CH 15

This wretched fellow sometimes acts like a teacher in front of me.

It’s unlike when the maid teaches me something – mostly because it seems he only does it to tease me.

“You learned how to say hello, didn’t you? How about doing it again?”

“…….”

“Even a dog can repay kindness, but it doesn’t seem that Miss Daisy has the capacity of even a dog.”

I clenched my teeth and glared at him, answering.

“Thank you.”

Whatever, it was true that Rue helped me.

Lou’s smile deepened after receiving my greeting.

“‘Thank you’ ?”

“…….”

“If you’re grateful, you’ll have to pay for it.”

Pay for it? I glanced at him with a wary eye.

“Don’t do such ignorant things when you’re not capable of cleaning up properly from now on, don’t pretend there’s no tomorrow, always use your head before your body, and let me know first if you have to dispose of the body. Easy, right?”

Does Rue want to be a teacher on top of being a gardener and a cook?

“What’s your answer?”

Why should I do that? As soon as I tried to answer, the deep smell of soil in the envelope penetrated the tip of my nose.

In my head, I envisioned Rue coming and going out of town in just half a day. His back as he will return to the residence and start cooking with the fresh ingredients.

Then my plans to talk back to him died down.

‘As expected, Rue is strange.’

He’s passionate about the strangest things. I can’t believe he went all the way out of town to get fresh ingredients.

When I whispered quietly that I understood, Rue closed his eyes again with a satisfied face.

“By the way, are you an aristocrat?”

“Huh?”

“Is Mr. Rue an aristocrat?”

“I wonder why you’d think so.”

With his eyes closed, he composed his words in a slow voice as if he were talking in his sleep.

“Although of course, I am elegant, dignified, rich, caring, handsome, fit, friendly, intelligent, and self-conscious. There’s no reason for me to not look like an aristocrat.”

You really are very self-conscious.

“I guess half of that is right. Plus you helped me and that maid.”

“That’s nice.”

“..What? What did you say just now?”

“No, I mean speaking for a long time. Please continue to talk like that. Don’t cut off in the middle of sentences like an idiot.”

It was amazing.

‘An idiot…’

Yeah, well, it can’t be helped if I look like that.

But I guess it’s since you don’t know how terrible I feel about talking long because of you?

Of course you don’t know because I’ve never said it. I don’t want to tell you in the future either!

“Rejected.”

“You’re like a frog.”

Rue snorted as he shook his head coldly.

“Do you want to know how I got you two out?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re curious, bloom the flowers. It’s easy enough. It’s a cheap offer, isn’t it?”

What do you mean, ‘easy’ ?

“It’s taking too long! It hasn’t sprouted yet.”

“Did you think it’ll sprout if you just stuck the seeds in the soil and never look at them again?”

“If they needed so much attention, how can weeds by the side of the road grow so fast?”

“Why don’t you experiment with it yourself without asking me? You never know, maybe if you name the plant while passing by, leaves might sprout.”

“I’m thinking of weedling.”

“On the subject of not being able to give the plant a name, seriously, weedling? You can’t name a plant that, alright, Miss Daisy?”

Rue, who opened his eyes again, looked at me gently.

“If you fill up the wooden sign.”

“…….”

“I’ll answer that question. What was it, am I an aristocrat? It’s not a difficult question to answer.”

“…….”

“If you don’t like even that, remove all the signs and pots. What’s the point if you’re being forced to raise it? There’s nothing stupid than getting stressed out about just a few flowers. Right?”

Rue seemed to be under some great illusion.

“Do you think I’ll just give up in a fit of anger if you say something like that?”

As soon as I arrived at Weatherwoods mansion, I stormed off without looking back.

After putting the ingredients in the kitchen, I grabbed a pen and went straight back to the front door. And I crouched down on the stairs with my flowerpot in my hand.

Looking at the empty sign made my head feel empty.

‘Don’t be bothered. It’s not a big deal to name it. You decided on the name Daisy in 10 seconds. You can do this the same way.’

A name that would sound like a flowerpot’s name to anyone.

There is no such thing….

‘Then let’s name it whatever.’

But how can I make up a name so randomly?

It’s not like that. Names are not random. They have meanings, and they’re a symbol of affection. In addition, from the moment the affection starts, responsibility becomes inevitable. What’s more is that the owner of the name is a plant I would grow and care for myself.

‘Can I be fully responsible for it if I live for only three years?’

This plant dies if I don’t take care of it.

If I’m lucky, another maid will continue to raise it, but even if it’s just some grass, I can’t leave behind a life that was raised by me.

“Sigh.”

Naming, what an annoying price.

After hesitating a dozen times in a sitting position, I finally filled the sign.

“Ru.”

‘I’m sure this name would be less burdensome.’

When the name was decided at last, the moon had already set high in the sky. When I stood up blankly and went back to the kitchen, there was a delicious smell that stimulated my nose.

As he was almost finished cooking, Rue, standing in front of the fire, was stirring the ladle in the stew with one hand on his waist. Perhaps because of his tall height, he kept his head deeply bent.

Then came the hunger that I had forgotten.

After putting the flowerpot on the kitchen table, I said to the back of his head.

“Say hi to my flowerpot.”

Rue, who glanced at the flowerpot, smiled as if it were ridiculous and turned his eyes back to the stew.

But I didn’t shut up.

“Do you like it?”

He replied, stroking the pot with a squeak.

“Name? Not bad. Ru must mean a lot to its master. You mustn’t have listened to me properly. There’s no news of a sprout yet, I don’t like it. I just have to wait for you with a broad mind.”

Sure, sure.

I smiled pleasantly and looked at the back of the human Rue’s head.

And I realised something new. It wasn’t hard to talk long when I was bothering human Rue. Rather, I wanted to bother him harder, so my tongue was itching to talk.

Rue, who took off his apron after turning the ladle, looked at me and asked.

“Well, do you like hugging and kissing Rue?”

What?

“When did I say such a thing?”

Rue replied with a beautiful smile that made the viewer confused.

“You just licked your lips a little while ago after saying Ru.”

“This crazy…”

I can’t.

Don’t fall for his play with language.

He was provoking me. I could tell from the faint smile on his face. His eyes were full of mischief and hoping that I would run wild.

I folded my arms and smiled at ease to prove that I was not hit by his remark. At the same time, a pair of green eyes suddenly appeared.

The maid was passing through the kitchen.

She alternated between me and Rue with her narrowed open eyes.

“…In-house relationships are prohibited, Miss Daisy, Mr. Rue.”

Goose-bumps rose on my back.

“Misunderstanding!”

“We’ll see if it’s a misunderstanding or not. Be careful in the future, Miss Daisy. If you get caught, you’ll get a pay cut.”

The maid grimly warned and disappeared into the darkness again.

After the shrill sound of shoes went away, Rue, who had taken off his apron ignoring everything, whispered as he passed by me.

His cool scent blew through the space filled with the smell of stew.

“I know how much you love Rue. You’d better be careful though, Miss Daisy, as the person involved seems to be troubled. Just pet him for now. Otherwise it’ll be a travesty.”

Is this crazy man talking about himself? He’s definitely talking about himself!

“How do you know what Ru thinks?”

“First of all, I’m ‘Ru’ too. The two of us ‘Ru’s can communicate with each other.”

A long finger snapped and touched the sign that said ‘Ru.’

“But you didn’t ignore my proposal this time. Good job. Do I have to keep throwing bait like this? Maybe it’s because you’re like a frog, but you’re quite choosy.”

“Just keep your word.”

Rue, who tilted his head with a face as if asking what the promise was, gave a belated exclamation.

“…Ah, you asked me if I was an aristocrat, didn’t you? I don’t have a title or anything, and I don’t have any relatives who have a title. Of course, I have a lot of money. Even if someone has a lot of money, they’re not all aristocrats..”

You’re not an aristocrat?

“Then how did you stop Baron Fedegail?’

Even if he’s a down-right greedy bastard, he’s still an aristocrat.

The pride of an aristocrat is generally sky-high.

How pride-shattering must it be for such a man to be harmed by a maid? One or two words could never conciliate him.

‘As expected, did he threaten him? Or shut his mouth with money?’

Rue’s advice came from the kitchen passageway.

“Boil it for another five minutes and then eat. If it’s not seasoned enough, you can add more salt.”

Five minutes. Salt.

The chef’s precautions should not be leaked through one ear to the other. I stopped my reflection and stood in front of the fire, looking at the simmering stew.

“It looks delicious.”

Fresh stew made with fresh ingredients. The tiredness of the day felt washed away in an instant.