The Attendant in the Horror Game C29

Chapter 29

“Uh…?”

Jade’s startled voice broke the silence that followed. For a brief moment, time seemed to stop in the kitchen—everyone froze in place.

Even Parang, who had been swaying its leaves and body nonstop, seemed to sense the unusual tension and went still. Soondol’s wings stopped midair as well, and that was when Jade realized for the first time that the creature could float without flapping.

“Uh…?”

While everyone else was frozen like statues, only the flour continued to drift through the air. The fine white powder floated in slow motion, like snowflakes or popcorn caught in a cinematic slow-motion scene.

The flour spread across the kitchen, settling over the floor, on Soondol’s fur, on Jade’s hair—and even all over Ian.

“Are you alright?”

Jade hurried over and began brushing the flour off Ian’s shoulders. Ian had his eyes squeezed shut, his face and hair completely dusted white. His golden hair, now covered in flour, looked like sugar-coated threads.

“I-I’m fine.”

As Jade’s hands brushed over his shoulders, hair, and even his cheeks, Ian flinched and batted his hands away. As he stepped back, more flour cascaded down from his clothes to the floor.

“Oh, no—pfft! I’m sorry, I’m sorry—haha…”

Unfortunately, Ian had been standing right in front of the sack when it burst, so he had taken the full impact. His round shoulders were blanketed in flour, and though Jade had tried to help clean him, the flour smeared across his face made him look as if he were wearing pale makeup.

“You look just like a bride.”

“A-a bride…?!”

Ian’s voice cracked in shock, and he stammered loudly. It was rare to see such a flustered expression on the usually composed boy.

Though still young, being called a bride by another man must have bruised his pride, Jade thought. His cheeks and the corners of his eyes flushed red with embarrassment. Seeing Ian like that made Jade feel as if he were the one who had bullied a blushing bride to tears.

But the comparison hadn’t been a joke—Ian truly did look like a porcelain bride. With his pale skin and the dusting of flour, he looked fragile and beautiful, almost doll-like.

“Myang…”

Soondol, also covered in flour, let out a mournful cry. When he flapped his wings to shake it off, the flour scattered even further, tickling everyone’s noses and making them sneeze. Soondol sneezed too, pressing his little paws to his nose in a surprisingly human-like motion.

“Achoo! Soondol, hold still. I’ll clean you up.”

“Myang!”

But Soondol, well aware of Jade’s rough cleaning style, immediately tried to escape. Jade, however, wasn’t about to let the flour spread all over the villa.

He caught the wriggling creature and started carefully brushing the flour off its fur. The falling flour collected in a small pile on the table.

“Oh!”

Jade’s eyes lit up. Hygiene could wait—flour was precious. Not a single grain could go to waste. Flour was practically gold here; it was unthinkable to just let it scatter away.

Half-delirious with desperation, Jade began shaking Soondol harder, as if trying to squeeze every last bit of flour out of him. The fine white dust burst out of his fur like puffs from a powder puff.

“Myang!”

“Just a bit more! We can’t waste even a speck!”

Jade shook him with determination, occasionally brushing flour off his own clothes and adding it to the growing pile on the table.

“Jade. You do realize what’s mixed in there, don’t you?”

Ian pointed toward the little white mound accumulating before them.

When Jade froze, he finally noticed the small black hairs sprinkled throughout the pile. Even with his eyes half-squinted, he couldn’t unsee them.

In his old world, Jade had been meticulous about hygiene. But given the circumstances, a few cat hairs shouldn’t have been such a big deal… except that black fur stood out starkly against the pristine flour, and there was no denying it.

“…Ah.”

“Here.”

“Kkiieeh.”

Ian grabbed the mop ghost and handed it to Jade, the ghost squirming weakly in his grasp.

“We’ll have to throw that flour away, won’t we?”

“Yes.”

“Ha…”

The villa was still full of dust, and flour that had touched the floor—or Soondol’s fur—was obviously unusable. After all, Soondol rolled around everywhere daily.

“Ugh.”

Jade groaned as he gathered up the wasted flour from the table. Losing food ingredients like this was heartbreaking, but this wasn’t just any food. This was flour—the very heart of all carbohydrates, the most sacred of ingredients in his eyes.

“Myang?!”

Having been shaken to the brink of unconsciousness, Soondol swayed unsteadily, then pointed toward Parang, who was poking out of the sack with teary eyes.

“Eh?”

Parang’s tiny limbs wiggled anxiously, sensing a threat.

“No, Soondol. You can’t eat him.”

“Myang…”

At that, Soondol’s ears drooped in disappointment. Even though he hated vegetables, his strange fascination with Parang continued.

“Kkiiee. Kkiieeh.”

The mop ghost began wiping the flour off the floor with its long strands, but somehow, it only smeared the mess further. Jade sighed and fetched a proper cloth to clean it himself.

“If only the broom weren’t broken…”

Straightening his back, Jade glanced accusingly at the mop ghost. Every now and then, the memory of the broken broom returned to haunt him like a ghost of its own.

“Well, at least half of it’s still usable.”

After cleaning up, Jade checked the sack. Thankfully, about half of the flour remained intact.

Vegetable pancakes didn’t require much flour, so they could still manage dinner and maybe breakfast tomorrow. Still, it pained him to think he couldn’t try baking anything else. He had wanted to show Ian his baking skills one day.

“Alright! Cleanup’s done—let’s make vegetable pancakes. No point crying over spilled flour.”

Despite the sorrowful look in his eyes, Jade clapped his hands and smiled. Dwelling on it wouldn’t bring the flour back, and there were still carrots and potatoes waiting.

He found a large bowl and began mixing flour and cold water. His hands trembled as he poured, terrified of spilling again. Using a fork, he stirred until a thick batter formed.

“Now, let’s add the oil…”

He poured oil into the pan and placed it over the fire. As it heated, he dipped the shredded Shade Carrots and star-shaped potatoes into the batter. There were no chopsticks, but using two forks worked well enough.

“Myang! Myang!”

“Kkiiee?”

“……”

The oil from the frost lizard’s tail heated up, releasing a savory aroma that filled the air. Drawn by the smell, Soondol, Ian, and even the mop ghost gathered around.

Carefully, Jade placed the vegetable mixture into the pan, flattening it into small, round pancakes.

Chiiizz—

A delicious sizzle filled the kitchen, tiny bubbles rising in the oil. The golden-brown edges began to crisp, filling the air with the smell of home cooking.

“That should do it.”

He lifted the pancakes out and placed them on a thick sheet of paper to drain. The oily paper would later serve as kindling for the fireplace—nothing went to waste here.

“Myang!”

“Not yet.”

Soondol reached for one with his paw, but Jade stopped him too late. The pink pads of his paw had touched the hot surface, turning a darker shade instantly.

“Myang…”

Whimpering softly, Soondol pulled his paw back.

“It’s still hot. Be careful.”

Jade blew gently on the injured paw, then sprinkled a pinch of salt over the steaming pancakes. It wasn’t much, but it added the perfect flavor. If only they’d had soy sauce—it would’ve been perfect.

“Try it.”

He placed a small pancake in Ian’s hand. Ian took a cautious bite from the edge, and the crisp sound echoed faintly.

“Myang!”

Jade handed one to Soondol as well and then took a bite himself. After so long without real food, the taste was heavenly. The Shade Carrot had a surprisingly pleasant texture, and the star potatoes tasted just as he remembered.

“This is amazing! Right? Isn’t it?”

“Well…”

“Myang! Myang!”

Even though Ian didn’t say much, he quickly finished one and reached for another, proving the taste spoke for itself. Soondol, too—once a vegetable hater—was happily circling the table, enchanted. The plate of pancakes emptied fast.

“Ian, do you like cake?”

While dividing the last pancake into three pieces, Jade asked casually. He couldn’t help but think of carrot cake again, remembering its sweet, spiced aroma. Shade Carrots would be perfect for it.

“Ian?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never had one.”

Ian answered softly, looking aside as if the words were nothing.

“Oh…”

Jade bit his tongue. He had forgotten—Ian had been neglected since the age of five. After the former Duke Linwood’s death, the boy had been treated like a ghost in his own family. There had never been a birthday celebration for him.

Jade himself had never received a cake from anyone, yet he had blurted out such a thoughtless question. Smiling faintly, he spoke again.

“When’s your birthday, Ian?”

“May, I think. I don’t really know.”

Ian shrugged casually. Late spring. Since it was now the end of February, that meant his birthday was roughly three months away.

“What about you, Jade?”

“Me?”

“You never said when your birthday is.”

“Oh.”

It was rare for Ian to ask him anything personal, and the simple question made Jade smile warmly.

“August. In the middle of summer.”

“…That suits you.”

“What does? My birthday?”

“…Yes.”

Ian nodded vaguely and looked away. To him, Jade had always felt like summer itself—bright, warm, and alive. In this cold, desolate northern land, Jade carried warmth like sunlight. But saying that out loud would’ve been far too embarrassing.

“…It’s the best meal I’ve ever had.”

“Really?”

“…”

For someone who rarely gave opinions on food, it was a surprisingly heartfelt compliment. Jade’s shoulders straightened with pride.

“We can make it again tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Sure.”

For the first time in a long while, Jade found himself looking forward to spring. When the snow melted and fresh ingredients returned, maybe he could finally bake a cake for Ian’s birthday.

He had lost half the flour, but tonight’s dinner had been worth it. The kitchen felt full of warmth—of laughter, comfort, and soft, growing emotions.

And a few days later, someone from the Linwood family arrived.