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Chapter 7
At his father’s words, the boy lowered his gaze and bit his lip.
‘So it really is Cardian.’
The man turned toward Roselia and gave her a slight bow.
“I apologize. My son has his reasons for harboring resentment toward nobles. Still, you’ve come all this way, so I’ll make those gardening shears especially for you, my lady.”
“Father! Have you already forgotten why you lost that eye?”
Cardian shot back sharply from behind him.
But his adoptive father, Mark, merely chuckled and covered the boy’s mouth with his enormous, pot-lid-sized hand.
‘His eye? So… that eyepatch has something to do with nobles?’
* * *
Roselia staggered in the middle of the courtroom, gasping for breath as if she were about to collapse.
“The family that blasphemed the gods deserves to die!”
“Kill them!”
“Kill her!”
Nobles and commoners alike surrounded her in a circle, pointing fingers and shouting.
‘No… I don’t want to… I don’t want to die.’
She desperately wanted to escape, but her feet felt glued to the ground.
She couldn’t move an inch.
Cardian looked down at her with icy crimson eyes that sent chills down her spine.
“My sister died a miserable death… and you think you deserve to live?”
“No.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You, too, are a daughter of House Hailen.”
“You deserve to die.”
Bloody tears streamed down both of his eyes.
Before she knew it, a sharp longsword had appeared in his hand.
He slowly approached her and raised the blade high overhead.
“Die!”
Swoosh!
The sword came slashing down toward her head.
“AAAAAH!”
Roselia screamed as she jolted awake.
“Huff… haa… ha…”
It had been a dream.
She sat there with her mouth hanging open, staring blankly into space before slowly pushing herself upright against the headboard.
Cold sweat covered her forehead.
Overcome with burning thirst, she grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table and gulped it down.
Her hand trembled violently as she held the glass.
The cool water gradually cleared her mind.
It had only been a dream…
Yet it had felt horrifyingly real.
It was probably because she had met Cardian yesterday.
Anxiety washed over her.
‘I’ve found him… but how am I supposed to become friends with him?’
Mark had lost one of his eyes because of nobles.
That was why Cardian hated nobles.
For Roselia, who needed to build a close relationship with him, it was an unexpected obstacle.
‘At this rate, everything from my previous life will happen again.’
‘That absolutely cannot happen!’
The nightmare resurfaced in her mind, making her shudder.
She couldn’t just sit here worrying.
She had to do something.
* * *
Three days later.
Roselia returned to Mark’s blacksmith shop carrying a large basket of cookies she had asked the head chef to prepare.
Officially, she was there to collect the completed gardening shears.
But what mattered most to her now was making Cardian remember her face.
That was why she had decided to start by winning over the people around him.
“Oh my, Lady Roselia. You really didn’t have to bring all this.”
Since her identity as a noble had already been exposed, Roselia had told Mark that she was the daughter of Count Hailen.
“They’re nut cookies. Since you don’t normally make gardening shears but agreed to make them especially for me, I wanted to thank you. Please enjoy them as a snack.”
“Thank you very much! Cardian! Come have some cookies too!”
“…You eat them yourself, Father.”
Unlike Mark, who welcomed the gift enthusiastically, Cardian didn’t even glance at Roselia.
He continued working the bellows beside the furnace with all his strength.
Watching him, Roselia quietly sighed to herself.
“By the way… these shears are wonderfully made. The leather-wrapped handle feels soft and fits perfectly in my hand.”
Examining the gardening shears Mark had handed her, Roselia couldn’t help expressing her sincere admiration.
“Hahaha! Is that so? I may be a big man, but my hands are quite skilled.”
Mark laughed heartily at her praise.
“Actually… I’d like to order five more pairs of gardening shears. I’ll pay well.”
It was the plan she had come up with to give herself more excuses to visit and see Cardian.
“I don’t mind at all. If you’re willing to pay well, then I’m the grateful one.”
“That’s great. Then I’ll leave them to you.”
After discussing her next visit with Mark, Roselia left the blacksmith shop.
The cool air outside felt refreshing compared to the sweltering heat indoors.
Just then—
Cardian hurried outside and stepped directly into her path.
“Why are you blocking Lady Roselia’s way?”
Mary immediately raised her voice at him.
“It’s okay. I think he wants to tell me something.”
At Roselia’s reassurance, Mary nodded and fell silent.
“My father may be kind enough to think well of nobles…
…but I don’t.”
“I will never trust nobles.”
“A noble is the reason my father’s eye ended up like that.”
“So… please go to another blacksmith.”
Without giving Roselia any chance to respond, Cardian said everything he wanted to say before turning around.
He went back inside and slammed the door shut.
Roselia stared at the tightly closed door and bit her lip.
She eventually returned to the Hailen estate.
“He keeps telling you he hates nobles and doesn’t want you to come anymore. What are you going to do now?”
Mary asked worriedly.
Roselia’s expression stiffened for a moment before relaxing into a smile.
“What else can I do?”
“…I’ll go again.”
“Huh? You’re going back?”
“Yes.”
“Even if he keeps telling me not to come, I have a reason I absolutely have to.”
‘Because if I can’t become close to Cardian, the future from my previous life will simply repeat itself.’
“…I see.”
“You said he was your first love, didn’t you?”
“I completely overlooked that.”
‘Ugh… That’s not it! It’s not like that!’
Looking at Mary’s expression of complete understanding, Roselia could only cry inwardly.
A week later.
Roselia once again headed for the blacksmith shop, this time carrying freshly baked bread as a snack.
She had come to pick up the five gardening shears she had commissioned from Mark.
‘I’m worried because Cardian told me not to come last time… but I should keep trying to win over Mark. And if that doesn’t work… maybe his older sister.’
Lost in thought, Roselia arrived in front of the blacksmith shop.
Just as she was about to go inside, something caught her eye.
It was a wooden sign.
Although the writing contained spelling mistakes, the message was clear.
Closed.
She tried pushing the door.
It was firmly locked.
“The sign says the blacksmith shop is closed.”
“How long?”
“It doesn’t say.”
Only a week ago, no one had mentioned closing the shop.
“Do you think they shut it down on purpose because they dislike nobles?”
“Surely… that can’t be it?”
Although, considering Cardian’s attitude, Mary’s guess wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Just then—
“Are you here for the blacksmith shop?”
Startled by the sudden voice behind her, Roselia quickly turned around.
An elderly woman with snow-white hair tied in a bun stood there, leaning on a cane.
“Who are you?”
“I live next door to this blacksmith shop.”
“I see. Has something happened here? I came to pick up something I ordered, but the door is locked and there’s a sign saying they’re closed.”
Roselia asked politely.
“Well… something has happened.”
“The family must be in complete turmoil right now.”
“Huh? Why?”
“The blacksmith’s daughter caught the fever.”
“His daughter… has a fever?”
“That’s right.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“As a token of my gratitude, please accept this.”
Roselia gave the old woman the bread she had brought as a gift.
Then she fell into thought.
“What are you planning to do?”
“…I need to see Gray immediately.”
Roselia headed straight for the Golden Whale Guild.
* * *
The next day.
Roselia and Mary returned to the blacksmith shop once again.
The door was still firmly shut.
‘The old woman said that if we go around behind the blacksmith shop, we’ll find Cardian’s house.’
Following the directions she had received the day before, they soon came upon a single-story wooden house.
From up close, it looked extremely old and worn down.
‘No wonder the armor and shields in the shop were covered with dust.’
It seemed the family wasn’t very well off financially.
Standing before the front door, Roselia swallowed nervously.
After taking a deep breath—
Knock. Knock.
She knocked gently.
A moment later, the door opened.
“Who…?”
“H-Hello.”
The instant Cardian saw her face, his expression froze.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Roselia stood there, momentarily stunned by his extreme reaction.
But she quickly regained her composure.
Knock. Knock.
She knocked again.
This time, there was no response whatsoever.
The door remained firmly closed.
But she couldn’t simply return to the Count’s estate like this.
“Mr. Mark! Are you home? Please open the door!”
She began knocking loudly while raising her voice.
Finally, the door opened.
Mark appeared.
“Well, if it isn’t Lady Roselia!”
“Cardian, you rascal!”
“What kind of manners are these, leaving a guest standing outside?”
Looking flustered, Mark turned toward Cardian, who stood behind him.
Ignoring his father’s rebuke, Cardian stared coldly at Roselia.
“Even after everything nobles have done to you, you’re still acting like this?”
“You fool.”
“Is the noble who ruined my eye the same as Lady Roselia?”
“At the very least, Lady Roselia has never looked down on us, beaten us like dogs, or cheated us out of our money the way that noble did.”
“Am I wrong?”
“Well…”
Unable to refute Mark’s words, Cardian silently pressed his lips into a thin line.
