Chapter 21 - 21

Chapter 21

Aria also looked puzzled.

Her coughing had stopped, and her eyes were wide.

"What's going on?"

"I-I don't know either..."

"I'll go check."

"Oh, I-I'll go too!"

I wondered if Aria was well enough, but she insisted on coming, so I had Susan bring a shawl, covered her up, and we left.

We walked briskly through the garden to where the people were gathered.

The Lemut castle's garden wasn't as large as the Altsbeit residence, which was fortunate; if it were similar in size, taking a carriage would have been better.

"Sir Knight, please let me see her, I beg you! Just one look!"

"I just want to greet her!"

"W-what is this, step back quickly. It's dangerous!"

As I got closer, most of the gathered people seemed to be residents of this territory.

People wearing clean, though somewhat worn, clothes. If they had a commonality, it was that they were all holding something in their arms.

Some held sacks, others baskets full of eggs.

Not only that, but the ground was piled high with what looked like various local specialties.

And in front of these residents stood knights blocking their way, all wearing flustered expressions.

"Please, just let us see the Countess once!"

The Countess? Aria? I looked at Aria.

Aria's eyes were wide like a startled rabbit's.

"Please, just let us see the Countess Altsbeit once, who helped us!"

"Please!"

This time, Aria looked at me.

...Me?

"Thanks to her, my husband regained his strength."

"I mean the children ate their fill thanks to the Countess!"

"Please, just let us express our gratitude once..."

Oh dear. I blinked.

Could it be that those people were the ones who received help from the workers, food, and water I sent?

Spotting a familiar face among the crowd, I knew my guess was right.

It was the child who had secretly looked at me and shouted 'pretty' when I got off the carriage due to the blocked road.

Soon, the child spotted me and tugged at his mother's sleeve, and then the people noticed me.

"Countess!"

"Oh, it's the Countess!"

The knights looked flustered.

"Don't approach the Countess!"

"Damn it, I said you could die!"

The knights, well aware of Charlize's notoriety, barely managed to hold the residents back.

I blinked and then slightly stepped forward. It seemed things wouldn't be resolved unless I stepped in.

"..."

As I approached, the people fell silent as if by agreement.

They all stopped calling out and just stared blankly or hesitated.

Among the pile of specialties, I picked up a round fruit.

What is this? As I picked it up and tilted my head, Aria whispered softly beside me.

"It's an Immerian orange. It's a fruit that only grows in this land, and only for one season."

"I see. It's bigger than a regular orange."

"Yes, I heard that when the land was more fertile... they grew bigger and more abundantly."

Now, the harvest has significantly decreased, making it a rare fruit.

Because the quantity is small, it sells for a high price, but the quantity is so small that even that is hard to come by.

"Since it's considered a sacred fruit in this territory, each household keeps one as a kind of protective charm. Selling it would bring money, but they cherish it."

...That meant they gave something like that to me.

Looking at the basket full of the fruit, I felt a bit troubled.

At the same time, my heart felt warm.

"Um, Countess... Are you the Countess Altsbeit?"

An elderly man carefully stepped out from among the residents.

He bowed deeply, kneeling as soon as he saw me.

When I looked at him, he flinched but continued.

"We are poor people, so our preparations are meager, but on behalf of the residents, I truly thank you. Thanks to the Countess's help, the neighbor's children and my family survived."

To be honest, helping these people nearly got me killed by almost having my fiance changed.

Even so, I didn't regret it.

And now, I'm glad I helped.

'Well, I managed to borrow money from the tyrant brother one way or another, so...'

Seeing everyone looking at me anxiously, I opened my mouth to say something in greeting.

Flap. With the sound of rustling fabric, the fruit fell from my hand.

Turning around, my fiance, who had hidden Aria behind him, was glaring at me.

"..."

Askin's cold eyes glanced once at Aria, who was urgently grabbing his sleeve, and once at the residents and the piled-up specialties.

"Ha, now you're even plundering my territory?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"How much do you intend to steal!"

At those words, I bit my lip gently.

Let it go, let it go.

It's unfair, but this man was always the victim, and it's natural for him to think this way.

The resentment is deep, very deep. But if I calmly explain, he will listen.

"Get lost. I truly hate you. Don't touch my sister, and get out of the territory! How many times do I have to say it for you to understand? Get lost!"

First, pick up the fallen orange...

But when the orange that rolled to my feet was kicked away by Askin, as if even touching it was undesirable, my pent-up frustration burst.

'What did I do wrong!'

I know. This man is a victim of Charlize.

But what about me? What wrong did I do, suddenly opening my eyes and having to cling to this man I barely know to somehow survive and go back?

It was so sad, and anger surged.

One thing I overlooked was that I'm the type to tear up when angry.

"...You're treating people like trash."

When our eyes met, Askin's brow furrowed slightly.

Protecting Aria, the distance between us was very close.

At this moment, I didn't even see his mesmerizingly beautiful face.

I picked up the orange again and placed it back in the basket.

"Thanks for the help? That's ridiculous. It's pitiful, really. The residents under a lord who only curses even when given help."

I could feel the old man who had been kneeling looking at me with surprised eyes.

I gripped the basket tightly, then let go, scanning the people.

"I don't need this kind of stuff, so you eat it."

Then I glared viciously at Askin.

"You asked why I came? Because I have business. Why wouldn't I? Grandfather told me to collect the interest."

"...Huh?"

"What to do? It seems this month's interest is much higher than other months. Can you even pay it?"

At my words, Askin flusteredly looked at Aria.

It seemed he was embarrassed to have such talk in front of his sister.

"Follow me to the study."

I smiled coldly.

But I couldn't be harsh to Aria, who was looking at me worriedly, so I gave her a small smile.

At the same time, I brushed my hair back and followed the man inside.

* * *

A quiet study.

We each sat down, but neither Askin nor I spoke.

A palpable tension hung in the air. Askin, who had been staring intently at me, put his hand to his face.

Soon, a small sigh escaped him.

"...Why are you acting like this?"

He slightly ruffled his own hair.

"I know you're interested in me. But it wasn't to the level of obsession, taking such great interest and even camping out."

No, that's just because Charlize was afraid. Ironically, Charlize genuinely liked only you.

Of course, her way of showing affection was twisted and unpleasant, so you probably only suffered.

"Besides, recently, you've been saying things like 'give me the money right now'... The term isn't even up yet, so why are you acting like this?"

His face seemed willing to listen to the reason. No, it had to be willing.

It was the moment of conversation I had been waiting for.

But because of seeing the orange being kicked away earlier, my emotions didn't settle easily.

"And... didn't you promise not to talk about money in front of Aria? The lips of Altsbeit are indeed thinner than a sheet of paper, aren't they?"

I twisted my lips into a smirk.

"Well, I think it's better than Lemut's ears stuffed with wet cotton."

"What?"

"That only applies to your ears, since Aria's ears aren't like that."

"Don't speak my sister's name so casually."

I smiled brightly.

"Aria specifically asked me to call her by name, so I was just granting her wish."

"Don't be ridiculous. You must have seduced that innocent child."

"Oh my, I didn't know you'd acknowledge my charm enough to think I could seduce someone."

The reason I was confident if I could just start a conversation was here.

Because I'm confident with words. And I know you well.

"And I don't know about promises. I just came because Grandfather told me to collect the money."

Since the conversation had already gone awry from the start, I intended to probe how Askin could confidently declare a breakup and secure the money.

"...So, it's about money after all."

Askin's gaze grew quiet. Even without any action, an unusual pressure was felt.