episode_0328

Some people simply woke up, dumbfounded by the unexpected guest, and belatedly realized what had happened. Others quickly covered themselves with the blanket, checked their appearance, and blushed.

I tried to catch it, but I couldn’t.

Camilla, who escaped faster than ever before, never returned.

But, you’re telling me to finish it.

If you say something like that…

“…”

“…”

Karsine turned his head away with a frozen expression as if to check.

Then, Harnie’s eyes, which had been watching him in the same way, were upon him.

The man and woman, who had the same thought without a single word differing, immediately turned their heads.

In the awkward room, the two people were staring blankly, their heads hanging as if time had stopped.

‘This is… an emergency.’

‘Oh, what should I do?’

A static current flows.

A strange and indescribable atmosphere settles in.

To put it bluntly, this is a scene that is easily misunderstood by others.

It was freezing cold outside, but it must have been really warm here.

It’s a very precarious situation just having a man and a woman of a certain age in the same room. It only takes a moment for the line to be crossed.

But we went one step further and shared a bed. And as if that wasn’t enough, we slept together.

Even their attire was like this. One person had taken off his top, and the other one was wearing clothes that weren’t even his, making for a dangerous appearance.

And the most important thing is… that our bodies were in contact while maintaining this environment intact.

At a distance where skin is in direct contact.

At a distance where skin and flesh are crushed, body temperature and even breath can be felt.

The fact that they were hugging each other tightly… naturally stimulated my wild imagination.

From the moment you realize this fact, the awkwardness never goes away.

“…”

“…”

Their eyes meet again.

And again, sighs and groans flow out.

“Hey, hey, hey, I didn’t mean to!”

The best thing to do was to break this awkwardness.

What just happened is someone should have gone to Camilla and told her that it was a misunderstanding.

And then you can just forget about it.

As if nothing happened.

No, it’s like it never happened in the first place.

If both sides keep their mouths shut and don’t say anything, this atmosphere will be easily resolved.

Carcein is acutely aware of that fact.

But his fiancée didn’t realize it.

Although he was usually a very meticulous and delicate person, at times like these, his silly side would definitely kick in.

‘…I’m screwed.’

Where on earth do I start to unravel this?

Even though I had finally gotten rid of all my fatigue through a good night’s sleep, I was still feeling dizzy this morning.

***

It was a time of hardship.

I was very worried about how I could resolve this endless awkwardness.

But it couldn’t stay like this.

Harnie would flinch at even the slightest action, let alone a single word.

Even the noise caused by that action would make me very stiff.

furthermore…

-I’ll wear that again! If something like that happens again, oh, that won’t work…?

I even said something crazy like, “I can’t stay like this, so I’ll put those clothes back on.”

It wasn’t normal.

Either way.

‘This can’t go on.’

We have to continue the conversation with Harnie in some way.

The time has come to be honest.

There are a lot of things I haven’t told her.

There’s no way this situation of you secretly helping a wanted person will work out well for you.

So, before you get hurt because of me, go back to being a writer.

I absolutely had to recommend it.

Yeah, let’s talk.

It won’t be difficult to break this mood.

I’m not fully prepared, but I’ve come up with a few alternatives. If I can somehow get the conversation moving, I might be able to have a conversation again.

At that time, I was the one who tried to initiate the conversation.

“There, Carcein.”

She spoke to me first.

“It’s time to eat. Aren’t you hungry?”

“…Eat?”

“Yes. I’m a little hungry. It’s been a while since I’ve been like this.”

It’s a good time.

It’s a bit late for breakfast.

Harnie continued speaking with a grin.

“So I was thinking, can I prepare breakfast for you this morning?”

…What? Hearing those words made me come to my senses.

“Okay, is it really necessary to do that?”

“Hmm. I got what I deserved yesterday, so I guess I should show you properly this time?”

“That… I’ll do it. You don’t have to. Okay.”

“What’s with that expression? I’m not really that bad at cooking!”

Oh no, this won’t work.

At this rate, it looks like Harnie is really going to prepare breakfast for me.

“Ouch. It’s against the rules to wake up first!”

“The first person to take the seat is the owner. There is no one to assign seats or anything like that.”

“Lethal! Give me that! ”

“No way. Why don’t you sit back and watch?”

“Are you going to keep pushing like this with force?”

“I’m just asserting my rights in a gentlemanly manner. Harnie.”

After that, there was a few minutes of grumbling in the kitchen.

But I never gave up my seat.

I tried to grab the cooking utensils by jumping up or jumping in place, but there was no way I could do that.

Harnie, who realized that no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t work, eventually retreated with a sullen expression.

‘Phew. Thank goodness. I’m really glad I didn’t fall for Harnie… Hmm?’

I realized it while we were bickering.

Now that I look at it, the mood has relaxed quite a bit, hasn’t it?

‘…Okay. Let’s talk about it this time.’

So, we sat in the kitchen and it was time for a late breakfast.

***

It was a peaceful breakfast time.

Each bowl showed its bottom, and the stomach was full.

The same goes for my body’s condition displayed in the status window, as my satiety level was restored and all of my stats were back to normal.

But there was still one problem that was not resolved.

Harnie was still puffing out his cheeks.

“…huh.”

In the kitchen, she seemed to be unhappy that she hadn’t been able to prepare breakfast herself.

‘At this rate, I don’t think I’ll be able to bring up the idea of going back to being a writer…’

I can tell because I’ve been watching Harnie for a long time.

If you try to offend someone here, they will block your conversation and tell you not to say anything.

At that time… you won’t be able to have any conversation. For some reason, he’ll get really angry and give you a spike on his back as a gift.

Indeed, it was a difficult situation.

Yeah. We have to figure this out, whether we talk or do something.

…there’s nothing I can do.

“Harnie. Wake up for a moment.”

“Huh. I don’t like it.”

“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to teach you how to review.”

“What about review? You made it all yourself.”

“The main dish, of course. But, there’s no dessert yet, right?”

Hearing those words, Harnie’s sharp eyes return to their original fox-like appearance.

But soon the gaze returns to its original state.

“Doesn’t that make me feel better? Huh.”

…You’re so observant.

“…If you set a few more conditions, I might forgive you.”

“What is that…?”

-Ugh.

Harnie stood up from his seat and grabbed my arm, saying:

“Teach me properly first.”

***

Harnie’s food isn’t particularly tasty or anything.

I don’t know much about it since I’ve never cooked for myself before.

That could be solved to some extent through learning.

They say failure is the mother of success.

After that, as expected, when Harnier pointed out the awkward parts, the dessert he brought out was incomparably different from before.

But I never thought you’d even think like this.

“Please take care of me. It’s been hard to endure the cold week in the north this time, so I’ve been able to live here for a short time with Camilla’s help.”

Harnier delivers baskets of handmade desserts to the residents of Rusmeier every morning.

A woman who appears out of nowhere and hands you food. Anyone would think that she is strange, and it would not be strange for anyone to point their arrows of suspicion at her.

But, in the end, the arrow of doubt must be pulled back.

If the bowstring isn’t even pulled, it means there was no suspicion in the first place.

Harnie displayed perfect camouflage skills so that they never even put their hands on the bowstring.

“Oh. I’ve seen these clothes. They’re made from fabric that only grows in the North, right?”

“I think the Empire also said that the material was particularly special because there were no crops to grow due to the severe cold wave.”

“Oh my, the way they dress is different. As you can see from this, wrapping your entire body like that was the northern way to dress.”

No one suspected anything, as they wore northern clothing, had the circumstances of coming from the north, and even acted in a way that matched the reason the clothing was made that way.

It is not a well-known fact, but Harnier was also very knowledgeable about clothing, and he led the upper class based on this understanding.

The flawless camouflage, with its clothing information, seemed to leave no fear of detection whatsoever.

‘So that’s why you asked me to do that.’

As a result, the residents did not suspect us at all.

He handed out bread and stamped his eyes, but instead of being caught, he completely erased suspicion.

Indeed, even if he shows a foolish side in the most trivial matters, seeing his meticulous handling of details shows that he is a person with a truly brilliant mind.

Harnie returned with a basket, cut the last loaf of bread in half, and handed it to me.

“If you just stay stuck inside, you’ll be more suspicious. So, it’s actually better for your stomach to arouse suspicion through natural contact like this.”

I see

Is that why I was initially wary of northerners?

“But that doesn’t mean it’s over? I’m still angry.”

“…What else is there?”

“Of course. This is not the condition I was talking about.”

-Ugh.

Harnie linked arms with me.

“No one will suspect anything in this state. We can’t just wait until it calms down, so let’s play around a bit, right?”

“…You’re so big. What are you going to do if you get caught?”

“You’ve been pretending to be a couple for a long time anyway, so why are you doing it now? Besides, you were preparing for it because it would be more natural, right?”

Well, that’s what you said, but I agree with you.

What I needed was to blend in naturally with this territory.

If you hide in the crowd until the remaining time has passed, you won’t be able to be found easily.

“Let’s go. Let’s do some shopping while we’re at it.”

-Squishy.

“…Harnie?”

“Why? Let’s go quickly.”

“No, this is too close…”

“Go quickly! I have a lot to buy.”

…

Why does Harnie seem so in a hurry?

Is it because of my mood?

***

‘…it’s okay.’

Fortunately, I was able to cut off Karsine and let the words slip away.

Karsine was a very difficult person to understand.

Cold, rigid, and not very emotional.

He doesn’t ask for help from others, doesn’t depend on others, and tries to solve everything on his own.

So there is very little we can know.

Because everything is hidden and concealed.

I’ve learned a lot about him over the years, but even now I don’t know much about him.

But Harnier could guess what Karsain was going to say.

‘fool.’

There is concern in his eyes.

Concern only for yourself.

This kind-hearted person will think more of himself and try to send him back to the Marquis safely.

‘No, no. Karcein. I don’t like that.’

Anyway, a world without you is hell for me.

The remaining time is fine. I don’t care what happens after that. So.

‘I will be by your side, just a little longer.’