ICTV - Chapter 33

ICTV - Chapter 33

I Changed The Villain

“I’m so glad you didn’t run away today.”

"..."

“Please don’t run away next time. I still want to have a deep conversation with you. Come on, let's go, Miss Iris."

The clerks standing around quickly followed suit to see them off.

***

The clerk kept recommending various dresses to me, but none of them caught my attention. I'll just ask Belial to pick out the dress for me later. 

I changed into my original clothes. At that time, the clerk in charge of the men's clothing section approached and whispered to me.

“Hey, Lady. I'm sorry, but I suggest you go see Master Beryl right now...”

I belatedly remembered Beryl and hurriedly ran to the men's clothing store. He is wearing a robe so dazzling that it cannot be compared to the one he wore earlier.

Beryl was trembling. 

“… I thought you abandoned me because you suddenly disappeared!”

“I’m sorry, Brother. I’m so sorry.”

Beryl, who was still upset despite my sincere apology, screamed loudly.

"If you're sorry, play with me again next weekend!"

“… Okay. Let’s play then too.”

“You promise! There is no pressure to meet that bastard of Belial!"

“I understand. Change your clothes quickly and come out. I’ll buy you lunch today too.”

I, who managed to coax Beryl into the dressing room, also received a gift from Claudia. Even while eating lunch, I was reminded of Taksha's face. My heart became heavy again.

***

As he had promised, Belial returned to the Pale family mansion only after dark.

“Rose, how was it? Today's outing."

I, who was standing with my back to the weasel nest, nodded.

“It was a pretty good day. Thanks to you, I was able to go shopping and eat out with my brother.”

“It’s worth it for your consideration. Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ah, that’s…."

Just then, Taksha appeared, breathing heavily. Even though his shirt was soaked with sweat for a long time, Taksha did not stop running. 

I called Taksha and stopped him.

“Taksha.”

“Yes, Lady...!”

Even though Taksha was having a hard time, he heard my voice like a ghost. I asked.

“I was watching you earlier, what are you doing now?”

“Oh, that’s it.”

Taksha touched his face with both palms.

“At first, I thought my face was swollen because I ate a midnight snack. Becky's

"I learned how to massage my face to reduce swelling from Becky's sister, and I also put ice packs on it...”

“You put ice up?”

Taksha, who was speechless, began to cry.

“I just gained weight...!”

"Aha."

“I felt like I was really going to have to roll around like this, so I decided to stop denying reality and start working out hard.”

Well, if he exercises like this, he'll be able to go camping with Master Beryl and eat again.

Taksha pulled his cheeks from side to side and shed bloody tears.

I also knew that Taksha's cheeks had become much more desirable. Beryl may be responsible for most of the increased cheek fat, but other employees were also at their best. Because he is the youngest, they feed them unconditionally.

“By the way, Lady. Why is your face like that again? Do you hurt again?”

“... No. It doesn’t hurt.”

I just feel sorry for you. 

I put my hand on Taksha's shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Taksha.”

"Yes? Why, Miss?”

“There is something like that.”

I patted Taksha on the shoulder.

“From today onwards, I will tell Beryl and the maids not to give snacks...”

Taksha immediately looked at me with a straight face.

“No, Lady.”

"...Huh?"

“I’ll just run more like a dog.”

Taksha's eyes, which had been wet with tears, now burned with flame. Taksha clenched both fists.

“I can never give up the pleasure of eating! How fantastic it is to pioneer new paths by combining delicious foods!”

"Okay. Work hard."

“Please watch over me, My Lady!” 

He gasped. Taksha took a deep breath and started running through the garden again. Belial, who was watching them, opened his mouth.

“Everyone who enters this mansion becomes a unique person.”

"That’s right.”

When did a child change like that? Even though he was a child, he changed so quickly. I couldn't deny it. Now, Taksha can't really be like the female lead and become a cool, promising, and mature child. 

But strangely, my heart felt light. I nodded.

“… Yes, the water has already spilled, so what can I do?”

Above all, Taksha looks happy like that. When you're young, it's a hundred and a thousand times better to give more importance to the present than the future. 

As you get older, whether you like it or not, you will find yourself worrying about the future until you get sick of it. 

Just like that, my worries about Taksha disappeared. But soon another worry arose.

“I don’t know why when I hire people, they have a personality that no one else has. I don’t think there’s any other boring, boring employer like me.”

“… Isn’t that what gives rise to individuality? And you are not boring. You're a very funny person. How many people have been able to smile thanks to you.”

But those words did not reach Rose. As usual, it scattered into the air like dust and disappeared without a trace. Belial was a little disappointed but did not show it.

Because it was something he was already used to.

***

'I don't know why who only has a daughter has no charm and is so boring. Other families’ daughters say they become friends with their mothers, but on the day we rescued Anne, she was locked in her room like a rag.'

If you ask me when I started being so boring and uninteresting, I will answer that I has been like that since I was born.

Even when I was a newborn, I said, ‘Why is she so quiet?’

I listened to it like I was eating a meal. a man one year younger than me was bothering my mom more every minute. Maybe that's why my parents felt more affection for my younger brother.

'I really like my second child. What if there is no mothball?'

'Mom, Mom, how cute and wonderful it is that you act so innocently. I want to take care of at least one more thing.'

I, who was loved as a child who was not easy to handle, became an 'unlovable daughter' as I grew older and became a cold person. 

My parents often compared me with the daughters of their friends, and naturally my younger brother also compared me to his friends.

I decided to do it.

‘Son, today I made galbijim, which is your favorite food. Eat a lot, okay? Hey. A man will do great things if he eats well and sleeps well.'

‘Aww, Mom. Give me another bowl of rice. I’ll bring you some water on the way.’

I was able to see how the family treated me even when they were just eating a meal. The family didn't even invite me to the kitchen. I had to wait until my family had finished eating and then empty my bowls with the leftover side dishes. 

Even at school, my situation was not much different.

‘What is she? Is there a kid like that in our class?”

'He's really quiet. performing silently'

You have to talk a lot to improve, but I, who didn't even talk to my family, couldn't talk much. I naturally became a child who had no presence at school. There were kids who ate together and did group work, but there was no emotional interaction at all. My relationship with them was strictly businesslike. I want more than that It didn't work. Because...

'My dreams are much more important to me than making friends right now.'

Because I was such a busy girl. I wasn't particularly dissatisfied with that either. I was also satisfied with that level of relationship.

'Hi?'

Yes, until that day comes. I stopped writing in my notebook and looked up. A girl was smiling brightly with her hands in the pockets of her gym uniform.

'You're the Sangtan kid who won this writing contest, right?'

If you hadn't talked to me back then, would my life have been less miserable? 

Rose, who was petting the weasel, suddenly became curious.

“Ugh, that’s not fun!”

Rose stopped holding his hand. Beryl, lying down under the tree, struggled.

“What’s so boring about it? Young Master?"

“No, I just imagined working all day tomorrow… I can’t bear it.”

Beryl put her nose in the grass and made a crying sound.

“I’m going to get really busy starting tomorrow, so I’ll have to shorten my training time.”

Of course, I thought he was talking to me, but he wasn't. Rose petted the weasel again. 

Taksha continued to ask questions.

“Is work that terrible?”

“You call that a horse? It's absolutely terrible. Why isn't work fun? It would be great if it was as much fun as training.”

“Why isn’t it fun?”

“That’s because it doesn’t suit me.”

“If it doesn’t work, you don’t have to do it.”

“That would be great, but I have to do it. Because it's my job. I must finish my work responsibly no matter what happens."

'It's okay.'

Taksha's eyes began to shine brightly.

“Why? Why do you have to end it no matter what?”

“Well, I mean…”

Beryl, on the other hand, began to sweat. Beryl answered with great difficulty.

“If I don’t do my job and run away because it’s bothersome and difficult, other people will be harmed.”

“Why is it hurting?”

How does he explain this? Beryl was wondering how to say this so that young Taksha would understand, then opened his mouth.

“Imagine you and Becky are cooking. You prepare the ingredients, and Becky puts the ingredients you cut into a pot and boils them. This is how you finish cooking.”

Beryl lightly pressed Taksha's head.

“But what happens if you don’t prepare the ingredients?”

“Becky needs to prepare the ingredients too."

"Yes, other people suffer just as much. That's why you must finish your work at all costs."

"Aha."

“Of course, if the person who hired you does something bad or doesn’t pay, you can just hit whatever you’re trying to do.”・

I guess you’re done with the questions now, right? 

Beryl glanced at Taksha. Taksha kept his mouth shut like a clam. Okay, I guess he understands everything. 

The moment Beryl felt relieved, Taksha suddenly grabbed Beryl's cloak.

“Aside from the poor, are there also cases where ordinary people and nobles do not receive money?”

Beryl stuttered without realizing it.

“... It’s all natural.”

“Why aren’t you giving me money? The reason I hired them in the first place was to pay them to do the work.”

Taksha, who until now had no one to talk to and no time to be curious, came to love asking questions to others as much as eating after entering the Pale family mansion. 

Taksha shook Beryl's cloak wildly.

“I’m curious, Master. Please tell me. Why are you making me work and not paying me? Everyone knows that if you ask someone to do something, you need to get a fair price. It's common sense. Is this perhaps one of the absurdities of the world?”

Be naive or philosophical, either! 

Beryl ended up screaming in response to Taksha's barrage of questions regardless of level or field.

“Hey, pumpkin flower! Help me!!!”

But there was no answer. Beryl turned his head. I, who was clearly petting the weasel, had suddenly turned into stone. The same was true for the weasel in my arms. Looking into the air with a face that transcends everything.

The way I was looking at it even seemed somehow holy.

“...Miss Rose, you are still breathing??"

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