114. The Aiferos Family (7)
Chirp- Chirp-
“Uh… Yes?”
Harinee, who had fallen asleep with the blanket over her head, woke up to the sound of birds chirping and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Looking out the window, she saw the morning sunlight and realized it was morning, then let out a deep sigh.
“I’m doomed!”
I was supposed to sleep for a little while and wake up.
But I ended up sleeping soundly and woke up in the morning?
I couldn’t lift my head in shame.
Harinee buried her face in her hands and let out a silent scream.
“What do I do…?”
She carefully recalled the events of the previous day.
It was fine until she stayed at the Rusmaier estate and tried to avoid the Marquis’s eyes.
Yes, that was unavoidable.
But then Barak said there were no guest rooms available.
That’s right, there was nothing I could do about it.
I should have told Cassein about it and come up with a plan.
But.
The so-called “countermeasure” was too extreme.
-You have to sleep outside, what’s the point.
How can you, as a guest, make yourself sleep in the room and say you’ll go out?
Both hands instinctively went out. This kind of ridiculous situation had to be resolved somehow.
-Even if that’s the case, I didn’t say I’d sleep outside!
-…Then what can we do? We can’t sleep well in this situation with two people.
As a result, the direction naturally turned to sharing the room together…
-You sleep on the bed.
I had mentally prepared myself to sleep on the floor.
And.
It was from this moment on.
The warmth that had been suppressed for a while suddenly started to seep out of my body…
-Let’s change the conditions. If you sleep here, I’ll sleep on the floor.
-If you don’t like it, I’ll go outside.
It felt like a reckless gamble, but was it really?
Right now, we’re in a relationship where we help each other, but if you think about it, we’re bound by a contractual engagement.
One day, we’ll have to return to being strangers.
But I showed him kindness.
A genuine kindness that I had never received from others.
So, I ended up asking Haruni in a fit of emotion, with a hint of expectation.
Perhaps with a slightly conscious answer.
-What’s the reason…?
I asked.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Carcsein gave an answer, and Haruni’s body began to warm up again.
That expectation.
Perhaps the answer I was conscious of.
It might be a foolish thought that it could be extinguished at any moment.
It came back to that.
-When I see you sleeping on the floor while working, it seems like I can’t focus, so…
After hearing those words from Carcsein, Haruni immediately covered himself with the blanket.
Although he said he’d sleep first, he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
He wondered what this meant, and the thought kept circling in his head.
Every time the thought circulated, his passion flared up, and he eventually wanted to escape, covering himself with the blanket.
As a result…
He covered himself with the blanket and fell asleep in the darkness, his eyelids completely shut.
Morning had arrived.
Harnie’s face turned red with shame, her body trembling with embarrassment.
Her cheeks were already flushed, and her face was filled with shame.
“This can’t be happening. Harnie!”
It was pointless to think about it anymore. The water had already been spilled.
She opened her palms and glanced at the floor where Carsein was supposed to be sleeping.
But Carsein wasn’t sleeping on the floor.
By the time she noticed, her two palms were already facing downwards.
“…Did you sleep like that? Because of me?”
Harnie muttered, grasping the blanket in discontent.
She had slept comfortably.
In bed, very comfortably. She had even had a deep sleep.
However, because she had slept so deeply, her heart wasn’t at peace.
Carsein, who was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, surrounded by the blanket he had thrown off, caught her attention.
“Even the blanket…”
Now that she looked, the blanket was folded in two layers.
One layer was supposed to be hers, but the other layer was supposed to be Carsein’s.
Harnie, who had realized the uncomfortable truth, immediately got up. Holding the blanket tightly with both hands, she approached Carsein.
She wanted to cover him with the blanket, hoping to keep him warm.
But unfortunately, just as she was about to cover him…
Carsein sensed something and opened his eyes.
“If you were going to cover me, that’s okay. I just woke up.”
“You slept…?”
“Yes.”
Harnie’s energy was drained by his nonchalant response.
In that state, it was clear that he had only worn his clothes and slept, but judging from the scattered papers, Carsein must have stayed up until dawn.
She was also a top idol.
Considering the amount of work she had seen, he must have fallen asleep no earlier than 4 am.
In other words, he probably hadn’t slept for more than three hours.
This couldn’t be ignored.
Harnie quickly grabbed Carsein’s arm and pulled him towards the bed.
“Harnie?”
“Don’t make excuses and just sleep. You didn’t sleep for a few hours, did you?”
“I slept enough.”
“When did you sleep?”
“Um, around 5 am, I think.”
What nonsense.
Even if she gave him the benefit of the doubt and said he slept at 4 am, he would have only slept for three hours.
Saying he slept at 5 am meant he had only slept for two hours.
Harnie’s grip on his arm tightened.
“Please, just sleep. I’m too sorry to die, I took everything, including the blanket and the bed.”
“Yeah? I thought I’d wake up around this time…”
“Are you kidding me? How can a person sleep for only two hours and still work…! It’s impossible. If Youngju says she slept for only two hours, the people of Youngji would be shocked and try to stop her.”
“No, there’s no need to do that.”
I’m trying to get out of this somehow.
Then, I have a thought too.
“Aren’t you my fiancée?”
It’s a shameless reason, but there’s no other reason like this.
“Do I just have to stand by and watch my fiancé exhaust himself?”
“…”
Harnie’s expression seemed like she was about to retort, but she immediately shouted towards the door.
“Everyone! Youngju is saying she’ll work after sleeping for only two hours, what do we do?”
“Got it. Got it.”
It’s obvious that the people of Youngji would go crazy when they hear this news.
Even Karsein had to acknowledge Harnie’s stubbornness.
Karsein, who couldn’t help but lie down on the bed, looked helpless.
Harnie smiled brightly and covered him with a double layer of blankets.
“…Just one hour. I’ll just sleep for one hour.”
“No way. You should sleep for two hours, no, three hours more. You only closed your eyes for a bit on the chair, didn’t you?”
I wanted to say something to my fiancée, who was being stubborn, but Karsein was destined to take a nap.
“The rest of the work is adjusting the market price, so I’ll take care of it. But I have to keep an eye on whether you’re sleeping or not, so I’ll keep a close eye on you with both eyes open.”
Karsein still couldn’t adapt and let out a sigh.
***
At the same time.
The nobles were gathering at the Modrich Count’s estate.
They were all nobles who had centered themselves around Warglu Mountain, trying to take over the land of Rusmayeur.
However, at some point, things didn’t go as planned.
The isolated land of Rusmayeur was cheap, but they thought they could buy it without spending a single penny and make a profit. But suddenly, a human appeared who wanted to buy the land and become the lord.
Until then, they thought it was just a foolish idea.
Even though the land was cheap, they thought there was no way to make a profit from it, and the money would just flow in from the surrounding territories.
But the lord of Rusmayeur, who had appeared, didn’t budge even when the market price fluctuated.
It seemed like they had anticipated the price would rise, and had bought all the necessary goods in advance. Now, they were even collecting tolls from the nobles.
From noble mtl dot com
As a result, the dissatisfied nobles had gathered together.
This strange event was inevitably connected to the Modrich Count’s estate.
“Count Modrich, why do we have to pay tolls to them?”
“Explain it to us. What happened that we have to pay tolls to them?”
“It’s like they knew the price would rise and bought all the necessary goods in advance. How do you explain this?”
“No. It’s not the count, but Hemnon Modrich who should be asked. How did you manage this?”
“H, how can I say…?”
Hemnon couldn’t open his mouth, faced with the nobles who were pressing him for answers.
He wanted to make some excuse, but he couldn’t.
“Are you going to leave it like this without even making a plan?”
“Lord Letelvik…”
“Explain it to me. We need to gather opinions. If we don’t want them to get away with it, we need to identify the source of the problem right here.”
Under the intense pressure from Lord Letelvik, Hemnon closed his eyes and began to reveal what had happened that day.
The nobles clicked their tongues.
“So, you’re saying that not only did you not receive compensation from Rusmaye, but you even gave them money without leaving a single penny?”
“Yes, yes…”
“Is that even possible?! It’s absurd!”
Lord Letelvik slammed his hand on the table.
“Who is the lord of Rusmaye? Did the imperial family intervene?!”
“That’s impossible. The imperial family wouldn’t intervene. They clearly devalued the land!”
“Then did the lord conspire with someone?”
“No, that’s not true! It’s just that… “
“Just what?”
Hemnon swallowed hard.
“It’s difficult to deal with. The opponent is… Bagrand…”
“…Bagrand?”
The mention of the Bagrand family’s name made the nobles’ faces contort in disgust.
It was clear that if they were to take action, Hemnon, who was only a viscount, would be no match for them.
It wasn’t just Hemnon.
Everyone present knew that Bagrand was an untouchable figure.
However.
There was one inconsistency in this premise.
“What benefits did Bagrand gain from buying that land?”
“Don’t they know that the tax rate increases according to the number of territories? Why would they buy such a useless piece of land like Rusmaye?”
“It’s not even a valuable piece of land. It’s just a rocky mountain, so why would they buy it?”
No matter how you looked at it, there was no reason for Bagrand to buy Rusmaye.
“Is Hemnon Modrich still lying?”
“No, it’s not a lie! The lord has the imperial family’s proof of ownership.”
“Then tell me. Who is the lord who ordered the payment of an unreasonable toll?”
Hemnon bit his lip and answered.
“It’s, it’s Karcein Bagrand.”
“What? Karcein Bagrand?”
“Not Isabella or her sisters?”
“…Yes.”
Hemnon’s affirmation caused a stir in the meeting room, which quickly turned into ridicule.
“What’s the big deal? It’s just Karcein. We don’t have to worry about it.”
“They might have used their connections to buy things in advance, but what’s the point?”
“Modric, how much did you give to Rusmayeur?”
“About 10,000 pesels… I think.”
“I thought I needed to know the exact amount, but I guess it doesn’t matter.”
Count Retelvik chuckled.
“That kid’s trying to be clever, but 10,000 pesels would deplete their resources within a month. Everyone knows what to do, right?”
“Yes.”
“Take care of them well.”
The noble’s secret phrase, known only to those in the Warglu region, meant “don’t give them anything and let them die.”
“If the demons appear, each of you will reject them. You’re being reckless, haven’t you received the toll?”
The nobles smiled and nodded in agreement.
This was Rusmayeur’s punishment for their arrogance, a thorough punishment through legal rights.
The meeting, which had been a mere formality, came to an end.
The nobles, thinking they had gotten off lightly, received the news with joy and decided to celebrate with a party.
But this might bring about a huge wave of consequences for them.
***
Three days had passed since then.
I had stayed in Rusmayeur for only three days.
During that time, Rusmayeur had accomplished the task I had given them.
“Lord Carsein!”
Barak approached me and said.
Not “Your Excellency” but “Lord.” But that was understandable.
After all, this magnificent tunnel had been completed.
But I had to check something.
“How’s the safety aspect? That’s the most important part.”
“No problem. We’re the ones who did it.”
Barak patted his chest twice, as if to remind himself who he was.
“It’s the balance of the building that’s most important, you know. Even if a few thousand people from the empire come, it won’t collapse.”
“Haha, really?”
“Yes, it will!”
“And did you install magic stone lighting so it can be used at night?”
“We’ve already set it up! We even designed it to be visually pleasing.”
It seemed that saying “no problem” wasn’t just an empty phrase.
Of course, there were still a few more tunnels to dig, but this place would probably become the most important stronghold in the empire from today onwards.
I had to gather funds to dig the remaining tunnels, but for now, I had to head to one place.
“But, Your Excellency, are you okay?”
Barak asked, furrowing his brow.
“Am I okay?”
“That’s… nothing, Young Master.”
Barak, who was about to say something, shut his mouth instead.
“Harnie, when are you planning to return?”
“…”
“Harnie?”
“Yes, yes?”
She asked back, seemingly startled.
“Why are you asking that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just had something on my mind… What did I say?”
“You asked when I was planning to return. Since I’m heading to the Airos Viscount’s estate, I thought I’d send you back now.”
“Then… I’ll go to the Airos Viscount’s estate too.”
“You too?”
“Yes. I don’t plan on returning to the Teresia Viscount’s estate anyway.”
Besides, I’ve only been here for three days, and it’s not like I’m uncomfortable or anything. I have my own reasons, after all.
I got on the carriage that the duke’s family had prepared separately.
“What are you… doing exactly…”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind. I’ll just take care of some business and come back. We can leave then.”
Harnie’s murmuring voice made me wonder if she had something to say, but she didn’t respond.
“Barak, can you come with me for a bit? I have something to say.”
Instead, I took Barak, who had been chatting with me until now.
***
By this point, we were at a distance where the people of Carsain wouldn’t be able to hear us.
The townspeople seemed oblivious, but Barak appeared to know the truth.
That’s why Harnie had brought him along.
Harnie, who had turned around, wore a serious expression and spoke.
“I’m the head of a guild, so I know. That’s why I’ll ask directly. Carsain… how many hours does he sleep in a day?”
Barak let out a deep sigh.
And followed up.
“…As you think, milady, the young master’s sleep is extremely inadequate. He sleeps for two hours, no, maybe just one hour a day. And even that’s just a power nap.”
A shadow fell across Harnie’s face.
one to two hours sleep ? that’s just napping not sleeping !