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chapter 13
The Only Peach in the World
“Karner? …Hegel Karner, the one I know?”
Miren, still cradled in Ryan’s arms, widened her eyes.
Why was Hegel Karner here?
As she frantically tried to make sense of the situation, the tense standoff between Ryan and Hegel continued.
A subtle exchange of glances passed between them, charged with hostility.
At that moment, Hegel suddenly raised both hands and let out a deep sigh.
He nodded casually and spoke.
“Alright, that was my mistake just now. My apologies.”
Even though Hegel admitted fault first, Ryan did not lower the sword aimed at him.
Eventually, Miren raised her hand and gently covered the back of Ryan’s hand.
As soon as she did, the sword dropped obediently, almost surprisingly so.
With a metallic clink, the sword returned to its sheath at his waist.
“I specifically told you not to wander around recklessly.”
“I didn’t even know this was the Empress’s garden. If I had, I wouldn’t have entered. Who in their right mind would want to die by stepping into see ‘that’ Empress, Your Majesty?”
Ryan’s sharp words were met with Hegel’s light, almost joking response.
But there was something strange about that reply.
‘That’ Empress?
‘Entering if one wants to die?’
It was true that Hegel hadn’t seen anyone here before, but Miren had assumed it was simply because it was the Empress’s garden.
The subtle nuance in Hegel’s words made her uneasy.
“Shut your mouth.”
“Ah…”
A short laugh was embedded at the end of Hegel’s “Ah…”
Hidden behind the branches, his chin tilted downward slightly.
Miren realized that tiny movement was meant to look at her.
In other words, he was smiling at her.
Miren raised her eyebrows in response.
She already knew Hegel’s personality was quite insufferable, but encountering him again as if meeting for the first time was particularly grating.
“Well then, the humble mage shall take her leave.”
“Karner.”
“Yes?”
“Did the person you know also go by Miren?”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Ryan’s quiet question made Miren’s heart skip a beat.
Cradled in his arms, she worried that he might hear her racing heartbeat.
Thankfully, the evening was dark.
If he had seen her face, her pale expression would have given her away.
Ryan was remarkably perceptive about facial expressions.
Miren clenched her hands to hide her tension.
“She is just an ordinary farmer’s daughter, unlike the noble Empress.”
“…A farmer’s daughter?”
“How common do you think the name Miren is in the world?”
Hegel’s answer sounded natural.
He even chuckled briefly, as if it were funny to compare her to the Empress.
As the situation seemed to settle, Miren tried to relax.
Then Ryan suddenly looked into her eyes and spoke.
“What exactly is your name?”
“Miren Wu—”
“Ryan!”
Before Hegel could finish, Miren interrupted.
The gazes of both men immediately fell on her.
Ryan, who had been focused on Hegel, lowered his head the moment Miren called him.
Meeting her eyes gently, Ryan softly said, “Yes, Miren.”
Looking into Ryan’s eyes, Miren worried her pupils might be trembling but knew she had to speak.
The longer Hegel and Ryan talked, the more uneasy she felt.
“I… would like to go inside now. It’s cold out here.”
“I should’ve considered that. Go ahead, then.”
At that, Ryan immediately took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
Because of their obvious size difference, Ryan held the coat in place with his hands, preventing it from slipping.
Now, it seemed he no longer cared about Miren as the “ordinary farmer’s daughter.”
He only worried about her being cold, guiding her inside.
As Miren entered, still wrapped in Ryan’s protective arms, she glanced back. Hegel was still standing there.
The moonlight overlapped in such a way that his face was partially hidden, so Miren squinted to look more closely.
Finally, she could make out his mouth and nose.
Then it happened.
His lips moved silently, forming words.
‘Hello.’
It was a greeting conveyed without a sound.
“Miren, can you do me a favor? Go quickly to the market and buy what’s on this list.”
“…Now?”
“Yes! Then go now. When else would you go?”
Miren, finishing sewing a hole in Glenn’s pants, looked up at her mother, but no further instructions came.
Sometimes, it’s best to just comply quietly.
Today was one of the few big market days of the month.
There would be many things to see, but after decades of experience, Miren wasn’t particularly interested.
As she struggled into her socks, Glenn peeked from behind the door and watched her quietly.
“Glenn, shall we go together?”
“Yes!”
Glenn’s face lit up as if he’d been waiting for the invitation.
Though he was her younger brother, in moments like this, he was irresistibly adorable.
Maybe because of the seventeen-year age gap.
Miren dressed Glenn in his coat, held his hand, and they left the house.
It wasn’t fully winter yet, so a light coat was enough.
“Big sister.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Aren’t you going to the capital?”
“The capital? Suddenly?”
“The boy next door said you and the others went there.”
He sounded a bit downcast.
Indeed, children in this area all left for the capital at age twenty.
If they didn’t plan to become farmers, there was nothing to do in the Frenity estate.
Miren smiled softly and patted Glenn’s head.
“I’m not going.”
“Why? They say you can earn lots of money in the capital.”
“Well… that’s true. But, Glenn, here’s what I think.”
“Hmm?”
“Money isn’t that important, really.”
She recalled the first time her father started the peach orchard.
All the peaches had rotted, leaving the household with no money.
So Miren had coveted the estate of Duke Edgar.
Even as a child, she loved her own family—the Woods—more than the distant Duke Edgar, whom she rarely saw.
Of course, young Miren had no way to take wealth from Edgar’s estate, which was months away by carriage.
She could only hope.
Then one day…
“Miss Miren, I heard you wanted peaches. Fortunately, some have arrived.”
“Peaches? Did Father bring them?”
Duke Edgar, who had been away for several days, came to her room.
Miren’s excitement was fueled by the maids’ whispers about the Duke’s visit.
But what he presented was a golden peach.
Placed in a luxurious box, he said:
“From the Berche family.”
“For me?”
“The third young master of that family is about to be engaged.”
Miren’s young lips twitched.
Duke Edgar scrutinized her as if she were an object.
“Don’t worry. I’ll ensure the most extravagant marriage.”
He left, placing the peach on the floor.
Maidens offered it to her as an expensive toy, but it couldn’t soothe her heart.
The next day, in the evening, she finally saw her parents gathered in their small home.
Her father noticed her first and lifted her onto his lap.
Only then could Miren see what her parents had cherished so dearly.
“Miren! Look at this, it’s a peach!”
“A peach…?”
“I checked the orchard for anything still intact, and your father found it!”
Her mother took a knife and began peeling the peach.
Finally, she pressed a perfectly cut slice to Miren’s lips, urging her to eat.
Miren reluctantly accepted it with both hands, but couldn’t eat, looking up at her parents.
“Mom? Dad?” she asked, pouting.
“We’ve already eaten. We saved this for our daughter. Now eat.”
“Really?”
Miren, cautious, began nibbling the peach.
Its sweetness was so overwhelming that she finished all her mother’s slices.
Seeing the empty plate, her father lifted her high.
“Daughter, next time I’ll make sure you eat plenty!”
“You’re something else. Who in the world grows peaches just because their daughter likes them?”
“She’s our daughter, and she’s so lovely. It’s amazing she’s with us.”
From that day on, Miren stopped coveting Duke Edgar’s estate.
Even as a child, she realized money wasn’t everything.
“For me, Glenn and our family are far more important than money.”
“Really? Then you won’t go?”
“Yes, I won’t go.”
Glenn’s gloomy look vanished.
Miren, smiling softly, patted his head.
The siblings returned from the market before sunset.
The journey home was treacherous in the dark, and they weren’t particularly interested in the market anyway.
Upon entering the house, they heard their father’s voice from the kitchen.
“This year, we should send her, shouldn’t we?”
“…We should. We can’t leave our child farming while others go.”
“I know someone in the capital. We can arrange a room there…”
“What are you talking about?”
Miren stormed into the kitchen, frowning at her mother.
Her parents looked flustered.
“Miren, you’re back already?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Mom, Dad! I don’t want to go to the capital!”
Shouting, Glenn ran into his mother’s arms.
As she removed his coat, Miren held up the items she bought.
Light blankets and clothes tumbled out.
“So you had me buy decent blankets just to send me away.”
“Miren, the other kids all go to live in the capital. You, too, rather than spending your life farming…”
“I said I don’t want to go.”
Miren exhaled quietly, frustrated but not wanting to anger her beloved family.
“I don’t want to go, Father. Mother.”
“Daughter, what I mean is—”
“Enough. Stop it.”
Her mother, holding Glenn, suddenly looked stern.
She told her father to take Glenn for a short walk, leaving only her and Miren inside.
After a moment of silence, her mother spoke.
“Miren, you have to go to the capital.”
“Why? Just because everyone else is going?”
“There’s going to be a war soon!”
