VDBO 06

Chapter 06

Ah, seriously. There was no doubt about it—he was quite a troublesome existence.

“You’re really quite a nuisance, you know…”

When I openly voiced my irritation while setting down the tray and taking out another teacup, he burst into laughter.

“…I can’t deny that.”

Bleeding, and on top of that, he hadn’t eaten.

For the first time, I felt a little sorry for him.

Ever since I was young, I’d learned to deal with things on my own—even if I was injured, even if I starved for days, even if I was put in danger. Because of that, I’d grown somewhat numb to such things.

I’d been taught that if getting hurt meant endangering others, it was better to die alone. Situations that extreme hadn’t happened often, but still—that was how it was.

But others weren’t like that. Especially Prince Valery—unless he was starving himself on purpose, he would never have had to go hungry.

I often forgot that my sensibilities were a little different from those of ordinary people.

“Then wait here for a moment.”

There should be some leftover ingredients somewhere in the food storage—things Schvalt had used while cooking.

I took out dried vegetables prepared for the harsh winter, sausages dried so hard they were nearly stiff, and a few loaves of bread and some milk that Schvalt had brought back this time.

I could feel his gaze fixed on me from behind, but I ignored it and focused on what I was doing.

Every time I moved, his eyes seemed to cling stubbornly to me.

I returned to the dining room, brought out a small pot, and set it beside the one with boiling water. I poured in the milk, then roughly chopped the vegetables and sausages and tossed them in.

Just boiling it like this made a simple soup. It was nothing compared to Schvalt’s cooking, of course.

While the soup simmered, I placed the bread on the lid of the pot to warm it.

Then I paused, lost in thought.

I’d hoped to avoid him as much as possible—or at least that he’d be delayed. But since we’d ended up meeting anyway, it was time to think differently.

Originally, I was supposed to die by his hand.

The current prince was undoubtedly a most tempting prey for my mother. He was the bloodline of the one she despised. If things continued like this, disaster was inevitable. I could no longer hide quietly like a dead mouse.

“Haa…”

With a throbbing headache, I let out a sigh and started moving my hands again.

When everything was finished, I poured the soup halfway into a wooden bowl—it looked fairly decent.

I roughly arranged the bread and soup in a dish for him, brewed tea with the water I’d boiled earlier, placed everything on a tray, and handed it to him.

“Eat this, at least. You can’t die.”

I handed him the bowl and crouched down a short distance away. Hugging my knees, I sat there as he looked at me curiously.

“…Are you worried I might die?”

“I was at first, but I don’t think that’ll happen. I have something to say once you finish eating.”

“I understand.”

The prince must have been truly starving, because he immediately began scooping up the soup. Once he finished, I planned to tell him to leave first thing tomorrow morning—to forget this place entirely.

Halfway through his meal, he set the bowl down and looked at me.

“Um.”

“Does something hurt again?”

At that, the prince shook his head.

“May I ask your name? I’d like to know the name of the person who helped me. You may call me Valery. I will be sure to repay you.”

That confirmed it even more clearly—he was Prince Valery Ahibara Kashinev.

I let out a quiet sigh and shook my head.

“You don’t need to know my name. I only helped you. Leave this place tomorrow morning. Once you leave, forget this place completely. And don’t die.”

He looked slightly surprised.

He was probably someone who had never been rejected like this before. Even without him offering anything, goodwill would naturally flow back to him. Unlike me.

Despite seeing the emptiness in his expression, I continued.

“Don’t come looking for me to repay the favor. Forget this place as if you’d never come here at all. But if you absolutely must remember something, then remember just one thing—that I saved your life. Forget everything else. Understood?”

“……”

“I’ll leave another pouch of herbs here. Take it along with the blanket if you need it. It’ll work well enough as a coat for a short while.”

After saying that, I left the dining room without waiting for his reply.

My plan to enjoy a cup of tea was completely ruined. I gave up on the idea of warm tea and went upstairs to the second floor.

I couldn’t sleep well all night.

It was because of the foolish, half-hearted decision I’d made yesterday. I woke earlier than usual and put on a thick coat. When I pulled back the curtains, it was still dim outside.

The sun rises late in winter. Especially in the northern region—it’s the latest in the entire empire. It would take at least another hour for the sun to rise, but I decided to hurry a little.

When I went down to the food storage, the place where he’d been yesterday was completely empty. The soup he’d eaten was cleaned out and placed in the wash basin. The teacup too. Fortunately, he seemed to be a neat person.

It looked like he’d honored my request.

What was fortunate was that he’d taken the herb pouch and blanket I’d left behind.

Well, that was enough. This must have been the right choice.

“Well, it’s a relief. If Mother had seen him, someone would’ve ended up dead.”

After confirming that there were no traces of him outside either, I heard the sound of a carriage approaching from afar.

The owner of the carriage was my mother.

She’d returned sooner than expected, even though she’d said it would take several days. Beside her was Schvalt, whom I’d seen a few days ago. Standing side by side, they looked like a very well-matched, elegant couple.

“Why are you outside?”

Mother approached me, wearing a black velvet coat dress with a red sheen.

She must have found it strange that I—who hated the cold—was standing outside early in the morning in the middle of winter.

“Ah, I heard some noise outside.”

I brushed it off casually. There wouldn’t be the smell of blood… right? It was freezing cold, after all.

Schvalt’s sharpness worried me a little, but if I were discovered, I planned to quietly ask him to keep it to himself. Schvalt wasn’t very good at refusing my requests.

“If you hear a noise, that’s all the more reason not to come out.”

“Ah… I didn’t think it through. It sounded like a small animal.”

Damn it. The excuse I’d made up on the spot only earned me a scolding. My heart felt like it was about to burst.

Fortunately, Mother turned away and headed straight for the entrance afterward.

Schvalt set down two large pieces of luggage and gave the coachman some instructions.

“Bella.”

“I thought it would take you a few more days.”

“Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“This is the most welcome face I could see right now. It seems your business ended quickly.”

I lifted the corner of my lips into a smile, just like before.

“Yes. Thankfully. Mm.”

As Schvalt followed Mother inside, he glanced around. Then I saw his gaze stop briefly in the direction of the food storage.

“Uh—where did you go?”

I hurriedly spoke up to draw his attention away.

“I went to check the place we’ll be moving to. There were a few things I needed to confirm.”

“Oh, I see.”

Schvalt’s gaze quickly returned to me. For a moment, it felt like I’d seen something sharp in his eyes—but then a smile curved at their corners.

“I actually have something to tell you too. It’s cold, so let’s go inside.”

Complaining about the cold, Schvalt led me toward the entrance.

I saw his gaze drift toward the food storage once more, but I pretended not to notice and opened the door.

Normally, Mother and I hardly spoke, but with her returning from an outing, the house no longer felt so quiet.

And with the far more energetic Schvalt with us, the atmosphere even felt lively.

I’d thought I wasn’t the type to feel lonely—but maybe I was, just a little.

Suddenly, I realized that the luggage Mother and Schvalt had brought back was more than what they’d originally taken with them.

When I thought about why, it seemed they’d gone shopping along the way. Come to think of it, when was the last time I’d gone shopping without worrying?

“Carbella. Come here.”

I was about to head up to the second floor after a short tea break when Mother called me.

“Yes, Mother.”

Without protest, I walked straight over to her.

She was still sipping her tea elegantly, while Schvalt was busily taking things out of a large travel bag and laying them out.

“What is all this?”

“Try it on, Carbella.”

In an excited tone, Schvalt called to me and spread something out.

It was a long red dress. Not the thick, rough winter dress I was wearing now, but a full, luxurious dress like something one would wear to a social party in the capital.

Before I knew it, I’d grown far too accustomed to this life. The moment I saw the expensive-looking dress, my first thought was that it would easily cover a month’s worth of food expenses. Probably even enough left over to buy all our winter firewood.

“…Is this mine?”