant finally let out a groan, the elder glared fiercely at him. Then, spotting the cane behind the servant, he reached out his hand. The servant swiftly picked up the cane, hid it behind his back, and shook his head vigorously. The elder shouted for him to hand it over, but he did not back down.
"Master, you'll hurt yourself. Please just lie still. And please stop being so stubborn, too."
The maid caught the cold-sweating elder and laid him back down. Whether it was because the maid was strong, or because the elder's condition was truly poor, he obediently lay back on the bed. Only then did the servant let out a sigh of relief and place the cane out of the elder's reach. Even so, when the elder's eyes kept tracking the cane, the servant moved it even further away.
The elder tore his gaze away from the cane with a look of regret.
"Are you not leaving?"
But the fierce aura directed at Ethan did not fade.
"I had no intention of being disrespectful."
"Coming to see me without my permission is already disrespectful in itself."
"......"
"Don't act arrogantly just because you've become the Head of the House. I've lived longer than you."
As if struck in a sore spot, Ethan lost his words. The elder waved his hand and sank deep into the bed. It meant he didn't want to see him anymore.
Ethan's face showed signs of agonizing over whether to retreat or not. I organized the situation so far in my head. The elder did not like Ethan, and Ethan was worried about the elder, unable to bring himself to leave. It was ambiguous to call it a close relationship, but I didn't think it was a distant one either.
"What should I do for you to feel relieved?"
After a short silence, Ethan asked again. At that, the elder briefly glanced at Ethan.
"Do you want me to feel relieved?"
"Yes."
"Then come here."
The elder waved his hand. Ethan opened his eyes wide and took a step closer to him. The elder watched Ethan approach. At the same time, he hid one wrinkled hand behind his back.
"I have another one right here, you bastard!"
In the elder's raised hand was another cane. The elder swung it straight at Ethan. Ethan, caught off guard, failed to dodge in time. The maid and the servant, who witnessed the scene vividly, let out short screams.
In that moment, I quickly moved my steps and blocked Ethan's path.
I felt a hand urgently grab my shoulder from behind. Before that force could pull me back, the flying cane struck my face. A loud thud echoed! For a moment, my vision flashed white. My body staggered from the impact.
As my fading consciousness barely returned, I felt the pain of the blow smashing into my forehead. It hurts. It really hurt, but I forced my expression to pretend it didn't. When I straightened my body and turned my head, the maid covering her mouth, the servant who had hastily reached out to stop it, and the very person who swung the cane were all staring at me with wide eyes. Probably, Ethan standing behind me had the exact same expression.
I calmly met the gaze of the elder before me.
"Are you feeling relieved now?"
"Wh-what?"
A look of bewilderment appeared on the elder's face. I lowered my eyes and grabbed the cane that was hovering in the air. I felt the elder, who was holding the cane, flinch.
"It's dangerous."
I forcefully snatched the cane from his grasp. As the cane was snatched away while he was distracted, the elder immediately furrowed his brows and looked at the maid.
"Who is that little wench?"
"She is a guest who came with the Count."
"Who's a guest!"
The maid stopped the elder as he was about to yell again.
"Yes, yes. She is someone who came with the Count."
The elder's displeased gaze turned towards me. I handed the snatched cane to the servant.
"What are you?"
"It seems it would be best if you are careful, as it is dangerous."
"Why. Are you worried I might hurt that bastard?"
"No. I'm worried it might be bad for you, sir."
"......"
The elder was visibly steeped in illness. His complexion was worse than before, and he had even collapsed, albeit briefly. It was obvious that something big would happen if he kept pushing himself in that condition. What if he collapses again?
I looked in turn at the maid and the servant, who were intently listening to our conversation. And then I looked at the elder again.
"Everyone is worried about you, sir."
"So what."
"I don't know what the circumstances are, but I would appreciate it if we could settle this peacefully with words."
I very politely proposed a peaceful method. Hearing my words, the elder made a face as if wondering what kind of wench this was. Then he stared intently at me before suddenly turning to look at Ethan.
"Is she the one you mentioned last time?"
"...Yes."
Ethan answered reluctantly. Mentioned last time? As I looked at Ethan in puzzlement, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the front.
"Ahahaha!"
Finding something funny, the elder burst into laughter. Laughing aloud with his head thrown back, the elder suddenly hardened his face and glared at me.
"How dare you push such a wench as my granddaughter-in-law?!"
Granddaughter-in-law? Wondering what this meant again, I looked back at Ethan, and just then, our eyes met as he was already looking at me. He somehow looked apologetic, deepening my doubts.
At that moment, the elder's sharp words continued.
"Where would you find such a worthless wench to replace my granddaughter... There is no greater rudeness than this! I don't know how you found out about my granddaughter and came here, but I never expected you to bring such a wench. Aren't you making a fool out of me!"
"Please don't misunderstand. She is a good person."
"Nonsense. She looks poor at a glance, so she must be a mercenary wench. Isn't that why she accepted your preposterous actions? People need to know their place to live long!"
Venomous words flew at me. The elder did not hesitate to belittle me. The servant and the maid, who were watching the situation, threw me glances. I could also feel Ethan's gaze.
Until then, I had stood still and listened to the elder's criticism. My face grew stiffer, but I couldn't control my expression. My clenched fists trembled before I even realized it.
Finally, the servant offered a word.
"Master, please stop."
"Stop what!"
The elder sharply reprimanded the servant and turned back to look at me with a fierce glare.
"Why. Do you want to refute me? Don't play innocent. This wouldn't happen if it weren't for money. If you confess honestly even now, I will forgive you."
"Yes, you are right."
"Right, it's not... what?"
"Everything you said is correct, sir."
I am a poor person. I have nothing. Because the person I love is a noble, I ran away, lacking the confidence to repay them. And now, I was receiving Ethan's help to overcome the difference in our status. In a way, it was true that I had an agenda, and I had no excuses if I were called mercenary.
However, the elder had no right to criticize me for that. At the very least, I hadn't lived a life vain enough to be criticized by someone seeing me for the first time.
"I have no intention of refuting you."
"Hmph! That's what I thought. How dare you, not knowing your place."
"However, sir."
Cutting off the elder who looked ready to pour out a torrent of harsh words, I calmly opened my mouth.
"I may be materialistic, but I am not a person without manners."
"What?"
"No matter how much you dislike me, I have never heard of any manners that involve belittling someone you've just met as a poor, materialistic wench. Therefore."
I lowered my eyes, took a breath, and looked back at the elder. Defying etiquette, I met his gaze head-on, and the elder made an absurd face. But I didn't care.
"When you wish to criticize someone, I would appreciate it if you would show some manners first."
Because my patience ran out first.
To put it conclusively, the situation worsened. Hearing my words, the elder's face turned red and blue before he started screaming at the top of his lungs. Eventually, when the elder couldn't hold back his temper any longer and his eyes rolled back, the maid cried out, "Master!", and the servant ran out in a hurry to call the doctor. All of this happened in an instant.
In the end, Ethan and I were kicked out of the mansion side by side. Looking up at the night sky that had grown dark at some point, everything suddenly felt so futile. At that moment, a large hand gently lifted my front hair.
"Is your forehead alright?"
As my forehead was revealed, Ethan examined it worriedly. I pretended to be as fine as possible, but seeing as it was still throbbing, it was definitely red. As if to prove it, Ethan's face darkened as he looked at my forehead. I felt his hand carefully stroking the spot where the cane had hit. I smiled awkwardly and removed his hand.
"It's nothing."
I let my front hair down to cover my forehead again, but Ethan's gaze did not fall away.
"Don't do that next time. Pola doesn't need to get hurt."
"I'm sorry."
"That's the problem with you, Pola."
At the sudden point, I made a puzzled expression.
"You step forward even knowing it's dangerous. You worry about others, but don't you worry about yourself, Pola? Do you think it's not dangerous? I don't. I wish you would never do something like this again."
"...I'll be careful."
When I answered quietly, Ethan let out a sigh. He somehow looked tired.
"But may I ask what this situation is about?"
"...I committed a disrespectful act. I was also hasty."
Just what kind of act did he commit?