–
Unsurprisingly, the servant came back with an awkward look on their face.
“There’s a guest right now so I think you have to wait for a little bit. It shouldn’t take too long, would you like to wait in the parlor?”
I was about to nod at the servant’s recommendation.
And I would have if I didn’t hear the familiar voice in my ear right after.
“Elder, please calm down. It’s not good for your body if you get so excited.”(?)
“Aish, who do you think is the reason for that right now!”
Anne-Marie…?
My eyes flew in the direction the sound came from. I unconsciously stepped towards the corner of the hallway. And I saw the butler standing in front of the door I came out of earlier.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I know Sir doesn’t like me.”
This gentle, crystal-like voice was definitely Anne-Marie’s. Back then at the clinic, I remember her saying she would be taking care of this grandpa. Is that why she was here today? But why is the mood like this?
“But still, thank you for seeing me today. After you left the clinic like that, I was very worried, and I wasn’t able to see you yesterday. I’m glad you look healthy.”
Anne-Marie’s voice somehow gave off a feeling of sadness which stopped my feet. Perhaps the emotions in her voice stalled the old man’s anger because after a pause, his voice rang out much softer than before.
“Ehem. Now that you’ve seen my face, keep your promise! Don’t come back again.”
“Yes, I’m sorry for bothering you. I wish you the best, Elder.”
Clack.
The door opened after that.
And Anne-Marie came out of the room just like I expected. She nodded to the butler before turning to where I stood. The next moment, our eyes met right away.
“Huh? Ms. Yuri?”
Anne-Marie’s eyes widened once she found me standing at a side of the hallway.
“Ms. Anne-Marie, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
I also acted like I didn’t know she was here. Thankfully, Anne-Marie looked okay. From her voice, I thought she was about to cry.
“Ms. Yuri, what are you doing here…?”
“Wait…!”
Just when Anne-Marie was about to walk up to me, the old man quickly walked out of the room, calling for Anne-Marie.
“Hold on, you have indeed worked for a few days so you should get your payme…”
Then he was startled to see me standing in the hallway since I was supposed to have left.
“Yu, Yuri?”(old man)
Anne-Marie’s gaze and mine turned to the old man at the same time.
“You haven’t left yet?”
He asked me, looking somehow flustered.
“Yes, I left my coat in the room.”
“Oh. Oh, I see. Sebastian, what are you doing? Go inside and get it quickly!”
The old man’s eyes shook as he looked at me then he turned to the butler and scolded him.
“Well…I’m going to go now.”
Sensing something weird about this situation, Anne-Marie opened her mouth with a puzzlement cast over her face.
Hearing that, I spoke to her.
“We’re going the same way anyways, let’s go together.”
“Wai, Wait.”
Right then, the old man interrupted, looking more flustered than before.
“You…Do you two know each other?”
I guess he didn’t hear Anne-Marie calling my name when he and the butler were screaming ‘Selena’ last time, in front of the clinic. Well, it’s not like I couldn’t understand. It made sense considering it was quite chaotic then and the old man had even fainted right after.
My lips parted as I started to answer the old man’s question. Then I noticed that in front of me, Anne-Marie was looking at me with oddly sparking eyes. There was some faint expectation in her emerald-like eyes.
I couldn’t resist that silent pressure, so I replied:
“…She’s my friend.”
Instantly, Anne-Marie’s face flushed with a bright glow while the old man’s went dark.
“Ah, A-Ah, I see.”
Somehow, I felt like he was nervous that I had heard him yelling and giving Anne-Marie a hard time earlier.
“Here you go.”
In the midst of this, the butler came out of the room with my coat.
“Well, I’ll get going.”
“Goodbye, Elder.”
Me and Anne-Marie greeted the old man in turn and turned around.[1]
“Wai, wait!”
That very moment, the old man called out loudly behind us. His call seemed somewhat frantic that I couldn’t help but look back.
“A-Anne-Marie.”
“Yes?”
“I wasn’t able to be honest with you earlier. I don’t want you to quit being my caretaker.”
Upon hearing the old man’s words, the butler’s eyes went wide as he stood next to him. Anne-Marie was no different.
“I’ve gotten more stubborn as I’ve grown older. Even if I don’t feel that way, I was unnecessarily harsh on you.”
“Elder…”
“Why do you think I wanted to make you leave as soon as I saw you at door? Isn’t it because I felt uncomfortable just sending you away like this?”
The old man said with a downcast expression, as if he was trying to attack Anne-Marie’s weak heart.
However, what I heard from his mouth earlier was definitely not him cancelling the firing of his caretaker. Instead he seemed like he was telling her to take her daily wages. Of course, seeing as the old man personally followed her to take care of her payment, he wasn’t as cold as he seemed on the outside.
And I remembered what the old man said to the butler in front of the clinic last time.
~
‘Do you really have to be like this? She seems like a nice young lady, why don’t you just accept it this time…’
‘You conscienceless bastard! She’s a nice kid so the more reason not to keep her! Ah, hurry up and get inside!’[2]
~
Then the person they were talking about back then was really Anne-Marie. Was he trying to chase her away because he thought keeping her would trouble her for no reason? But he changed his mind now and was trying to hire her again?
“Elder, are you really okay with me?”
As expected, the kind-hearted Anne-Marie was swayed by his words and asked, looking slightly tearful. To that, the old man yelled in a determined voice.
“What are you talking about? It has to be you.”
The scene unfolding before my eyes deserved to be called touching. The butler standing beside the old man took out his handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.
The old man took Anne-Marie’s hand and hammered the last nail.
“So please look after me from now on, dear.”[3]
Somehow, I felt like right then the old man’s eyes twinkled as though it was saying ‘just as planned!’. But a second glance showed his eyes still surging with emotion so I thought I might have seen wrong.
Either ways, like this, Anne-Marie was hired as a caretaker for the old man living in the grand mansion.
* * *
After a while, Anne-Marie and I left the mansion.
“Ms. Yuri!”
And as soon as I walked through the front door, I met Gilbert who was wandering around like a stray dog.
“Mr. Gilbert, what are you doing here?”
He was anxiously walking back and forth outside the front door and once he saw me, he ran over at lightning speed.
“I was worried, so I came of course! Is everything okay inside?”
“Yeah. Nothing happened.”
I was a little surprised by Gilbert’s words. To think someone with an aristocratic phobia would come all the way here because he was worried about me.
“What about the store?”
“I closed it before I came. Forget the store, Ms. Yuri is more important.”
And he even closed the store. Like I thought, Mr. Gilbert was a good person.
He only looked relieved after hearing my reply. After that, Mr. Gilbert looked at Anne-Marie beside me and opened his mouth.
“By the way, Ms. Anne-Marie is here too? Did you come together?”
“No, I’m here as the caretaker for the elder who lives here.”
“Oh, really? Hmm, then I guess he’s not a weird noble.”
When Anne-Marie said she was working as a caretaker, Gilbert seemed completely relived.
Of course, the fact that Anne-Marie worked here as a caretaker did not prove the character of the people in this house. However, it seems he was strangely relieved to know that at least someone he knew was involved.
And with that, the three of us harmoniously took a carriage back to Ferret Street.
* * *
“Bye-bye, Ms. Yuri.”
“Be careful too, Ms. Anne-Marie.”
As they approached the house, Yuri and Anne-Marie said goodbye and went their separate ways. Yuri opened the door and went into the house. Because she went to the old man’s house and came right after, she got home earlier than usual.
So maybe that was why.
Lakis wasn’t at home.
“…”
Yuri walked inside the house and looked around. But doing that didn’t mean that someone who was not at home would suddenly appear.
It seems Lakis went out today as always. But because Yuri left work early, she unfortunately came back to an empty house.
Yuri pondered for a moment.
‘Should I go out again till Lakis comes back?’
But just as she took one step towards the door, a different thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
‘…Maybe it’s not that he went out?’
Translator’s Corner:
[1] I’m not sure if ‘Anne-Marie and I’ is more grammatically correct but Yuri is the one that spoke first, so I wanted to keep that order.
[2] This is from Chapter 65.
[3] What I’m translating as ‘dear’ is like a title a grandma would call you when she wants to give you cookies.
Note: I previously translated ‘Elder’ to ‘Sir’ in chapter 73 and I think I’ll use both depending on which fits better.
*.*.*
- Notice – 12/24/2024 - December 24, 2024
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 67 - December 21, 2024
- Forget My Husband, I’ll Go Make Money – Side Story 21 - December 14, 2024
Thank you so much! I’m glad Lakis will finally be back. I’ve been feeling a Lakis-Yuri withdrawal! XD
I understand other people’s thoughts on the old man. I know he’s just a lonely old Gramps who missed Selena…. But he’s manipulating our main characters! Oh well, the author has plenty up her sleeves, I’m sure.
Thank you! Rest well and have a good weekend! =)
Why no trailer? I prefer the old one when you gave us trailer in friday when the waiting days to wednesday is longer than wednesday to friday. But, its all up to you:) Thank you as always. Oh, I saw your trans until chap 60~ at wattpad. Is that okay? She/ he did give some credit
This new trailer hurts me.
If it’s just coming soon or dash , i’ll rather not hope at all ;^; i’ll rather see the word next grayed out.
Aw sorry.
Hopefully we can see Lakis again next chapter😆
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the update
Thank you!!! Always makes my Friday brighter
I’m so confused. I really have no idea wtf is going on with this old man. He hired Anna-Marie but then fired her? But then hired her again when he found out she was Yuri’s friend? He clearly suspects Yuri is long-lost daughter or granddaughter or something but how does Anna-Marie factor in?
He can find more about yuri from anna, plus more chances to meet her.
I understand your thoughts. It is definitely the scheming old man that made Anne-Marie work for him in order to get information or even excuses for her to visit him like the cane incident. However, personally I think that Yuri may really be a long lost granddaughter or something even though she was not born with black hair. In this case, it could be that the red eyes come from the mother (Selena) and the blond hair from the father (?). Moreover, she was abandoned and Selena, the daughter of the old man, had some incident thus is currently missing or maybe dead. Therefore, it is not impossible the possibility of eloping/running away and having a child or whatever similar. On the other hand, the fact that Yuri might be unrelated is also really high and more probable, I admit. Nevertheless, it would be good for the story development and it would stop the ship between her and that annoying Duke Crawford due to being related by blood! Bwahaha! This is definitely not said simply because I dislike him… no~, never.
Yuri before the experiment had bright blonde hair…then they became black…and well…even if she is of noble origins she would not recognize it because it’s too much an hassle…or so I think she would think! XD
Also…why get a family now when you have the king of the night? (Xd)
Maybe her hair was originally black but somebody dyed it blonde because if you recall the story they say she daughter of the old man was missing since a fire incident. This is just a crazy teory i have, maybe am wrong because it can’t be that obvious.
Yes, that’s a crazy theory.
Yuri was an orphan who lived on the streets. She had blue eyes and blonde hair. She had one person who took care of her- that was a boy, I guess not more than 3-5 years older than her. (In my opinion he might be Lakis or person not related to him at all- who knows.) After she was taken for experiments her hair and eyes changed color (black hair, red eyes if I remember correctly). She lost most of her memories and ability to feel anything. Her current appearance is how it is now because of experiments, not because of relations with any old noble family or deceased woman who’s father can’t accept the fact that she is DEAD. Old man is simply delusional (and I guess he wants to Yuri and his grandson to get closer ‘alias’ get married- when he doesn’t know that for Yuri his grandson is the worst enemy).
As Yuri was thinking- nobles are problematic and it’s better to don’t have anything in common with them.
The old man didn’t hire her becuase he wanted to. I’m guessing his son, whose name starts with a K(idontremember), had employed Anne Marie one sidedly and just when the old man was firing her, he realized Anne and Yuri were friends so he took it back and kept her employed instead to get closer to Yuri.
Thank u for this chapter!! 😙♡♡
Thank you for the chapter 🙂 old man has some plans up his sleeve, but we will see, waiting for Yuri to meet that bastard Crawford at grandpa place 😀 and mainly cannot wait for Lakis to show up and jump Yuri… 🙂
I’m lacking Lakis~ 😅
Please let the next chapter has lakis!><
Thanks for the chapter as always, Miss Ruby~
Hmm I’m not sure if it was mentioned before but I wonder if in the original novel, Anne Marie’s relationship with the elder was also bad.
100% the old man is planning in using Anne-Marie to get closer to Yuri… Hopefully, his plans will be thwarted… Our Yuri is more intelligent than that… But poor Anne-Marie, she is really investing herself but that damn old man is just thinking of how to use her.
I dk Yuri is clever but she might give in because of the pitiful old man at least occasionally
i don’t know if I’m just a bad person but that grandpa is kind of annoying.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who thinks that 🤚😬
I’m sure the old man is lonely but this sneaky/crafty shit is soo not cute imo
Believe me, it’s not just you who find the old man’s antics annoying.
Thank you very much for the chapter. I’m loving this novel and your great job in translating it!
I just hope that she is really related by blood to the old man in many ways, the first and furthermost reason is to completely block the ship between her and the duke… as an avid fan of Yuri and Lakis ship, he’s the most annoying except the Damon Salvatore… He has no salvation contrasting his last name.
“Anne Marie and I” is correct. Usually children say stuff like, “Me and Anne Marie.” But that’s only because they haven’t learned better.
Thanks for the chap!
Wait at home Yuri and then give Lakis a shock!
Creo que con la última oración Yuri estaba intentado decir que Lakis no salió como siempre, sino que se fue de la casa.
Thanks for the chapter! Now I can sleep happy ☺️ I miss the bug and Lakis
Thank you for the update
Thanks for the new chapter!
Thank you ʕ♡˙ᴥ˙♡ʔ
Thanks Ruby-chan for the awesome translation as usual.
I miss LakisXYuri so much now. hope to see them soon 🙂
‘…Maybe it’s not that he went out?’
Maybe i’ve been reading too much angst lately, but this hits differently on me. Maybe it’s just me 🤷♀️ Lakis might be asleep in their now shared bedroom 🤭
I really am grateful for your continuous translation work for this web/light novel, Miss Ruby. 💕
I hope we’ll read bug’s thoughts in the upcoming chapters, i miss him 😢
Omg, I just found out there’s actually a manhwa adaptation. Not the promotional chapter but a serialization. So excited!!! Thanks for the chapter 🤗 Take care ☕
Seriously?! Where?! I haven’t seen it
Is this a tsundere (grandpa)? IDK if it’s just me but I don’t find the grandpa’s scheming quite cute nor good.
Tyftc.
I dislike the grandpa… He got me gritting my teeth while reading
As always. Thank you for the update
thank you for the chapter! i always get excited by these unique interactions between yuri and the others.
also, it’s Anne-marie and I greeted, because if you take out “anne-marie and” it’s just “i greeted.” if you have “me” then it becomes “me greeted”
Thanks for chap
*sfx oldman doing a guts pose as he found another way to make yuri visit*
Wow she finally misses seeing someone as soon as she is back.
Whats with this weird cliff? So lakris is home yet doesn’t come to see her?
Tl-ssi actually put a ping back link for that dialogue whew.
I don’t know but I feel this old man is really annoying. He seemed to expect that Yuri was his daughter or something he looked at Yuri with a look as if she was his daughter not as Yuri and from his conversation he hoped that Yuri’s life had been difficult so he could use it to take or adopt Yuri or something.
I like Yuri’s blunt personality, she not let anyone make a gap to use her and poor Anne-mari when she tried to help the old man sincerely he used her to get anything abt yuri or try manipulate Yuri in the future.
Leave Yuri alone old man, after all for what a family of her age that even Yuri doesn’t know or even care about.
She already has the king of our night, she doesn’t need the Crawford family or anything that has a rude and racist attitude. what if the old man knew she was a mutant? I know that he is old and very emotional about everything, but he must try to let go of his daughter and accept the fact that his daughter is dead and not use other ppl to replace or act as his daughter