Chapter 3
Lavi, now ten years old, was writing a letter with a very serious expression.
[Dear Akkad, 1
The time you’ve spent in the territory is longer than expected. How can you not come see me for a year? You don’t want to see me, do you?]
“Hmm? If I say this, do you think he’ll want to come even less?”
Lavi frowned and glared at the letter. She crossed out the last two sentences and looked at her stationery, wondering if she should start over and write something new. Since her wrist hurt, she decided she should just keep using what she’d started. She could still make out what she’d written, but since she’d crossed it out, maybe it wouldn’t matter. Lavi picked up the pen again.
[ Without you, I’m bored, bored, bored, and have nothing to do. I feel like time isn’t passing at all. It would be so nice and relaxing to just lie down and roll around in the bright sunlight with you.
What on earth do other young ladies do for fun?
I want to learn something, but there’s not much I can do. I thought about what it would be like to become a civil servant like elder brother, but I don’t want to study. Plus, numbers make me feel like my head is spinning just by looking at them.
You must be busy learning the sword these days. Do you have a lot of calluses on your hands now? Thinking about it like that, I suddenly became curious and secretly picked up a wooden sword without Allen finding out. My wrist ended up so swollen that a priest had to come look at it.
My wrist still hasn’t healed all the way. It would have been fine already if you were there.
… (letter continues)…
Oh, by the way, elder brother is doing well. I feel like he’s still too busy working.
My wrist hurts, so I can’t write a long letter today. But you should reply the same way as usual.
-Lavi.]2
“I’ll do it for you. I said I’d write it for you too, Miss. Is your wrist okay?”
Jenny asked, taking the letter and putting it in an envelope.
“Hmm? But to write it myself. Give it to me, and I will write that too.”
Lavi snatched back the envelope from Jenny’s hand and put her pen to the line for the sender. She grimaced at the soreness in her wrist, but stubbornly pressed down and wrote her name.
“It’s strange.”
“What is it?”
“Is it just because it feels awkward to use my name?”
Lavi rubbed the area around her heart with her palm, where she felt an unknown sensation.
“Ouch.”
“Please, give your wrists a rest, miss.”
“Okay.”
After making her request, Jenny left the room with the envelope. Lavi sank down in her chair with an unhappy expression.
How could Akkad not come to the capital even once?
Lavi pouted her lips.
Well, for Akkad, there was no reason. Lavi was the one who was this anxious because she needed him.
“Ugh. This damn body!”
As Lavi, who was drooping down, tugged her hair, Allen approached her.
“Miss. Your wrist.”
Allen carefully pulled the hair out of her bandaged hand.
“Hmph.”
“That’s quite the pout, lady.” 3
Allen sighed, grasping the sore wrist with a disapproving expression.
“When will the priest come again?”
“Didn’t you see one this morning?”
“But why isn’t my wrist healing? It’s a complete sham. Get another priest for me?”
Lavi reached out to grab Allen’s hair instead of her own, but was stopped.
“All the high-ranking priests are away right now. I didn’t know this before, but they say that around this time of year, people gather at temples in other countries.”
“This time of year?”
“Yes. Right after the Founding of the Nation festival.” 4
What bad timing.
Surely there must be a high-ranking priest still around so they rush to the aid of an imperial family member if they were ill. The Marquis de Diaz family was one that poured as much money into the temple as the imperial family.
“I’m sure there’s at least one left in the capital.”
“I will inquire one more time … but if what the priest said is true, wouldn’t it be the same even if a high-ranking priest came?”
This damned body can accept divine power well. Why is it so picky?
“There’s no doubt ….”
Allen bent down and looked at her face.
“What are you doing?”
“It seems like you’ve been feeling unwell lately.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I think I should ask to change your diet.”
Lavi nodded her cursorily. Without Akkad, her body would probably become weaker and weaker. Even though she knew it, it was still upsetting to hear things like that.
“Even if it’s just stretching, as long as it doesn’t put too much strain on my body ….”
“Didn’t you start getting short of breath after 5 minutes last time?”
“I have to work hard, even if it’s just to walk….”
“The sun is too strong right now, so it’s not possible.”
“If I use a parasol….”
“It’s too hot, so you cannot.”
Lavi puffed out her cheeks and glanced at Allen.
“Just lie still and laze around.”
Lavi remarked sarcastically, swinging her feet.
“That’s a fine choice.”
Allen laughed as if asking what she was going to do instead of going to bed.
“It’s too much.”
“I dread to think how much you’d be using your wrist with all that walking around, and everything I said is true, so you should get some rest for now.”
“How would I use my wrists if I just go for a walk?”
“Well, I mean….”
Allen looked at me as if imagining that it was possible.
“This is why I want to visit the temple later.”
“The temple?”
“Yeah. When I’m around the age of eighteen?”
“By that time, you will be able to go out more freely to an extent, so we can at least go to the temple. But even then, not in this kind of weather.”
Lavi nodded. She’d said she’d go out because she was bored, but she didn’t want to go out and collapse in this weather either. Because although it’s a pitiful body, it’s precious to her.
“Oh, by the way. I heard that starting next week, the lady who will teach etiquette will come to the estate.”
“Really? Whose etiquette?”
“Miss.”
“Oh.” Lavi, who was quietly considering Allen’s words, grimaced. “Me? Why? I learned it when I was young.”
“These are your instructions.”
This meant reviewing the etiquette learned as a child and learning new things like embroidery and ballroom dancing. Lavi refused because she thought it wouldn’t be fun, but her mother heard that she had asked her brother to find something for her to learn.
Well, she’d learned basic etiquette, but she never learned how to dance. She doubted whether she could do it at all with her physical strength, but it was her mother’s will, so she couldn’t refuse.
“They said she would just briefly review basic etiquette and then teach embroidery and other things.”
“Allen.”
“Yes.”
“My wrist suddenly hurts so much.”
Lavi lowered her eyebrows and blinked pitifully. It was as if she was saying she didn’t like the idea of starting in a week. 5
“Miss. The corners of your mouth are turned up.”
“But it’s true that it hurts, you know?”
Lavi flicked her wrist as if showing it off.
“In two weeks, maybe, it will be better.”
Allen took her wrist and placed it on Lavi’s lap.
“Yeah. Hehe.”
This was possible because her mother listened well to whatever Allen said. When Lavi thought about it, it felt like she often trusted Allen’s words more than her own. Allen also knew this and confidently said that he would postpone it until two weeks later.
“So what about the thing my brother said he’d look into?”
Didn’t he say that he would find something fun for her to learn?
“As far as I understand, the young master also looked into Madam Austin.” 6
“As expected, I can’t trust brother after all.”
“… Perhaps it’s because you said you wanted to learn what everyone else was doing.”
If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have said that.
* * *
“Young lady, you mustn’t raise your elbows too much.”
Using a long stick, Madam Austin tapped me on the elbow of the arm holding the teacup.
‘It doesn’t feel good.’
Why not just correct her yourself? However, she couldn’t bring herself to say that directly.
It was just one of Madam Austin’s teaching methods, and it didn’t seem to come from a place of ill will.
“You’re movements are not fluid enough. You look so stiff that it’s uncomfortable for everyone. Listen again.”
The more the criticism continued, the more Lavi realized that she had been leading a free life. Still, she thought it would be less offensive if she would just say it directly to her face.
Lavi lifted her teacup again, muttering in her mind, ‘I must be fluid.’
Why did her reflection in the mirror look so pitiful? It was very tiring to sit in front of a mirror and repeat the same actions every day.
She’d been told that the madam would just check if Lavi had learned proper etiquette and move on, but it had already been two months since she’d been told that her etiquette was a mess.
Lavi breathed a small sigh, put down the cup, and lifted it. Repeatedly.
“Young lady, it’s rude to sigh like that at tea time.”
“Yes.”
It was an indisputable point.
“Relax your shoulders.”
Tuk-tuk. The stick tapped on her shoulder.
Lavi tried to straighten the corners of her trembling mouth.
“Maam, the teacup is too heavy.”
The tea cups typically used in the mansion were very light. When Madam Austin saw this, she prepared a tea set herself, saying that other estates rarely had such light items, so she should practice with a variety of items.
The teacup that Madam Austin brought with her was not so heavy that Lavi couldn’t lift it. However, if the practice time was prolonged, it naturally put strain on her wrists and shoulders. Plus, her wrist still wasn’t in good condition right now. Though it was expected to heal completely in two weeks, it was still bothering her.
“Just relax and start from the beginning and you will be fine. Try again, young lady.”
Lavi appreciated Madam Austin’s passion, but she sometimes went too far. She understood that the madam couldn’t know exactly how poor her health was, so she tried to understand and let it go each time, but at that moment, it was really hard.
“Madam.” Lavi called her again.
“Young lady, please bear with it for a little longer. As soon as you get the position, we will move on to the next lesson. Patience is also part of the class.”
“….”
“You are already ten years old, but compared to other young ladies, your pace is much slower. There are many people who will try to slander your family name by speaking ill of you. So, you mustn’t leave any room for criticism.”
“… Yes.”
Lavi picked up her teacup again, face sullen.
If she said it like that, there’s nothing left to say. Actually, she didn’t really care if people criticized her behind her back because her manners aren’t perfect. She was sure her parents and older brother would feel the same. But she didn’t feel like saying those words directly. She thought it would make her feel worse if she pointed out the family’s attitude to Madam Austin.
‘I think this is enough.’
No matter how much she looked at her reflection in the mirror, it didn’t seem to make much difference whether she looked like this or that. Was there a difference between relaxing and not relaxing your shoulders? What on earth is ‘radiating natural elegance’?
‘And this is good as it is, isn’t it….?’
Slowly, her arms began to shake from the exertion. When she glanced at Madam Austin, she saw that she was not looking at Lavi, but at Allen.
Allen, who was watching from behind, made eye contact with Madam Austin, grunted and raised his voice, and then naturally interjected.
“Madam Austin, I’m sorry to interrupt your class.”
Lavi looked at Allen, puzzled, with a face that asked ‘why’?
“No, it’s alright. Please speak comfortably, sir.”
Lavi’s face hardened as she looked at Madam Austin. Why are the facial expressions when dealing with Allen and when dealing with her so different?
“My lady’s wrist is not feeling well right now. She is still recovering from an injury she suffered earlier, so I would like to postpone this lesson.”
Lavi looked at Allen and shook her head. She wouldn’t have said that. She’d already said this to Madam Austin a few times, but more than once she simply coaxed Lavi to just do it a few more times.
Apparently, it wasn’t just a rumor that she was good at teaching young ladies.
In Lavi’s case, she just wasn’t physically able to keep up with the class.
* * *
“Miss.”
“You’re here?”
Lavi looked at Allen, unable to hide her awkward expression.
“Is your arm feeling okay?”
“No.” As time passed, she started to feel shaky and like she was going to suffer from muscle pain for a few days. “Allen.”
“Yes.”
“Can I not take that class? Allen, please talk to my mother.”
Allen chuckled and removed the cooled, wet towel.
“Are you having a hard time?”
“Madam Austin has too much enthusiasm. Her teaching methods are a bit…”
“That part was unpleasant for me, too. Let me talk to her first. If it continues like this, how about replacing her with another teacher?”
In other words, she had to continue taking etiquette classes.
“Okay.”
Lavi snuggled into the blanket sullenly, saying she should take a nap. She would have to talk to her brother one more time when he came today.
Lavi took some stationery and headed to Werner’s bedroom. Her brother was going to come home soon, so she planned to go ahead and wait for him. Lavi sat down on a chair, unfolded the piece of stationary, and picked up a pen.
Come to think of it, it’d been almost a month since she sent the letter and there hadn’t been a reply.
“Why are you taking so long?”
Lavi wrote a three-page length letter expressing her anger toward Madam Austin and her resentment toward Akkad for not reply. Her wrists were sore, but as she began to confess everything, she had so much to say.
It wasn’t until it was time to put the letter in the envelope and hand it to the maid that Werner entered the bedroom.
Werner, who was rubbing his brows as if tired, found Lavi and approached her quickly.
“Lavi, were you waiting for your brother?”
“Yeah. Why are you so late?”
“I’m sorry. Did you wait for a long time? I have a lot of work to do these days.”
Lavi frowned as she looked at Werner’s face, which looked somehow haggard.
“Brother, what is this face?”
There was a nagging feeling that if one neglected their skin like that just because they were young, it will go away all at once.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Uhm … Well, it’s one of my worries”
Lavi nodded grimly.
Werner took off his jacket and vest and sat in front of Lavi.
She put her elbows on the table, supported her chin with the backs of her hands, and stretched out her hands.
“So, what is it?”
“I want to ask brother something. And I want to show you my face for the first time in a while.”
Lavi shrugged and smiled in a way that said ‘sound good to you?’ She smiled with that meaning in mind.
“Thank you. What do you want to ask?”
“Can’t I learn something besides etiquette?”
“Is it because it’s not fun?”
“No. I don’t like the teacher, and I’m good at everything even without learning anything like that.”
Did he want to see it? Lavi twisted the corners of her mouth up and mimicked the teacup lifting she had been doing all day.
Even thinking about it again made her feel unpleasant.
Werner wrapped his arms around her, wondering where such a cute creature had come from.
“Ugh, what’s all of a sudden?”
“It’s because you’re cute.”
Jenny, the maid who was serving tea after knocking, was shocked when she saw the siblings. How on earth did it look cute to pretend to drink tea with such a cutthroat expression?
Of course, the girl she served was the prettiest and cutest in the world, but that was beside the point.
However, because there was nothing she could say, Jenny quickly poured some tea and left the bedroom.
“Did Madam Austin do something wrong?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Should I just fire her right away?”
When he repeated that she would be dismissed, Lavi was reluctant to accept it.
“If I really can’t stand it, I’ll tell you right away.”
“Okay.” Werner quietly stroked Lavi’s head and opened his mouth as if something occurred to him. “Lavi, about what you asked you to look into last time.”
“What?” Was there something like that? “Ah! Akkad’s uncle?”
“Yes, Lavi seemed to be very worried, so I looked into it a little more closely. There was nothing special?”
Was it because it wasn’t the right time yet? She couldn’t believe there was really nothing.
“Are you sure you investigated properly?”
“Yes. Rather, I uncovered his company has committed a lot of illegal activities.”
“Oh, can’t you just do something about that?” Lavi squeezed Werner’s hand tightly, eyes sparkling. “Like, deport him from the country or the death penalty?”
“Uhm … I don’t think so. I think he would get away with a fine at best.”
“You can make it like that. Brother, don’t you have that level of ability?”
“Why would Lavi care so much? And the death penalty….You should only say things like that in front of your brother. Understand?”
Lavi clenched her fist and pounded her chest in frustration.
“You said you would do anything I ask you to do.”
“I can’t go that far because it’s not our family’s business. The duke won’t stay quiet either.”
“Ah ….”
That was true. If her brother were to target the Earl of Courtenay now, that would mean picking a fight with the Duke of Enoch. There was no evidence or circumstantial evidence that he was aiming for the position of head of the dukedom.
“Elder brother, can you keep an eye on him?”
“Of course. Instead, I hope Lavi doesn’t worry about that.”
He could say that because he didn’t know what was going to happen. Lavi roughly swept her hair in frustration.
Werner wrapped his arms around Lavi’s shoulders as she stood up, saying that she would just go, and they left the room together.
“If there’s something you want to learn, think about it and tell me. Understand?”
“Yes.”
When he arrived in front of Lavi’s room, Werner kissed Lavi’s forehead.
“Have a nice dream tonight.”
“I will. Sleep well, too, brother.”
Lavi wasn’t happy about it, but a squeak followed. She tried to push Werner away, who seemed to have no intention of stopping, but it was no use.
“Stop it. Anyway, once you start … Alleeen-“
Allen opened the door, taking Lavi away from Werner. Lavi said good night and slipped into the bedroom.
Werner grumbled while looking at Allen.
“Sir, I was giving my sister a goodnight kiss. Isn’t interrupting too mean?”
“The miss doesn’t like it.”
“With her personality, if she really hated it, Lavi would’ve kicked me even if it meant breaking her toe.”
Allen couldn’t find a word to refute and stayed silent.
Werner shrugged his shoulders and walked away with Allen.
“It’s because she’s shy.”
“I don’t think that’s the case….”
* * *
After some time, Madam Austin was dismissed and Lavi had to go return to her boring life. She wondered if etiquette lessons would have made the days pass more quickly, If Madam Austin hadn’t hit her forearm.
“But when did I last get a reply?”
Lavi finished writing the letter to Akkad, put down her pen, and then tilted her head. It had been awhile since they saw one another. Lavi picked up the pen again and wrote a few more words at the end of the letter.
[… But when on earth are you going to reply? If you don’t reply within a week of receiving this letter, I will leave the house and go to your territory. You know I’m not joking, right?]
After receiving that letter, for about a year, Akkad often came to the capital to see her. But since then, they hadn’t seen each other and only exchanged letters.
Lavi adjusted to life without Akkad and continued to live as carefully as possible.
Just like that, the seasons changed several times and she turned fifteen.
T/N: Lavi is so savage when it comes to poor Werner, but I like this little hint we get that she’s not as 100% averse as she acts. Also, hooray, they’re officially teenagers! We’ll get to meet a very key character in the next section…and I wonder if everyone will still carry her around now that she’s an almost-of-age young lady!
- “앤드루에게 / Lavi appends -에게 (Informal, standard way of addressing a friend in a letter) to Akkad’s name here. I went back and forth on whether or not to include ‘Dear’, because as far as I’m aware, it’s not really a thing, but ‘To Akkad:’ reads clunky to me. I think the most accurate localized equivalent would actually just be like “Akkad,” but, leaving dear for now because flashbacks to writing to my penpals in fifth grade, that’s what kids used. ↩︎
- She appends -가, which is again a very formal/casual/close relationship signal (as is the fact she omits her family name) (thank you How to End Letters and Emails in Korean) ↩︎
- “제가 흥입니다. 아가씨.” If I understand correctly, he’s saying she’s upset but in a kind of joking way. ↩︎
- “예. 건국제 직후에요.” He means after the celebration of the nation’s founding / the foundation day festival. There’s probably a more elegant way to say that but I’m tired. Also, just a note, that even when Allen is semi-scolding her he’s speaking respectfully this whole passage ↩︎
- 일주일 후는 싫다는 말이었다. Not sure on this, guessed based from context. ↩︎
- Allen addresses Werner as 도련님/doryonnimi and then Mrs Austin as Austin (surname) followed by 부인/buini = wife, madam, or lady, MTL tends to leave it as ‘Mrs. Austin’ but I feel like ‘Madam’ suits the story… particularly since she is addressed by Lavi directly as just ‘부인’ a bit later and it would be weird for her to be like ‘Mrs.’ Also, FWIW, Madam Austin addresses Lavi as 영애/young-ae (like I said this one shows up a lot!) ↩︎
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