NOVEL WEB Chapter 18
“Momma! Mama! Mama!”
“Haa……”
Lately, Tia’s talking has increased significantly.
When she’s hungry, she asks for food, and when she makes a mess, she asks for a diaper change – she’s started expressing her needs.
She calls out ‘momma’ every chance she gets, and it’s really bothersome.
Though it’s much better than when she would suddenly burst into tears without explanation and we’d have to play twenty questions to find out why…
“Keep your hat on. Understand?”
“Why?”
“We can’t let our horns show.”
“Why?”
“If they do, you won’t be able to stay with mom anymore.”
“Muuu! Scary!”
“You don’t like that, do you? Then you have to wear your hat tightly, okay?”
It’s become a problem because she talks too much.
Whenever I say something, she doesn’t just let it pass; she keeps asking “whywhywhywhy” in an endless loop.
What’s more, the speed at which she’s learning words is alarming.
“Yingma!”
“Where did you learn that word?”
“I listened to what momma said.”
Tia has started using every word I say.
From the mild to the heavy curses, she uses them all.
I should really try to swear less from now on.
Moreover, Tia can now crawl down the stairs backwards all by herself.
There’s no denying that she does it without help, but it has definitely caused me a lot of stress because she randomly shows up on the first floor without warning.
“Don’t trust anyone but me. No matter what they say, don’t follow them or let them hold you. If someone tries to drag you away, scream. Understand?”
“What about Aunt Irina?”
“Only mom and Aunt Irina.”
“What about the Innkeeper?”
“Not even the Innkeeper. Exclude these three people, and trust no one. Especially the church people in white robes – you need to be extra careful with them.”
“Muu…”
I thoroughly warned her.
Absolutely do not take your hat off outside, do not stray from me, and do not follow anyone else.
I emphasized the importance of following my words, warning her that something bad would happen otherwise.
I simply shut down her “whywhywhywhy” questions with “just because.”
Fortunately, so far, Tia hasn’t disobeyed my instructions.
I can only hope this continues forever, or at least until I pass away.
“Julia.”
“What?”
In the middle of my shift.
As I was just about to change into my work clothes in the break room, Irina grabbed my wrist and dragged me off to the restroom.
I seriously tried to resist, but seeing that it didn’t work even against Irina’s relatively meager strength made me anxious. What if a man tried?
I realized I have to be especially careful when walking on empty streets at night.
“Quit this bar.”
“What?”
“I’ll lend you some money. I’ve already talked to Master about terminating your contract. So, find a cheap place to rent and move out. Once you get your citizenship papers, it won’t be hard to find work somewhere as a housekeeper or maid.”
“What? Hold on! What’s this all about?”
I was shocked.
Why is this miser lending me money?
I’m scared, not knowing how much interest she plans to charge.
“What do you mean by ‘all of a sudden’? Look over there.”
Irina pointed outside.
I saw Tia snuggled in the innkeeper’s arms while about ten customers surrounded her.
They say Tia, all by herself, has been contributing the work of two or three waitstaff in sales lately.
She surely is cute, especially with the animal-like ears sticking out from her cap.
“Does Tia understand everything the customers say?”
“Yeah.”
“Does she respond sometimes?”
“Of course.”
“She only knew how to say ‘mom’ until last week. So far, she’s been seen as a slightly smart child, but what happens when she grows up more? She’ll grow taller and start speaking fluently. At that point, it won’t be easy to explain it away as ‘fast development.'”
“Before that happens, I’ll save up and quit.”
“How much have you saved? How much are you getting for your first paycheck?”
“Five hundred thousand won…”
“It’s a lot compared to what a regular farmer makes in half a year, but you still fall short, don’t you? With that, you definitely can’t quit. Just borrow the money from me. I’ve got more than enough. I think five million would do, right?”
“…”
I was speechless.
She was right on every point.
Tia is growing incredibly fast, yet the wages I earned laboriously in just a month barely cover rent, food, and bribes for citizenship papers.
I need to leave here before Tia’s true nature is exposed.
Which means, I need to accept Irina’s offer.
“What are the conditions?”
“What conditions?”
“Stop pretending not to understand. There must be conditions or interest, right?”
“There’s nothing like that, so just take it.”
“Are you seriously lending me money with no conditions?”
“Are you so naive?”
Irina’s expression darkened, showing her obvious discomfort.
That’s when I realized.
She was being sincere.
“If that’s the case, then I’ll consider it a done deal on payday. And I’ll send you the money then.”
“Yeah… Thank you, Irina…”
I couldn’t lift my head.
I was just so grateful…
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such a great favor from Irina.
It was incredibly moving.
“Shall we go now?”
“Uh, yeah. Let’s go.”
…
…
…
Hawaaaaaaa.
It’s Sasha.
I witnessed something amazing today.
You see, Queen Sister grabbed Julia’s hand and dragged her to the restroom where they proceeded to bang on the wall…
At first, Julia’s face showed signs of displeasure, but it gradually shifted to bewilderment…
Hmm, I wonder what they discussed.
Perhaps Queen Sister finally confessed her love for marriage?
If they do marry, which surname will Tia follow?
Would it be Queen Sister’s dominant surname?
No, it’s a known fact that fiery women often become very different after the sun sets…
Thus, Tia will probably follow Julia’s surname…
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?!”
A passing breeze startled me so much that my body trembled.
When I regained my senses, Julia stood there with a broom, her eyes gazing at me worriedly.
Oh, it’s closing time already.
I was reminiscing on such sweet moments, and time flew by…
“Sasha, right?”
“Ack, yes! That’s right.”
So she remembered my name.
Julia and I rarely overlap on our working days, so we don’t meet often.
It’s kind of touching.
“What are you doing now?”
“Eh?”
“Why are you just standing there? Quickly clean up the tables.”
“Umm?”
“You better hurry. If you delay my departure, you’ll know the consequences.”
“…”
No tears of gratitude here!
This is upper-class bullying!
It has only been less than a month since she arrived, yet she’s already giving attitude to her senior?
Does her consistent polite speech make her think I’m weak?
Or is she being uppity because she’s so cozy with Queen Sister these days?
“Y, Julia!”
“What?”
It’s time to set things straight.
When I called out Julia with a determined voice, she turned her blank face toward me.
This is where I need to show some seniority.
“B, your rude speech…”
“Sasha! Is Sasha still here? Huh?”
BOOM!
Suddenly, the whole shop shook.
The doors opened, and there he entered.
Oh no, it’s him again.
The tattooed pig who keeps showing up daily, trying to persuade me and causing a ruckus.
He boasts all the time about beating knights, but what’s so honorable about knocking out a drunk man at night?
“T Sasha! I knew you’d still be here!”
“What do you want? We’re already closed…”
“I’ve been waiting for the store to close! I wanted to confess my feelings!”
“Uh-oh.”
From behind the tattooed pig, a bouquet of flowers appeared.
Ugh, it’s sunflowers.
I have heliophobia and really dislike sunflowers.
But what’s worse is the excessive dedication of this person for waiting until closing time to come see me.
“Sorry, but please visit during business hours…”
“No! I want to hear your answer when the store is closed! Sasha, I love you! Accept my confession!”
“…”
He’s completely insane.
This doesn’t seem like a conversation that can be resolved amicably.
I guess I’ll have to call Master…
“Ah.”
Master seems to be out at the moment.
What am I supposed to do now?
“Why are you trying to run? Just give me an answer.”
“Aah! Let go of me!”
“I’ll let go if you give me an answer, Sasha!”
In the end, my wrist was grabbed by the tattooed pig.
I believe that the trope of holding someone’s arm while dragging them off only belongs in yuri genres—not real life. This is excessive.
Then, to my surprise, Julia appeared in front.
“Sasha. Why don’t you just honestly give him an answer?”
“…”
Julia is absolutely no help.
She just stands silently without even thinking of fetching Master, and only utters ridiculous suggestions.
Honesty? Does this mean she wants me to say that people like him are the kind I refuse to interact with unless they’re paying me?
Do we need to call an ambulance?
Of course, the hospital is closed this time of the morning.
“See? Even your friend agrees with me. Answer me now.”
“Quickly answer, Sasha.”
“Grr!”
No, I can’t do it.
I can’t anger him.
My wrist hurts, my arm is being raised, and my shoulder feels like it’s dislocating. The voices from both sides are extremely irritating and I can’t bear it anymore.
“No! I hate you! No, I don’t even remember your name, but you’re exactly the type of person I never want to see ever again!”
“What? Sasha, is, is that a lie?”
“Ack!”
I said it.
Am I a fool?
I don’t usually act so impulsively…
The strength tightening my wrist grew so intense, it felt like it could shatter my bones. A shriek involuntarily escaped from my mouth.
The guy seemed excited and was screaming, his spittle flying all over my face.
“It’s a lie! Say it’s a lie!”
“Damn it. Stop causing unnecessary trouble.”
“You, what gives you the right to keep interfering—”
“Sasha said no. Go away.”
“What?!”
SMACK.
A sound that one does not want to hear from a person’s jaw echoed.
The tattooed pig’s jaw was slightly twisted, his legs buckled, and he crumbled down. He fainted, foaming at the mouth.
To my surprise, Julia stood there with a metallic mug in hand, her face frightening.
“Did you just hit that… customer?”
“That isn’t a customer. He showed up after closing time. Most importantly, a guy who doesn’t pay properly and harasses one of the staff every day is someone the shop should eliminate for the sake of the business and other patrons, right?”
“Ah…”
Julia knew.
I now understand this person has been coming to my work every day. When I refused to acknowledge him, he would throw tantrums, throwing around items.
Because I didn’t want to cause trouble for others, I kept this to myself.
It seems my discomfort was noticeable.
The fact that Julia stepped in to help and knew everything fills me with deep gratitude.
“Whoa, whoa! Hic… hic…”
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”
“Ah!”
“Is your wrist very painful? Do you want me to soothe it for you?”
This idiot.
Surely it’s not about the wrist, right?
I hugged Julia tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Now, I finally understand.
Why Queen Sister is so fond of Julia.
The whole situation was like an alpha female drama.
If we were in a yuri genre, she’s the kind who flirts around with multiple women and ends up imprisoned by obsessive fans.
“Alright, cry all you want.”
“Hic… hic…”
As I embraced Julia tightly…
‘No, I shouldn’t!’
I suddenly regained my senses.
I’m just a spectator of yuri tales. I shouldn’t be participating!
Besides, that’s not even my type!
Still weeping, I fidgeted, and Julia eventually let go.
“Done crying? Calmed down?”
“Uh…”
Just then, something cute quietly scampered past Julia’s shoulder.
When I looked closer, it was Tia with her adorable cap on.
The sight of her round face confirmed it.
But Tia stopped at the open door and turned to glance at me, assessing the situation.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Ahh!”
After making eye contact with me for a while, Tia suddenly turned her head and fled out the door!
“Hey! Tha…”
“Do you want more comfort?”
“It’s not that!”
“Relax. You’re fine.”
“Ah!”
I need to tell her.
I need to say Tia went outside.
But here I am, tangled up in Julia’s arms, struggling to speak coherently.
Oh no, what should I do?
This is serious!