Chapter 30
The Siastor estate was peaceful.
So peaceful that it was hard to believe monsters had rampaged through the place like lunatics just yesterday.
Chirp, chirp—cute birds were singing.
Pour—tea was being served somewhere.
Everything felt relaxed and calm.
“He even put up a sleep barrier, so even if there was noise outside, everyone would’ve slept soundly.”
Just as Dazhar said, Kal looked like he had slept wonderfully. His complexion was better than when he drank ten bottles of carp extract.
“Lady Silia, why are you staring at Lord Aksion so intently?”
“Hm.”
Kal tilted his head as he watched me fix my gaze on Aksion, who was giggling in my lap.
Soft, mochi-like white cheeks.
Round eyes.
A tiny tongue sticking out just a little.
Aksion was still adorable and lovable as ever.
But yesterday—when I was in danger because of a monster—I was sure Aksion had called out to me.
Not clearly with words, but still…
“Aksion, what did you say yesterday? Hm?”
“Abu?”
“Can you try saying it like yesterday? Come on—say ‘Mama~ Mama!’”
“Eeeng.”
As I leaned in close and kept coaxing him, Aksion scrunched his face like he was about to cry and started whining.
Watching us, Kal shook his head slightly.
“Ahem. Well, it is about time for him to start saying ‘Mama’… But there’s no need to rush. Lady Silia, you started speaking even later than this.”
“Oh… really?”
Does the Evanroir bloodline talk late?
No—this isn’t about that. I definitely heard it yesterday.
But since I couldn’t tell Kal about it, all I could do was stare at Aksion and groan inwardly.
If there really was a sleep barrier, it made sense that Aksion woke up briefly and fell back asleep.
“Did you force yourself awake to save this mom, Aksion?”
“Uuun?”
Maybe he woke up because he heard me cry.
“Did you know you could grow up really fast, Aksion?”
“Waa!”
Despite all my efforts, Aksion still didn’t say “Mama.”
Giving up for the day, I spent time playing hand games with him, then put on my straw hat and work clothes and headed out to the fields.
“Sister! Welcome!”
Where had the knights who slaughtered monsters with drawn swords yesterday gone?
Now all I saw were men who looked, at best, like countryside farmers, laughing and greeting me cheerfully.
Being called “Sister” by men in their 30s and 40s…
I still wasn’t used to it.
“Ahem. Everyone, gather around.”
At my call, they rushed over.
When they saw the basket I brought, they gasped and covered their mouths with both hands.
“Th-this is…!”
“We had some extra time, so I made garaetteok.”
“Ohhh!”
I realized I’d told them to help me last time if they wanted garaetteok—but hadn’t paid them for quite a while.
“We’re in the mountains anyway. Should we go back to the training grounds?”
“Pardon?”
“We’ll skewer them and grill them there.”
The Black Hawks looked deeply moved.
“Sister!”
I took them back to the training grounds and grilled the rice cakes.
Each of them held a skewer of garaetteok, dipping it in honey and munching away.
Watching them tremble blissfully, I wondered—were these really the same Black Hawks from yesterday?
Bringing them garaetteok wasn’t just about compensation.
Lately, I’d realized something:
Even though they usually seemed useless, when it came time to use force, they were ridiculously strong.
In short—this was a bribe.
“Alright, everyone. Listen while you eat. Now that the rice fields are finished, we’ve got another task.”
The Black Hawks stared at me with bright, eager eyes.
“Yes, Sister!”
“Please tell us! Munch munch!”
“Hey, bastard! I told you not to steal mine!”
“Shut up, idiots! Sister is talking!”
The bald guy and the bronze-skinned guy started bickering again, and the others kicked them.
Every time I saw those two fight, I couldn’t help thinking—
If this weren’t a romance fantasy…
“Ugh.”
I violently shook my head to erase the image of their shy faces.
Just imagining it hurt.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll be gathering fertilizer.”
I looked each of them in the eye as I continued.
“So be ready to climb the mountain tomorrow, okay?”
“Yesss!”
They shouted back in unison like kindergarteners.
I looked at them with slightly burdened eyes and turned away.
That’s when Leon quietly stepped up beside me and whispered,
“Sister… about yesterday.”
He covered his mouth like he was sharing a secret.
For some reason, there was honey glittering in his silver hair.
I stared blankly at the sticky yellow honey caught in his hair.
How does honey even get there?
Did he headbang while eating a rice cake?
“Yes. Yesterday? Why?”
“… Did you happen to be running around the castle?”
“Ah… that.”
So he saw me.
Dazhar told me to keep the barrier issue secret.
I slowly looked away from the honey in his hair and gazed into the distance.
With misty eyes, I spoke slowly.
“Haah… so you saw.”
“…Ahem. W-was I not supposed to see?”
“Did anyone else see me? Other than you?”
“No. Just me…”
Leon scratched the back of his head blankly.
The problem was—he was holding a rice cake while doing it.
Honey smeared all over his hair.
His silver hair now looked like a tangled mess.
That was beyond saving.
Unaware, Leon took a bite of the rice cake and continued.
“The Lord definitely set a sleep barrier. But you were running around quite energetically. And weren’t you with him in the main building?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Since Dazhar told me to keep my special constitution secret, I had to stick to that.
“Well… actually…”
I gestured for him to come closer.
Leon leaned in, his honey-covered hair right near my face.
The sweet smell filled my nose.
I whispered into his ear.
I said something vague—like I just took a moonlit walk with Dazhar.
Which wasn’t technically a lie.
Leon tilted his head again.
“But yesterday, I’m pretty sure you told our lord to bark.”
… How did you hear that?
I awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“Yes. I did. Yesterday was a historic day—the day your lord became a dog.”
Leon’s eyes widened little by little until his whole face turned red.
As red as his eyes.
“…Is—is that really true? The Lord actually—?!”
He froze mid-mutter, then quickly looked around and covered his mouth.
I nodded solemnly with a distant expression.
“Yes. The day he became a dog.”
“Ahem! To think you two were doing… that sort of thing late at night…”
“…?”
What is he talking about now?
“I was wondering why the Lord, who never sweats on Crack Day, was drenched in sweat…”
“…”
“I’ll absolutely keep this a secret, so please don’t worry.”
“???”
Wait.
I think Leon is misunderstanding something big.
Late-night, that sort of thing?
Oh my.
Startled, I quickly said,
“Leon. You’re not imagining something weird, right?”
Leon smiled reassuringly and whispered conspiratorially,
“I already knew Miss Vanilla likes puppies. To think you two were practicing role-play for her sake… it’s quite moving.”
“…Role-play?”
“Yes. Weren’t you preparing by wearing puppy costumes?”
……
Ah.
I was the one with the weird imagination.
Haha.
This was my fault.
My perverted brain, corrupted by countless 19+ novels in my past life, misunderstood Leon’s meaning.
I stared blankly at Leon, who was—shockingly—talking normally for once.
The wholesome Black Hawk captain, who blushed at the idea of Dazhar being a dog for Vanilla’s sake, still had clumped honey hair.
Watching that hair, my red-tainted brain felt inexplicably irritated.
Hmph.
I can’t be the only one who thought that, right?
“…Let’s just go with that.”
“You don’t have to hide it from me! I’m the Black Hawks’ captain. And Miss Vanilla is my future lord. Hoho.”
“…Yes, yes.”
“Of course, please exclude me from that role-play. I don’t want to become a dog like my lord.”
Leon said firmly, sounding pure and innocent.
His brain also seemed extremely pure—which was a downside.
Faced with my own corrupted thoughts, I pouted slightly and nodded.
