Became the Owner of a Poor Estate
Chapter 32
“It’s a forest where monsters live. It might be dangerous. No.”
No matter how important the development of the territory was, Donghee had no intention of sending Red Bear to his death just to obtain Como trees.
Whether he was a real person or a fiction created by the status window, Donghee was gradually becoming fond of Red Bear, who showed her absolute loyalty. The same went for the other characters.
She had told herself many times not to get attached, but having lived a lonely life on her own, she couldn’t push away those who sincerely worried for her and did their best to look after her.
“I will be out of the forest before the sun sets.”
Donghee shook her head.
“There must be another way.”
If they couldn’t find Como trees, she could simply complete a different quest.
At Chloe’s firm stance, Red Bear tightened his jaw and pressed his lips together.
It was because he hadn’t realized until now that the Lord worried so much for their safety. He took a sharp breath to steady his emotions as the bridge of his nose began to sting.
“It is true that monsters live in the Black Forest. However, no matter how dark it is inside, they will never come out during the day when the sun is above the trees. Even if they do appear, I can easily strike them down.”
Having been unable to play a proper role during his time in Grace Territory, Red Bear did not want to miss this opportunity. If he completed this task successfully, he could prove himself to be a very useful existence to the young Lord.
“I will not overextend myself.”
Donghee, listening quietly to Red Bear’s repeated pleas, stared intensely toward the Black Forest with a troubled expression before looking up at the bright sky. Then, as if to extract a vow, she looked him straight in the eye and commanded in a firm voice.
“Even if you don’t find any Como trees, you must be out before the sun sets.”
“Do not worry. I will bring my subordinates back safely.”
Red Bear was deeply moved by the Lord’s expression, which seemed to carry genuine concern for him.
Even though he promised to return before sunset, Donghee couldn’t feel at ease.
Just as she was about to command him not to go at all.
“My Lord. If it is Como trees you seek, there are a few in the gardens of Grace Castle.”
Handsome, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Red Bear and Donghee, spoke up softly.
“What?”
“My apologies. I dared to interrupt while my Lord was speaking….”
Handsome, thinking that Donghee had raised her voice because he had dared to butt into a conversation between the Lord and the Knight Commander, hurriedly bowed his head. Even if he had been promoted to butler, it wasn’t a place where he should have spoken out of turn.
“No, not that. You’re saying there are Como trees in the Grace Castle gardens?”
Realizing a beat late exactly why the Lord was surprised, Handsome nodded with a bright smile. Thinking that he, too, could be of help to the Lord like the others, strength naturally returned to his voice.
“Yes? Yes! There are. The Previous Lord was so interested in plants that he grew several types of flora from the Black Forest in the garden. Most of them withered and died, but the ones that survived until now are the Como trees. There is a garden near the castle walls specifically for plants that dislike sunlight, like the Como tree.”
“I’ve never seen a garden like that.”
“There is a recessed area by the eastern wall that the Previous Lord turned into the Shade Plant Garden. It is enclosed on all sides and has a roof, so it’s possible you haven’t seen it, my Lord. Even the gardeners only go in there once a month.”
“Once a month?”
“Yes, no matter how large a Como tree grows, it can survive on a very small amount of water, so they only go in to water them once a month.”
Only then did she understand why she had no memory of seeing any suspicious-looking trees in the garden.
To think she would feel such sincere gratitude toward a father she had never even met!
Donghee, finding Handsome quite commendable for remembering such an important fact at a critical moment, said:
“Lead the way. We’ll postpone the trip to the Black Forest for later.”
First, she needed to figure out the relationship between the Como tree and Tie stones.
“Woooah.”
Upon arriving at the place Handsome led her to, an exclamation escaped Donghee’s lips.
She had expected a place like a small storehouse, but it was much larger than she had anticipated.
The brick greenhouse, sturdily built with red bricks, had only small vents scattered along the walls, aside from the entrance. It seemed to have been designed to allow the plants to grow in the shadiest possible conditions, given their nature of hating sunlight.
Creak—
As they opened the large wooden door, it let out a loud groan as if rejecting outsiders.
She had expected the air inside to be stagnant since it was almost entirely enclosed, but it was surprisingly cool.
There was even a refreshing scent of peppermint in the air.
“Wow!”
Despite the lack of sunlight, the inside of the greenhouse was fairly bright.
It didn’t take long to find the source of the light.
Looking around, Donghee pointed her finger at a plant that was emitting a faint phosphorescent glow in various spots.
“What is this?”
“It is Luminous Moss.”
“Luminous?”
“Yes. It was given that name because it emits its own light in dark places. It is exceptionally effective for headaches.”
“Oho!”
The name was a bit odd, but at the mention of it being effective for headaches, Donghee reached out toward the moss with a look of renewed interest. Just before her hand could touch it—
“You mustn’t touch it!”
“Stop!”
Voices of protest erupted from in front of and behind Donghee.
“Ack, you scared me!”
As a startled Donghee curled her hand back, Handsome, who had been leading the way, hurried over to check her hand.
“You didn’t get burned, did you?”
“Huh?”
Donghee looked puzzled, not understanding what he meant.
“Luminous Moss emits intense heat the moment it is touched by human hands. There are countless people who have suffered burns by touching it without knowing.”
“I didn’t know.”
Donghee curled her hand into a fist with a dazed expression.
“When handling Luminous Moss, one must always wear thick gloves.”
Handsome’s worry-filled voice sounded as if he were scolding a younger sister.
“I understand.”
Feeling a sudden urge to act a bit spoiled, Donghee answered with intentional stiffness.
Handsome walked ahead, glancing back occasionally at Chloe, who was busy looking around and letting out constant exclamations of wonder. Walking ahead of the Lord felt strangely like committing a crime, so his shoulders naturally hunched inward.
“We have arrived, my Lord.”
Handsome spoke in an even more respectful tone. Since it had been a very long time since he had been inside, he didn’t remember the exact location of the Como trees either. His head moved busily as he scanned the surroundings.
Just as he was worrying about what to do if they couldn’t find them, the Lord’s energetic voice suddenly rang out.
“Is this the Como tree?”
Thinking it looked most similar to the description she had heard earlier, Donghee stopped and asked. Handsome, who had been walking ahead, turned around and, realizing he had passed it, answered with a reddened face.
“Yes.”
Since it was a tree brought from the Black Forest, she had imagined it would be massive and gloomy. However, the tree the butler was pointing to had a very thick trunk but was only about as tall as Donghee. The Como tree, covered in round leaves about the size of a large coin, actually felt quite cute.
From a distance, it looked like it was covered in green coins on every branch.
Moreover, the leaves were quite thick; when she lightly touched a branch, the leaves bumped into each other, making a clatter-clatter sound like a galloping pony.
“It would be quite noisy if grown outside.”
If a Como tree were in the garden, the noise every time the wind blew would probably keep her awake.
Donghee nodded, then strode over to the Como tree, grabbed a branch, and snapped it off.
“My Lord!”
“If you cut it—!”
Red Bear and Handsome shouted at the same time.
And Donghee soon realized why they had reacted that way.
From the cut surface of the branch, a viscous, honey-like liquid began to drip, emitting a foul stench.
“Ugh! It smells like poop!”
Donghee pinched her nose with her clean hand.
Fortunately, however, the smell didn’t last long.
Staring at the glue-like Como tree sap, Donghee remembered something. She poured out the Tie stone powder she had brought along onto the ground and mixed it with the dripping sap.
She stirred it with a twig since she didn’t have a proper tool, but the more she stirred, the more certain she became.
This is it!
The gray Tie stone powder melted into the sap, and soon the two materials turned a dark gray and hardened into a solid mass.
“Cement?”
I’ve hit the jackpot!
What the Tie stone powder and Como tree sap had created was undoubtedly a hardened block of cement.
Status window, I’m sorry for calling you a scammer!
Donghee’s voice even trembled with excitement at the unexpected and massive harvest.
“Red Bear. Strike this with your sword.”
Donghee said, placing the hardened Tie stone on the ground.
Red Bear, looking as if he didn’t understand the reason, struck the hardened Tie stone with all his might using the sword at his waist, just as he was told.
Clang!
The Tie stone, which he thought might break easily, lightly deflected Red Bear’s sword with a clear ringing sound.
Red Bear’s eyes widened as if they would pop out, feeling his sword vibrate slightly in his hand.
“My Lord, what kind of magic did you use?”
The handsome Handsome asked blankly, watching with stunned eyes.
The mixture was so sticky that even after returning to the castle, Donghee struggled for quite a while to wash the Tie stone and Como tree sap off her palms.
It gave me some pretty useful information.
She didn’t know yet because she hadn’t tried the other things, but she felt that the information was quite excellent.
She was leisurely sipping tea with a satisfied heart when a knock sounded from outside.
“Come in.”
It was Anna who opened the door and entered.
Anna, whose face hadn’t lost its smile since receiving the bread as a gift, was for some reason hesitant and cautious as she stepped inside.
“What’s the matter?”
The tea Thelma had brought suited Donghee’s taste quite well.
It was a tea that smelled of both herbs and flowers, and the more she drank, the more it seemed to hit the spot.
“Young Master Ray has arrived.”
“Who?”
Donghee asked nonchalantly, bringing the teacup to her lips once more.
“Young Master Ray. Your fiancé.”
“I have a fiancé?”
Oh my god!
Donghee’s eyes flew wide as she set her teacup down on the table with a thud.
Well, with looks this beautiful, it would be impossible not to have a lover.
Ah… I thought I might die from working every day, but is springtime finally coming!
And his name is Ray? What’s with this cute, compact-car-like name? Surely his younger sibling’s name isn’t Morning?
While Donghee was spinning a wild web of imagination, Anna’s answer continued.
“Yes, you were engaged a year ago.”
A sigh was strangely mixed into her voice as she answered.
“Why? Anna, do you not like Ray?”
At Donghee’s question, Anna was startled and waved both hands frantically.
“H-how could I possibly dare to speak ill of the Lord’s fiancé? It’s absolutely nothing like that.”
Seeing that Anna was excessively frightened, Donghee asked in an even softer voice than before. Judging by Anna’s tone and expression, there was something unsettling about leaving it at that.
“I’m a bit too good for him, aren’t I?”
When the quick-witted Donghee made a guess, only then did Anna nod with an upset expression.
“Anyone can see that you are too good for him, my Lord. Even if Young Master Ray is a noble.”
“But?”
Anna looked to see if it was really okay to say this, and when Donghee gave a bright smile, she answered in a small voice.
“Aside from his face…. Gasp! I’m sorry, my Lord. I’ve spoken out of turn. Please forgive me.”
Anna hurriedly bowed her head and apologized as if she were a true criminal.
“It’s fine. You’re just saying I’m too good for him. I’ll take it as a compliment.”
At Donghee’s cool response, Anna smiled comfortably as if relieved.
Since the atmosphere seemed to have softened, Donghee asked a few more questions. Since she knew nothing about Ray, she had to gather even a little bit of information.
“Is Ray head over heels for me?”
Anna found it strange that the Lord was talking about her own engagement as if it were someone else’s business.
Moreover, to say something so nonsensical.
It seemed that pushing herself with the territory’s affairs lately had truly taken a toll on her health.
Anna suppressed her rising emotions and continued in a calm voice.
“Pardon? Ah, it’s not that.”
“Then?”
“You fell in love with Young Master Ray at first sight, my Lord….”
Anna’s voice trailed off as she spoke, keeping a close eye on Chloe.
No matter how much the Lord had changed recently, this was a matter concerning her fiancé.
Furthermore, the Lord’s obsession and love for her fiancé were so exceptional that there wasn’t a soul in Grace Territory—no, even in the neighboring territories—who didn’t know about it.
“I did?”
“Yes.”
Anna stood awkwardly, unable to find her bearings as she looked at the Lord, who had an expression of utter disbelief. It was even more so because she couldn’t tell if the Lord was being serious or joking.
“With this beauty of mine?”
“Pardon? Yes!”
This wasn’t exactly the kind of development she wanted.
But then again, there was no law saying a woman couldn’t make a move aggressively.
She felt certain that a man named Ray must have been charmed by such a side of Chloe, as well as her appearance.
Anyway, a fiancé.
He was a man whose face she didn’t even know, but the mere fact that he was her fiancé made her heart thump and her cheeks flush. She wasn’t the type to be so hung up on men, but her current reaction seemed to be due to Chloe’s habits remaining in the body.
Chloe really loved her fiancé.
Suddenly, the bridge of her nose stung with a sense of pity for the Chloe who no longer existed.
“Tell him to come in for now.”
Donghee said, smoothing out her clothes. The busy thump-thump of her heart felt unfamiliar.
Donghee, who had been so busy making a living that she’d never even had a common romance, let alone been a fan of a celebrity, slowly steadied her breathing against the strange emotion shaking her heart.
Moreover, if he was her fiancé, he would know Chloe Grace better than anyone, so if she spoke too hastily, she might be caught as not being the real Chloe.
A person with another soul inside their body.
In this era, it was the perfect condition to be branded a witch and burned at the stake.
‘I should try to speak as little as possible.’
If he said she seemed different, she planned to use the excuse of being unwell.
A moment later, when she saw Ray enter the drawing room, Donghee understood in an instant why the previous Chloe had fallen in love at first sight.
He was the very definition of a flower boy.
Beautiful blond hair, emerald eyes reminiscent of a lush forest, a sharp nose that looked like it would shout love from the center of the world, and plump, glossy red lips.
Whoa, this guy is way too handsome!
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he was the most handsome person Donghee had ever seen in her life.
“Ray?”
Donghee called his name, then hurriedly shut her mouth at her embarrassingly trembling voice.
Calm down, calm down.
Ray didn’t seem to notice anything strange; he walked in leisurely, faced Chloe, and gave a brilliant smile.
Please! Stop! I think I’m going blind!
A halo seemed to shine behind him.
Such a stunning person is my fiancé? All that suffering on Earth was worth it.
Donghee watched with an enchanted gaze as Ray sat down across from her with an air of ease.
“Chloe, have you been well?”
Even his voice is killer.
Listening to a voice that sounded like it would whisper ‘sleep well’ late at night, Donghee nodded.
Even though she tried to snap out of it, she couldn’t help the feeling of her mind going blank.
Ray was a charmer who bewitched people.
