chapter 328
328. Loner (11)
Someone had just woken up from sleep, bewildered by the unexpected guest, and belatedly grasped the situation. Someone quickly covered themselves with a blanket, checked their appearance, and blushed deeply.
They tried to catch her, but they couldn’t.
Camilla, who had slipped out faster than ever, did not return.
But, to say ‘go ahead’…
If you say something like that…
“…”
“…”
With a frozen expression, Carsein turned his head slightly, as if gauging the situation.
There, Harniere’s eyes, which had been watching him, were reflected.
The man and woman, who had the exact same thought without a single word out of place, immediately turned their heads sharply.
In the room filled with awkwardness, the two of them hung their heads blankly as if time had stopped.
‘This… is an emergency.’
‘W-what should we do?’
A current of silence flowed.
An inexplicable strange atmosphere settled in.
Undoubtedly, to an outsider’s eyes, it was a scene ripe for misunderstanding.
Outside, the cold air was firmly in place, but here, it must have seemed quite heated.
It was precarious enough for a man and woman of considerable age to be in the same room. Crossing the line could happen in an instant.
But to make matters worse, they were sharing a bed. And not just that, they had fallen asleep together.
Even their attire was questionable. One person was completely shirtless, while the other was wearing something that wasn’t even their own, looking precariously disheveled.
And the most critical issue… was that their bodies were touching, maintaining this environment.
At a distance where their skin was directly touching.
At a distance where skin and flesh were pressed together, where not only body heat but even breaths could be felt.
The point of holding each other tightly… naturally stimulated strange imaginations.
From the moment this fact was recognized, the awkwardness did not disappear.
“…”
“…”
Their gazes met again.
And once more, sighs and groans escaped.
“I-I-I-I didn’t mean it that way!”
The best way was to resolve this awkwardness.
Just now, someone should go to Camilla and say it was a misunderstanding.
And then forget about it completely.
As if nothing had happened.
No, as if nothing had happened in the first place.
If they both buried it and didn’t mention it, this atmosphere would easily dissipate.
Carsein was fully aware of this fact.
But his fiancée was not.
Usually so meticulous and delicate, but at times like this, her clumsiness would always kick in.
‘…It’s ruined.’
Where on earth should he start to unravel this?
He had managed to relieve all his fatigue through a good night’s sleep, but it was a dizzying morning.
*
It was a time of torment.
He was full of worries about how to resolve this endless awkwardness.
But he couldn’t stay like this.
Harnie would flinch at even the slightest word or action.
She would become tense at the sound caused by those actions.
Moreover…
-I-I’ll wear that again! We can’t have something like that happen again, can we…?
She even said something crazy about wearing that outfit again because they couldn’t stay like this.
It wasn’t normal.
In any way.
‘This can’t go on.’
I must continue the conversation with Harnié in some way.
The time is approaching when I must be honest.
There are so many things I haven’t told her.
Helping a wanted person in secret is not going to work out well for you.
So, before you get hurt because of me, you should return to the Marquis’ house.
I must persuade her.
Yes. Let’s talk.
It shouldn’t be difficult to break this atmosphere.
I haven’t prepared perfectly, but I’ve come up with a few alternatives. If I can somehow steer the topic of conversation, we might be able to talk again.
Just as I was about to start the conversation from my side.
“Hey, Karsein.”
She spoke to me first.
“It’s about time we had a meal. Aren’t you hungry?”
“…A meal?”
“Yes. I’m a bit hungry. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been like this.”
It’s about that time.
It’s a bit late for breakfast.
Harnié continued with a smile.
“So, I was thinking, can I prepare breakfast today?”
…What? Hearing that snapped me out of it.
“Do, do you really need to?”
“Well. I got treated yesterday, so I thought I should show you properly this time?”
“I… I’ll do it. There’s no need. Yes.”
“What’s with that face? I’m not that bad at cooking, you know!”
Oh no, this won’t do.
At this rate, Harnié will really prepare breakfast.
“Hey. Getting up first is cheating!”
“The first one to claim the spot is the owner. No one assigns it or anything.”
“That’s unfair! Hand that over quickly!”
“No way. Just sit back and watch, will you?”
“Are you going to keep pushing like this?”
“I’m just asserting my rights in a gentlemanly manner, Harnié.”
After that, there was a bit of a scuffle in the kitchen for a few minutes.
But I never gave up my spot.
Harnié tried to tiptoe or jump in place to snatch a cooking tool, but there was no way that would work.
Realizing that no matter how hard she tried, it was futile, Harnié finally retreated with a sullen expression.
‘Phew. Thank goodness. I’m really glad I didn’t give in to Harnié… Hm?’
I realized during the scuffle.
Now that I see it, the atmosphere has loosened up quite a bit?
‘…Alright. Let’s talk this time.’
So, we sat in the kitchen and had a late breakfast.
*
It was a peaceful breakfast time.
Each bowl was empty, and our bellies were full.
The status window showed that my body’s condition was the same, with all stats returning to normal as the fullness recovered.
But there was still one unresolved issue.
Harnié was still pouting.
“…Hmph.”
It seemed she was really unhappy about not being able to prepare breakfast in the kitchen.
‘At this rate, I won’t even be able to bring up the topic of returning to the marquis’ house…’
Having known Harnié for a long time, I could tell.
If I upset her here, she would block any conversation by telling me not to say anything.
At that point… we wouldn’t be able to talk at all. For some reason, she would get really angry and even give me a backhanded spike as a gift.
It was truly a troublesome situation.
Ugh. I need to resolve this to talk or do anything.
…There’s no other way.
“Harnié. Stand up for a moment.”
“Hmph. No.”
“If you keep doing this, I won’t be able to review.”
“Review? What review? You made it all yourself.”
“That’s true for the main dish. But the dessert isn’t done yet, is it?”
At those words, Harnié’s sharp eyes returned to their original fox-like shape.
But soon, her gaze reverted to its original state.
“Just because of that, my mood won’t improve, you know? Hmph.”
…She noticed like a ghost.
“…If you add a few more conditions, I might forgive you.”
“What are they…?”
-Swoosh.
Harnié stood up and pulled my arm as she spoke.
“First, teach me properly.”
*
Harnié’s cooking isn’t particularly tasty.
She probably doesn’t know much since she hasn’t cooked for herself often.
That could be somewhat resolved through learning.
They say failure is the mother of success.
As expected, after pointing out the clumsy parts, the dessert Harnié brought out changed beyond comparison.
But to think she would go this far.
“Please take care of me. It’s hard to endure the Cold Week in the north, so with Camilla’s help, I’ll be staying here for a short while.”
Harnié is handing out homemade desserts to the residents of Rusmire in the morning.
A woman suddenly appearing and handing out food. Anyone would find it strange and suspicious.
But, that suspicion must eventually be drawn to the bowstring.
If the bowstring isn’t even drawn, it means there was no suspicion in the first place.
Harnié showed perfect disguise skills so that they wouldn’t even touch the bowstring.
“Oh ho. This outfit. I’ve seen it before. It’s made from fabric that only grows in the north, right?”
“Because the cold is so severe, they said the texture is unique even in the empire.”
“Oh my, the way it’s worn is different too. As you can see, wrapping the whole body tightly like that is the northern style of dressing.”
With northern clothing, the situation of coming from the north, and actions matching the reason for such clothing, no one doubted her.
Though not well known, Harnié is also highly knowledgeable about clothing and led a merchant group based on this understanding.
There seemed to be no worry of her flawless disguise, backed by her knowledge of clothing, being discovered.
‘So that’s why you asked me for that favor.’
As a result, the residents did not suspect us at all.
Even though we handed out bread and made eye contact, instead of getting caught, we completely erased their suspicions.
Indeed, no matter how clumsy he may seem in trivial matters, his meticulous handling shows he truly has a brilliant mind.
Harni returned with a basket, split the last piece of bread in half, and handed it to me.
“If you just stay holed up inside, it looks more suspicious. So, dispelling suspicion with natural contact like this is actually better for camouflage.”
I see.
Is that why the Northerners were wary of me at first?
“But that doesn’t mean it’s over, you know? I’m still not over it.”
“…What else is there?”
“Of course. This isn’t the condition I mentioned.”
-Swish.
Harni linked arms with me.
“At this rate, no one will suspect a thing. We can’t just wait around until things calm down, so let’s have some fun, shall we?”
“…You’re bold. What if we get caught while playing around?”
“You’ve pretended to be lovers often enough, why act all surprised now? Besides, this is more natural, and you were prepared for it too, weren’t you?”
Well, I said that, but I agree.
What I needed was to blend into this territory naturally.
If we hide among the crowd until the time runs out, they won’t find us easily.
“Let’s go. Let’s do some shopping while we’re at it.”
-Squish.
“…Harni?”
“What? Come on, let’s go.”
“No, this is too close…”
“Hurry up! I have a lot to buy.”
…
Why does Harni seem so urgent?
Is it just my imagination?
*
‘…Enough.’
Fortunately, I was able to cut off Karsein’s words and let them pass.
Karsein was a very difficult person to understand.
Cold, hard, and rarely showing any emotional changes.
He never asked for help from others, never showed any dependence, and tried to solve everything on his own.
So, there was almost nothing I could know about him.
He hid and concealed everything.
Over a long period of time, I got to know a little about him, but even now, I don’t know much.
But Harni could guess what Karsein was going to say.
‘Fool.’
There was worry in his eyes.
Worry solely directed at me.
This kind-hearted person would try to send me back safely to the Marquisate, thinking more about my safety.
‘I don’t want that, Karsein. I don’t want that.’
Anyway, a world without you is hell to me.
I don’t care about the remaining time. I don’t care what happens next. So.
‘I will stay by your side, even if just a little longer.’