IBWMD 62

~Chapter 62~

“Whoa, whoa!”

“Slow down! Move it gently!”

A few days later, in the middle of the marketplace during broad daylight.

“Young lady! Please bring that over here.”

“Drink some of this while you’re at it!”

“Thank you.”

I replied simply, accepting the carbonated drink passed to me.

Though it was slightly frosted from the cold weather, it didn’t feel that chilly—maybe because my body was burning up from all the movement.

Around me, a few laborers and merchants were collapsed, panting for breath.

“I’m dying here…”

“Water… someone give me water…”

Ruined furniture and building debris were scattered around the exhausted people.

Boxes full of goods stuck out from the snow piles like stubborn weeds.

“A sudden snowstorm, huh.”

Yes. The snow that began in the early morning of the New Year’s Festival had become a full-on blizzard.

Because of that, the shared warehouse for the marketplace merchants had completely collapsed.

And of course, it just had to be the warehouse where winter provisions had been stored.

…And on top of that—

“Those guys had the nerve to avoid the young lady, and now they’re shamelessly clinging to her?!”

The skewer vendor’s angry voice echoed from afar.

The merchants sprawled nearby answered sheepishly.

“Well, uh…”

“She’s carrying more boxes than the five of us combined…”

Yes. I was currently being introduced to the merchants in the middle of this chaos.

‘Young lady, do you have time?’
‘Why, are you going to lecture me like the boss did?’
‘…? No. I was going to ask if you wanted to help shovel snow.’

It was absurd, but when I heard that the merchants had all gathered to salvage the warehouse, I ran over. They threw me into the work as soon as they realized they needed an extra hand.

The skewer vendor who introduced me to the others was now strutting around, flexing his authority on my behalf.

“You guys—acting all stuck-up just because she’s from the capital!”

“We didn’t ignore her on purpose!”

“Yeah, it’s not like we meant to—”

“Did you do wrong or not, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah. We were wrong…”

Their voices were laced with guilt. I just shrugged.

‘They really did avoid me, though.’

Still, maybe because I’d been hanging around the market so often, a sense of familiarity had formed.

This was a town known for being cold toward outsiders, so I didn’t feel like holding a grudge.

“Can’t be helped. It’s a natural disaster—we have to help each other survive.”

“Right…?”

“Yeah, it’s embarrassing for us too.”

Sweating together seemed to break down barriers. The merchants were lowering their guard around me.

Honestly, I’d expected this much when I came here.

‘Even better than I thought.’

“Let’s give it a little more effort!”

“Yeah! Let’s think of it as a way to burn some belly fat… ugh!”

Encouraged by their words, I looked down at the supplies I was digging up.

‘It’s nice not having time for other thoughts.’

…Like not having to see Karl’s face for a while.

He wasn’t here today. Nor was Jeremy, who occasionally came in his place. Not even Clark.

They had all rushed off to fix the defensive facilities near the castle walls, which had suffered from the snowstorm.

‘If I’d seen Karl in this situation, it would’ve been so awkward.’

A sigh reminded me of New Year’s night.

Beth had been glaring at me with wide, suspicious eyes when I got back to the inn.

‘So. You ran into that fox on your way back here.’
‘He’s not a fox, he’s Karl…’
‘You had dinner, watched the fireworks, wandered the market together…’
‘…’
‘Even went to a secret place with him?’

I was sweating bullets under her knife-like questioning. But I had questions too.

‘What about you and Jeremy?’

Beth looked absolutely disgusted.

‘That jerk kept me at the ducal training grounds for hours under the excuse of “guarding you.”’
‘…’
‘I tried to leave, but he clung to my pants like a desperate fool! Unreal!’
‘Hmm. My hus—no, Jeremy… does he maybe…’
‘If it were love, I wouldn’t be this mad! He treated me like an obstacle!’

I shut my mouth—partly because of how serious Beth’s expression had become.

‘Young lady.’

Just when I thought she was going to unleash hell—

‘No matter what happens, I’m on your side.’

‘Huh? Well, I already know th—’
‘Even if you eloped with another man before the wedding…’
‘No way!’

That was not the kind of support I wanted.

‘We just went on a walk! It happened to be New Year’s!’
‘You do know that restaurant you went to is one of the top New Year’s date spots, right?’
‘What? Who said that?’
‘A knight I was gossiping with at the ducal residence.’

Even as I descended into confusion, Beth kept staring straight at me.

‘That fox-faced bastard… okay, I’ll admit it. He’s good-looking and well-built. And you’re a romance rookie, so I get that you might fall for him.’
‘Beth?’
‘But still—no way. Sure, the Monster Duke wasn’t a perfect match, but that guy’s just a monster hunter!’

She looked like she was calming down—but then her voice exploded again.

‘Even if he earns good money, could he really out-earn a Duke? Do you know how miserable poor marriages can get?! Your kid might end up a street pickpocket!’
‘Beth. Breathe.’
‘You can’t marry beneath your station! In the past, a noblewoman who got seduced by a commoner would’ve been exiled—or executed!’
‘What era are you even talking about?!’
‘If I ever see that uncultured stray cat, I’ll rip every hair out of his head!’

…Thanks to her, I spent that whole night calming her down.

‘But still.’

Thinking back, I did feel a little wronged.

“…Nothing happened.”

I sighed and closed my eyes tightly while chaos erupted around me.

“Lift it! One, two!”

“Wait! That barrel has a hole—everything’s leaking!”

“Our last mead of the season!”

“Someone help!”

As I instinctively moved to help, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Seriously. Nothing really happened.’

Sure, something that was almost a kiss might have happened at the end.

‘But I don’t even know if it actually touched.’

‘Is it okay for nothing to happen?’

‘That whole vibe… just fizzled out? Feels unfair.’

‘What’s there to feel unfair about?’

I was the one who tried to pretend it didn’t happen in the first place.

“Don’t put it down yet! It’s still leaking! Bring another barrel!”
“Uh, what do we do—”

Then why—

Why does it bother me now that it didn’t happen?

‘You’re not thinking straight, Elaine.’

I should feel relieved. Did I forget? I’m the Duchess-to-be.

So there’s nothing shameful I should have done.

Then it hit me—the image of those golden eyes that had looked up at me in silence.

“It’s spilling!”
“Block it with something—anything!”

Eyes that had seemed thirsty… like they’d be beautiful if they cried…

Eyes that might have tasted sweet if I licked the tears…

And lips that might have touched mine—

Thud!

“…”

“…”

I punched the air on reflex like someone kicking off their blanket in the middle of the night.

There was a dull thud and the odd feeling of something plugging in.

‘Did I… plug something?’

When I looked up—

My fist had fit perfectly into the leaking hole of the barrel, stopping the stream of alcohol entirely.

People were staring at me wide-eyed.

I felt like a toad plugging a broken jar with its body.

‘Wow.’

This is so embarrassing. Congji, we’re doomed.

“…You said it was urgent, right?”

Even as I thought that, I shamelessly joked.

Instinctively, I knew being embarrassed now would only make it worse.

But self-loathing came creeping in.

‘I acted without thinking.’

No, actually, it was too much thinking—about Karl.

Maybe all that goodwill I’d built with the merchants was about to collapse…

“…You blocked the barrel with your own body!”

…Or maybe not.