[…Secretary of the Corneus family?]
"Yes, something about fostering goodwill or something. I don't know the meaning, but one must go when a noble family calls a human. I don't have any power anyway."
[Handle it yourself… It's unlikely you'll lose in a battle of wits. Just make sure to check their intentions. But prepare for tonight in advance.]
Cheondo's quiet forewarning of a hellish training.
I hung up the phone, resigning myself to my fate.
Tonight was going to be tough.
"Why are they suddenly calling me?"
The secretary of the eldest daughter of the Corneus family. If that also included being a bodyguard, it was certainly not a lowly position.
'Was it a problem to talk with Sansuyu?'
But it was that secretary, Miho or Shiho, who suggested that Sansuyu make a friend. And personally, I thought of Sansuyu as a really cute friend.
Ulterior motives? Could there be such a thing?
Sure, Sansuyu was pretty and had a big heart, enough to turn other men's heads… But honestly, it was hard to see Sansuyu in that light.
Sometimes, Sansuyu seemed more like a puppy than the dog-like tree, Guseul.
Just then, a black sedan appeared and stopped in front of the academy's main gate.
Sansuyu, who got out of the luxurious foreign car, showed off her elegant grace as she stepped out.
But to me, she just looked like a moving teddy bear.
"Siwon~"
Look at her, waving her hand and running over.
She wore a white ribbon blouse and a skirt that went down to her knees. She dressed lightly for early summer and jogged out of the car cheerfully.
To others, her face might not seem cheerful, but to me, it was clear Sansuyu was excited.
I wanted to pinch her cheeks.
"Did you wait long?"
"I just arrived."
She was wearing a simple cardigan and a cross bag slung over her side.
Inside were only the writing materials and textbooks I brought to the academy.
Sansuyu grabbed my arm and led me.
"Let's go."
"Go where?"
"To my house."
Wasn't I just supposed to meet the secretary?
I looked at Sansuyu with wide eyes, and she just tilted her head with an expressionless face.
The black sedan I was led into was spacious enough to stretch my legs.
-Thump.
The door closed.
There was no turning back.
The secretary in the driver's seat checked my face through the rearview mirror with a stern look.
"I brought him. Oh right. The secretary, Shiho."
"I'm Seong Jiho."
"This is Sion. The friend Miho told you to make."
"I'm Lee Shiheon."
How could she not get a name right?
Seeing Seong Jiho's bitter smile, I felt a sense of camaraderie.
Thinking of Sansuyu being assisted by such a person, in a way, he was a victim, too.
'Wait… wasn't that person recommended by Tree Inside?'
I decided to cut off our connection.
"How did you and Miss become friends?"
On the way to the Corneus family's private residence set up in the academy.
As he turned the steering wheel and asked, Sansuyu answered.
"Shiheon stole my swordsmanship- Ack!"
Stole.
I covered Sansuyu's mouth, anticipating she would say that.
It was a secret that I glimpsed and learned her family's swordsmanship.
"We just got close while training together. Suddenly, the secretary told me to make a friend and called me."
"Oh… Is that so?"
Jiho looked at me suspiciously and then turned his head forward again.
"Siwon?"
Your mouth was your enemy.
I playfully poked Sansuyu's thigh, and she blinked, not understanding the meaning.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the mansion. The secretary got out first and opened the car door, and Sansuyu slowly stepped outside, leaning her body out.
Her elegant movements, always unfamiliar compared to the Sansuyu I knew, caught my attention. As I followed her out, Jiho quietly asked me,
"Mr. Shiheon, may I have a word?"
I stopped following Sansuyu, who turned her head as she led the way.
"Miss, please go to your room first. I have something to discuss with your friend."
"Why?"
Sansuyu's quick response surprised Jiho for a moment.
"What are you talking about?"
"Just a personal matter."
"…But he's my friend."
"Ha ha, sorry."
Sansuyu, slightly irritated, left first, and then Jiho, adjusting his tie, led the way.
"I'm sorry to intrude, but… it's related to the lady. Please bear with me."
"Sure, speak freely. I don't mind."
"No, it's fine. Let's go somewhere comfortable to sit. The lady is waiting."
Outside the mansion, there were benches to sit on. Jiho walked ahead and sat on a suitable bench, and I sat opposite him.
"So, you wanted to foster relations with me…"
I was the first to speak up.
"Foster relations?"
Seemingly surprised by my words, Jiho twisted his mouth.
"Yeah, isn't that why you called me?"
"No, I just suggested that calling you might help the lady with her studies…"
"Ah… so she got it wrong."
So, the talk of fostering relations was about Sansuyu and me. She must have miscommunicated.
Though I found it ridiculous, I could catch onto Seong Jiho's intention.
About studying and such. He meant to hook me up with her for some talk.
"Sorry for saying 'she'. I'm used to speaking informally."
"It's okay. Ha ha… In friendship, status doesn't matter."
"Yes…so, what's the matter?"
I decided to ask directly.
"Nothing serious. I just wanted to thank you for getting along with Miss Sansuyu. She talks a lot about you. She doesn't have many friends, you know. Not much of a talker…"
He was casually criticizing her.
Not having friends and being quiet were indeed facts.
"And Miss… she has a certain status, right?"
Was he implying that I had ulterior motives?
It seemed like he was beating around the bush.
"I'm well aware. Corneus…was it the family?"
"Yes."
"They've been guarding the World Tree for a long time, producing many guards… I've only heard rumors."
In a world where status existed, such a position would be equivalent to a duke in medieval times. As a commoner, one wouldn't normally even see their face in a lifetime.
But just because times had changed and the barriers between commoners and nobility had lessened, the old notions still lingered. If a commoner approached a noble lady…
'But why ask now?'
Sansuyu and I met around March. Now, it's been over two months.
It was too late to be asking.
If there were concerns, they should've checked and approached me sooner.
In today's world, it was not uncommon for the upper class to commit crimes blatantly.
'They must have done a background check.'
Being new to this world, there wouldn't be much information about me. Especially considering my connection with Baekdo, they would be cautious.
I quietly observed her secretary from within my mask.
His stern yet composed face showed professional training. He wasn't just an ordinary secretary.
"I think I understand what you're implying."
But this was something I couldn't prove.
In the worst-case scenario, if they killed me and labeled me a spy, that was what I'd become.
However, considering his careful way of speaking, he didn't seem to have hostile intentions.
"…Are you saying I should distance myself? That sounds like something out of a drama."
"The instruction did come from above. However, I don't want to do that."
From the way he spoke openly,
I could tell how he managed to owe someone a favor and speak so candidly.
He seemed like a familiar person.
"You don't want to?"
"There's a reason Miss doesn't have friends."
Probably, her previous friends drifted away for various reasons.
It seemed like he genuinely cared about the person he served.
"As her secretary, I just wish she could be happier… If Miss is happy, I'd like to accommodate her as much as possible, even if the family head disapproves."
"I think I understand your sentiment."
Even during this conversation, there was a sharp edge in his expression.
A feeling that I needed to convince him to avoid trouble.
I spoke lightly yet truthfully.
There was no merit or intention to lie.
"When I look at Sansuyu… I always think she seems emotionally parched. There must have been some incident."
"..."
"That's why she caught my eye. I'm not in a position to help, but honestly, I couldn't refuse when she asked to be friends, saying I was her only option."
In fact, it was Sansuyu who approached me.
"What kind of friend asks like that? It's not a comic – 'Hey, let's be friends'… It was absurd."
"Ah..."
Jiho's face turned slightly red upon hearing that.
He seemed embarrassed.
In his mind, he probably envisioned Sansuyu saying those words.
She was indeed a unique character.
"But you know better than anyone what kind of person Sansuyu is, being her secretary."
"That's right."
Jiho nodded in agreement.
She's innocent and kind.
"So, I developed a human fondness for her. Nothing more than that."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Silence lingered for a moment.
"Understood. I apologize for the unnecessary talk."
"No, I understand."
"It's getting late. Shall we get up?"
On the way back, led by Jiho, he tested me with a few more words and conversations.
Of course, I had nothing to be guilty about and spoke honestly.
Seong Jiho, realizing this, even made a light-hearted joke towards the end.
"Spicy and chewy tteokbokki…"
I flinched.
"Miss became fond of it. Do you know why?"
I broke into a sweat, then changed the subject.
"She suddenly started looking into Tree Inside."
"…Ah."
Ha ha. We both laughed.
Probably thinking the same thing internally.
This crazy guy.
As I went to meet Sansuyu, I recalled the additional words Jiho had shared with me.
"Miss Sansuyu has been the center of much attention since her childhood."
She was greatly loved by her relatives and father for her talents in swordsmanship and statesmanship, among other areas.
But it's said that it wasn't just her talents that led to her current state.
"The problem was also the strong presence of the World Tree's blood in her."
"Do you know the meaning of the Sansuyu flower?"
Eternal immortality.
And that was the long-standing wish of the Corneus family.
The dream of eternity, pursued by the Corneus family since the 9th century, was a goal and dream for all its members.
As there were several processes to achieve this, Sansuyu, being the most talented, had undergone these procedures since childhood.
"I don't know what those processes are. I'm just a secretary."
Apparently, Sansuyu gradually lost her emotions at some point.
Saying this, Jiho gave a bitter smile and made a request.
"Lately, it seems she's getting better. Please take good care of her."
He added the following:
"I welcome anyone who becomes an ally of the lady."
There was so much going on around me.
As I arrived and knocked on the door, Sansuyu soon opened it.
"Did you come?"
Inside the tidy room, a bright yellow chick-like bed caught my eye.
Sansuyu, in her supremely elegant indoor clothing, greeted me.
"I ordered spicy and chewy tteokbokki!"
The corners of her mouth were filled with anticipation and looked so delightful.
"Let's eat and study."
Without realizing it, I found myself patting Sansuyu on the head.
"Why are you smiling?"
Being with her seemed to naturally bring out my laughter.
It felt like being at a healing camp.
Not bad at all.