Chapter 06 –
Even if he tried to look serious while wearing eye-hurting, flower-patterned pants, there was no way he could look dignified.
“Yeah, right.”
At his sulky expression, Rosebel crossed her arms.
“It may look ridiculous to you, but nothing I do is meaningless.”
“Who said anything?”
Aren found it absurd how she spoke as if everything carried deep meaning.
“The Efrian family mainly produces apples. Farming is something that requires time and patience.”
“I agree with that. But do you really have to wear this?”
“You keep talking nonsense just because you don’t like the clothes. You can’t work in the fields wearing a dress, can you?”
Aren nodded at her words.
Rosebel smiled brightly and pulled Aren’s slightly chubby cheek.
“Ow! What are you doing?!”
Aren slapped her hand away irritably. Rosebel rubbed the back of her hand, which stung.
“When your master gives an order, you say, ‘Yeees~ understood~’ and do it. If you talk back, life in society gets hard, you know?”
“What does society have to do with this?”
“It means if you listen well to your master, you eat well and live well. Oh! On the way, we need to bring tomato and eggplant seedlings!”
“Why are you saying that now?!”
“Move it! Worker!”
Rosebel quickly slipped away, already expecting what he would say.
Aren followed her, rubbing his pinched cheek. When he saw the seedlings piled near the entrance to the orchard, he finally exploded.
“How am I supposed to carry all this by myself?!”
Aren’s irritated shout echoed behind them. Rosebel flinched slightly but walked faster, almost like she was running away.
“Wow, teenage boys really are full of energy.”
Thinking he would catch up soon, Rosebel started running.
It was spring, but the morning air was still cool. Even so, both of their bodies grew hot from working.
“She really works me to the bone.”
“You never know where or how this experience might help you later, so learn properly. And! I’m paying you a fair wage, so this is not labor exploitation! Don’t forget that!”
Aren frowned. It wasn’t the first time, but the words she used sometimes felt strange for a noble lady.
“I never said it was exploitation… I just talk like that. I don’t really have complaints.”
“I know. But if those complaints pile up day after day, it bothers me too.”
Rosebel took a deep breath while looking at the seedlings she had placed at regular intervals.
Seeing her, Aren breathed heavily as well. And for a noble lady, her actions were quite rough.
“She’s really a strange woman…”
Aren moved his hands faster to match her pace and came closer.
“Bumpy but beautiful body~
Wearing red clothes~
Sweet-and-sour fragrant~
Stylish tomato! Tomato!”
Aren tilted his head at Rosebel’s strange song.
“Where did that song even come from?”
“Nice song, right? I’m singing it to wish the tomatoes we’re planting today will grow well.”
“Is it some kind of spell?”
“What? If you’ve got time to talk nonsense, move your hands!”
Rosebel clearly enjoyed farming. Aren recalled how she had once cut up rotten potatoes full of sprouts and planted them with her bare hands.
The smell and condition were enough to make even him recoil, but she had been happy, saying they were rotted just enough for planting.
‘When we harvest potatoes in autumn, I’ll make you something unbelievably delicious. Look forward to it.’
Aren didn’t understand what made her so happy, but seeing her bright smile, he thought that as long as she was happy, that was enough.
“Rosebel.”
“Hm?”
“Then why did you spread that black cloth?”
“This? Covering the ground with black cloth blocks sunlight and stops weeds from growing!”
“Really? I’ve never seen farming done like this.”
Aren was impressed by Rosebel’s deep knowledge of agriculture.
“After we finish planting the seedlings, there’s more work to do. Let’s hurry.”
“Okay.”
Rosebel thought Aren was quick to learn. He didn’t ask many questions, but after watching for a bit, he handled things smoothly.
Maybe that was why she felt sorry for him—for someone who had been judged only by appearances and bullied without anyone seeing his true worth.
“After planting, we also need to put in supports!”
“Who’s doing that?”
“I’m a delicate young lady, so obviously the strong one—you—should do it, right?”
Thinking about how many seedlings there were, Aren sighed. He hadn’t even started, but his shoulders and wrists already felt sore.
“Then what will you do while I hammer them in?”
“I’ll tie the stems so they don’t break in the wind. It’d be a problem if they fall over. And lastly, we water them—then today’s work is done.”
Rosebel answered while moving her hands busily. Aren looked at her quietly.
He didn’t know why she stayed in the orchard even when there was nothing to do, but if there was work to assign, she always kept him nearby.
“But who’s going to fetch the water? I didn’t see any well or reservoir nearby.”
“Who do you think did it when you weren’t here?”
Aren’s eyes widened. Rosebel smiled and tapped her arm, striking a pose as if flexing muscles.
“Is the ducal household too poor to hire people? Why are you doing it?”
At the word “poor,” Rosebel burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha! Are you serious? Are you crazy?!”
She laughed until tears came out. Aren had always thought his role was simply to do what he was told.
But realizing she had sent him away and done the hardest work alone made irritation rise inside him.
This was a sense of security—warmth and consideration he had never felt before. Even so, he wanted to do everything together with her.
Being sharp and wary of everything felt like something from long ago. He wanted to return what Rosebel had given him.
After laughing her fill, Rosebel quickly returned to looking like a farmer. Aren tilted his head at the metal rods he didn’t recognize.
“What’s that?”
“I specially ordered them. We’ll use them every year. After the harvest, we’ll pull them out and store them safely in the warehouse.”
“From the sound of it, that’s my job.”
“Quick to catch on, huh? Anyway, hurry up. It’s getting hotter!”
At her urging, Aren moved diligently.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The hammer struck in a steady rhythm. Meanwhile, Rosebel picked up five metal rods at a time and placed them down at regular intervals, looking dissatisfied.
After repeating this a few times, she let out a deep sigh and muttered, “Hot.”
Aren put the hammer down and took off his gloves.
“It’s better not to do unnecessary things, but still…”
Muttering to himself, he walked up to Rosebel and suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Ah—cold!”
Rosebel flinched at the unbelievable chill of his skin. Aren, however, kept his eyes on her wrist.
“You said it was hot.”
“Why are your hands so cold? Are you sick?”
“I’m not sick.”
Rosebel noticed the blue sparkles surrounding Aren—the same ones she had seen before.
They were different from the golden sparkles she herself could see.
“Your face is red.”
“I’m human too.”
Aren’s blue eyes wavered, and his face flushed. Rosebel chose not to bring up what he was hiding and instead made a light joke.
“Do men get cold hands and feet too?”
“What? What’s that supposed to be? No matter how I think about it, you’re weird.”
When Aren met her gaze, Rosebel briefly stopped breathing. She had spoken too casually. There was no way the term “cold hands and feet” would exist in this world.
“Well… before, and again just now, your body was so cold that I looked it up in a book. In a far eastern land, they call that illness ‘cold hands and feet.’”
Rosebel didn’t think Aren’s education level was high enough for her to seriously explain it further.
“An illness… Still, it doesn’t make sense. If someone’s body temperature is this low, wouldn’t most people be alarmed?”
“If the body were really in danger, sure. But if the person says they’re fine, what more can you say? When it’s hot, something cool touching you feels nice, right?”
Aren stared at her blankly. The person involved kept repeating, “It’s cool, so it’s good.”
Rosebel stretched her stiff legs and waist after squatting for so long.
“Ugh… At my real age, I wouldn’t be able to get up the next day without muscle relaxants. But since this body is young, moving like this every day is manageable. Sigh, youth really is nice.”
She felt proud watching the seedlings sway in the gentle breeze. Feeling the sweat on her forehead cool down made her happy—if only briefly. Next, they still had to water the field.
“The sun’s blazing, but the air is full of moisture. It doesn’t seem like it’ll rain, though. You said this never happened before…”
Having found a problem, it was time to look for a solution.
