“How to End a One-Sided Love” Episode 12
(12/110)
“I feel like I’m going to throw up……”
The next day, I got off the carriage while holding back the queasiness in my stomach.
It wasn’t my first time traveling from the academy to my home, but I still couldn’t seem to get used to it at all.
“Are you okay?”
Arhan, who had been supporting me, asked in a worried tone.
“No… ugh.”
As soon as I opened my mouth to answer, a wave of nausea hit me.
At this rate, I felt like I might throw up right in front of Arhan. I crouched down for a moment to calm my stomach, then slowly stood back up.
“…Let’s go.”
“Me too?”
“Come inside for a bit and have some tea before you go. You drove me all the way here—it’d be too rude to just send you off like this.”
I opened the mansion door and gestured for Arhan to come in.
“Then I’ll accept your offer.”
Leaning casually against the carriage, Arhan smiled smoothly and stepped forward.
With a creak, the mansion door opened, and as I ran around looking for a servant, a familiar figure came into view.
“Butler.”
The butler, walking down the hallway carrying a tray, turned to look at me. His face filled with shock.
“Y-Young lady?”
“Long time no see, Butler.”
I forced a smile while catching my breath.
“You were on your way to see Father, right? I’ll go with you.”
“How did you arrive here? And even Young Master Hiris…….”
The butler stammered, clearly flustered.
“We’ll talk later.”
Leaning against the wall, I headed toward the office.
“Dad, I’m back.”
“Mm, just leave it there.”
A middle-aged man reading documents at his desk replied absentmindedly. He was a viscount of the Calia Empire, the master of Blair, and my father.
“Dad.”
“Hmm?”
His green eyes narrowed as they landed on me.
“I must have missed you so much that I’m seeing things.”
He rubbed his eyes, then shook his head and muttered.
“No, Dad.”
I strode over and grabbed his shoulder.
“I’m really here.”
“…Kate?”
My father blinked, his green eyes filled with confusion.
“Why are you here?”
“You’re saying the same thing as the butler. Dad, I told you—”
I rested one hand on the desk.
“The term break is on the 26th.”
“……”
The pen in his hand slipped and fell onto the desk.
“Oh dear, that’s right!”
Immediately after, my father sprang up from his seat with a shocked expression.
Looking guilty, he paced around the office before finally lifting his head and asking,
“How did you get here?”
“Arhan brought me.”
I pointed toward Arhan, who was standing by the door, and replied.
“Hello, sir.”
“Oh my, you’ve helped us quite a bit.”
My father said, slightly embarrassed.
“I must have mixed up the dates. I’ve been too overwhelmed lately. Anyway, I’m just glad our daughter arrived safely.”
“Hmph.”
Still sulking, I pouted and pushed away my father as he moved in to hug me.
“Forget that—why did you get the date wrong? This never happened before.”
At that moment, my father’s expression turned bitter in an instant.
“Monsters appeared in the Grania Forest.”
Blair Territory, located in the fertile southern region of the Calia Empire, consisted of several peaceful farming villages—prosperous, but nothing more.
Unlike the Count’s domain of Hiris, which at least had mines, all this place had were mountains, fields, and forests. Aside from the occasional hiker, there were hardly any visitors or travelers.
In short, it was a very quiet countryside backwater.
So when monsters attacked, it was the ordinary residents of the territory who got hurt.
I gasped for breath, my face contorted.
“Mr. Charles……”
He was a kind farmer who ran an orchard near the Grania Forest. I remembered how he would sometimes share fruit with me.
There was no reason at all for something like this to happen to him.
“Oh my, young lady. It’s been a while.”
“Are you okay?”
There was a bit of blood seeping through the bandage wrapped around his leg.
The old man scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
“It’s not that serious. There weren’t many of them, so I just got a minor scratch.”
“That can’t be true.”
“No, really. There were only one or two of them.”
He waved his hands and laughed sheepishly.
“The lord said that once monsters appear, their numbers tend to increase rapidly, so it’s best to take quick action.”
“Ah……”
“They said they sent all the knights out just to protect this old man’s house. I feel quite sorry about it.”
“So that’s why the mansion felt so empty……”
Everyone had gone out to keep watch over the forest.
I looked out the window with a bitter expression.
“…I see. You’re really okay, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Still, I’m glad. Please rest until you recover.”
After offering a warm smile to the old man, I left the reception room.
Perhaps because it had been a while since I last came, the hallway looked unusually clean. Had they done a deep cleaning recently?
As I closed the door and tilted my head in curiosity, I turned to Arhan.
Come to think of it, he was still here.
“Now that I think about it, shouldn’t you be heading back soon?”
“Do you want me to leave?”
Arhan lowered his eyebrows and put on a rather pitiful expression.
Avoiding his persistent gaze, I rolled my eyes.
“No, I’m not forcing you. Won’t the count and countess worry about you?”
You heard it yourself—monsters have appeared here too.
I glanced at Arhan and trailed off.
His red eyes curved into half-moons.
“Are you worried about me?”
Caught off guard, I nodded.
“Yeah… I mean, your body shouldn’t get torn apart by monsters.”
“You really have a talent for ruining the mood, you know that?”
Arhan let out a small sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
“What are you talking about?”
I frowned and turned away.
“Just get going already.”
