All right! From now on, I’m officially in charge of fun at this castle! Fired up with determination, I grabbed my emptied soup bowl and jumped up from my seat.
“Come on, everyone, let’s head outside if you’ve finished eating! We don’t have much time.”
“Again? I thought the snowball fight was over.”
“Hey, snowball fights aren’t the only fun to be had with snow! Ever heard of a snow house?”
Thanks to the heaps of snow piled up from clearing the paths, our snow house was completed in no time. As my friends excitedly took turns exploring our enormous creation, I started scouting for the perfect location.
“Oh, this spot’s ideal.”
It wasn’t too steep, nor too shallow—just the right slope and length, free from obstacles like rocks or trees.
The grassy hill along Gold’s usual walking route had always made me think it’d be perfect for sledding. Among winter sports, nothing beat the thrill of sledding. I smiled, already imagining how much fun everyone would have.
In my hands was sled number one, which I’d whipped up earlier. Well, “whipped up” might be an exaggeration; it was just an appropriately sized plank wrapped in an old kitchen sack. Still, I added sturdy handles that doubled as brakes. My childhood experience on countless sledding slopes was clearly paying off.
“Time for a test run!”
Sitting on the sled at the top of the hill, I lifted my feet. Immediately, gravity took over, and the sled raced downhill. Wind and snowflakes whipped past my face, and by the time I reached the bottom, a genuine exclamation of joy burst from my lips.
“This is freaking awesome!”
The rush! Nostalgia filled me, and for a moment, I felt like a kid again.
Using safety checks as an excuse, I took several more solo runs—only to get caught red-handed by Butler Squawk. Even after that, I insisted on one final demonstration for everyone’s benefit.
“This is called a sled! You slide down the hill and enjoy the thrill of speed, as you saw.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“No worries! If it feels too fast, just tug on these handles to slow down.”
“It still looks pretty scary, though…”
Seeing Marianne’s hesitation, I offered her a tandem ride, holding her securely as we sped down the slope. Naturally, I provided the same service afterward to the Pitt couple.
“So, was it fun?”
“Yes! Now I want to try it alone!”
“Hohoho, me too!”
I knew they’d love it. But sled number one was a bit oversized for Marianne and Grandpa Tail, prompting the quick construction of sled number two. This smaller, cuter version became instantly popular with our smaller guests.
“Hahaha! This is more fun than I expected! Thanks for this wonderful experience, Briel!”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Seeing even Elizabeth and Gold wagging their tails happily filled me with pride. Everyone who tried it—except Butler Squawk, who politely declined, claiming flying was thrilling enough—was thrilled. By all accounts, Briel’s sledding park was a resounding success. But then—
“Haha, I’m jealous. It’s a shame I’m too big for these sleds,” Jack openly lamented.
Glance.
I caught Kalz pacing nearby, subtly watching us with longing. Those eyes practically shouted he wanted a turn too.
Well, since the sled park’s already open, it wouldn’t be fair to exclude anyone!
Thus, sled number three was created—large enough to comfortably seat three people and, naturally, the hardest to build due to its size and weight. Proudly, I presented sled number three to Kalz.
“Here you go!”
“What’s this?”
Acting oblivious, was he?
“It’s a sled. Go ahead and give it a try.”
“Can you guarantee it’s safe?”
“Seriously? You watched me ride multiple times earlier. Wait—are you secretly scared like Marianne? Want me to ride with you?”
“Ridiculous.”
“Stop pretending. Don’t worry, if it gets too fast, pull this rope and lean back to slow down.”
Despite his feigned reluctance, Kalz’s perked-up ears gave him away. Smiling, I dragged him to the top of the hill and firmly sat him down on the sled.
“All right, let’s go!”
“Wait, I’m not mentally prepared yet—!”
Prepared for what, exactly? Pretending not to hear him, I shoved Kalz’s back with all my strength. Maybe due to the extra weight, his sled gained surprising momentum. I shaded my eyes with my hand, watching as he rapidly shrank into the distance. Then, something dangled into my line of sight. What is this?
“…A rope?”
It was distinctly familiar—the very rope I’d attached to sled number three as both a handle and brake. But why was it here, dangling loosely in my hand instead of securely attached to the sled?
BAM!
At that exact moment, a heavy crash echoed from the bottom of the hill, accompanied by Butler Squawk desperately calling out for his master. Instantly, realization hit me.
“…Oh crap.”
***
“I’m really, really sorry!”
Even though my back was bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle, Kalz remained utterly silent. I was starting to feel a little insulted, but when I caught sight of him sitting stiffly, right arm firmly bandaged and resting awkwardly on the armrest, my frustration vanished immediately.
“I swear to the heavens, it wasn’t intentional. Truly!”
“I should hope not. If it had been intentional, we’d be talking attempted murder.”
“Whoa, attempted murder? Isn’t that going a bit far?”
“Going far?”
His cold, piercing golden eyes forced me to bow even lower.
“No, you’re right, Kalz-nim. I deeply apologize.”
“Kalz-nim again? Weren’t you casually calling me ‘you’ just moments ago?”
Ah, he’d been keeping score. Since he’d never mentioned it, I’d thought he didn’t care. Well, I hadn’t wanted to do this, but desperate situations called for desperate measures. Slowly, my knees sank to the floor.
“I’ve seriously messed up. Look—I’m kneeling.”
“I can see that, but frankly, I’ve witnessed it so often it’s lost its impact.”
A blatant exaggeration—I hadn’t kneeled that many times! But I swallowed my protests and forced a cheerful smile.
“Seems kneeling isn’t enough. Fine, how about I call you ‘Hyung-nim’ from now on to show my sincerity—”
“Stop right there. I absolutely despise that title.”
His face hardened instantly, clearly recalling unpleasant memories. Looks like Leon’s endless “Hyung-nim” routine annoyed him more than I thought. Well, I did know that would hit a nerve.
“Are you truly remorseful?”
“Absolutely! Would I be kneeling if I weren’t?”
“Then I assume you’re ready to pay the price.”
“The price?”
“For your mistake.”
“Price?”
Unprepared for his response, I inadvertently echoed his words. Kalz’s lips curled up at one corner into a sly smirk.
“Surprised? Surely, you didn’t think an apology alone would cover it?”
“Not exactly, but…”
“An apology is the minimum requirement. Anyone with a conscience would naturally offer compensation.”
“That’s true, but…”
Compensation? Paying a price? My mind was already spinning with unsettling possibilities. Especially given that the opponent was Kalz—this was exactly why I’d sided with Butler Squawk during the snowball fight. But what choice did I have now? Time to pull out my final card.
“Then, as compensation, I’ll personally attend to you until your arm fully heals.”
“Are you seriously offering your regular job as compensation?”
“Hey! Are you looking down on my service?”
“It’s not about looking down. Handling miscellaneous tasks for your employer’s comfort is literally your job.”
Right… Why was he making so much sense today?
“Fine, then what exactly do you want as compensation?”
“Will you accept whatever I decide?”
“…I suppose I don’t really have a choice, morally speaking.”
I reluctantly agreed, but my mind was spinning. Surely, he wouldn’t actually demand money, right? Someone as wealthy as Kalz wouldn’t stoop so low as to snatch away a servant’s tiny salary—unless, of course, he decided tormenting me was worth docking my pay. After all, he’d pulled something similar before.
As I nervously waited for his answer, Kalz observed my anxiety with clear amusement, exhaling a leisurely sigh.
“Hm, nothing immediately comes to mind. Butler Squawk mentioned it’ll take about two weeks for my arm to heal completely.”
“Two weeks? It didn’t even look that seriou— Ah, I mean, thank goodness it wasn’t worse! Of course.”
Feeling his cold glare, I quickly shifted gears mid-sentence. Until he decided exactly what he wanted, it was better not to irritate him further.
“…I’ll tell you the price for injuring my arm once it’s fully healed. It’ll depend entirely on how well you perform until then.”
In other words, he planned to evaluate how good of a servant I was for the next two weeks. All I had wanted was to let Marianne and the others enjoy themselves in the snow, but somehow I ended up fulfilling Butler Squawk’s wish, becoming Kalz’s personal caretaker, and now facing some unknown compensation on top of it all. In just a single day, I’d become hopelessly indebted.
This was unbelievably unfair. Summoning every ounce of resolve from deep within, I shouted with forced cheerfulness:
“Yes, sir! I’ll serve you to the very best of my abilities!”
…Well, what other choice did I have but to give it my all?
Ah, the fate of an employee.
