Episode 90. Mark's List of Forbidden Books
"Jade likes beans."
"Yes, because you have to eat beans to be strong."
"You have to eat beans and carrots to be strong."
"...!"
Adele barely managed to hold back her laughter as she watched the child's pupils dilate in confusion.
"Jade, you still won't eat carrots, right?"
"What, I will!"
Adele put a thinly sliced carrot into the child's mouth. Jade's eyes widened as she took a bite.
"It's so, so sweet!"
"Of course. Carrots are so sweet. I'll make you a carrot cake later."
"Can't you make it today?"
"Today?"
"Jade likes beans."
"Yes, because you have to eat beans to be strong."
"You have to eat beans and carrots to be strong."
"...!"
Adele barely managed to hold back her laughter as she watched the child's pupils dilate in confusion.
"Jade, you still won't eat carrots, right?"
"What, I will!"
Adele put a thinly sliced carrot into the child's mouth. Jade's eyes widened as she took a bite.
"It's so, so sweet!"
"Of course. Carrots are so sweet. I'll make you a carrot cake later."
"Can't you make it today?"
"Today?"
"Yes! And tomorrow, and tomorrow too..."
"If you only eat cake like that, your teeth will all rot?"
“I just need to brush my teeth. I’ll brush my teeth after eating the cake that Mrs. Adele makes. So come and live with us. Me, Pauline, and my dad... and bring that Count Weiss too...”
Adele felt embarrassed and touched at the same time.
While she had completely forgotten, this child had missed her so much.
Adele stroked the child’s round cheek and made eye contact.
“Jade, it’ll be hard to live together, but I’ll make carrot cake and come visit sometimes.”
“Sometimes, I don’t want to. Every day. Can’t you live at my house every day?”
“Jade. Come out here.”
Adele turned around at Mark’s suddenly cold voice.
He was standing in front of the kitchen door, his face firm and fierce, something she didn’t usually see.
“No. I’m going to stay with Mrs. Adele!”
“Jade!”
“It’s okay, just leave him alone.”
Adele tried to dissuade him, but...
“No, Adele.”
Mark, who had stubbornly refused, took his son out of the kitchen.
Adele seemed to have done something really bad to him and Jade because she was only thinking about Christine.
The silver wolf, who had been injected with painkillers, fell into a deep sleep for a while.
Adele carefully wiped the blood off his fur. He opened his eyes with difficulty for a moment and then closed them, but there was no focus or movement.
And he still hadn’t woken up in the afternoon.
“How are he?”
Adele asked carefully after Mark finished his afternoon treatment. She was relieved that the silver wolf was breathing comfortably, but she was worried that he wouldn’t wake up.
“It seems much better than this morning. The stitches have already started to heal.”
Adele felt a little relieved at those words.
However, Mark was still cautious.
“Of course, it’s still not completely safe.”
“I know. But you’re a doctor with the best skills, and since you’re being stingy about the patient’s condition, I think I can rest easy.”
“Then why don’t you go and get some shut-eye now?”
“I’m fine.”
Mark furrowed his brows and raised his voice slightly.
“Your eyes are bloodshot right now. It even says on your face that you haven’t slept since last night.”
“Wow, you're different. You recognized that.”
He was dumbfounded by Adele’s sly response.
“Anyone who saw you now would say that.”
As he said, Adele’s face was extremely haggard. Her hair was messy and tied up roughly, her once shiny and clear skin was dull, and her lips were dry and cracked, covered in blood.
“Thank you for worrying, Mark. And I’ll leave as soon as he wakes up.”
“I won’t kick you out, so you don’t have to leave so hastily.”
“But the longer I stay, the more Jade...”
“Don’t worry about Jade. Children quickly give their affection and then forget.”
Adele felt even more uncomfortable at those considerate words. She knew that children are innocent and can’t forget someone they’ve given their affection to for a long time.
“Mark, I really... feel like I’m only doing bad things to you.”
But Mark’s reaction was cool.
“There’s no need for self-criticism. Since you came to the doctor and received treatment, all you have to do is pay the medical bill. Don’t curse me for overcharging you. The Count is rich, so I’ll charge you more.”
Adele smiled weakly.
“It doesn’t suit you to talk like a philistine.”
“Didn’t you know? My medical bills are famously expensive?”
“Oh, somehow... every time I come, there are no patients.”
“What?”
The two of them forced a joke and forced a laugh. They thought that was the only way to gain strength in this heavy atmosphere.
“Then rest, Adele.”
Mark patted her shoulder and tried to leave, but Adele cautiously called out to him again.
“More than that, Mark, I have one more favor to ask you...”
Crunch.
Mark pushed one of the bookshelves in the examination room. The large bookshelf rotated, revealing a hidden space behind it.
“Wow, there’s a place like this...”
“It’s a secret room that’s often found in old mansions.”
He said proudly and went inside, holding up a lantern.
Soon, a small room filled with books all the way to the ceiling appeared. Mark, whose hobby was collecting old books, had displayed the books he had collected here.
“They’re old books, so they need special care.”
Then he lowered his voice and spoke.
“And there are quite a few banned books that we can’t let anyone find out about.”
“Banned books?”
Adele carefully took out a book, looking puzzled.
“Oh, Adele, no!”
As he spoke, Adele froze for a moment.
Her brain stopped for a moment at the dazzling picture that appeared as soon as she opened the book. Despite spending countless hot nights with Christine, this was a scene she had never imagined.
In the meantime, Mark quickly snatched the book from her hand.
“It’s a picture book. It’s very hard to get.”
“For a picture book... it’s... something very... um... difficult to understand. It’s also surprising that you like such books...”
Adele spoke calmly, but she slowly moved away from Mark.
It was a little surprising that this gentleman, who seemed more gentlemanly and dignified than anyone else, was reading such a book in such a secret room.
Mark coughed in embarrassment.
“Ahem, well, I’m a healthy adult male, so there’s no reason for me to dislike it... No, why are you looking at me like that?”
“What about me? I’m just a little flustered by your unexpectedly human side.”
Mark’s face and the back of his neck turned a little red as Adele teased him. His usual calm demeanor was also surprising.
In the end, Adele patted his shoulder and comforted him.
“Don’t worry, Mark. I feel like we’ve become closer friends.”
“Now that I think about it, you’re really good at teasing people.”
“Thank you. For discovering a talent I didn’t even know I had. What about those books I told you about?”
Adele said she wanted to see the old books he had collected. There might be some books related to the Wolf Clan among them.
“These are the books you’re looking for.”
Mark climbed up the ladder and took out dusty books from the top shelf of the bookshelf.
“These are books from before the records of the Wolf Clan were deleted. There probably aren’t any in the palace archives either. The Vatican burned them all.”
Adele took the books and carefully wiped the dust off them with a handkerchief. The hardcover books, with their worn and tattered corners, looked incredibly old at first glance. Judging from the publication date, they were over 100 years old.
“Thank you. I’ll read them carefully and return them to you.”
But Mark snatched the books from Adele’s arms.
“If you want to read a book, close your eyes first.”
“It’s okay. If I have any questions, I have trouble sleeping.”
“That’s your situation. Do you know? If you doze off, you might drool over this precious book.”
“Ha, that’s ridiculous.”
“Come on, go to bed quickly.”
“Mark, please.”
Adele tried to act cute, but he was firm.
“This is also a doctor’s prescription.”
He turned Adele around, grabbed her shoulder, and sent her out of the secret room.
“You’re really a squash.”
Adele had no choice but to grumble and be kicked out of the secret room.
“Then I’ll sleep for an hour, and you can lend me the book then.”
Adele resisted, but Mark shook his head.
“More than three hours.”
“No. I said I’d prepare dinner with Jade.”
“Jade went out to play with Pauline, and the new maid is a good cook, so don’t worry.”
If a stranger had heard their conversation, they might have mistaken them for a married couple. And Adele didn’t know it, but her voice had become much brighter while she was talking to Mark.
“...”
The silver wolf had been motionless, its eyes closed.
The silver fur sparkled in the sunlight streaming in through the window, looking languid yet mysterious. It didn’t look like it was sleeping, but rather like it was deep in thought.
“What are you doing here instead of going in?”
Mark’s assistant Judy was startled by Jennifer’s loud voice. She was fidgeting in front of the half-opened examination room door.
“Don’t worry about it!”
She said and quickly turned around and left.
Jennifer scratched his head in confusion, but then quickly followed her when he realized it wouldn’t work. He quickly blocked her path as she was about to leave the hallway.
“What on earth did I do wrong?”
“What are you talking about?”
“We just met today, and why do you get so angry at me like you’ve met an enemy?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! You’ve already furrowed your brows. That makes you look even more like a dried cucumber...”
Judy, who had been glaring fiercely, finally exploded.
“No, this old man! You don’t know why I'm angry when you tell a woman she looks like a dried cucumber? What’s wrong with me that makes me look like a dried cucumber? Where is it!”
As Judy approached him and swore, Jennifer took a step back, bewildered.
“Well, let’s say it was a mistake. To put it bluntly, I meant that you’d look prettier if you weren’t angry.”
Judy, who had been arguing as if she were full of venom, stopped for a moment. Then she touched her face and pouted.
“What’s pretty about that? I look like a dried cucumber...”
“But it’s still better than dried squid.”
“What did you say?”
“By the way, I really like cucumbers.”
Judy, who had been frowning, eventually burst into laughter.
“Oh my, what did this old man say?”
Jennifer was bewildered as he watched Judy blush and turn away.
“No, you said you like cucumbers, not me?”
Then he chased after Judy, who was walking away, and shouted.
“And I’m not Mister, I’m Jennifer! You can call me Blonde Jenny!”
“Phew!”
Judy’s hurried steps suddenly stopped, and she burst out laughing. She couldn’t stop laughing even as Jennifer approached her.
“My name is Judy.”
She finally stopped laughing.
“Judy... what a pretty name.”
“But I can’t compete with Blonde Jenny.”
“I admit it!”
Jennifer had a feeling that he would like cucumbers more for some reason.
"If you only eat cake like that, your teeth will all rot?"
“I just need to brush my teeth. I’ll brush my teeth after eating the cake that Mrs. Adele makes. So come and live with us. Me, Pauline, and my dad... and bring that Count Weiss too...”
Adele felt embarrassed and touched at the same time.
While she had completely forgotten, this child had missed her so much.
Adele stroked the child’s round cheek and made eye contact.
“Jade, it’ll be hard to live together, but I’ll make carrot cake and come visit sometimes.”
“Sometimes, I don’t want to. Every day. Can’t you live at my house every day?”
“Jade. Come out here.”
Adele turned around at Mark’s suddenly cold voice.
He was standing in front of the kitchen door, his face firm and fierce, something she didn’t usually see.
“No. I’m going to stay with Mrs. Adele!”
“Jade!”
“It’s okay, just leave him alone.”
Adele tried to dissuade him, but...
“No, Adele.”
Mark, who had stubbornly refused, took his son out of the kitchen.
Adele seemed to have done something really bad to him and Jade because she was only thinking about Christine.
***
The silver wolf, who had been injected with painkillers, fell into a deep sleep for a while.
Adele carefully wiped the blood off his fur. He opened his eyes with difficulty for a moment and then closed them, but there was no focus or movement.
And he still hadn’t woken up in the afternoon.
“How are he?”
Adele asked carefully after Mark finished his afternoon treatment. She was relieved that the silver wolf was breathing comfortably, but she was worried that he wouldn’t wake up.
“It seems much better than this morning. The stitches have already started to heal.”
Adele felt a little relieved at those words.
However, Mark was still cautious.
“Of course, it’s still not completely safe.”
“I know. But you’re a doctor with the best skills, and since you’re being stingy about the patient’s condition, I think I can rest easy.”
“Then why don’t you go and get some shut-eye now?”
“I’m fine.”
Mark furrowed his brows and raised his voice slightly.
“Your eyes are bloodshot right now. It even says on your face that you haven’t slept since last night.”
“Wow, you're different. You recognized that.”
He was dumbfounded by Adele’s sly response.
“Anyone who saw you now would say that.”
As he said, Adele’s face was extremely haggard. Her hair was messy and tied up roughly, her once shiny and clear skin was dull, and her lips were dry and cracked, covered in blood.
“Thank you for worrying, Mark. And I’ll leave as soon as he wakes up.”
“I won’t kick you out, so you don’t have to leave so hastily.”
“But the longer I stay, the more Jade...”
“Don’t worry about Jade. Children quickly give their affection and then forget.”
Adele felt even more uncomfortable at those considerate words. She knew that children are innocent and can’t forget someone they’ve given their affection to for a long time.
“Mark, I really... feel like I’m only doing bad things to you.”
But Mark’s reaction was cool.
“There’s no need for self-criticism. Since you came to the doctor and received treatment, all you have to do is pay the medical bill. Don’t curse me for overcharging you. The Count is rich, so I’ll charge you more.”
Adele smiled weakly.
“It doesn’t suit you to talk like a philistine.”
“Didn’t you know? My medical bills are famously expensive?”
“Oh, somehow... every time I come, there are no patients.”
“What?”
The two of them forced a joke and forced a laugh. They thought that was the only way to gain strength in this heavy atmosphere.
“Then rest, Adele.”
Mark patted her shoulder and tried to leave, but Adele cautiously called out to him again.
“More than that, Mark, I have one more favor to ask you...”
***
Crunch.
Mark pushed one of the bookshelves in the examination room. The large bookshelf rotated, revealing a hidden space behind it.
“Wow, there’s a place like this...”
“It’s a secret room that’s often found in old mansions.”
He said proudly and went inside, holding up a lantern.
Soon, a small room filled with books all the way to the ceiling appeared. Mark, whose hobby was collecting old books, had displayed the books he had collected here.
“They’re old books, so they need special care.”
Then he lowered his voice and spoke.
“And there are quite a few banned books that we can’t let anyone find out about.”
“Banned books?”
Adele carefully took out a book, looking puzzled.
“Oh, Adele, no!”
As he spoke, Adele froze for a moment.
Her brain stopped for a moment at the dazzling picture that appeared as soon as she opened the book. Despite spending countless hot nights with Christine, this was a scene she had never imagined.
In the meantime, Mark quickly snatched the book from her hand.
“It’s a picture book. It’s very hard to get.”
“For a picture book... it’s... something very... um... difficult to understand. It’s also surprising that you like such books...”
Adele spoke calmly, but she slowly moved away from Mark.
It was a little surprising that this gentleman, who seemed more gentlemanly and dignified than anyone else, was reading such a book in such a secret room.
Mark coughed in embarrassment.
“Ahem, well, I’m a healthy adult male, so there’s no reason for me to dislike it... No, why are you looking at me like that?”
“What about me? I’m just a little flustered by your unexpectedly human side.”
Mark’s face and the back of his neck turned a little red as Adele teased him. His usual calm demeanor was also surprising.
In the end, Adele patted his shoulder and comforted him.
“Don’t worry, Mark. I feel like we’ve become closer friends.”
“Now that I think about it, you’re really good at teasing people.”
“Thank you. For discovering a talent I didn’t even know I had. What about those books I told you about?”
Adele said she wanted to see the old books he had collected. There might be some books related to the Wolf Clan among them.
“These are the books you’re looking for.”
Mark climbed up the ladder and took out dusty books from the top shelf of the bookshelf.
“These are books from before the records of the Wolf Clan were deleted. There probably aren’t any in the palace archives either. The Vatican burned them all.”
Adele took the books and carefully wiped the dust off them with a handkerchief. The hardcover books, with their worn and tattered corners, looked incredibly old at first glance. Judging from the publication date, they were over 100 years old.
“Thank you. I’ll read them carefully and return them to you.”
But Mark snatched the books from Adele’s arms.
“If you want to read a book, close your eyes first.”
“It’s okay. If I have any questions, I have trouble sleeping.”
“That’s your situation. Do you know? If you doze off, you might drool over this precious book.”
“Ha, that’s ridiculous.”
“Come on, go to bed quickly.”
“Mark, please.”
Adele tried to act cute, but he was firm.
“This is also a doctor’s prescription.”
He turned Adele around, grabbed her shoulder, and sent her out of the secret room.
“You’re really a squash.”
Adele had no choice but to grumble and be kicked out of the secret room.
“Then I’ll sleep for an hour, and you can lend me the book then.”
Adele resisted, but Mark shook his head.
“More than three hours.”
“No. I said I’d prepare dinner with Jade.”
“Jade went out to play with Pauline, and the new maid is a good cook, so don’t worry.”
If a stranger had heard their conversation, they might have mistaken them for a married couple. And Adele didn’t know it, but her voice had become much brighter while she was talking to Mark.
“...”
The silver wolf had been motionless, its eyes closed.
The silver fur sparkled in the sunlight streaming in through the window, looking languid yet mysterious. It didn’t look like it was sleeping, but rather like it was deep in thought.
***
“What are you doing here instead of going in?”
Mark’s assistant Judy was startled by Jennifer’s loud voice. She was fidgeting in front of the half-opened examination room door.
“Don’t worry about it!”
She said and quickly turned around and left.
Jennifer scratched his head in confusion, but then quickly followed her when he realized it wouldn’t work. He quickly blocked her path as she was about to leave the hallway.
“What on earth did I do wrong?”
“What are you talking about?”
“We just met today, and why do you get so angry at me like you’ve met an enemy?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! You’ve already furrowed your brows. That makes you look even more like a dried cucumber...”
Judy, who had been glaring fiercely, finally exploded.
“No, this old man! You don’t know why I'm angry when you tell a woman she looks like a dried cucumber? What’s wrong with me that makes me look like a dried cucumber? Where is it!”
As Judy approached him and swore, Jennifer took a step back, bewildered.
“Well, let’s say it was a mistake. To put it bluntly, I meant that you’d look prettier if you weren’t angry.”
Judy, who had been arguing as if she were full of venom, stopped for a moment. Then she touched her face and pouted.
“What’s pretty about that? I look like a dried cucumber...”
“But it’s still better than dried squid.”
“What did you say?”
“By the way, I really like cucumbers.”
Judy, who had been frowning, eventually burst into laughter.
“Oh my, what did this old man say?”
Jennifer was bewildered as he watched Judy blush and turn away.
“No, you said you like cucumbers, not me?”
Then he chased after Judy, who was walking away, and shouted.
“And I’m not Mister, I’m Jennifer! You can call me Blonde Jenny!”
“Phew!”
Judy’s hurried steps suddenly stopped, and she burst out laughing. She couldn’t stop laughing even as Jennifer approached her.
“My name is Judy.”
She finally stopped laughing.
“Judy... what a pretty name.”
“But I can’t compete with Blonde Jenny.”
“I admit it!”
Jennifer had a feeling that he would like cucumbers more for some reason.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment