ORCA 22

The west wing, where the distillery was located, and the greenhouse, located on the outer side of the large garden, were far from each other and were areas that had almost no connection, so there was little interaction during work hours. They would only meet occasionally when she stopped by the vegetable garden to pick herbs. Of course, just because she went to the vegetable garden did not guarantee that Niah would be there.

Even if it were not for this reason, he usually spent so much time with the young master that he was mostly invisible. On top of that, when she was busy with her work, Niah was just as busy, making it even harder to run into each other.

The strange thing was that he could never be found even when they scattered to their respective rooms and the basement hall to rest after all the work was done. When she had only heard that there was a ‘goldfish’ in the mansion, she had not really questioned it, but it was different after she got to know him. He reminded her of her youngest brother back home, so her interest in him grew.

The more it did, the heavier one side of her heart became. Niah was as precarious as a fern covered in winter frost. It felt as if he would melt and rot away if touched incorrectly.

A few days ago, she had been pondering this alone and had cautiously asked Pascal, with whom she was quite close.

‘Pascal. Are there servants’ rooms in other places besides here?’

‘Huh? No. No way. Ah, are you talking about the stable hands or the gamekeepers? If so, there are separate management offices.’

‘Really? Then where does Niah stay? Is there a management office in the greenhouse too? I never see him….’

His answer was unsatisfactory. He just glossed over it, saying Niah’s room was in a different place. Pascal, seeming awkward about his own words, quickly changed the subject of the conversation. It was awkward to press him further, so she had to just nod her head as if she understood.

Fortunately, she was able to solve her curiosity not long after. It was thanks to another servant who loved to chat and blabbered on. That servant had laughed out loud while telling her that the small storage room under the stairs on the central 6th floor was the room assigned to Niah. His expression was bright, as if it were a funny joke.

She thought she had become accustomed to the ecosystem of these places, having moved from one mansion to another, but at the Ware residence, it was instantly rendered useless. She had never before seen a group that was so harsh to just one person. It was clear in her mind how the visibly gentle and pure Niah had lived and endured.

However, there was not much she could do. It was impossible for a newly hired servant to go against the already established ecosystem of the mansion.

Therefore, the person Niah needed was the young master. This was even more true if the inference the servants had come to with their heads together was correct. She had also heard that he would be staying for a while, so the conditions were more than adequate. She knew he would have to leave someday, but that was a problem to think about later. The servants’ attitudes had changed in just one day, so there was no time to weigh this and that. If he could protect Niah just while he was at the mansion, the situation would surely improve. It did not seem like an entirely incredible hope.

Of course, it was as plain as day that Niah would only be thinking in a negative direction. Still, it was better to try whatever she could. The problem was that she did not know how to boost Niah’s spirits.

In a situation like this, he needed to pull himself together, but he was just drooping and crying, which was a huge problem. It was not in his character to just go and meet the young master if she were to suddenly tell him to. It would be a relief if he did not collapse by the end of the day.

“Niah. Are you okay? How about you talk to Pepe and get some rest? If it is hard to say it alone, I will go with you.”

Niah, who had been held by Harriet and was only blinking his eyes, slowly shook his head. Pepe would never allow him to rest, and besides, he did not want to be alone right now. It might be better to just work his body to the bone. Then, at least, he would not think of the young master.

He was afraid of himself, who would feel happy without thinking whenever he thought of the young master. That was more painful than the hardship of the endless stream of work. He had imagined what it would be like after he left, but this was unexpected. It was already this sad just from not being able to meet him in the morning; he could not even begin to fathom how sad it would be when he left. It was a kind of fear he had never felt before.

Niah dragged his heavy feet weakly. All the way around the garden to the greenhouse, his mind was filled with the young master. The more he tried not to think of the good memories, the more they swelled up, making his head feel like it would burst. No matter how hard he pondered, he could not find an answer to what he had done wrong to receive such a punishment. He had no clue as to why he was angry with him.

He was just overcome with sorrow. All he could think was that if he had known it would be like this, he would have been nicer, would not have cried, would have listened well, would not have kept forgetting things, would have looked at him more, and would have touched him more. The regret that it would have been better to forget everything had long since disappeared.

Niah rubbed his raw eyes vigorously. Even a slight touch made them sting, causing him to automatically frown. But he paid no mind and wiped them roughly. His lips and the tender skin inside, which he had been chewing on constantly, were already tattered and bleeding. Perhaps because of the crying, his whole body was engulfed in a feverish heat. His mind was also in a daze.

His throat felt sore and cracked from habitually holding back his sobs. A sound like a rusty hinge came from his hoarse throat. And yet, on one side, the young master’s face kept blooming. The memories he had carefully collected unfolded in order without any effort. It was a strange thing. It might not be for others, but for him, it was.

The greenhouse, with its all-glass walls, maintained a lukewarm temperature year-round. There were some changes in summer or winter, but if flowers suitable for that season were planted and cared for, they grew beautifully. The same was true for the garden. Different flowers bloomed in full glory each season.

In winter, the scenery became a bit desolate, but that did not mean there was no work to be done. The grass was cut short to prevent insects, the twigs of shrubs were trimmed, and saplings of trees that would grow large in the future were rooted. Tulips, hyacinths, and dahlias, which form flower buds in the cold, were also planted in anticipation of their blooming in the coming spring.

By the time he had made compost by rotting leaves and straw and spread it around the trees on days when the ground was not frozen, the weather would quickly warm up.

Niah enjoyed the moments of caring for the flowers, trees, and crops. Although he could not say he was better than others, it was the only thing he was good at. He liked that there were set tasks for each season, each day, as the weather changed, and as the sun set and the moon rose. He was happy to remember and accomplish them.

“Ugh, heuk…. Sob. Uweok….”

So, this was the first time an exception had occurred in the one thing he liked. Niah sat in a corner in front of an empty flowerbed in the greenhouse and drew his knees together. The flowerbed, which he had tilled and tidied up in advance, had neat furrows dug into it. His vision was blurry, so he could not see well, but he was sure of it since it was his own work.

The damp smell of soil faintly spread to the tip of his stuffy nose. The seedlings placed next to him looked up at Niah. They were a sign of a new spring, sprouted from the flower seeds he had painstakingly chosen and sown while wondering what to plant this year.

His curled-up body let out small sobs. He tried to hold it in, but it was not as he willed. His hands and feet were in a jumble. His hand tried to grab the tray next to him, but his feet wanted to dash out of the greenhouse in a single bound. It was different from yesterday, when he had been counting down the time until he could go and meet the young master.

Sorrow welled up without getting tired. He did not know how to calm it down. Until now, he had just forgotten all the painful and difficult memories. Even if they were not easily forgotten, he would force them down and try to forget. Then he would really forget, and before long, new bad things would be layered on top.

Niah’s life was a series of moments of being arbitrarily clawed at by others and nights spent trying to forget those moments. A deep scar was left on the wound that had sunk into oblivion. The scar pushed Niah into a corner with no escape.

No one had taught him anything else. He had never learned about joyful or pleasant things. The only one who had taught him this was the young master. Thinking of the young master was both joyful and painful. He could neither forget nor not forget. Only tears welhed up, plop, plop.

He wanted to be praised by the young master. He wanted to be held, and he wanted to be petted. When the hand that had stroked his forehead rubbed his cheek, grazed his chin, and gripped the nape of his neck, his heart would pound, thump-thump. He liked the feel of the thick, long fingers gently caressing his hair and the scent of the forest that grew stronger the closer he got.

He wanted to hear the voice that called his name. The inexplicable kindness he felt in the eyes that occasionally examined his wrist was overwhelming. Sometimes, he was so shy that his tongue would get tied. His whole body would twist. The reply to come in when he knocked, the door that opened before he even knocked, the gentle permission that made way for him to enter by taking a step aside—he missed it all in less than a day.

“Heuk, …. What do I do. What do I do now…. I miss you….”

His true feelings finally spilled from Niah’s mouth. It was a wish so pathetic that it would not be understood unless one were right next to him. It quickly faded and pooled under his tongue. His arms and legs, entrusted to the unfamiliar sensation, shrank as much as they could. It was a strange feeling that seemed like it should not be discovered by anyone. The tears that flowed down his cheeks soaked his bleeding lips and tender skin.

“Ah!”

At that moment, Niah made a gasping sound as his breath was choked, and he was lifted up. His legs, forced to stand, staggered and stumbled backward, soon losing their way. The greenhouse glass he was slammed into vibrated with a dull thud. His bones, crushed against the steel frame, throbbed with a sharp pain. There was no time to even hold back a groan of pain.

“Ah, euk, heuk…. Pe, Pepe….”

A deep shadow was cast on Pepe’s face, who stood with the sunlight pouring through the glass window at his back. A murderous intent could be felt in his bloodshot gaze. Niah frantically grabbed Pepe’s arm, which was crushing the area right below his neck. His ragged breath escaped through his constricted windpipe with a gasp. The labored breathing made his mind groggy.

“Heok, heok…. Why, why are you doing this….”

Just as his vision was about to blur, his suppressed breath was exhaled all at once. At the same time, his heels were lifted, making it impossible to even stand on his own will. Pepe, who had gripped him by the collar with a strong force, interrogated him fiercely.

“What happened to the young master’s weakness that you got kicked out?”

“There is no such thing. Ugh. It hurts…. It hurts. Please let me go.”

“Speak properly, you hear me? If you lie, you’ll be seeing your funeral today, for real.”

“There isn’t one. There isn’t, really…. Pepe…. Ah, heuk!”

“If there isn’t, then why until now…. Because of you, you idiot…. Damn it! Why did you have to step in then! If I get kicked out of the mansion, it is all your fault. Got it? Do you understand! If that happens, I’ll also… I’ll, …this damn!”

Pepe slammed Niah against the glass wall. He could not bring himself to say the words, “if I end up dead in the mansion.” Niah squeezed his eyes shut in pain and gasped for breath.

Pepe’s fear was no longer a matter of whether he would be kicked out of the mansion or not. It had somehow turned into a matter of life or death, and he was standing at a crossroads. This was so even though he had not received a direct death threat from Orca. The more he mulled over the meaningful question he had heard in the vegetable garden, the more his fear grew to the size of his own body. It felt as if he would die from being crushed by himself.

For the young master to kill a commoner like him would take, at best, a fleeting moment. The gruesome sight he had seen in the hunting grounds behind the mansion was still vivid. It had been quite a long time ago, yet it flashed clearly in his mind.

A terrible fishy smell emanated from the mountain. No matter how much he plugged his nose, it could not be hidden. It was the smell of slaughter and death. There was no guarantee that he would not become that prey. In fact, it was approaching with big strides.

The source of the problem was, as expected, that stupid goldfish bastard.

No matter how much he denied it every day, no matter how much he thought about it, this was the only conclusion he reached in the end. There was no other way to explain it besides this idiot. At the starting point of his fear was Niah.

The young master would smash the heads of beasts for no particular reason. If such a young master had any reason, he too would surely not escape a similar fate. If that happened. Then.

“You will not be safe either. Niah.”

Niah’s eyes snapped open. It was a low, eerie warning. The call, young master, immediately hung on the tip of his tongue. But it was impossible for it to break through his tightly sealed lips. Only a moan-like sound of pain slipped out.

Andrian and Pepe, as if they had planned it, took turns cornering Niah. Pepe was understandable since he was in the same area anyway, but Andrian went to the trouble of seeking him out. She had been quite quiet for the past few days, except in the dining hall, but it seemed she thought this was her chance.

Even during work hours, she would come and go around the greenhouse and garden whenever she had a spare moment. Like a carnivorous plant with its mouth open and fangs bared, she devoured Niah with all her might. The tightly swollen venom was spewed out without a moment’s hesitation.

“Stupid bastard. Is blubbering all you know how to do?”

She wondered what the big deal was that the injured person was the young master and not Niah. She could not understand the other servants who were making such a fuss. Her gaze towards Niah became even sharper than before.

Everyone knew full well that he was an idiot who cried more days than not, so what was so great about the young master not letting another servant into his room? She was just infuriated that they were all ganging up and groveling like this. Going to Niah and yelling at him as she pleased was half out of frustration.

After hearing Pepe mention the words ‘secret’ or ‘weakness,’ she rushed at him even more fiercely. If it had been out of frustration before, now a cunning scheme began to crawl out. She did not think the young master would have had his weakness discovered by a mere Niah, nor did she think that very young master would have a fatal weakness, but she could not stop questioning him.

If Niah really knew some big secret, then the young master’s ‘special treatment’ that the other servants were worried about would make a little more sense. Only with a reason of this magnitude would she be willing to even pretend to agree with that ridiculous inference.

She decided that she had to find out something, whether by joining forces with Pepe or by doing it alone. If the young master really did have a weakness, it could become a means to extend her own lifeline.

As Roanna had advised, among the servants, she was definitely the one most disliked by the young master. It was natural, since she had caused that trouble on the very first day of his arrival. The more she thought about Roanna, who had spoken with a sharp tongue, the more her irritation surged, but she could not deny the facts.

However, it seemed she was not the only one who thought something was hidden behind the scenes. No one had heard it properly up close, so the detailed circumstances were unknown, but it was certain that something worthy of being called an incident had happened in the vegetable garden. That was why Pepe was also unable to hide his anxiety and was making a scene.

The story that he had laid a hand on Niah had already spread throughout the mansion for a long time. Perhaps Pepe was in a more precarious position than her. He himself seemed to be aware of this, as Pepe’s appearance became more gaunt with each passing day. It had been like that ever since the young master returned, but now it was much more serious. It had started after the other servants in the mansion began to treat Niah differently. It was understandable, since even Luan had turned her back on him.

What is really going on? What on earth am I supposed to do….

Andrian, who was wiping the moisture from a bowl with a dry cloth, clicked her tongue. Her sharp gaze, which had suddenly turned, was fixed on Luan, who was sitting far away, planning the menu. As she was organizing her thoughts as her consciousness flowed, her anger flared up again.

The fact that she had to worry her heart out over a mere goldfish, the fact that Luan, whom she had trusted, did not take her side, the fact that her friend Roanna had changed, and the other servants who had changed their attitudes—in short, she was displeased with everything.

She felt a strange sense of betrayal. At this rate, the only person in the same position as her in this vast mansion was just Pepe. Andrian played the victim arbitrarily and twisted her jaw. Her teeth ground together, grind.

At each end of the glass greenhouse, there was a pair of double doors. When both doors were left wide open around noon, the green scent, scattered like spores, would spread everywhere. The wind, now holding a considerable amount of warmth, came and went diligently, coaxing the still-unripe flower buds to open.

The forest and the lake, which had been holding their breath, were now sparkling with life, and the sprouts that had budded in early spring had already grown lush and green. Impatient flowers hurried to show off their inner beauty. The mansion, which at some point had begun to be colored by the full bloom of spring, would soon be in full blossom.

The return of Orca, which had struck like a thunderbolt across the quiet and peaceful days, was also gradually becoming familiar.