episode_0050

Swoosh.

The sound of a tattered dress brushing against the tangerine tree echoed gently.

In the post-rain tangerine orchard, a clean breeze swirled around, and Duncan, one of the laborers, gazed absentmindedly at a girl in a tattered dress.

Duncan was a new laborer who had recently joined. He had been helping with farm work outside Bayorenryeong, and his skills had earned him a position here.

The young farmer in charge of managing the tangerine trees couldn’t take his eyes off the girl with her hair elegantly tied up in a crimson bun.

Despite her appearance covered in mud and holding a small shovel, she seemed like a fellow farmer, but…

‘Wow…’

Her sparkling beauty felt akin to a noble lady from the central capital.

The subtle adornment on her head swayed with each movement, drawing attention, while her flawless white face was fairer than a white lily even without makeup.

“Are you new here?”

“Oh, yes, that’s right.”

No matter how he looked at her, Darin simply smiled politely and greeted him. It was natural for him not to recognize me since I wasn’t from Bayorenryeong.

Setting aside her status, she began with formal language at their first meeting. It could have been a habit from a past life, or maybe Darin was just naturally polite.

Darin trudged through the tangerine farm, shifting her tired legs. The previous day had left her physically and mentally exhausted, spending the whole day sleeping.

The inexperienced country lad surmised that she was going through something from ‘that day.’ It was also why an overwhelming fragrance seemed to emanate from her, leading him to speculate further.

Though it was a misguided notion, Darin was quick to pick up on it. She was going through her own struggles.

“I haven’t been doing anything lately. Just lying around all the time…”

She needed to show her melancholy appropriately. If the laborers expressed concern too many times, she might be treated as mentally ill.

While they genuinely respected and admired her, once the master’s mental illness became known, her standing within the castle would diminish over time.

“It’s not about power.”

That was the truth. She was never ambitious, but as her influence waned, Kael’s constraints would tighten.

Whether keeping her isolated or dragging her to some remote building for confinement, legitimizing such unconventional actions stemmed from the family’s history of mental illness.

If it came to that, neither the laborers nor the spirits would stop Kael. They would likely see it as a son caring for his ailing mother.

It might sound like a joke or an exaggeration, but Darin was prepared for most eventualities. Wasn’t it a matter of time before falling into her son’s trap? Whatever Kael did now wouldn’t surprise her.

To revive her son, enduring this situation herself was crucial. Darin held Kael dear, which made her compliance inevitable. She wasn’t originally such a weak woman. Thirty years spent with a man she didn’t love had molded her in its own way.

Trembling, she steadied her heart and resolved not to crumble here. She urged herself to stay strong a little longer.

Darin held a small shovel and a basket in her hands.

Seizing a break in the rain, she planted seeds, intending to harvest the grown tangerines.

This was a unique domain where my touch could reach only a little. While all labor could be replaced by automation, Darin was a rather ambitious woman.

If she kept spreading her legs for a husband she didn’t even love, what was the point of that? The young girl sought a solution in the tangerine farm to become a somewhat respectable mother to her children.

The dew-kissed green leaves are refreshing. Evening will bring the “lovers’ time” that her son had decided upon. But before that, work must be finished.

“Don’t mind me, just finish your work.”

“Oh, yes!”

Lady Darin quickly ended the brief conversation with the farmer who only looked at her and then started digging into the pile of soil with a shovel.

– Swish, swish.

Then she planted tangerine seeds in the neatly dug soil clumps. Since expanding the farm recently, there was much empty land to fill today.

In the midst of this, her dress got dirty as it brushed against the damp earth, but being of common birth, she paid no mind to such trivial matters. It was natural for one’s body to get dirty while tending to a farm.

As she had grown them organically, there were many tangerines with insect bites. Many tangerines had scratches from branches swaying in the wind.

“It’s all my fault…”

Darin apologized to the tangerines with a melancholic expression. Her words held some truth. Being absent for a long time with her tangerine powers, the quality had indeed deteriorated.

She gently touched the tangerines, feeling defeated, then stood up straight. She raised a small shovel.

– Whoosh.

And a crimson aura slowly enveloped the shovel. This was one of her secrets.

Known as Mandarin Aura.

– Swoosh, shoo-shoo!

Darin hurried around the tangerine farm, poking the ugly, scarred tangerines with the shovel. Surprisingly, the unattractive tangerines began to regain their vitality.

Any tangerine touched by her aura ripened instantly.

Her power was so potent that even bland crops like celery couldn’t resist it. A brush of her pale orange aura could transform any bitter vegetable or fruit into something sweet and fresh.

Duncan, who had been admiring her beauty absentmindedly, blinked in amazement.

“S-so, are you a knight?”

“…I wish that were true.”

While wearing a disappointed expression, Darin did not stop wielding the shovel in her right hand. The Mandarin Aura was ultimately fueled by mana. With a limited reservoir of mana, she needed to act swiftly before it depleted.

“Well, I heard knights have auras, although the colors vary…”

“It’s not that grand; it’s more like magic.”

“Um… Could you tell me what kind of magic it is?”

“…”

As the questions persisted, the woman’s face flushed. Discussing it would only lead to self-doubt. Meeting a hero recently had intensified such feelings for Darin. She realized that even among reincarnated individuals, there were significant disparities.

“I-I… I apologize if I overstepped.”

Seeing the embarrassed woman blush, Duncan immediately offered an apology. Not knowing what he had done wrong, he didn’t want to appear offensive to this beautiful lady.

Darin exhaled heavily, muttering under her breath. Was it because she had sweated a lot? A sweet fragrance emanated from her body.

“No, I’m the one who’s not acting like an adult.”

And she promptly accepted the servant’s apology. Upon reflection, this was also a matter of my own self-esteem.

On the other hand, Duncan looked puzzled. How could a young girl who hadn’t even reached adulthood claim she wasn’t acting like an adult…?

– Swish.

The man’s gaze unknowingly turned towards me. Contrary to appearances, perhaps I was older than I seemed. Judging by the prominent chest and wide hips, I might easily pass for someone in their late teens…

“It’s because I’m narrow-minded. If anything, it’s my fault for being impolite…”

“Oh, no, it’s not!”

She looked at Duncan, who was blushing and waving his hands. Perhaps being a stranger made her particularly shy. Why couldn’t she meet my eyes properly and kept bowing her head like that?

“Still, as a new servant, I should at least remember faces.”

Duncan was a handsome young man with brown hair and gentle eyes. Judging by his neat appearance despite being a farmer, it seemed like his family was well-off in its own way.

“Hmm, even though he looks reserved, I bet many rural girls have swooned over him.”

Seeing a clean-cut, handsome young man like Duncan, Darin couldn’t help but smile involuntarily. He reminded her of her son, Kae, for some reason.

However, lately, she had been feeling a bit melancholic. The son she had envisioned and the real son were different.

“With that face and figure, there’s no shortage of women trying to seduce him.”

While she had such innocent thoughts, Duncan couldn’t help but stare intently at her breasts and hips.

“Why are you staring like that?”

Looking at her innocent face with a tilted head, it seemed unlikely that he would be mistaken for a harasser. Duncan, feeling embarrassed, tried to cover it up with a fake cough.

“M-my name is Duncan.”

He tried to answer confidently, but being so beautiful, his pronunciation faltered unknowingly. Darin accepted the young man’s greeting with a smile and nodded.

“Hello. Duncan, I’m Darin.”

And like a lady, she greeted him gracefully.

He made a slightly puzzled expression at the excessive treatment, then continued the conversation while looking into the distance.

“Um… are you working here?”

“Yes, Duncan, you’re the new one today, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Well, we’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, since I work here too.”

He silently cheered himself. To think he could be with such an unbelievable beauty in the future? They weren’t lovers yet, but in his mind, he and Darin, the woman, were already holding hands with their grandchildren watching the sunset.

“I-if it’s not too much trouble, could you spare some time for dinner tonight…”

The man, once famous as a playboy in the countryside, nodded earnestly. It meant he liked her. Through their brief encounter, Duncan fell head over heels. It was as if eternity had been stolen in a moment.

“Ah…”

Realizing the situation, Darin understood why the man was so flustered. She wanted a good relationship, but boundaries needed to be set. Once he realized she was a married woman, he would surely step back on his own.

“I’m a married woman.”

“Eh…!?”

“I have two children.”

“???”

Darin smiled, intending to end the conversation. It was a warm and gentle smile, but the content was quite shocking, leaving Duncan staring blankly ahead.

And then, it happened.

Suddenly, a corner of the tangerine farm distorted…

– Zoom.

A strange noise rang out as space began to split apart.

“Hmm…?”

Darin’s head turned once again. To her, for whom the shabby power was everything, the dimensional gate was a very unfamiliar concept, so she needed quite a bit of time to understand it.

– Click.

Through the crevice of the dimensional gate, a long leg stretched out. What appeared next was the face of a blond young man. His golden eyes were shining even more brightly than his hair, and due to his unique appearance, Darin immediately recognized who he was.

The man who crossed the dimensional gate looked at the girl with a handsome expression, then smiled and greeted her.

“Have you been well, Darin?”