“Are you done washing?”
“Yes.”
“You must have washed in a hurry because of me.”
“...”
“Can I turn around?”
“Yes, I’m all dressed.”
The eyes of the man and woman, whose emotions were heightened by different meanings, entangled in the air. Carson sighed for a moment.
“What’s with the stains?”
Really, damned beautiful Ines Swenden.
“What are you talking about?”
Carson approached her, checking if she was dressed properly. The water that she hadn’t squeezed out was dripping from her head, so he thought it wouldn’t look good.
“I’m just talking to myself.”
He didn’t take his eyes off Ines. She also didn’t find it easy to take her eyes off him. As always, the moonlight suited him so well.
There was a slight fishy smell around the stream. It seemed like it was going to rain heavily.
When Ined got close enough to see his face, she saw him chewing something softly through his slightly parted teeth.
“Huh?”
Ines asked him what he meant, but there was no answer.
“What if you come out like this? What if you catch a cold?”
As he spoke, he stretched out his long arms, grabbed her hair, and squeezed the water out of it.
“It’s gotten a lot warmer.”
He looked around as if he was not doing well. Then he snatched the handkerchief that Ines was holding tightly in her hand.
“Oh, that!”
“Why?”
Carson asked, pressing his hair tightly with the handkerchief. Then he suddenly realized that the handkerchief was embroidered. The quality of the towel was not ordinary, but high-quality.
He stopped drying her hair, opened the handkerchief wide enough to make a sound, and held it up to the light on the rock.
“Carson von Raymond.”
As if it were natural, his name was embroidered in gold thread.
Seeing this, Ines reached out to take the item back from him. Her flushed face reminded him of the time when the portrait was stolen.
“Is this mine?”
He asked. Ines covering her lips tightly. He already knew that it was a sign of approval.
Ines prepared this handkerchief as a birthday present for Carson. It was natural that she had no money since she was not in a position to receive a salary from the temple.
When she needed money, she sewed after work to earn money. The expensive cloth that had become soaking wet in his hands was the leftover cloth from sewing. She could only get the thread for embroidery when she came to Landhill. She had fainted at his birthday banquet, so the gift that had been missed always stayed in her arms.
She wanted to give it to Carson, but she had no time to face him. She had seen him from afar sometimes, but she had never been in a situation where she could approach him and talk to him.
Although she was embarrassed to meet him in this place, Ines thought she had to give it to him now, so she stood in front of him, holding the gift tightly in her hand.
“A present?”
“Yes. I prepared it as a birthday present.”
Ines’ nervousness was colorless, and the corners of his mouth went up nicely without even trying to hide it. Then Carson opened one side of the clothes he was wearing as if he was showing off. Inside it was a gusset that Ines had given him as a gift.
Her eyes widened.
“Does it suit me?”
As soon as she nodded with a blush on her cheeks, Carson stood behind her. He roughly shook her hair which was no longer dripping with water with his hand and tied it up with his large hand.
As if it wasn’t working well, his rough hand swept Ines’ nape. Her breathing stopped with a gasp.
His large hand kept caressing her wet neck. Feeling unbearable, Ines unconsciously raised her shoulder to avoid his touch.
Thanks to that, his touch became more serious, but goosebumps still appeared on her arms whenever he moved. She asked, raising her voice for no reason.
“Here... why are you here?”
Even though it was her own voice, it felt a little awkward. Ines repeatedly patted her shoulder, where his hand was not resting.
“I’m going crazy.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t wait long.”
Ines, who understood what Carson said, turned her head sharply. Startled by the sight, he grabbed Ines’ shoulder and turned her back to him again. Then he gathered her wet blond hair into his hand.
Thinking that it was a good thing, he tied the hair together with the handkerchief he was holding.
“Ten months.”
“Ten months?”
That was the end of Ines’s work as a temple maid. If she didn’t become whole by that day, would she not be able to stay by his side forever?
“I’ll lend you this handkerchief, so give it back when you come to me.”
“But it’s too short...”
Carson watched with satisfaction as the handkerchief embroidered with his name was tied tightly around Ines’ head. His golden name fluttered beside her blond hair.
“I don’t care what you look like in ten months.”
He turned Ines around. Was it painful to be stabbed by his gaze? She couldn’t move at all because her whole body felt tingly.
“No matter what you say, I’ll do whatever I want. You’re too slow to wait and I’ll explode.”
“...”
“I’ll wait until then and then I’ll go. It won’t be any use running away. Do you understand?”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.” He muttered and took Ines’ hand.
“Let’s go, first. We have to eat.”
Ines followed Carson, busy thinking about what he had said.
After a while, when she saw a light in the distance, she quickly pulled her hand away from him. Carson stared at her hand as it slipped away.
Ines was afraid that the ten months would pass too quickly. And she didn’t realize that Carson’s mind was the opposite.
At any rate, one thing was certain. He had declared it, and time would pass, and everything would be as Carson wanted.
The sweltering heat made it clear that they had come to Monstera. It was already the end of June.
The day was hot, but it was cool in the shade. If it weren’t for the dryness, it would be a good day for crops. Monstera wasn’t as terrible as its reputation suggested. It was just too exotic, like an unknown world.
If the flag of the Keynes Empire hadn’t been hung on the castle, it would have been hard to believe that this was part of the Empire.
“This used to be Pulderfin's land.”
Hansen blurted out as he watched Louis wandering around the garden. He probably sensed Ines’s gaze as she looked around.
His work wasn’t much different here. He prayed with Louis three times a day and checked on the child’s condition. In addition to art therapy, he also had her tend a small garden these days.
A garden is nothing more than growing a few flowers, but it wasn’t easy to water them and create shade in a dry area.
Louis, who had been drawing all day, was very focused on growing flowers. She seemed to be learning responsibility by watching them come to life and die in her hands.
She ate and slept better than before because she moved her body a lot. Today, the black cats circled around Louis and meowed and meowed.
“I heard you.”
Hansen spent most of his time with Louis and Ines, so he rarely lowered his honorifics to her.
“The reason why there is constant conflict between Pulderfin and Keynes is because they claim different border locations.”
Monstera was a huge territory.
Pulderfin claimed the Nues River that ran through the center of the territory as the border, while Keynes considered the Riolande River at the end of Monstera to be the border. Now Keynes occupied this area, but unless their opinions narrowed down, wars big and small would continue to break out.
“The King of Puldufin is a tyrant.”
At first, his words seemed mixed with emotion, but the mood quickly changed when Charlotte appeared from afar, waving her hand.
Today, she baked cookies for Louis. She seemed to be suited to cooking, so she spent most of her time in the kitchen these days.
“The peanut flavor here is a bit different, so I don’t know what to do.”
As soon as Charlotte put down the cookies, Louis ran over and stood in front of Ines. She meant that her hands were dirty, so she wanted Ines to feed them to her. When Ines cut them in half and put them in Louis's mouth, she put them in her mouth and ran back to the flower.
Hansen also ate the cookies Charlotte brought him without hesitation. As if to prove that cooking is her calling, everything Charlotte made was delicious. When she ate the cookies, expressed her gratitude, and approached Louis, Charlotte plopped down next to the bench where Ines was sitting.
“Ugh, my heart is pounding even though I know he’s a priest.”
“What?”
“No, he’s too handsome. I shouldn’t even look at a tree I can’t climb.”
At that moment, Ines’s heart ached without knowing why.
“Can’t you just look at him...?”
Charlotte laughed out loud at her innocent question.
“Why, even ask permission? How can I stop my eyes from going to him? Since he’s not someone I can look at anyway, I want to look at him as much as I want.”
Ines followed her and looked at Hansen.
“He’s not just handsome, he’s also aristocratic. No, he feels a bit holy. Do you think he has a story and wants to protect him? Even if he’s not a priest, he’s not someone a woman like me can just look at.”
“Is that so...?”
Ines had never felt any deep feelings for any other man besides Carson.
“The maids are also really crazy.”
“Are you already close?”
“The maids here are kinder than the maids in Landhill.”
Ines nodded. Even in her opinion, the people of Monstera felt more innocent.
“Of course, the lord is much more handsome, but he is from a different world.”
“A different world...”
“Maybe that’s why the maids talk about the priest more. I actually think it’s fortunate that he’s a priest.”
Except for a few, everyone who came here together returned to Landhill. The number of servants in the lord’s castle of Monstera was greater than in Landhill. The castle was bigger and older, so there was a lot to do. Also, there weren’t many places to work here, so the labor was much cheaper.
At that moment, Hansen got up and shook his hands. Charlotte kept her mouth shut and pretended not to know anything.
“But this place really feels like the old days. How can I not get used to it even after a month?”
“Yes.”
“You must have washed in a hurry because of me.”
“...”
“Can I turn around?”
“Yes, I’m all dressed.”
The eyes of the man and woman, whose emotions were heightened by different meanings, entangled in the air. Carson sighed for a moment.
“What’s with the stains?”
Really, damned beautiful Ines Swenden.
“What are you talking about?”
Carson approached her, checking if she was dressed properly. The water that she hadn’t squeezed out was dripping from her head, so he thought it wouldn’t look good.
“I’m just talking to myself.”
He didn’t take his eyes off Ines. She also didn’t find it easy to take her eyes off him. As always, the moonlight suited him so well.
There was a slight fishy smell around the stream. It seemed like it was going to rain heavily.
When Ined got close enough to see his face, she saw him chewing something softly through his slightly parted teeth.
“Huh?”
Ines asked him what he meant, but there was no answer.
“What if you come out like this? What if you catch a cold?”
As he spoke, he stretched out his long arms, grabbed her hair, and squeezed the water out of it.
“It’s gotten a lot warmer.”
He looked around as if he was not doing well. Then he snatched the handkerchief that Ines was holding tightly in her hand.
“Oh, that!”
“Why?”
Carson asked, pressing his hair tightly with the handkerchief. Then he suddenly realized that the handkerchief was embroidered. The quality of the towel was not ordinary, but high-quality.
He stopped drying her hair, opened the handkerchief wide enough to make a sound, and held it up to the light on the rock.
“Carson von Raymond.”
As if it were natural, his name was embroidered in gold thread.
Seeing this, Ines reached out to take the item back from him. Her flushed face reminded him of the time when the portrait was stolen.
“Is this mine?”
He asked. Ines covering her lips tightly. He already knew that it was a sign of approval.
Ines prepared this handkerchief as a birthday present for Carson. It was natural that she had no money since she was not in a position to receive a salary from the temple.
When she needed money, she sewed after work to earn money. The expensive cloth that had become soaking wet in his hands was the leftover cloth from sewing. She could only get the thread for embroidery when she came to Landhill. She had fainted at his birthday banquet, so the gift that had been missed always stayed in her arms.
She wanted to give it to Carson, but she had no time to face him. She had seen him from afar sometimes, but she had never been in a situation where she could approach him and talk to him.
Although she was embarrassed to meet him in this place, Ines thought she had to give it to him now, so she stood in front of him, holding the gift tightly in her hand.
“A present?”
“Yes. I prepared it as a birthday present.”
Ines’ nervousness was colorless, and the corners of his mouth went up nicely without even trying to hide it. Then Carson opened one side of the clothes he was wearing as if he was showing off. Inside it was a gusset that Ines had given him as a gift.
Her eyes widened.
“Does it suit me?”
As soon as she nodded with a blush on her cheeks, Carson stood behind her. He roughly shook her hair which was no longer dripping with water with his hand and tied it up with his large hand.
As if it wasn’t working well, his rough hand swept Ines’ nape. Her breathing stopped with a gasp.
His large hand kept caressing her wet neck. Feeling unbearable, Ines unconsciously raised her shoulder to avoid his touch.
Thanks to that, his touch became more serious, but goosebumps still appeared on her arms whenever he moved. She asked, raising her voice for no reason.
“Here... why are you here?”
Even though it was her own voice, it felt a little awkward. Ines repeatedly patted her shoulder, where his hand was not resting.
“I’m going crazy.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t wait long.”
Ines, who understood what Carson said, turned her head sharply. Startled by the sight, he grabbed Ines’ shoulder and turned her back to him again. Then he gathered her wet blond hair into his hand.
Thinking that it was a good thing, he tied the hair together with the handkerchief he was holding.
“Ten months.”
“Ten months?”
That was the end of Ines’s work as a temple maid. If she didn’t become whole by that day, would she not be able to stay by his side forever?
“I’ll lend you this handkerchief, so give it back when you come to me.”
“But it’s too short...”
Carson watched with satisfaction as the handkerchief embroidered with his name was tied tightly around Ines’ head. His golden name fluttered beside her blond hair.
“I don’t care what you look like in ten months.”
He turned Ines around. Was it painful to be stabbed by his gaze? She couldn’t move at all because her whole body felt tingly.
“No matter what you say, I’ll do whatever I want. You’re too slow to wait and I’ll explode.”
“...”
“I’ll wait until then and then I’ll go. It won’t be any use running away. Do you understand?”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.” He muttered and took Ines’ hand.
“Let’s go, first. We have to eat.”
Ines followed Carson, busy thinking about what he had said.
After a while, when she saw a light in the distance, she quickly pulled her hand away from him. Carson stared at her hand as it slipped away.
Ines was afraid that the ten months would pass too quickly. And she didn’t realize that Carson’s mind was the opposite.
At any rate, one thing was certain. He had declared it, and time would pass, and everything would be as Carson wanted.
***
The sweltering heat made it clear that they had come to Monstera. It was already the end of June.
The day was hot, but it was cool in the shade. If it weren’t for the dryness, it would be a good day for crops. Monstera wasn’t as terrible as its reputation suggested. It was just too exotic, like an unknown world.
If the flag of the Keynes Empire hadn’t been hung on the castle, it would have been hard to believe that this was part of the Empire.
“This used to be Pulderfin's land.”
Hansen blurted out as he watched Louis wandering around the garden. He probably sensed Ines’s gaze as she looked around.
His work wasn’t much different here. He prayed with Louis three times a day and checked on the child’s condition. In addition to art therapy, he also had her tend a small garden these days.
A garden is nothing more than growing a few flowers, but it wasn’t easy to water them and create shade in a dry area.
Louis, who had been drawing all day, was very focused on growing flowers. She seemed to be learning responsibility by watching them come to life and die in her hands.
She ate and slept better than before because she moved her body a lot. Today, the black cats circled around Louis and meowed and meowed.
“I heard you.”
Hansen spent most of his time with Louis and Ines, so he rarely lowered his honorifics to her.
“The reason why there is constant conflict between Pulderfin and Keynes is because they claim different border locations.”
Monstera was a huge territory.
Pulderfin claimed the Nues River that ran through the center of the territory as the border, while Keynes considered the Riolande River at the end of Monstera to be the border. Now Keynes occupied this area, but unless their opinions narrowed down, wars big and small would continue to break out.
“The King of Puldufin is a tyrant.”
At first, his words seemed mixed with emotion, but the mood quickly changed when Charlotte appeared from afar, waving her hand.
Today, she baked cookies for Louis. She seemed to be suited to cooking, so she spent most of her time in the kitchen these days.
“The peanut flavor here is a bit different, so I don’t know what to do.”
As soon as Charlotte put down the cookies, Louis ran over and stood in front of Ines. She meant that her hands were dirty, so she wanted Ines to feed them to her. When Ines cut them in half and put them in Louis's mouth, she put them in her mouth and ran back to the flower.
Hansen also ate the cookies Charlotte brought him without hesitation. As if to prove that cooking is her calling, everything Charlotte made was delicious. When she ate the cookies, expressed her gratitude, and approached Louis, Charlotte plopped down next to the bench where Ines was sitting.
“Ugh, my heart is pounding even though I know he’s a priest.”
“What?”
“No, he’s too handsome. I shouldn’t even look at a tree I can’t climb.”
At that moment, Ines’s heart ached without knowing why.
“Can’t you just look at him...?”
Charlotte laughed out loud at her innocent question.
“Why, even ask permission? How can I stop my eyes from going to him? Since he’s not someone I can look at anyway, I want to look at him as much as I want.”
Ines followed her and looked at Hansen.
“He’s not just handsome, he’s also aristocratic. No, he feels a bit holy. Do you think he has a story and wants to protect him? Even if he’s not a priest, he’s not someone a woman like me can just look at.”
“Is that so...?”
Ines had never felt any deep feelings for any other man besides Carson.
“The maids are also really crazy.”
“Are you already close?”
“The maids here are kinder than the maids in Landhill.”
Ines nodded. Even in her opinion, the people of Monstera felt more innocent.
“Of course, the lord is much more handsome, but he is from a different world.”
“A different world...”
“Maybe that’s why the maids talk about the priest more. I actually think it’s fortunate that he’s a priest.”
Except for a few, everyone who came here together returned to Landhill. The number of servants in the lord’s castle of Monstera was greater than in Landhill. The castle was bigger and older, so there was a lot to do. Also, there weren’t many places to work here, so the labor was much cheaper.
At that moment, Hansen got up and shook his hands. Charlotte kept her mouth shut and pretended not to know anything.
“But this place really feels like the old days. How can I not get used to it even after a month?”
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