Chapter 1284 – 1284. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into A Count’S Family
I entered Sili’s house.
It was quite spacious for a shack. It felt even larger because there weren’t many things inside.
There were two women inside. One was a woman who looked to be in her early to mid-thirties, and the other was a small girl who was less than half my height. They were Sili’s mother and younger sister. Both of them were as beautiful as Sili, befitting her family. Sili’s mother, in particular, had a chest as large as Sili’s.
“Sili, who is this?”
“Sister, who is that person?”
“Ah… this person is…”
Sili glanced at me. I stepped forward and confidently introduced myself.
“I am Count Eugene Prukerus. I’ll be staying here until my clothes dry.”
“A, a Count?!”
Surprised, they immediately knelt on the floor. I waved my hand, telling them to stop.
“I know I’m an uninvited guest. Don’t mind me and make yourselves comfortable.”
“Ah, yes, Count.”
Sili’s mother and younger sister were hesitant. Even if I told them to be comfortable, they couldn’t truly relax. It was only natural. Their lives could be ruined by a single word from me.
I sat down on a chair in front of the table and looked around. There were no windows, so the house was dark and damp. The light and wind coming through the door were somewhat helpful, but it wasn’t satisfactory.
There were vegetables and meat on the table. It was the food I had brought to this village.
“Did I interrupt your meal?”
“No, we eat dinner in the evening. Thank you for the food, Count. Thanks to you, we’ll be able to eat well today.”
Sili’s mother said.
“I guess you heard it from Tom. But there’s no stove in this house? Do you eat it without cooking?”
“The stove is outside. We share it with others.”
“That must be inconvenient.”
“It’s okay once you get used to it. Please wait a moment, Count. I’ll bring you some water.”
“It’s fine. As an uninvited guest, I can’t ask for too much.”
I took out a glass bottle of orange juice from the table. I took out four glasses, including mine, and poured orange juice into them.
“It’s orange juice. It’s a drink that’s not common here. Have a glass each.”
They didn’t reach out.
“We’re fine. We can’t accept such a precious thing.”
“Are you saying you won’t drink the drink I’m offering?”
“N, no, that’s not it!”
Sili’s mother reached out in a fluster. She gestured to her daughters as well. Her daughters also grabbed the cups of orange juice, glancing at me. I drank the orange juice first, and then they also put the orange juice to their lips and gulped it down.
“Wow! It’s delicious!!”
Sili’s younger sister exclaimed, her eyes wide. The other women were just as surprised by the taste of the orange juice.
“This is the first time I’ve had such a delicious drink! Thank you for letting us taste it, Count!”
“You called it orange juice? To think there’s such a food… amazing.”
Their mood had lightened a bit. But they were still overly conscious of me.
“I guess I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“Ah, no, it’s not that!”
“It’s okay. I understand. It must be very bewildering to have a Count suddenly appear.”
I looked around, lowered my voice, and spoke to them.
“To be honest, I came to this refugee camp looking for you… the Jeffnik family. I was lucky enough to meet Sili Jeffnik by the well. Well, getting splashed with water was unexpected.”
“I, I’m sorry.”
“I’m just kidding, Sili. You don’t need to bow your head. Ah, keep this story a secret from others. It wouldn’t be good for you to get caught up in rumors.”
“Um, Count.”
Sili’s mother called out to me. Her face was stern, as if she had made up her mind.
“Ask away.”
“…May I ask why you came to find our family?”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I simply want to repay a debt I owe to Alphonse.”
“Alphonse… Do you know him?”
Alphonse Jeffnik.
Sili’s father.
Alphonse Jeffnik had died in battle, just like in the original story. I had already finished investigating.
“Of course, I know him. He’s my comrade. I owe Alphonse my life from the battlefield. Alphonse’s wife… Martina. I know your name too. The first daughter is Sili, and the second daughter is Elsie. Alphonse always told me he wanted to see his family.”
It was a lie.
I had never met anyone named Alphonse. Alphonse was already dead, so I couldn’t meet him.
Martina’s eyes welled up with tears at the mention of her husband.
“Hic… Do you know what happened to him?”
“I know he’s on the northern front. He’ll return when the war is over.”
“He’s alive. That’s a relief… I’m so relieved…”
Martina wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, her face looking much more relaxed, as if she was relieved. I handed her a white handkerchief.
“Use this to wipe them.”
“…I can’t dirty such a precious thing.”
“It’s okay. It’s yours now, Martina.”
I forced the handkerchief into her hand. She hesitated before accepting it.
“…Thank you.”
When the situation had calmed down somewhat, I made a proposal to Martina.
“Martina, I’ll make it easier for you, so why don’t you come and work at my mansion? It pains me to see Alphonse’s family living so hard here.”
“…Thank you for the offer, but we don’t have the proper etiquette to work at a Count’s mansion. And when he returns, we want to leave the city and go back to our hometown.”
Martina refused.
Her refusal was as expected. Martina had once been a maid working in a noble’s mansion, but she was framed as a thief, had all her property taken away, and was kicked out. That bad experience was holding her back.
“If that’s your opinion, then there’s nothing I can do. But I will help you.”
“We’re really fine.”
“It’s a matter of my honor. Surely you’re not thinking of making me look like a man who doesn’t know gratitude?”
“Ah, I understand. Then we’ll only accept a little help from you, Count.”
Martina said with a look that she was about to die from the burden.
“Then let’s move your residence first.”
“Pardon?”
“I can’t let my benefactors stay in such a poor place. There are quite a few empty houses nearby. I’ll lend one to you for free. The loan period is until Alphonse returns.”
“That’s…”
“Martina, please don’t ignore my good intentions.”
“……Yes.”
They looked at each other with uneasy faces.
After my wet clothes dried, I took them out of the refugee camp. Even though I said we left, it wasn’t actually that far. It was about a 15-minute walk. But the house I introduced to them was a two-story house that was embarrassing to compare to the shacks.
It was a house used by the middle class in the city.
“Is it really okay for us to use such a huge house?”
“Of course, Martina. This kind of house is nothing to me. And I should call a doctor too.”
“A doctor, you say?”
“You’ve been limping on your left leg since earlier. You can’t fool my eyes.”
“That’s… I fell while working the other day. It doesn’t hurt much. It doesn’t cause any problems in my life.”
“It’s not up to you to judge that, but the doctor. I’ll bring a doctor, so go inside and unpack.”
I brought an old doctor and had him examine Martina.
The old doctor, who had examined Martina’s left knee, spoke with a serious face and voice.
“The kneecap is weakened. It’s a good thing we found it early. If we had found it a little later… we would have had to cut off the leg.”
Everyone’s faces hardened. Especially Martina’s daughters, Sili and Elsie, looked shocked.
Of course, everything the doctor said was a lie. Martina’s left knee was just bruised. It would heal without a trace if she rested for a few days. The doctor was just saying what I had told him to say beforehand.
“Madam, if you don’t want to lose your leg forever, you must rest.”
“Th, that can’t be. I have to work! I have to feed my children!”
Martina said in an agitated tone. The doctor looked back at me.
“I’ll take care of that problem. Doctor, take action.”
He applied herbs to Martina’s left leg and wrapped it in bandages with a serious face.
“I’ll come back in a week to check on the progress, so until then, rest quietly. I have warned you.”
The old doctor left.
Martina lowered her head with a blank face. She stared blankly at her left leg.
“Martina, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you for the time being.”
“…Count.”
“Don’t refuse. You have to think about your children and your future.”
This world was a world where it was hard to live even if you had all your limbs. What if you were missing a leg? You would only be a burden to your family. That’s why it was common in this world to abandon family members with disabilities.
“Thank you… Thank you so much, Count…”
Martina said, shedding tears. I patted her shoulder silently and came out of the room.
“Mother! Stay still. I’ll do all the housework.”
“Mom, you can’t lose your leg. You’re okay, right?”
“Sili, I’m so glad you’re here. Elsie, Mom is okay.”
I was sitting blankly on the living room chair when Sili came out of the bedroom after a while. As soon as she saw me, she bowed her head.
“Count! Thank you so much! Thanks to you, my mother doesn’t have to lose her leg. I don’t know how to repay this kindness…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who’s repaying the kindness. Your father… Alphonse saved my life. It’s not enough to say that I’ve repaid that kindness with just this.”
I approached her. Sili’s eyes were filled with tears. I naturally stroked Sili’s back with my palm. Sili flinched and her cheeks flushed slightly.
“Still… thank you so much. But um… I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Hmm? Do you have an appointment?”
“I’ve decided to help prepare dinner for the Hwasan Sect starting today. I’ll be back before sunset. The Hwasan Sect is…”
“I know. The owner there is my brother. If you don’t want to go alone, I’ll go with you.”
“It’s okay. I know the way. And the Hwasan Sect isn’t in a dangerous place.”
“Hmm. Okay. I’ll wait until dinner.”
“You’ll wait?”
“I don’t have anything to do right now… and I’m worried about you. Am I being a nuisance?”
“Absolutely not! Will you have dinner with us too? It’s not much, but I really want to treat you to dinner, Count!”
“Oh ho. You seem confident in your cooking?”
“I learned from my mother. My mother used to work in a noble’s mansion. So I’m confident in my cooking.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible!”
Sili ran out of the house. I leisurely admired her swaying breasts.
Creak.
I heard the sound of the door opening and felt a presence. Elsie was peeking at me from the second-floor stairs. She was cute, resembling Martina and Sili. In about five years, she would become a beauty comparable to Sili.
I waved my hand at Elsie.
“Elsie, if you’re bored, won’t you play with me?”
“Y, yes, I will, Count!”
