Chapter 16
It was just then that a loud growling noise suddenly echoed from somewhere.
Istein’s gaze naturally shifted toward the source of the sound. Miela tried hard to pretend she didn’t notice, looking elsewhere, but the sound came again.
“…Are you hungry?”
Istein asked, half-doubting, and Miela nodded sheepishly with an embarrassed expression.
“Uh-huh. Just a little?”
“Perfect timing, then. I actually came prepared.”
Istein grinned. At the same time, a butler who had been waiting in the distance approached and handed him a basket.
When he opened the lid, the fresh scent of fruits and sandwiches wafted up—it was packed full of delicious, fresh food!
“Wow, what is all this? Oh my gosh, it looks amazing!”
Miela’s eyes sparkled. Istein shrugged casually.
“A snack.”
“No way. You’re calling this just a snack? This is amazing!”
Miela exclaimed in delight. She had been too busy working to even realize she was hungry, but now, faced with these mouthwatering sandwiches, her stomach growled again. Her desire to eat them quickly was written all over her face.
“Eat it before it gets soggy. The basket’s been enchanted to keep the food fresh as if just made, but once the lid is opened, it’ll gradually start to change.”
“Okay, got it!”
At Istein’s words, Miela eagerly took a big bite of the sandwich. Her little chewing mouth looked just like a bunny’s.
She quickly devoured half of a sandwich and exclaimed in surprise.
“This tastes a lot like what I had at the villa before. Which means… it’s super delicious!”
“Glad you like it. Makes sense though—it was made by the same chef.”
Just watching Miela eat so happily made Istein feel content. That saying, “Watching someone else eat can make you feel full too,” was apparently true.
And even the butler watching them from afar had a warm smile on his face.
‘It’s the first time I’ve seen the young master smile so genuinely.’
Until recently, Istein had only grown more irritable and angry by the day due to the worsening curse. Ever since coming to the villa to recuperate, he had spent most days either sleeping endlessly or staring blankly out the window.
Then, one day, he left the mansion without a word, seemingly from frustration. When he returned, it was with that girl.
‘I didn’t realize it then, but that day was the turning point.’
Before long, the basket was empty. Miela looked at it with a hint of regret.
“Oh no, I ate it all already…”
“Well done. I’ll bring more next time.”
“What? Really?”
Normally, she’d say, “It’s fine,” and politely decline, but the sparkle in her eyes said it all—it must have been delicious.
Istein chuckled at her honest reaction, but groaned when Miela picked up the farming tools again.
“Wait, are you really going to finish pulling up all the carrots?”
“Yup! If I work hard, I’ll finish in no time!”
“Sigh… fine. Suit yourself.”
He clicked his tongue in disbelief, yet still didn’t leave her side. He was worried that if he left, those kids from before might come back and bully Miela again. Besides, he figured he might find more interesting notes to jot down.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few days later, Istein visited Miela again. This time, it seemed she was tasked with cleaning the stable.
It was behind the only inn-slash-restaurant in the village. The stable was attached to a shed beside the house.
“Ugh.”
As he pushed open the old, nearly crumbling door, a strong stench of manure hit his nose.
Istein wrinkled his nose instinctively. He’d never smelled anything this foul before.
“You’re here, Titi?”
But when he saw Miela greeting him, he quickly composed himself.
“Ah, Miela.”
“Sorry, it stinks a lot, doesn’t it? Just wait a little—I’m almost done cleaning.”
He seemed to be adjusting to the smell by now. Or maybe his nose had just gone numb.
“It’s fine. But it’s weird—this is a stable, right? Where are the horses?”
“Oh, well… there are only two horses left in this village. They’ve gone to the neighboring village to carry supplies, so they’re not here now.”
Miela explained that they used to keep five horses to rent out to travelers, but with so few people passing through anymore, only two elderly horses remained.
“I see. But what’s that you’re holding? Carrots?”
“Yep. I picked these from the field the other day. The broken and rotten ones—Mr. Remi said I could take them.”
“…”
So basically, they were just dumping trash on her under the guise of generosity. What jerks.
Istein wanted to curse out loud, but he held back—he knew Miela would be hurt if she overheard.
“I just couldn’t stand watching the horses eat nothing but dry hay all the time. It felt like looking at myself.”
She placed the carrot bits into the feed bucket. It was clear she had carefully cut away all the rotten parts and prepared them neatly.
“I only picked the ones that were still in decent shape, so I think they’ll enjoy them.”
Even though she was in a tough spot herself, she still cared for the horses. Miela’s actions were always outside of Istein’s expectations.
At first, he thought she was just acting naive and pretending to be kind, but now he saw—that wasn’t an act. She was just born that way.
And it wasn’t just kindness—Miela was also incredibly diligent. She scooped up all the filth—whether manure or mud—and dumped it into the compost. Then she drew water from the well by hand and thoroughly cleaned the floors and walls.
Watching from a distance, Istein couldn’t help but admire her.
“You know… seeing you like this, I really think you live life earnestly.”
“Who, me? Oh, really?”
Miela was completely covered in filth, having just finished her work. Yet Istein no longer found her dirty. He took a few steps closer.
“Yes, you.”
“Thanks. But I’m not that hardworking. My mom used to say there are people out there who are truly diligent.”
“Don’t be so modest. If what you’re doing isn’t called hardworking, then most people are just lazy—myself included.”
Saying that, Istein pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Miela’s face.
She let him do it quietly but seemed distracted, mumbling to herself.
“That’ll get your handkerchief dirty…”
“Silly. A handkerchief’s meant to be used for wiping things.”
Istein didn’t flinch at all.
Once her face was clean, he tossed the handkerchief into a nearby trash bin and gently took her hand.
“Where are we going, Titi?”
“Now that we’ve cleaned this smelly stable, I thought we could go see something fragrant instead—like flowers.”
Looking at the boy’s black hair from behind, Miela beamed brightly.
“Flowers? You mean the villa’s garden?”
“Nope. I’ve seen the garden too many times. I want to see wildflowers now.”
“Oh, in that case, I know a hill where the wildflowers are blooming beautifully. Want to go?”
“Sounds perfect.”
So the two of them headed to a hill overlooking the village.
Delicate, colorful wildflowers were in full bloom across the gentle slope. As he scanned them, trying to figure out which one suited Miela best, Istein suddenly asked a question that had popped into his head.
“Hey, Miela. I’ve been wondering—do you have a goal for the future? A dream or something?”
Well, not so suddenly. It was a thought that had been lingering for days.
Even if he convinced his mother to bring Miela to the estate, what if that wasn’t what she wanted?
‘Maybe she has dreams she wants to pursue in this village.’
Though, in his opinion, this village was hopeless and wouldn’t help her at all.
“My goal…?”
Miela’s eyes wavered for a moment. Istein had a hunch what that meant. That look meant there was an answer, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“You don’t have to tell me if it’s hard to say.”
“Mm… well, actually…”
Seeing her hesitate, Istein stopped her again.
“No pressure. Really.”
“My goal is… to become a maid at House Valroire.”
