They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 121: Agnes [5]

Agnes’s eyes went wide with horror at what she’d just said.

Her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"No one. I didn’t mean..." She stammered, stepping back from me quickly, creating distance. "It’s nothing, Master Jin. I misspoke. I wasn’t thinking clearly—"

"Really?"

The single word stopped her retreat.

She bit down on her lower lip, hard, her hands twisting together in front of her.

The silence stretched between us.

I waited, keeping my expression open. Not pushing. Just... waiting.

Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It’s... it’s about my mother."

I frowned slightly. "Your mother?"

She nodded, still not meeting my eyes. "T-The healers... Yes, the healers threatened that if I don’t pay them on time, they won’t treat her anymore. The treatments are expensive, and if I leave here, if I lose this position..." Her voice cracked. "I won’t be able to afford them. And she’ll die."

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

"Wait a minute." I tilted my head, genuinely confused now. "Weren’t you an orphan?"

Her shoulders hunched inward, making her look smaller.

She looked down at her hands, nodding slowly.

"I am." She took a shaky breath. "She’s not my biological mother. But she’s the woman who took me into the orphanage when I was just little. Found me on the streets, half-starved, and brought me in."

I stayed quiet, letting her continue at her own pace.

"She treated me like her own daughter," Agnes continued, her voice thick with emotion. "Before Lady Catherine took me in as her maid, before I had anything or anyone, she was there. She taught me to read, to write, how to speak properly. Everything I needed to survive."

Her fingers twisted tighter together.

"A few years after I joined your household, something happened at the orphanage. Between her and the others running it. I don’t know all the details, but she left. Went back to her home village."

"And you stayed in touch?"

She nodded. "I used to visit her on holidays. Whenever I had time off. It wasn’t much, but..." A sad smile crossed her face. "She was always happy to see me. Said I was her greatest success. That she was proud of me."

The smile faded.

"About three years ago, she got sick. The local healers couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her at first. By the time they did..." She swallowed hard. "The treatment is expensive. More than most commoners could ever afford."

"So you’ve been paying for it," I said quietly.

"Everything I could save," she confirmed. "Every copper, every silver. When I was working for your family, I sent almost all my wages to pay for her treatments and medicine. It was barely enough, but it was keeping her stable."

Her voice dropped even lower.

"When your father kicked me out, I lost that income. I had some savings, but they ran out within weeks. I was desperate. I couldn’t find work fast enough, and the healers were threatening to stop her treatments if I didn’t pay..."

She looked up at me finally, her eyes red-rimmed and wet.

"Duke Glimor offered me a position here. Good wages. Better than most households. And when I explained my situation..." She hesitated. "He gave me an advance. Enough to pay for several months of treatments upfront."

Understanding clicked into place.

"And now you owe him," I said.

She nodded miserably. "I need to work here to pay back what I borrowed and continue paying for her care. If I leave now, if I break my contract..." Her breath hitched. "I’ll have to return the advance immediately. Money I’ve already spent on keeping her alive. And I don’t have it. I can’t pay it back."

Her voice broke completely.

"So I’m trapped here, Master Jin. I want to leave. I want to come back with you. But I can’t. Not without letting her die."

She looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes.

"I’m sorry."

I stared at her, and something twisted painfully in my chest.

So that’s why...

The thought hit me like a physical blow.

That’s why she always dressed so simply. Why her clothes were always plain, patched in places, worn at the edges while other senior servants had nicer uniforms. Why she never bought anything for herself, never indulged in even the smallest luxuries that other maids allowed themselves.

Why she’d always worked double shifts when others took days off. Why I’d find her cleaning late into the night, taking on extra tasks nobody asked her to do.

She was saving every single copper for her mother’s treatments.

Another memory surfaced, sharp and clear.

The thistle.

I’d asked her to buy it for me without thinking twice about it. It had costed some silver coins. A significant amount for a servant.

Money she’d probably been saving for months.

And I’d just... taken it. Used it for my own purposes without considering what it might mean to her.

I robbed her of her hard-earned savings.

Guilt crashed through me.

I exhaled slowly, forcing the emotion down, and stepped toward her.

She flinched slightly as I grabbed her shoulders, her body going tense.

Then she looked down, unable to meet my eyes.

"Agnes." I spoke softly, keeping my voice gentle.

"Do you trust me?"

Her head jerked up, confusion flickering across her tear-stained face.

"What do you mean by that, Young Master? I—"

"Do you trust me?" I asked again, more firmly this time.

She stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching mine for something.

Then she nodded slowly.

"Yes. I trust you."

I smiled, squeezing her shoulders gently.

"Then don’t worry. Everything will be fine."

Her brow furrowed, confused.

"I’ll negotiate with the Duke and buy your contract," I continued. "Pay back whatever advance he gave you. Cover your mother’s treatments. All of it."

Her eyes went wide, shock spreading across her face.

"Young Master, you can’t... that’s too much... I can’t ask you to—"

"Agnes."

The single word stopped her protest mid-sentence.

"Trust me."

She opened her mouth to argue, to retort, to probably tell me all the reasons why this was a terrible idea and I shouldn’t burden myself with her problems.

I could see the conflict playing out on her face. The desperate hope warring with guilt. The part of her that wanted to accept fighting against the part that didn’t want to make things harder for me. Her jaw worked, teeth catching her lower lip.

Then, slowly, she clamped her mouth shut.

And nodded.

"Okay," she whispered. "Okay, Master Jin."

Relief flooded through me.

I pulled her into another quick hug, squeezing tight.

"I’ll go meet with the Duke now," I said against her hair. "And I promise, everything will be fine. You’ll be free to leave with me, and your mother will be fine."

I pulled back, giving her one more reassuring smile.

Then I turned and headed for the door.

My hand closed around the handle.

"Master Jin?"

I paused, looking back at her.

She stood there in the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of her, looking smaller and more vulnerable than I’d ever seen her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I nodded once.

Then I left the room, closing the door quietly behind me.

The corridor outside was empty, afternoon light still streaming through the tall windows.

I stood there for a moment, letting my expression settle back into something neutral, controlled.

Now comes the hard part.

Convincing Duke Glimor to let her go.