83. Small Sprout (5)
“Why is the young lady so late?”
Mina, who was waiting for Harni, muttered anxiously.
Her master was very punctual.
There were times when she was late, but it was because she was held back by the social circles or because she was keeping an eye on the Marquis’s mansion, and there was no disruption in her plans.
It was only natural to be anxious when Harnier, who was like that, had not arrived yet.
“It’s too late… and there’s no reply. This is making me really anxious. My lady…”
Mina stomped her feet, hoping that a letter would arrive from the upper floors.
She said that she would return after overcoming the social circles at the party.
She was a little surprised when she heard that she was staying at the Duke’s mansion yesterday, but no letter arrived saying that she would stay any longer.
That meant that Harnier should have arrived at the Marquis’s mansion a long time ago, just as Mina thought.
She suddenly felt a chill at the fact that Harnier must have been caught somewhere, or else she wouldn’t be this late.
“Don’t tell me… it’s not that the nobles or the social circles noticed, but that she had some other accident?”
The social circles that wouldn’t let Harnier go.
That party was no different from a hyena’s den.
It was true that she had entered a dangerous place, but the nobles or the social circles wouldn’t try to tie her down.
But isn’t this being tied down?
“Yes. Something’s strange. It shouldn’t be this quiet.”
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How many people had she planted in that party? It wouldn’t have been strange if at least one message had arrived at this late hour.
Even if things went wrong, it was the nobles’ party, so news would have reached her.
If there had been an accident at the party, it would have been even louder because it was a place for nobles.
But there was no news.
If it was this quiet, it was more likely that something had happened outside.
When Mina was about to let go of the people upstairs in her impatience.
A carriage stopped in its tracks.
‘That carriage… is it the Bagran Duke’s?’
Thank goodness.
She saw the carriage of another family, or rather, a carriage of the Marquis that had not gone outside after she had.
‘I can’t let my guard down. He’s a man, after all.’
As it was the carriage of the Vagrant Duke, with whom she had made the contract of engagement, she could guess that the incident she had been worried about had not occurred.
However, she could not let her guard down considering what kind of suggestions Harnié had received from men so far and the stories related to political marriage.
A suggestion filled with dark intentions.
A sinister gaze blatantly направлено toward a certain part.
To her, who possessed such beautiful looks and had experienced and rejected countless attempts to possess her, all men were like beasts.
Then, Mina suddenly realized that the situation was extremely dangerous.
‘If it’s a carriage… we could be alone!’
The most beautiful woman in the Empire had to find a way to protect her body, which was on the verge of being sold.
Hope because it’s the Vagrant Duke?
There was none.
Rather, if he had reached out to Harnié, it would have been more so, not the opposite.
Even if it was the Vagrant Duke, who reigned at the peak of the aristocracy, a man was still a man.
Moreover, that man, who carried all sorts of incidents and accidents, would often corner Harnié using the power and authority of the Duke.
‘I have to hurry!’
Mina lifted her skirt and took out the small knife hidden in her thigh.
Then, she silently and carefully approached the carriage.
She approached the front of the carriage.
If she opened this door, she would see Harnié.
She had to finish it as quickly as possible.
When that shameless man, who was touching the young lady, flinched in surprise, she had to deliver the finishing blow and get out.
‘Whew.’
Mina counted with a trembling heart.
She planned to quickly barge in once the count was over.
Three, two.
And when she counted the last one.
“There. Harnié is sleeping, so open the door quietly and come in.”
“…!”
Karstein’s voice was heard from inside the carriage.
She had not made any noise while approaching.
However, he was speaking in a hushed voice as if he knew that she was reaching for the carriage door.
“It’s been about 1 hour and 40 minutes since my fiancée fell asleep in the carriage. I want to let her sleep for about 2 hours. But can you not spare me 20 minutes?”
“…”
Once again, Karstein’s voice was heard from the carriage.
Ironically, his appearance, as if he was asking for permission, reminded her of Harnié’s words.
-Prince Karstein is not such a person.
Those words had come out of the young lady’s mouth, who had so far dealt with men who rushed at her with lust like dirty beasts.
Considering that they had even talked about engagement, could it be true that he had not touched her?
With a small glimmer of hope, Mina carefully opened the door.
And then I saw it.
Harnié, sleeping soundly with her head resting on Karsein’s shoulder.
There were only the two of them in the carriage.
So he must have laid his dirty hands on the young lady’s body, I thought…
-Thud.
Karsein’s eyes were solely focused on the book.
He asked in a hushed voice.
“It seems you thought I had laid my hands on Harnié’s body?”
“Yes? Ah…”
“Worry not. I am a man, after all. Anyone would think the same if they were in my position, with such a beauty by their side. Furthermore, it is only right to be wary if you are the one accompanying Harnié.”
It wouldn’t be strange even if I thought of men as beasts.
It would be right to suspect to this extent.
He said without emotion that his fiancée had a good maid.
He even stated that he didn’t think badly of me for coming to him out of a sense of threat.
Even his voice was hushed as if he was being considerate of Harnié. He was definitely different from the men I had seen so far.
“Just 20 more minutes. I just want to let her sleep a little longer. She fell asleep while trying to help me.”
“What do you mean? You’re saying the young lady fell asleep like this while trying to help you…”
“You know it well, don’t you? Because of this.”
He handed me a document.
It was the report on the Shatran territory, which even Mina was somewhat familiar with.
“She fell asleep like this on the way back from the banquet hall. She yawned in the morning, so I asked her what happened. She said she had work to do at the Duke’s last night, and she was holding this the entire time in the carriage.”
“This… this?”
I thought it was strange.
The Shatran territory had nothing to do with Harnié.
Rather, it had a direct connection to Karsein Bagran.
However, the Shatran territory report I was looking at now contained a bit more information.
‘Then, it must mean that the young lady intended to give this to Master Karsein in this situation.’
As Mina realized this fact, Karsein pointed out her blind spot as if to clear her doubts.
“I suppose she wanted me to organize this in exchange for showing her fiancé’s appearance at the banquet hall. I didn’t expect her to go this far, but I unintentionally became the cause.”
“…”
“Anyway, I don’t want to leave such a big debt unpaid. So I wanted to let her rest a little. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
At those words, Mina completely let down her guard.
The young lady right next to him was a woman who made men lose their minds, wanting to engage in political marriage in the Empire, and yet this man was acting as if she didn’t even register in his eyes.
Listening to Harnié’s faint breathing and the sound of the papers turning thud- in the carriage, he really seemed no different from a noble.
The young lady’s eyes were correct.
Only then did Mina feel relieved.
“Then, may I bring a blanket?”
“Hmm? You’re not saying you’re going to let her sleep here, are you?”
“Yes, I am. Miss Harnié will surely wake up after only a few hours of sleep at the mansion.”
Karsein’s eyes blinked twice as if an unexpected answer had come to him.
“Hmm. Wouldn’t that be difficult? I also…”
“I know you wouldn’t do such a thing, so it’s okay for you to stay with us. In fact, the Marquisate is currently empty.”
Mina immediately stopped Carsein as he seemed like he was about to say the same thing as other men.
She tried to push a little harder, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
“Or, my Lord, you could stay at the Marquisate for a day and then return. That way, the Lady will have more time to sleep.”
“That’s a bit difficult for me too. I still have things to do when I return to the Duchy.”
“Then, could you let her rest in the carriage for two hours, or even one hour?”
“…Why are you doing this?”
“The Lady has been working while reducing her usual sleeping hours. Especially now that you’re here, it’s a good time for her to sleep comfortably.”
Carsein looked at the sleeping Harnié at those words.
A hint of worry could be seen in his black eyes.
‘My Lady. You pretend to be okay on the outside, but I know. It was only a matter of time before a gap like this would appear.’
She always fought with all her might to break off the connection with the Marquisate, but the human body has its limits.
She was bound to collapse from exhaustion someday and show a gap like this.
However.
Wasn’t the one who could fill this gap right before his eyes?
Harnié needed someone to lean on and take a break when she was blocked by a high wall like this.
She needed someone who could give her this small consideration generously, even though they were strangers.
She needed someone upright, neat, and wise.
He met all the requirements.
He was someone who would unhesitatingly reach out and pull Harnié Teresia up when she collapsed from exhaustion someday.
“I apologize for doubting you. But… please help our Lady get some sleep, even for a short while.”
“…”
There was silence for a while.
Carsein silently watched Harnié, who was sleeping soundly, without saying anything.
Soon, he let out a sigh.
“It’s partly my fault anyway. I can’t refuse… Well.”
As expected.
He seemed to reluctantly accept, but he would be such a person.
“…What about the eyes of the Marquisate?”
“Aside from Lady Harnié, everyone in the Marquisate is currently preparing for the Eastern Nobles’ Assembly, so they won’t be very suspicious.”
That’s why she thought of going to the party venue from the Marquisate.
They had left the mansion, leaving only Harnié behind, saying that they had to show proper results at the Eastern Nobles’ Assembly this time.
Thanks to that, there were fewer eyes watching, so no one would notice.
However, Carsein firmly rejected Mina’s suggestion.
“Then, staying for a day would be even more dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Today, Harnié escaped the suspicion at the party venue and shook off the nobles. Since one of the forces pressuring Harnié is gone, news of it may have reached the Marquisate.”
“…!”
“They may suspect that my relationship with her is not a simple engagement and come back quickly. If that happens, Harnié will be caught.”
Certainly, I’ll translate the excerpt while preserving the atmosphere and line breaks:
—
A chill ran down Mina’s spine.
‘So it is. Even if the nobles have their factions… the enemy of an enemy can temporarily become an ally.’
As Karsein said, the Duke’s house is also noble. It was wrong to assume they hadn’t colluded with the social circles.
“How long does it take for the family to return to the Duke’s residence?”
“Oh, probably… If the horse runs at full speed, it would be three hours.”
“Then one hour is the limit. I’ll let Harnie sleep here and wake her up later to send her off.”
“Understood. I’ll hurry and bring a blanket.”
Mina bowed her head and closed the door.
She felt relieved that the young lady, deep in sleep, unaware of the world, hadn’t heard the news. Had she heard, she would have been up in arms, asking why such a thing was done.
Apart from that, the two of them.
Somehow, there’s an intersection in an odd part.
Perhaps that’s why there’s a sense of anticipation swelling.
‘Hmm. They do seem to match well, don’t they?’
Although it was just imagination, Mina, who briefly envisioned that situation, went to fetch the blanket with a faint smile on her lips.
—
“Ugh.”
A smile formed on Harnie’s lips.
Because she had been in a deep sleep.
These past few days had been so busy that she hadn’t had a proper sleep.
Tasks piled up like a mountain every day.
There’s only one body.
And fatigue doubled.
The desire to roll around in bed? Of course, it was like a chimney.
The problem was that it wasn’t possible. She had to perfectly deceive the eyes of the Duke’s family, so it was hard to even find time to rest.
When Mina expressed concern and told her to rest, she was busy hiding her fatigue, saying it was okay.
But today was an exception.
Because one person was intentionally left behind at the Eastern Nobility Conference, she could rest well.
Having shaken off the suspicions of the social circles at the party, she could sleep a few more hours. Harnie decided to put down other matters for a while and indulge in the sensation of sinking into the bed.
Cozy.
Warm.
Not just the blanket covering her front but the warmth enveloping her entire body seemed to promise several hours of deep sleep…
‘Huh?’
A strange sense of dissonance suddenly arose.
After returning from the party, had she gone to bed?
No. Even if that were not the case, was what supported her back really a bedsheet? And what covered her seemed somehow not to be a blanket?
Then what was this warmth?
Angular yet somehow radiating warmth…
…Could it be?
When she realized that it wasn’t the softness of a blanket but the warmth of a person she felt, her eyes snapped open.
“Did you sleep well?”
—
I hope this translation captures the essence of the original text. If you need any further assistance or adjustments, feel free to ask!
Certainly! Here’s the translated excerpt, preserving the line breaks and atmosphere:
Close enough to feel the breath.
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As soon as I opened my eyes, the face I saw was Karsein’s.