Chapter 1 : C1 part3
TL: IDevK11
Editor: Capitano
Yurix Deira had a busy afternoon. Having stayed in his territory all the time, when he finally planned to go to the capital, there were many things to take care of. Because of that, he didn’t properly hear the ringing sound.
It wasn’t until nightfall that he could finally sigh and sit in front of his desk. Laven, his loyal knight and aide, approached and asked, “Are you alright?”
“Yes, just a bit tired.”
“Take it easy. Since you’ve ordered Tap-Talk, you can quickly learn about any events in the territory, no matter what happens.”
“That’s true. It’s more convenient and useful than I expected. I can see why it became a trend.”
The Duke nodded as he looked at the Tap-Talk placed on one side of his desk. It had no decorations, but that made it look even cleaner and more elegant.
At that moment, Laven leaned forward and inspected the Duke’s Tap-Talk curiously.
“How do you use that? I’ve never seen it being used in practice.”
Having stayed only in his territory all the time, Laven didn’t have the chance to broaden his horizons. Feeling a bit sorry for him, the Duke gladly activated the Tap-Talk.
“You just tap the screen like this, and it turns on… Oh, there’s a message coming.”
A notification of a new message appeared on the screen, indicating a letter envelope. The Duke pressed the small envelope on the screen to check.
On the screen, only two characters appeared.
ㅋ – laughing (more ㅋ you add more you laughed)
ㅗ – Middle Finger.
The Duke tilted his head and murmured, “What does this mean?”
Laven couldn’t answer as he stood there with his mouth agape.
He was certain that the same thought had crossed the Duke’s mind.
‘Did they suddenly burst into laughter…?’
It was truly bewildering. Of course, what came next was even more surprising.
‘Finger insult after that?’
Laven had occasionally used such insults when contacting his friends through letters.
He quickly examined the Duke’s expression, wondering if he would be displeased. To his surprise, the esteemed Duke, with all his nobility, seemed unaware of the same thought as Laven.
Well, he is a noble with a proper upbringing. He wouldn’t know such low insults.
Laven burst into laughter and tried to remedy the situation.
“Hahaha! Maybe it was sent by mistake?”
“Yes, that’s probably it. It must have been a misclick in a moment of carelessness. I should be careful not to make the same mistake.”
Watching his lord nod innocently, Laven made a resolution.
When they go to the capital, he would have to be cautious about finger insults and the insane individual who sends them. It was clear that they weren’t just ordinary lunatic.
* * *
Blink, blink.
It’s a familiar ceiling. Why am I sleeping? Did I drink and forget?
“Ooohhh!”
Without realizing it, I gasped and sat up. Suddenly, memories of the past came rushing back.
My legs had suddenly turned to stone. My Grandpa asked if it was because of the note I received from the fortune teller grandma. So I used Tap-Talk to send a reply to Duke Deira…
“You’re awake, miss!”
He bursting through the door, ran towards me in a hurry. His face was pale, showing how worried he had been.
In a dazed state, I tried moving my legs.
Wow, they move well.
A tremendous sense of relief washed over me. I heaved a sigh of relief, patting my chest.
“I’m really relieved… Could it have been a nightmare? It was all real, right?”
“Yes. I’m glad you’re safe. You’ve been asleep for hours! It’s already midnight!”
No wonder it was dark outside.
Perhaps because I went through such a frightening experience, it didn’t feel real. Honestly, even at this moment, it feels like just a dream.
But the fear and pressure I felt in that moment, as my body turned to stone…
It couldn’t have been such a vivid dream.
“Could it really have been because of that note? Did I get better right after replying to the Duke?”
He nodded, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Yes, not long after you replied, your body returned to normal. You lost consciousness, but the doctor said you were just asleep.”
“Wow, really…”
I was speechless, unable to believe it.
Was I really cursed? Just because of a meaningless note? There was no warning that my body would turn into stone!
In that moment, a realization struck me.
“That grandma was a evil magician!”
A traitor, after I had even redecorated the shop for her!
“Now things are really in trouble. Even the magic defense ring won’t be of any use if it’s such a powerful magician!”
He paced anxiously by the bedside, as if the world was about to end. Pessimistic words poured endlessly from his wrinkled lips.
“You’re going to spend your whole life just replying to people. Every time the employees greet you, you have to respond, and when those people greet you back, you have to greet them too! You might just grow old from greeting people forever!”
They say that as you age, you become as firm and solid as a rock, but looking at him, it seemed that saying was incorrect.
As he twisted his hands and cried out in a childlike voice, strangely enough, my heart became calm.
It was as if he had taken away all my share of frustration and anxiety. When someone is causing a big fuss, the person observing tends to become calm instead.
Perhaps because of that calmness, a memory resurfaced.
“No, Grandpa. It’s supposed to last exactly one year. So I just have to get through this year.”
“It’s the beginning of the new year! Before the year ends, you’ll surely turn into a dumb rock!”
…A dumb what?
“Please calm down, Grandpa.”
As Grandpa said, it’s indeed a serious issue.
Due to my job, I have to meet people frequently. I can’t possibly struggle to give my ‘final answer’ every time. Even if it’s just a conversation with Duke Deira…
Ah.
“Grandpa?”
“Yes?”
“Did I… say something to the Duke?”
His expression worsened even more.
Oh no. I remember when I typed something, Grandpa didn’t look happy. Didn’t he try to stop me, saying that I shouldn’t do just that? What on earth did I write?
Well, even if I check now, my fingers are barely functioning, so I pressed the buttons with difficulty. It probably wasn’t anything significant.
With a sigh of relief, Grandpa approached me with Tap-Talk. Then I restored the conversation with Duke Deira.
Restoring conversation history… Restoration result 43.
And the letters appearing one by one.
ㅋ
ㅗ
I’m pretty sure my face turned purple.
Naturally, my voice trembled.
“Did… Did I mock the Duke?”
Grandpa nodded with a pained expression.
“And then suddenly cursed…?”
Nod, nod.
I stared at the Tap-Talk screen, dumbfounded. I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate that Duke hasn’t replied yet.
Now, let’s think of a solution.
First. [I’m sorry. It seems there was a machine error in the transmission.]
Second. [Actually, it was a shortened way of saying I welcome it! It’s Tap-Talk culture, Hehe ^^]
“Aaaah!”
I can’t tell the buyer that there’s a problem with the machine, and the abbreviations are just nonsense!
“Should I be honest then? Am I cursed? Duke Deira is a magician. Wouldn’t he understand right away?”
It’s not the best solution, but being honest might be the best approach. I asked, thinking it might be a good idea, but Grandpa shook his head reluctantly.
“Don’t you remember what was written in the note? You can’t reveal the curse to others.”
Damn curse.
“But what about you, Grandpa? You know about my curse.”
“Maybe because I saw that fortune note with you. I won’t be able to tell the Duke.”
Then what should I do?
I glared fiercely at the Tap-Talk screen, squinting my eyes. Of course, that wouldn’t make the already sent message disappear.
Next time, I should definitely add a feature to delete already sent content.
While making untimely resolutions, Grandpa comforted me with a worried face.
“Maybe the Duke doesn’t know what it means… Tap-Talk became popular a few years ago, but he only bought it this year because he was busy with his territory. He might just think it was a mistake since he’s not familiar with this type of conversation.”
It was a really plausible deduction.
Yeah, it seemed like Duke knew nothing about Tap-Talk culture. He didn’t even send fragmented sentences. He wrote it like a letter, all at once. He did use the [^^] symbol later, but it seemed like it was the only after I did it.
Suddenly, I felt relieved. Since there was no reply yet, maybe the Duke thought it was my mistake.
I relaxed my body and flopped back onto the bed.
“Grandpa, you’re a genius.”
“Is that so?”
Grandpa, who had suddenly escaped from a panicked state, belatedly nodded nonchalantly. He’s truly emotionally rich and prone to mood swings. But that’s what makes him great.
“Don’t worry too much. And somehow, Duke Deira seemed like a good person.”
He felt different from other nobles.
Some say that Tap-Talk is a communication method inferior to letters. It’s so casual that you can’t properly gauge someone’s character.
But well, I wonder if true character is always revealed through letters or Tap-Talk?
In that sense, I felt Duke Deira’s character through the conversations we had on Tap-Talk.
“Is that so?”
With a doubtful expression, Grandpa looked at me and asked further.
“It’s not that you’re think good of him because he might become a major customer, right?”
“…”
Well, I can’t say no. In the business world, the person who pays the most money is the most important, right?
And so, a day full of mishaps came to an end.
I was cursed with an absurd curse. But still, my fortune for this year was great. I’ll be able to handle it.
I closed my eyes and briefly imagined my parents’ faces. If they were still alive, what would they say when they found out about my curse?
Since they have passed away, I’ll never know the answer to that question.
I pulled the blanket up to my head and fell asleep. First, starting tomorrow, I’ll have to figure out how to lift the curse.
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