Chapter 44 – 06. Cohabitation With Retired Warrior Maman
“…And this statue with both male and female genitals attached to it was made by Morgotsu during his last years in the Meltanian Kingdom, and the title of the work is ‘To Those Hundreds of Years Later’. It is said to be an expression of anguish and imagery, and if the world continues in this state for hundreds of years, one day a new relationship between men and women…”
Han So-yeong glanced at the young man who was talking hard beside her.
It had been two days since he had been talking loudly when they first met, so she thought that Siu was just talking about something grandiose like everyone else. She wasn’t sad because it wasn’t the first time.
She just felt sorry for the fact that the young man named Siu was just like everyone else.
However, on the third day, she noticed outside the window a busily visiting carriage and figures of workers.
“It was my mistake…”
Han So-young didn’t even have a question.
She immediately realized that it was Shiu’s fault.
She and she left the room for purposes other than a walk after a very long time.
“Hey, newcomer! Be careful with that!”
“Uh, that’s not it! It’s on the first floor!”
Her mansion was busy for the first time in a while.
Under the leadership of the butler and Siu, about 20 pieces of art were placed throughout the mansion. There were many sculptures and paintings with strange appearances when they opened them one by one, but the butler and Han So-young could not help but realize as they looked at them one after another.
Siwoo’s judgment was correct.
‘Matches well.’
Of course, even this seemed strange to the general public. However, for over 10 years, I lived in the mansion where the works were displayed. They were two people who opened art plans in a narrow field.
After the exhibition was all over, Han So-yeong showed up and Si-woo began to explain the reason for her exhibition and her work. And even though Han So-yeong convinced her, she listened to him silently.
“…Also, that work is called ‘The Woman I Don’t Know’, and as you can see from the naked woman’s hair that looks like a man’s glans, that one was also made in her later years. In relation to…”
“Siwoo-kun.”
“Oh, yes. Han So-young.”
“You don’t have to explain further.”
“Ah, then…”
“Yes, I fully understood.”
“That’s good.”
Siwoo exhales a sigh of relief and rejoices.
Seeing him as a son, Han So-yeong smiled vaguely.
Maybe it’s because he’s my age, but when I see him like a son, I feel happy. Perhaps the name also has an effect.
‘If I were to name it in Korean, it would be the name I was trying to give to that child.’
There is a big difference in appearance from his son, who has inherited his father’s blood and has blond hair and western features. Also, despite the slight age difference, I wondered if it was because of that that I projected my son’s image from him.
Furthermore, didn’t she get works that perfectly fit her husband’s taste and display them in the mansion?
That’s why a little bit. I was just a little bit heartbroken.
“Han So-young?”
“Ah, Siwoo-kun.”
Han So-yeong wakes up to his call after blankly looking at the work and Si-woo.
“It’s lunch time…Would you like to have a meal together today?”
“…”
Siu cautiously recommended her to eat.
I wondered if I needed to be so careful about even having a meal together, but I couldn’t help it. In the two days since he came to the mansion, he hadn’t eaten with Han So-young at a single time.
Han So-young always had food brought to her room by her butler, and she ate alone in it. Even half of the plate the butler brought to her was still intact.
Thanks to that, Siwoo had to eat alone for two days.
“A meal, you mean?”
Han So-young pondered over the suggestion he made.
As if it had been a long time since he had left his room for any reason other than a walk, he could not remember how long it had been since he had eaten with others at the table. After coming out, she decided to recover her daily life little by little.
Even if she didn’t return as a hero, she couldn’t be stuck in her room forever in sorrow. Siwoo’s display of ornaments gave a small opportunity to a widow who lost her husband and son.
“Okay. Let’s go to the dining room.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll tell the butler right now!”
“Yes? Ah, yes…”
Siwoo didn’t listen to her back and ran quickly.
Left alone in her hallway, Han So-young hesitated hesitantly, then turned her head to watch the statue Siu was explaining until just now. It was a work that made me feel as if I had seen it somewhere on Earth.
Of course, I knew that it had nothing to do with Earth. However, they seemed to agree on the point that ordinary people feel bizarre when they see them. Everywhere, human beings called artists seemed to have a unique way of thinking.
‘Anyway, isn’t that too obscene… ?’
The nakedly depicted breasts or pubic area, and the large glans instead of the head on the shoulder. When I listen to Siwoo’s words, I think it’s plausible, but I still think it’s strange.
To think that a person who made mediocre works when he was young has changed so much in his later years. In fact, I wondered if the reason why my husband couldn’t fill the vacancy in the mansion was because he was worried about whether it would be okay to put such an obscene work.
Looking at her statue, Han So-yeong thought deeply, and she asked Si-woo about it while having lunch.
“…What do you think, Siu-kun?”
“Oh, that’s for a reason.”
Siwoo, who was chewing on the steak, hurriedly swallowed the meat.
“Ah.”
She was asking just in case, but when he really knew, Han So-young let out a small exclamation.
He was a really great young man.
No matter how lucky she was, a candidate for the brave who had just been summoned for over a month went to the library and studied her knowledge. It would have been impossible without a diligent and sincere person.
It is not usually difficult to devote one’s energy to learning while being treated with generosity that one would not have tasted back in one’s hometown. Even less than her time, she had a demonic nature to corrupt people when it came to her treatment of candidates for bravery.
‘He’s a kid I like more and more.’
“For what reason?”
“Morgetz was kicked out of the Glazer Empire at the age of 30 and moved around the country until he died. Do you know why he was banished?”
“Well, I think I heard it from her husband… I’m not sure.”
“If my husband had been Glaser, she would have been very blunt.”
“Oh, right. I think she must have been.”
“The Glaser of 200 years ago was corrupt in a different sense than it is now… Oh, sorry. I made a mistake.”
“No. Please continue.”
Siwoo lowered his head as if he had made a mistake, but that was intentional.
In fact, through that, Han So-young’s eyes darkened slightly.
The current imperial family is clearly corrupt. Ironically, even this was the result of a one-time self-purification several decades ago.
It was a common policy mistake. There was a time when the power of the empress or empress became stronger and even the emperor was teased, but they were driven out thanks to various members of the royal family and loyal subjects. Next time, in order to prevent this from happening, the process of raising the emperor’s power was excessive, and another problem was born.
“The young Morgocze did not regret rebelling against the empresses. Rather, he developed the world of art based on that anger and will. It changed, and those obscene works of later years were born.”
“…Siwoo-kun is really knowledgeable.”
“Haha, no. All of them were studied in a hurry.”
Siwoo’s words were not humble.
During the two days when he didn’t even see Han So-young and was half-ignored by her butler or her maids-in-waiting, he studied her to make up for her shallow knowledge. And the help of the Kingdom of Palania was great.
“By the way, the works that came today. Is it okay? I don’t know the price of one work, but there are a lot of them, so they must have been very expensive…”
“I received some help from Palania, my country… No, a lot.”
“Huh, is that so? I’ll have to repay that part someday.”
‘Then why don’t you change your affiliation to Palania?’
Those words jumped out of Siwoo’s throat, but he managed to suppress them. It wasn’t good to show selfishness already. There is no time limit for this mission.
Siwoo planned to use it actively to attack Han So-young at a leisurely pace. First of all, I planned to make friends through these trivial things. He will inevitably become friendly while staying at the mansion, eating together, drinking tea, and going for walks.
“Whoa, eat well. Butler. It’s been a while since I dine with someone else, so it’s kind of fun.”
“Master…!”
Tears welled up in the butler’s eyes as he watched the two eat.
Siwoo was taken aback by the fact that he didn’t match his rugged appearance at all. Han So-young was also embarrassed for another reason. She didn’t come out for a long time, but she was just about to cry over something like this.
“What’s wrong, butler?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was so moved that I didn’t know… Uhhh.”
“…”
“Ah, the customers are watching too. If the butler reacts like that, what am I going to do?”
“Kup. I’m sorry. I’ll stop quickly.”
When the butler left the restaurant, only Han So-yeong and Si-woo were left.
When this happened at the timing when both of them had finished eating, an awkward atmosphere flowed between the two men.
Siwoo quickly searched his head, but he didn’t have anything that immediately came to mind. Hildear and Elaine liked whatever he said, and on the contrary, they talked hard and matched his mood.
But not now. Siwoo, who originally had no eloquence, broke into a cold sweat because he thought that this quiet desolation would last for a long time. Maybe because of the atmosphere, I couldn’t think of any more words.
“Siwoo-kun?”
“Ah, yes! Mr. Han So-young.”
“…How long are you planning to stay in this mansion?”
Seeu hesitated at her question.
She was afraid that in any case she might not like her stay.
Recognizing his feelings, Han So-young smiled lightly and shook her head.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you’re going to stay longer, I’ll give you a room.”
“Yes? You mean the room?”
Siu’s eyes widened.
Now he was staying in the guest room on the second floor. Most of the facilities in the mansion are on the 1st and 2nd floors, and the rooms on the 1st floor are for the butler and maids. He’s accessible, but I still have a strong feeling that he’s going to leave soon.
But now she said she was giving me a room on the third floor.
“Bah, if you give me a room, I’ll be grateful!”
“Whoops. Don’t like it too much. It’s not like you’re giving it forever, it’s just for the duration of your stay here.”
“Haha…”
Siwoo blushes when he realizes he has overdone it.
It’s a little better compared to the beginning, but he still felt tension in his body when he was with Han So-young. I thought I would be able to spend at least two weeks here comfortably.
“And…”
“Yes.”
“Shall we talk a little more comfortably?”
“A word… A word.”
“Yes. I mean. It’s so uncomfortable to be with Siwoo-kun and Han So-young like now.”
Han So-young said that and slightly wrinkled her forehead.
During her active duty, she was in a position comparable to that of the royal family, an SS-class warrior, but she did not like authority. That’s why she bought a small three-story mansion in a remote part of the empire to appease her husband.
Her name, Han So-yeong, was a title she did not like very much.
“Then how should I call you? Oh, I don’t care what you call me.”
“…Aunt Soyoung.”
“Yes?”
“It’s okay, Aunt Soyoung. We have the same last name… Whoops. It’s kind of fun.”
“…”
“If Aunt Soyoung is long, you can call me Aunt for short. I… I’ll just call you Siwoo.
“Uh, of course. Please feel free to tell me.”
“Whoops. Yes. No, yes. Siwoo.”
“Ah, yes… Auntie.”
I felt bewildered.
I couldn’t believe I’d become this close in 3 days.
Of course, it might be easier to just call it a word, but considering the failures of countless empires so far, it was a great achievement.
Maybe it’s because he’s her candidate, but many of her warriors have already been dispatched to convince her. And all failed. She gave up all of them in less than a week, saying that her persuasion was impossible.
“Yeah. It’s much better. … Umm. I feel drowsy because I ate too much for the first time in a while. Siwoo. Shall we go for a walk together?”
“Okay, aunt!”
“Whoops. Okay, let’s go.”
Siwoo proceeded step by step toward the persuasion of Han So-young, a retired veteran of the SS ranks.
