Episode 61

"Are you out of your mind?"

"I’m actually a competent physician. You know this from our time together."

"This isn't about your skills...!"

Lapis clutched the back of his neck, overwhelmed by the abrupt job request.

His elongated neck flushed a deep crimson, reminiscent of tomato soup.

"Come on, we're close."

"Your tone, that's just...! Who said we were close?"

"Didn't you use formal speech out of respect and admiration?"

"That’s reserved for women! I use formal speech with men to maintain distance!"

Lapis stomped his feet and shouted.

"So, you are interested in my sister? You pretended otherwise before..."

"That misunderstanding is unpleasant for me as well."

"As if! Do you think you're the only man like that?"

The sun rose.

The wind blew.

"They all left my sister battered and bruised!"

The rich young master swung his fist in the air...

Lapis shivered as if truly horrified.

"Alright, I'll be honest. I don't really, really, really... find you that detestable."

"I know."

"Think again. You can't be with my sister."

Lapis took a step back.

Ute advanced three steps forward.

Lapis retreated nervously and squeezed behind me.

"Sonnet, Sonnet, say something. That guy's eyes are creeping me out."

"Ute's eyes always sparkle."

His green eyes, drenched in the dawn light, resembled leaves reflected in a lake.

I smiled at Ute.

"That's not the problem! Suddenly talking about a job and everything. What is all this—"

"Listen, Lapis."

"Yes?"

"I need you too."

I gently grasped the hand on my shoulder. When our eyes met, his sharp pupils quivered slightly.

"I need to find work immediately after my discharge. Can’t you help?"

"No matter what, our mansion is, well, a bit..."

"Difficult? I'm pretty desperate."

"If, if Sonnet says so, then maybe there is a way..."

The fierce momentum that had him jumping up and down seemed to have calmed down.

'Seems like my words have quite an effect.'

I wasn’t sure what had won me his favor, but it was fortunate.

Lapis frowned and spun around on the spot.

"A gardener? No, what if she suddenly hits you with a rose."

"..."

"The kitchen? No, that’s dangerous too. But then again, hmm..."

"..."

"The stable? It’d be better to handle horses—no, no, what if she whips them?"

"Lapis."

"Where could you avoid running into my sister..."

"Lapis!"

"Hm? You think it’s not a good idea either, right? Our place is really not great. I’ll recommend somewhere else."

A job so undesirable the employer himself dissuaded me.

'Normally, I wouldn’t have volunteered either.'

Thanks to someone, my idea of 'normal' had long changed.

"No, I have a job in mind."

"What is it?"

"A personal maid."

"I don’t have a maid. Wait, if I make Sonnet my maid, my sister can’t say anything. Then—"

"No, not you."

"Not me? You mean my brother?"

"..."

"My brother’s not an option. He hates stuff like that. He’s always busy, hardly ever at the mansion. He even has his own aide."

"That’s not what I meant,"

"My father?"

"..."

"My father too... He already has people who have been with him for decades. There’s the head butler and five aides—"

"Your sister."

"...What?"

"Not you, your sister."

Same gender, similar age, direct lineage of the family.

If I were to serve, it would obviously be on the young lady...

Lapis mumbled like a chef who had poured hot sauce instead of salt.

"Sonnet, I hate to say this, but do you... have a death wish?"

"My wish is to own my own home."

"Are you trying to carry all of humanity’s karma to hell?"

"No."

"Why choose such a thorny path? Are you desperate for money? How much?"

"How much would you—no, I’m not desperate."

"If it’s money, I can connect you to something else. How about interior decoration?"

"I told you I’m not desperate for money."

"Try to talk her out of it. Hey? Aren’t you friends?"

"Of course, Sonnet and I are close friends."

Ute's smile was fresh as he cupped his cheeks and asked slyly,

"Can I apply for the residence physician position?"

"Why are you both like this, seriously!"

Lapis was not easy.

But there was no need to worry.

"Please hire me..."

Ute Velvet was not easy either.

In the middle of the surging sea.

Even while sprawled out on a small boat, Ute clung to Lapis.

"I graduated top of my class in pre-med. I’ll do everything I'm told..."

"Why would such a talent come to our mansion...?"

"I also have a pharmacist license. I’m a once-in-a-lifetime talent!"

"Why do you even have that... You’re twenty-five..."

"When I attended... the integrated course... pilot program..."

His long arms were tightly wrapped around Lapis’s waist.

"Please, please!"

"Ew, gross... Ugh, I can feel your breath! Fine!"

I get it~~!

The young voice echoed across the vast ocean.

'He actually got what he wanted like that.'

Despite everything, he was a resourceful man.

Ute released his grip and asked brightly as if nothing had happened.

"So you'll hire me?"

"Yes..."

"And Sonnet too?"

"Sonnet, ha, yes..."

His yellow head bobbed up and down weakly. The main topic was settled. It was still half a day to the shore.

"Watching you makes me seasick too. Can’t you both sleep for a while?"

What a fuss until discharge day.

Lying back in the chair, Lapis continued mumbling, his hands folded on his chest.

"If Sonnet sang a lullaby, I could sleep peacefully..."

"I’ll sing for you."

"I don’t care about a man’s singing voice... Urgh..."

An unfamiliar tune softly resounded.

I wanted to keep listening to that sound but was unable to.

"Sonnet."

"Yes."

"Speak comfortably. We handled the formalities on the island."

Benjamin Chamber.

The main culprit who sent me to the wilderness and my number one candidate for 'father'. He called me out of the cabin but could not speak easily.

'If you have something to say, just say it all at once.'

It wasn't just today. He was like this throughout my service.

'I want to watch over you, spend time with you. Sweet words like that.'

Since he found out I might be his daughter—which I may not be—I thought he might try to look out for me.

But no.

Benjamin Chamber was really... the embodiment of the manual.

〈The supervisor should not form a personal relationship with a service member during their service period.〉

Thanks to this, he didn’t speak a word to me for the entire year!

He literally just watched.

"So, you see..."

The tedious silence continued even after the ship reached the dock.

'Forget it.'

I wondered how great a father figure could really be.

I adjusted my bag and nodded.

"Thank you for everything."

"Right. So, now that you’re discharged. From now on..."

Silence again.

I had no obligation to wait for him to figure out what to say.

"Here you go."

I might as well finish my business.

I handed the letter I had prepared to Schrödinger’s dad.

"...What’s this?"

"My heart. Take care."

"Wait, So—"

There was nothing more to hear.

Ute and Lapis, who continued whining even after they had departed the boat, followed me quickly. My former superior soon disappeared into the crowd.

"No more ties."

---

The man standing idly at the dock suddenly lifted his head.

The bright lavender hair had long faded into the distance.

With a careful hand, he opened the envelope.

I apologize for informing you of this through a letter.

The letters caught his eye. His blue eyes wavered as he read line by line.

I am not your daughter. Or, I may not be. My mother had relations with two other men around the same time...

After the confession of fear of repercussions, a simple sentence followed.

I apologize for deceiving you.

"I may be your daughter, or I may not be."

Benjamin Chamber recalled the young girl who always stood upright.

A chile who resembled the woman he loved so much, except her eyes were strikingly blue.

"Daughter..."

Strangely, he recalled her nodding awkwardly as she read the letter.

'Why did she apologize?'

Looking back, Sonnet Posa always behaved more maturely than others.

The man gently placed his hand on his chest.

He had never experienced seasickness, but his heart ached for some reason.

---

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