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Chapter : 22
“But, Count…”
Reivan, lost in thought, lifted his head and looked at his aide.
“Are you thinking of connecting Miss Bella with Kaisa?”
It was a careful, extremely cautious question. He knew it wasn’t his place to ask, yet he couldn’t hold it in. Reivan’s expression remained blank as he responded to the aide’s question.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Milena and Kaisa live in the same house, don’t they?”
The aide hesitated before adding,
“Is there really nothing between them?”
When he had asked Milena in passing before, she had answered lightly:
“You could think of us as housemates sharing the same place. I didn’t have any money after coming here, so living together was the only solution.”
There had been no hint of deceit in her face when she said that. So, he had intended to believe her.
But in truth, there were darker motives being concealed.
Bella would probably be the better choice than Milena. Naturally. A woman who had lost everything, versus a woman who possessed everything. If Kaisa were sane, he would choose Bella.
Especially if Kaisa planned to settle here.
“No need to worry. The world isn’t as naive as you think.”
Reivan let out a low, quiet laugh.
Normally, leaving work was a happy moment. Recently, it seemed Kaisa was starting to appreciate that joy too. Even now, he was waiting with a bright smile on his face.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just got out.”
Kaisa paused for a moment and pulled a key from his pocket. It was a key I had never seen before. I tilted my head in curiosity, and I noticed a faint crease at the corner of Kaisa’s eyes. He looked like something good had happened. What was this key? As I tilted my head, Kaisa gently shook the key.
It rang clearly.
A very pleasant sound.
“We’ve got our new house.”
“Really?”
I was so surprised that I stopped in my tracks. My eyes nearly popped out. A new house, just like that? Impossible!
So that’s why the key sounded so nice! Kaisa continued in a gentle voice:
“It’s a navy residence. It has three rooms, and the kitchen is much bigger than the current one.”
My goodness! Ha, after enduring and persevering, a day like this comes. The days when we didn’t even have a proper place to sleep flashed before my eyes. Even our old home, which we barely managed to secure by selling jewels.
“What about rent?”
“Good news on that too. Since it’s provided by the navy, there’s no need to pay separately.”
I looked up at Kaisa, unable to believe it. Does this really make sense? To do this all of a sudden? Just yesterday, Reivan hadn’t given any indication of this.
“They said it’s a reward for defeating Bardanos the day before yesterday.”
“My goodness…”
If one monster is worth a house, then we’d need to take down dozens…
We walked toward the market while talking more about the new house.
“Have you been there already?”
“I stopped by briefly at lunchtime. It was much better than expected. Especially with so many windows, the sunlight comes in beautifully.”
“Which room will Kaisa take?”
“A room? I don’t know if it matters much. Considering the current schedule, I mostly only go in at night. Also, soon we’ll have joint training. So I’ll let you choose first.”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“You spend more time at home than I do. You should be able to rest comfortably.”
We laughed as we entered the vegetable shop. Then I wouldn’t refuse and would choose without hesitation. What kind of house could it be? My heart started pounding. A house! And no rent means I can save money to return faster! This is definitely a green light.
“The best part is—”
“What is it?”
“Because it’s a navy residence, it’s close to the Kaester Mansion. Travel time will be much shorter.”
Currently, we walked everywhere without using a carriage or mount. It was healthier that way, but time was still inevitably spent.
“…Oh, how much shorter?”
My voice trembled without me realizing it. Commuting two hours round-trip kept replaying in my mind.
“Ten minutes.”
Ten minutes? That’s nothing!
“Just ten minutes. You open the door, and it’s the Kaester Mansion.”
“Wow!”
Ten minutes commuting! This is truly excellent welfare. My mood lifted even more. Life quality would improve with this. Finally, maybe it’s time to reclaim my life.
I said excitedly:
“We should move in as soon as possible.”
“Let’s organize it over the weekend and move in.”
“Good. But with a bigger house, cleaning will be a problem. Even now it’s tight.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help more.”
I answered while picking cabbage.
“Then we should divide the areas. Kaisa takes the living room, Kesia’s room, and a bathroom. I take my room, the kitchen, and the entrance.”
“I’ll mainly use the kitchen, so I should clean it.”
“We’ll still take turns doing the dishes.”
Kaisa paused, thinking, and then spoke with a very serious expression.
“I think I should do the dishes.”
“Why?”
“…You’re really bad at doing them. I’d rather you stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.”
“Ugh.”
Wait, he actually said that with such a serious face? Kaisa was so earnest that I had nothing to say. Had he been holding back all this time? He continued:
“I think we should do a full cleaning together once a week. At least so it feels like a proper house.”
Wait, what? He’s implying the house isn’t proper right now? Seeing him suddenly say all this… aha. So he just brought his own house! Since until now we had been living in the house I found, Kaisa must have been holding back and is only now letting it out.
Such a devious man!
Which woman would like being scolded for being bad at housework?
I answered with a pout:
“Alright. Let’s do it that way.”
While moving to the butcher shop, I asked:
“Even with a bigger house, I don’t think we should hire servants. We need to save money… and, just in case, someone might overhear us.”
“I agree.”
Our ultimate goal was to return safely to Luikaron, so it was best to be cautious. Besides, we were now attracting the attention of one of the most powerful figures in Siern. Some would envy us, some would feel uneasy about our presence. Careful with both body and speech was best.
Luikaron seemed to be getting further away, but still,
Kaisa and I wished to return there safely.
“Anyway, today calls for celebration. We got a new house!”
I deliberately spoke brightly.
“Yes, I’ll make a special dish today, to celebrate.”
“Great! Ah, should I make dessert then?”
Kaisa pursed his lips. What now? Why is he looking at me with that dissatisfied expression?
“I’m not doubting your cooking. But I recommend buying it instead.”
Not doubting? His expression clearly said he didn’t want anything I made in his mouth.
“Even what we ate before was good, and the stuff from the street was fine too. And over there…”
“…Buying is better, isn’t it?”
Kaisa smiled faintly. It was amazing that we could joke this comfortably now.
“A very wise choice.”
