CLWE 08

Chapter 08

To think I proposed because she told me to, only for her to slam the door in my face saying she was rejecting me.

It was a humiliation I’d never once imagined suffering, given my dignity as emperor. I hadn’t even proposed because I genuinely felt something special for that woman, but being rejected like that made a strange surge of resentment well up inside me.

What’s wrong with me, anyway?

For a man who had spent his entire life being praised as handsome and impressive even when sitting still, it was an unintentional yet refreshing shock.

In any case, Emperor Kamin—who had gone down to the village with five knights in tow—came rushing back to the lord’s castle.

Aurelian, who ended up coming out to greet him again, tilted her head in confusion.

“Your Majesty?”

“I’ll trouble you again, my lady.”

“I don’t mind, but… I thought you would immediately put Riena on your back and head for the capital.”

“I was completely led around by the nose.”

Aurelian had assumed the emperor would simply seize Riena—sword and all—and take her straight to the capital. In the worst case, she’d even imagined him cutting off her wrist to take it with him.

But unexpectedly, the emperor looked rather dazed. As Aurelian blinked, unable to grasp what had happened, Kamin ran a hand through his hair and replied,

“That bold young lady told me that the only legal way for her to own a sword was through marriage, so I should propose.”

“What?!”

She knew Riena was audacious, but she’d never imagined she’d tell the emperor himself to propose.

It’s probably because she didn’t know he was the emperor, right?

But even if she had known, Aurelian thought there was a good chance Riena would have acted the same way.

Imagining Riena boldly saying such a thing to the emperor, and the emperor’s undoubtedly flustered expression, Aurelian couldn’t help but chuckle. In a gentler, intrigued tone than before, she asked,

“So?”

“There’s nothing more to it. When I actually proposed, she said she was rejecting me and slammed the door shut.”

“Oh my.”

In the end, Aurelian burst out laughing. Even without seeing it, she could picture perfectly how Riena must have mocked him.

Wasn’t she the child who’d always spoken her mind and refused subcontract work, even back when the Duke of Pond had completely turned his back on her and she was practically penniless?

“She really is bold.”

“As you say.”

After saying that, Kamin clicked his tongue softly and muttered,

“…At this rate, my pride won’t let me go back.”

“Oh my.”

Out of consideration for the emperor’s dignity, Aurelian said nothing more, but inwardly she thought,

This story is getting interesting.

Two people of marriageable age becoming entangled like this—it was a rare spectacle in a backwater like Fostin.

Was it careless to sense something pink and romantic in the air? Even so, the smile wouldn’t leave Aurelian’s lips.

Perhaps spring is finally coming.

Well-informed as she was, Aurelian knew far more about her grandchild than Kamin expected.

Fastidious, numb to emotion, cold and rational.

Those were the words that described Kamin. He had walked a predetermined path silently since he was very young, and it was fortunate enough that he hadn’t grown intoxicated with the idea that he was inherently noble.

But life is far more interesting than that.

And Riena—despite being raised as a duke’s daughter—was proactive and positive enough to grow sweet potatoes from barren land and become a large-scale farmer.

I’m rooting for them.

Aurelian thought so to herself.

It had been two days since I shut myself inside the house to avoid the suspicious blond handsome man who seemed to be targeting Louis.

On the night that marked the third day, I had a dream. In the dream, an old man who looked like a mountain spirit appeared and gave me a quiz.

—Yellow, fluffy, and sweet. What is it?

What could it be~?

I rolled out of bed with a thud and answered in a dazed voice,

“Kabocha squash…!!”

Yellow, fluffy, and sweet!

Obviously, it’s kabocha squash.

Ahhh, I want to slice up a bunch of kabocha and make kalguksu.

One slurp of those warm noodles, filling your stomach—it’d be so delicious. Sweet kabocha mixed into a savory broth would be nothing short of heavenly.

As I drooled thinking about kabocha kalguksu, Louis—who’d ended up rolling off the bed with me—spoke in a bewildered tone.

—Whoa! You startled me! Master, what on earth is going on?!

What do you mean, what’s going on? I sprang energetically to my feet.

“Today’s the day, my sword! The time has come to defeat all enemies and enjoy the joy of harvest!”

—Oooooh! Have you finally made up your mind?! To sweep away your enemies together with me?!

“So it is!”

I splashed my face quickly with the water I’d prepared, braided my red hair neatly, and pulled a straw hat down low to keep my face from tanning. I even folded a handkerchief into a triangle and tied it around my neck so it wouldn’t get burned by the sun, at which point Louis grumbled,

—Master, isn’t that outfit far too shabby for going to the battlefield?

“No, it’s perfect.”

After pulling on my gloves snugly, I grabbed Louis tightly and stared at him with solemn eyes.

“My sword, may I share the joy of harvest with you?”

—H-harvest? I know all about that. You mean chopping off enemies’ heads and lining them up on the fence, right?

That kind of harvest was a bit too murderous. I forced my stiffening smile back into place and shrugged.

“For that, there’s something I need Louis-Louis to help me with. Something really, really, very important.”

—What is it? What is it? Just say the word, Master! There’s nothing I, Louis Garbon Bontuire, can’t do!

So simple-minded, this sword. I grinned and said,

“To harvest, you’ll need to change shape. In your current sword form, harvesting is impossible.”

—Huh? For cutting heads, a longsword is best. There’s a reason swords rule this world. With your arm strength, you couldn’t even lift a spear.

“Ah, Louis-Louis, I always take your words to heart. But just like you said, I’m weak, so swinging a sword is hard for me.”

—You’re not that frail.

This damn sword—talking nonsense again!

Anyway, I needed Louis. I leaned in and whispered softly near his ear.

“The handle should look like this, and the blade like this…”

What I was trying to turn Louis into—

A small pair of pruning shears used for harvesting crops!

—Master is mean. Master is a con artist.

Louis complained endlessly. I patted the flat of his blade to comfort him.

“That’s just how life is. The world is a place where, if you close your eyes, your nose gets stolen.”

—Don’t say that when you’re the one who scammed me!!

Louis wailed. Ignoring him, I tightened my grip and snipped off the top of a kabocha squash.

“Wow, it cuts so cleanly. Maybe it’s because the blade’s good—it slices really well.”

The place I headed with scissor-Louis was our backyard. Squash grows well without much care, so it was one of the crops commonly planted in spare land near the house.

Just take good care of the fertilizer, and you get tons of kabocha like this.

The head-sized squashes were heavy. As I rolled them together into a pile, Louis started wailing noisily again.

—Complimenting me doesn’t make me grateful at all! Ugh, it’s sticky. Something’s getting all over me.

“Just deal with it. You used to walk around drenched in blood—why are you freaking out over a bit of plant juice?”

—That’s different!

I didn’t see how it was different. If anything, this seemed more constructive than getting human blood on you.

Quite some time had passed since I started living with the noisy sword named Louis Garbon Bontuire—which also meant I’d had plenty of time to get used to his chatter.

When I ignored him and kept snipping away at the squash, Louis finally pouted and said,

—Honestly, you’re the first woman who’s ever treated me so roughly.

That was a line I’d heard far too often somewhere before. I replied in disgust,

“Don’t fall for me.”

—W-what nonsense! Who do you think I am?! A woman like you isn’t even my type!

“You’re an inanimate object—do you even have a type?”

—You’re treating me terribly!

Even as we bickered, my hands never stopped. Maybe because I’d neglected them recently, there were quite a lot of squash ready for harvest. When I’d cut around thirty of them, a large hand picked up one of the freshly cut squash.

“Should I take this over there?”

“…Huh?”

It was a crazy voice that made my ears tingle the moment I heard it. I widened my eyes and turned to the side.

Ah, so bright!

He already looked like he was glowing, but standing with the sunlight behind him made him positively radiant. Shielding my dazzled eyes with my hand, I said,

“You’re showing off some serious destructive power today too, Mr. Kamin.”

“Destructive power?”

“Something like that.”

It breaks my heart, my guard—things like that.

Handsome as he was, though, Mr. Kamin’s posture was awkward. Even now, it looked like he might drop the squash at any moment.

I see. He must’ve only ever done paperwork.

But then why is his body so well-built? His shoulders were broad, and his arms were bulging with muscle.

He must take good care of himself.

Meanwhile, my idea of self-care was just wearing a straw hat to avoid tanning and gloves to keep my hands from getting hurt.

Just as I was sneaking glances at Mr. Kamin, he was also stealing glances at me. Then, in a hesitant, disbelieving tone, he nodded toward the scissors in my hand.

“But… what are those scissors you’re holding? Don’t tell me… that’s an ego sword?”