Chapter 31
The blurry vision gradually began to come into focus, and soon Floan’s figure appeared.
He reached out his hand and gently stroked Aileen’s cheek as if she were the most adorable thing.
The touch was so warm that Aileen’s whole body tingled with a thrilling emotion.
Ah, is this what it means to be loved?
Or is this what love really feels like?
Though she had no idea what exactly was happening, she was certain this was a feeling she had never experienced before.
But soon, like ink spreading across paper, darkness crept in.
Her stomach churned like rough waves crashing.
Her pounding heart no longer beat with the fullness of joy from moments ago, but with anxiety—as if something might collapse inside her.
What is this unease?
Why am I so afraid?
Walking as if fleeing, not knowing if she was walking or running, she absentmindedly grabbed and twisted something in her hand like turning a doorknob.
Creaaak—the old hinge squealed eerily as the door opened, and what she met inside—
Crack! Crack!
The sound of splintering wood came, along with a sensation of falling downward.
“Gasp.”
Aileen sharply drew a breath and opened her eyes groggily.
Ah, it was a dream.
The moment she realized, relief flooded her.
But soon again, crack! crack! the sounds of splitting wood echoed.
Curious about the source, she glanced around and spotted Floan chopping firewood just outside the warehouse beyond a half-broken window.
He was shirtless, splitting wood with force.
She wondered if she was still half-asleep.
Blinking a few times, the image only grew clearer, confirming it was indeed reality.
That sound of cracking and breaking was probably just Floan chopping firewood with all his might.
“What a strange dream.”
She knew dreams usually lacked logic, but this one was particularly unusual.
As she carefully sat up, something fell from her forehead.
“A wet towel?”
It was still damp, so perhaps he had kept taking care of her.
Checking her leg, thanks to the herbs’ effect, she could gently rotate her ankle without pain.
Turning her gaze outside again, she watched Floan.
“Not bad at chopping wood. Most nobles raised delicately like him wouldn’t be good at this.”
Perhaps it was because of what he said yesterday.
If she hadn’t known, she’d just think his muscles were impressive, but now she felt a bit of pity.
“Why does he hate the South so much? What pain does he carry? If I asked… would he answer? Or would he hate me for asking…?”
She didn’t dare ask but had so many things she wanted to know.
Floan wasn’t the type to lie.
That said, he wasn’t the type to reveal everything without hesitation.
She wanted to know more, but she knew sometimes knowing more didn’t help.
Trying not to think too much, Aileen gently shook her head and stood.
Opening a wooden plank that was more like a cover than a door, she stepped outside, where Floan greeted her with a bright smile.
“How’s your body feeling?”
“Thank you for taking care of me. I don’t have a fever, and my leg feels much better now. I probably can’t run yet, but walking won’t be a problem.”
Though it was her leg that was hurt, Aileen said bravely while showing off her skinny muscles.
“But chopping wood so early in the morning—is this your way of tempting me?”
“I was asked by the master here to chop it.”
“Oh, then I’ll go take a look around the village for a bit.”
“Let me come with you.”
“No, I want to go alone.”
“…Why?”
“Because I want to go alone. I have things to think about… haha.”
Smiling awkwardly, Floan nodded slightly, as if to say, “Alright then.”
“I’ll be back,” Aileen said with the same awkward smile as before and began walking down toward the village.
Watching her retreating figure, Floan muttered quietly,
“…Maybe I shouldn’t have.”
Had he been too forward?
He gave her information easily and teased about temptation.
It was just a joke.
Feeling embarrassed, Floan fiddled with his hair and resumed chopping wood.
Actually, the reason Aileen felt awkward when looking at Floan’s face was because the touch in her dream was too vivid.
“Not just the touch… maybe it’s the feeling of being loved back then that was so strong…”
When she got closer to Floan after he opened the door and looked at her, Aileen felt an unknown flutter in her chest.
No, an unknown flutter?
No fool wouldn’t recognize what it was.
“No. It’s not that. Let’s just say it’s an arrhythmia. Yeah, that’s it—an arrhythmia.”
But she decided to deny it.
Aileen wandered alone through the village.
The second village was known for having the largest farmland in the South, and as expected, all around were fields filled with vegetables and orchards.
After walking for a while, Aileen stopped at a vineyard.
“Is this where the grapes for that wine I drank before are grown?”
She had heard that all the Southern wines were made from grapes harvested here.
True to its reputation, the whole area seemed filled with the scent of grapes.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, imagining not only the grape scent but the wine aroma she would soon savor.
Just then, her eyes met those of a farmer working in the field.
When she bowed politely, the farmer returned the greeting with a subtle nod.
“Are you from out of town?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Here to steal grapes?”
“What?! No!”
“Just kidding.”
“Ah, haha—sir, these grapes here are really used to make Southern wine, right?”
“That’s right. Our village’s vineyard is the biggest and produces the most among Southern villages.”
“Are the grapes particularly sweet? The wine I tasted was the best I’ve ever had.”
“You drank the wine?”
The farmer looked at her curiously, eyeing her from head to toe as if surprised.
Because of her appearance, it seemed unlikely, so Aileen smiled awkwardly.
“A while ago.”
The farmer seemed to assume she was a daughter of a fallen noble family.
“Oh my. That explains it. You must have had a hard time coming here. The wine’s really tasty, but honestly, the best taste is eating the fruit itself. Try some.”
The farmer plucked some ripe grapes and offered them to Aileen.
She gladly accepted and ate them.
Since it was this season, there was no pesticide, and rubbing them on her clothes would only dirty them more, so she popped the grapes straight into her mouth.
The sweet, bursting grape pulp made Aileen close her eyes and savor the flavor.
“Wow, this is really delicious. Among all the grapes I’ve ever eaten… no, it’s even sweeter and better than Shine Muscat!”
“Shine what? Anyway, good, right?”
“Yes! Wow, it’s really so delicious!”
The farmer chuckled heartily and generously plucked a whole bunch to give to Aileen.
Is this the hospitality of the South?
Aileen smiled brightly, thankful, and happily ate grape after grape.
“Oh, seeing you enjoy it like that is a delight.”
“Can I look around the vineyard here?”
“Here? Sure, but there’s nothing much to see.”
At that moment, voices calling the farmer from afar were heard.
“Don’t eat it all, will you?”
The farmer joked half-seriously and slowly walked toward his companions.
Aileen smiled faintly in response and started to look around the vineyard, breathing in the grape aroma.
Even without tasting, the sweet smell tickled her nose, and such fine grapes would surely make delicious wine.
“Wow, it stretches on endlessly.”
The building far ahead was probably the wine factory where grapes from here were processed.
Since she was here, maybe she would take a look around there too.
Approaching the building, she spotted the farmer from earlier along with his companions.
For some reason, their faces looked gloomy.
“This is killing us.”
“They’re fleecing us dry.”
“Damn it, it’s so frustrating. We might as well give up this farm…”
One of the farmers threw his straw hat to the ground in anger.
Watching their dejected mood, Aileen cautiously stepped closer.
“What’s wrong?”
“Miss, don’t get yourself involved and leave cheaply. It’ll only bring trouble.”
Why had the atmosphere suddenly turned so sour?
