The Attendant in the Horror Game C32

Chapter 32

Jade opened the sacks and muttered grimly. He had suspected it when he saw only four small bags, but the supplies were even worse than he expected.

The first sack held a few pieces of clothing and a pair of work boots—but the clothes were so tattered they were hardly wearable, and the boots were worn down to the point where holes were about to appear in the soles. How much had someone walked in them for the tough leather to wear through like that? And, of course, none of it was Ian’s size—everything was adult-sized. It must have been difficult even for a duke’s house to intentionally source items this damaged.

Still, the first sack wasn’t the worst. Clothes could be patched with spare fabric, and he could attach wooden soles to the boots. Beneath the clothes was a small hand-axe—that at least would be useful. The truly disastrous sack was the second one.

“Ugh! What is this?!”

Inside was dried meat—covered in blue mold. The moment Jade opened the sack, a rotten stench burst out, forcing him to air out the kitchen.

He considered trimming off the outer layer and salvaging the inside, but the meat had completely spoiled. Only good for bait, perhaps, if he went hunting later.

The third sack contained winter maintenance materials—sealants, hinge replacements, and lamp oil. Useful, compared to the previous contents, but pointless now.

After all, winter was ending and spring was arriving. Jade had already repaired most of the villa himself, so these materials were no longer urgently needed. Even the whale oil was unnecessary—he still had plenty left.

“They should’ve sent a broom instead.”

Delivering essential items an entire season too late was downright malicious. Receiving winter supplies now, in spring, was almost insulting. The cruelty was subtle but deliberate.

At least the fourth sack contained food. Jade perked up at the sight of potatoes on top. With his self-proclaimed skill of [Root Vegetable Finder Extraordinaire!], he could always gather potatoes in the wild, but having them delivered was still pleasant. More ingredients meant more options, and less physical labor.

“Hmm~ let’s see what else we’ve got.”

“Myaaa—”

Seeing food made Jade hum happily. He transferred the potatoes into a basket one by one. Soondol circled the sack with sparkling eyes, paws neatly pressed together in anticipation.

“Onions!”

After pulling out about ten potatoes, something he hadn’t seen in months appeared.

Onions. How glorious that name sounded. As someone raised on onion-heavy Korean food, he felt genuinely moved. Onions added sweetness and depth to nearly any dish. Excited, he dug deeper into the sack—only to pause.

“Pot…ato…?”

After removing about six onions, another firm potato appeared.

“Maybe the other ingredients fell to the bottom.”

Jade pulled out four more potatoes. Items often shifted around in sacks during transport.

“Potato…”

But the next thing he grabbed was another potato. And the sack was now deflating rapidly. Jade, panicking, reached to the bottom. He felt nothing but fabric. Frustrated, he overturned the entire sack.

“More potatoes?!”

“Myang?!”

Five potatoes tumbled out and rolled across the floor. A sprinkle of dirt followed.

In previous months, at least they had sent rye bread. This time there wasn’t a single grain of bread—no other ingredients whatsoever. They said this would be the last delivery, and they were tightening pressure even through food. A clear command: Finish the job quickly.

“What the—!”

Jade held up a potato. But he couldn’t bring himself to throw it. In a place where every food item was precious, wasting a potato was unthinkable.

He sighed and accepted the miserable reality, sitting down at the table.

All the food fit into a single sack, and even the large basket he’d brought from storage wasn’t close to full. Nineteen potatoes and four onions. That was the entire food supply.

“Myang? Myang??”

Even Soondol tilted his head, as if asking, Is that really it? He batted a potato around like a toy. Jade’s mood sank. He had barely escaped the nightmare of mushrooms, and now it was a nightmare of potatoes.

“Should’ve sent sweet potatoes instead.”

He hadn’t found any near the forest. If he had, he could’ve made candied sweet potatoes—especially since he still had sugar.

“Meat…”

His gaze kept drifting toward the sack of rotten meat. Pathetic as it was, he felt a pang of longing. They had clearly sent inedible meat on purpose—to make him crave real meat all the more.

Though he usually preferred seafood and vegetables, isolation made him miss protein. Running the household burned through his energy fast. Not that they’d given enough food to begin with.

“Myang—”

Soondol shook Jade’s shoulder. It was nearly lunchtime. And, naturally, the menu would be potatoes.

“Fine, we’ll steam some.”

For now it was the easiest option. Not just for today—potatoes would probably be the main food source from now on. He would need a variety of cooking methods to survive.

After his mushroom trauma, Jade’s strategic cooking mode activated quickly. At least potatoes had carbs, so they were filling and felt like a proper meal.

“We’ll steam them today, and maybe bake some tomorrow?”

“Myang!”

Soondol clapped his paws enthusiastically. Despite being a picky eater, he seemed fond of potatoes after enjoying the vegetable pancakes last time.

Jade crossed his arms and looked at the fireplace in the first-floor hall. Baking potatoes directly in the embers was a delight. He ran through recipes in his mind.

But the firewood pile beside the stove was running low. He suddenly remembered he hadn’t gathered more since last week.

“Achoo! Myaang!”

“You’re spraying spit everywhere, Soondol.”

“Achoo! Myaang!”

“Oh, so now you’re complaining it’s cold?”

“Myang!”

Soondol exaggerated a trembling pose, folding his wings over himself like a pitiful victim. Such a tyrant.

Admittedly, they did need more firewood. Jade had thought spring meant warmth, so he hadn’t stocked up. But northern spring was harsher than he expected. They’d clearly need to keep the fireplace running for a while.

“Alright. I’ll gather a lot of firewood tomorrow.”

He needed more for the baked potatoes anyway. And he had a hand-axe now. Too small for chopping big trees, but branches and saplings should be manageable.

While he was out, he planned to search for more food as well. Nineteen potatoes wouldn’t last three people a month.

After deciding on tomorrow’s plan, Jade rolled up his sleeves and washed the potatoes.

After hammering wooden planks together through the night, Jade crafted replacement soles for the boots and tried them on.

They were slightly big, but tightening the laces made them fit. Aside from the missing soles, the boots were practically new. They must have been deliberately damaged to avoid sending proper supplies.

“Not bad.”

The wooden soles were slippery, but Jade carved grooves into them, making them usable. As he hopped around to test them, Ian came down the stairs.

“Ian…! You’re awake?”

“……”

Ian looked at Jade—who was bouncing lightly—with clear displeasure. Since yesterday, he had been icy cold.

He refused bedtime stories and went to sleep alone. In the morning, he didn’t come out no matter how many times Jade knocked.

Jade had thought they’d grown closer over the past three months, but maybe it had all been in his head. Every time they seemed to grow closer, Ian pulled away again. He was not an easy child.

Still, since he had come downstairs when Jade left the room, maybe he wasn’t actually angry.

He’s complicated…

Jade, who was simple in both good and bad ways, rarely held onto stress. He would sleep and forget. Because of that, he couldn’t understand why Ian’s mood was off. He didn’t connect the dots that the visit from the Linwood family knight might have affected Ian emotionally.

“You need breakfast, Ian.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You still have to eat. Skipping meals at your age is terrible for growth.”

“……”

Jade pressed a steamed potato into Ian’s hands until he reluctantly took a bite. His cheeks puffed out adorably as he chewed. His hands were so small that just one potato filled both palms.

“It’s good, right?”

“……”

There was no reply—but Jade hadn’t expected one. Seeing him eat was enough.

He noticed Ian was wearing the shirt and pants Jade had left by his door that morning. He must have liked them. Ian looked radiant enough that even patched clothes appeared as new tailored garments on him.

“I’m going to gather firewood. Want to come?”

“……”

“If you’re tired, rest. I’ll be back soon.”

He hadn’t expected a response anyway. Leaving Ian behind, he grabbed a sack and the axe and left the villa. It was cold for spring, but compared to the winter blizzards, the weather was tolerable. He could feel faint warmth behind the clouds.

He had walked some distance toward the forest entrance when he heard small footsteps trailing behind him.

“Oh? Ian.”

It was Ian—dressed warmly in an outer coat and wearing outdoor boots. Despite his small stride, he had caught up quickly. Surprisingly strong for someone so delicate-looking.

“You said you weren’t going?”

“I never said I wasn’t going.”

Ian snapped while looking away. The tips of his ears were pink—like ripe peaches.