TMWSH 03

~Chapter 03~

Life on Mortgage –

Irina rested and was waited on until her fatigue was washed away.

She ate the dinner that had been prepared for her, but still, she hadn’t met the person she was supposed to meet.

Every time Irina asked, Casey only replied, “Soon.”

‘But who on earth is it…?’

When Irina dozed off for a short while and woke up, she found herself not on the sofa, but on a bed.

She jumped up and looked around, but the room was empty.

When she asked Casey, the only answer she got was that the person hadn’t called for her yet.

“Is something the matter, miss?”

A maid nearby asked politely.

Irina shook her head.

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

Casey had said it wasn’t time yet… so who could it be?

Irina furrowed her brow again.

The next day, the lavish treatment continued.

Several attendants surrounded her during her bath, and the food that was served suited her taste perfectly.

After her father’s gambling, most of the household staff had been dismissed, so she had grown used to bathing with only her nanny and Riley helping her. But here, the maids nearly surrounded the bathtub entirely.

What surprised her even more was that small magic stones — the kind that would normally only be used in the royal palace of Arendor — were commonly seen around this mansion.

She had heard that even a single small magic stone cost as much as a large estate, and these days, they were hard to obtain due to the imbalance between supply and demand.

Fortunately, that evening, the marquis — whom she hadn’t been able to meet before — finally requested to see her.

“His Excellency requests your presence.”

Irina nodded.

After idly resting and being waited upon all day, she pulled herself together again.

She chose the cleanest of the dresses she had brought with her.

The negotiation had to succeed.

After much thought, she chose one — though it was quite old, and the hem was slightly frayed.

“Oh no.”

Of the two decent dresses she owned, one had already been stripped of its jewels to help Riley, and the other was this pale pink one.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

It wasn’t as if this was a marriage of love anyway. She dusted off the hem. The less it led to marriage, the better.

With a silent wish for luck, Irina clasped the pendulum necklace around her neck.

She also packed her mother’s keepsake — something she had never even told her father about.

She might never see it again…

“I can do this.”

She slipped the keepsake into the inner pocket of her dress and stood up.

Following the man who had come to escort her, Irina walked down the long corridor.

After a short while, they arrived at the same room where she had first been brought upon entering the mansion.

Told to wait a moment, she sat quietly on the sofa, folding her hands together.

Her anxiety grew with every passing minute.

Without realizing it, she bit her lip.

Then, the door clicked open.

She started to rise, ready to greet whoever entered—

“It’s been a long time, Lady Irina.”

At the sound of the voice, she lifted her head, eyes widening.

“You…”

Irina jumped to her feet as if pushed by an unseen force.

“Howard?”

What the hell are you doing here?

Silvery-gray hair, almost like threads of light.

His gray eyes looked more indifferent than she remembered, though still drowsy and calm.

Sharp jawline, smooth eyes — there was now a hint of sensuality, a languid confidence.

The fragile boy she had once known was gone.

And yet, there was no mistaking him.

Irina recognized him instantly.

Standing before her wasn’t some nobleman she’d never met.

It was the damn first love who had abandoned her — twice.

“Howard! I’ve got something to tell you — but it’s a secret!”

When she was little, Irina was one of the brightest children imaginable.

“Please, go ahead, Lady Irina.”

That morning, she had been bustling with energy, her soft hair glittering in the sunlight.

The young Irina smiled at the butler, who was older than her but shorter in stature.

She placed a finger over her lips playfully.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Howard’s gray eyes filled with curiosity as he leaned closer. His silvery hair swayed gently in the breeze.

He was a small, thin, fragile boy.

“Did you know there’s a fruit fairy that lives at the top of that tree? That’s why the fruit that gets the most sunlight is the sweetest. Don’t you want to taste one?”

He’d never heard such a thing before, but since the young lady said it, he couldn’t help being intrigued.

Howard nodded eagerly, several times.

“But I’m too short to reach.”

Irina clasped her tiny hands behind her back and walked around the tree in circles.

Wanting desperately to be of help, Howard swallowed hard as he looked up at the towering tree — several times taller than himself.

“I’ll get it for you.”

His voice was shy, his cheeks flushed.

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll do it for you.”

Howard dragged a wooden crate over and set it at the base of the tree.

Then he grabbed a long stick and stood on tiptoe atop the box, stretching the stick toward the fruit Irina wanted.

“Do you think it’ll work?”

Irina tilted her head curiously as she watched him.

Howard stared up for a moment, then threw the stick aside.

“Wait here.”

He grabbed the lowest branch and began climbing.

He slipped twice, dirtying his clothes, but kept going.

After several exhausting minutes, he finally reached a ripe, golden fruit.

But just as he was about to pluck it—

“Hey! What on earth are you doing?!”

The gardener, who had been passing by, shouted in alarm and ran over.

Startled, Howard lost his balance and fell.

Luckily, he had been halfway down, so he wasn’t seriously hurt — but he rolled on the ground, covered in leaves.

A maid rushed over at the commotion, gasping in horror.

“Oh dear heavens! What are you two doing?! That’s dangerous!”

“I—uh, I…”

Irina stammered, caught off guard.

Howard quickly stood, leaves still clinging to his hair.

“It was me. I just wanted to pick some fruit.”

“Good gracious! What if you’d been hurt? What if the young lady had been hurt? The mistress would have my head! Oh heavens, I can’t live like this!”

The maid scolded Howard endlessly — so much that even Irina grew frightened.

“Miss, you’ll catch a cold. Please, go inside.”

“But what about Howard…”

“He’ll be fine. He’ll take care of himself. Now, please.”

“N-no, wait…”

Ignoring her protests, the maid scooped Irina up and carried her away.

Howard stood there, fruit in hand, watching her go — unable to say a word.

Irina didn’t even get to apologize.

“Good morning, Howard!”

The next day, Irina came looking for him as if nothing had happened.

He was sitting still, wincing a little from yesterday’s fall.

Irina leaned close and whispered,

“Want to do something fun today?”

Howard hesitated — she had that look again — but he nodded.

“Shh. Follow me quietly.”

Irina took his hand and led him down the staircase.

“I found a door leading to the basement. They say ghosts come out there.”

“There aren’t any ghosts,” he muttered softly, but she pretended not to hear.

“Here it is.”

They had gone down about two floors below ground when she stopped before a strange door.

She had never seen it before — she was usually forbidden to go this deep underground.

The handle turned easily in her hand.

Inside were piles of dusty old furniture.

“I’m scared. You go first.”

Irina stepped back, her face pale with feigned fear.

Moments ago, she had insisted she wanted to go first, yet now she urged him on.

Howard cautiously entered first.

There was nothing there — no ghosts, no secrets — just old furniture.

But on their way back out, they were caught by another servant and scolded severely.

Irina tried to protect Howard, taking the blame for it all.

That wasn’t the only time.

When winter came and Howard, whose health was always fragile, started coughing again, Irina boiled fruit and wine herself to bring to him.

The steam was so hot that sweat beaded on her forehead, despite the cold weather.

“Howard should have plenty. James, can I make a big batch? He’ll need it all winter.”

“No, miss. If you make too much, it will spoil. It’s best to make it fresh and serve it warm each time.”

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll bring it to him myself.”

“I think it would be better if I—”

“Why? So you can drink it yourself?”

She glared, stirring with her ladle, eyes sparkling.

“…Nothing, miss.”

The cook wiped his brow nervously.

Fortunately, after drinking what Irina had made, Howard recovered completely in a few days.

Every day was full of laughter. Every day was fun.

Winter had arrived.

Tomorrow would mark one full year since Howard came to the estate.

He had said he didn’t even know when his real birthday was — so Irina decided to make one for him.

She prepared a gift and set it by her pillow before going to sleep.

“Lady Irina! Time to wake up! You asked me to wake you early today.”

“Mm…”

She had asked the maid to wake her earlier than usual.

Rubbing her eyes, she forced herself up.

The drowsiness slowly faded.

“I’ll be late!”

She jumped out of bed and ran straight toward Howard’s room.

She wanted to be the first to wish him a happy birthday.

“Howard!”

She burst open his door.

“Huh? Where is he?”

Though she had come a full hour earlier than his usual waking time, the bed was empty.

As if… he had never been there at all.