Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Organizing the house has become easier and faster with Hellen’s help.
“No, you’re not supposed to do it that way.”
“Ugh, just give it to me. I feel more comfortable doing it myself.”
“What are you? Give it to me, I will do it.”
“Then do a good job!”
Siella burst into laughter as she heard Nina and Hellen bickering on the second floor.
“Ohh, just look at you. Why are you doing this again? This is too much!”
She may not know what was going on, but what was certain was that Hellen was scolding Nina, and Nina found Hellen annoying.
“Nina, I’m just saying, but… you haven’t forgotten what I just said, right?”
“No, I didn’t. Now that you know, go away.”
“No!”
“You won’t go? Fine, I will go.”
Nina’s footsteps echoed as she walked down the stairs. Siella poured water into a cup, picked it up and approached the stairs.
“Ugh, really. The nagging….” From the front of the stairs, she could hear Nina mutter as she looked up the stairs. “This is so depressing that it’s driving me crazy. I can’t deal with this anymore.”
“Then take a break.”
When Siella suddenly handed Nina a cup of water and smiled at her, Nina wrinkled her nose at the embarrassment and took the cup.
“Ah, oh, thank you.”
Siella watched Nina gulp down the water and suddenly asked her, “Does Hellen make you depressed?”
“No….”
Ahem, Nina cleared her throat and spoke in a low voice that only Siella could hear.
“I’m just saying that. If I really dislike her, then I would have kicked her out a long time ago, even if you tried to stop me.”
In other words, she didn’t hate Hellen. Siella giggled, thinking that it was kind of funny for Nina, who was so outspoken, to deliberately act like she didn’t like Hellen.
“Ahem, anyway, I’ve had a break so I should go up now.”
“What are you doing? I want to help too.”
“Help with what?” As soon as Siella’s words were coldly rejected, Nina shook her head with a straight face. “You should focus on recuperating, my Lady.” Then, wondering if she sounded too firm, Nina softened her voice a bit. “If you are bored, you can go out in the front yard and get some exercise.”
After checking the sunny weather outside the window, Nina added, as if she was addressing a small child, “But don’t overdo it. You should do a little bit of walking exercise, just a little bit, and then come back right away when you feel tired.”
“…”
Siella didn’t respond but remained silent, knowing why Nina was doing this. She had always been overprotective of Siella, but after hearing Hellen’s story about her mother’s death, she had become even more overprotective.
[“Siella, your body isn’t fully healthy yet. What if you pushed yourself and collapses one day?”]
[“I don’t want anything to go wrong with you. I’d rather you work harder once you’re healthy.”]
She knew that Nina was doing this out of concern for her, and Siella didn’t want to worry her more than she already had. So she decided to take it easy, maybe even be a little lazy, eat well, sleep well, just to put Nina at ease. She couldn’t go on doing nothing forever, but at least until the day went back to the barony again.
“Alright, then I will go out and take a very, very short walk before coming back.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Siella just took a step outside, but Nina was looking at her with wide eyes as if she was a child who had just taken her first steps.
(T/N: How cute~)
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She had no intention of going far in the first place. As she walked a few circles around the house, she spotted a small rabbit scurrying near the fence.
Now that she thought about it, the neighborhood was surrounded by a forest, so it wouldn’t be surprising if an animal appeared here any time. It was quite possible that a dangerous beast could appear near her house. It would be good to have a plan for what to do in case that happens.
‘I wanted to have a big dog when I was younger.’
At that time, it was a popular trend among high society to have a hunting dog to guard the manor. If you had a well-trained dog at home, you could rest assured that you wouldn’t have to worry about any predators in your neighborhood.
But she didn’t want to get a dog now. Or more accurately, she didn’t feel confident enough to take on the responsibility of another life. That was why Lancellot is staying in Jenard for the time being, and the reason why she evaded his question with an awkward smile when he offered to help her run the orphanage from the beginning.
‘There was no need for me to buy such a large piece of land if I wasn’t going to build an orphanage.’
I couldn’t even have the courage to start something new. When will I ever gain courage? Siella smiled bitterly and watched the rabbit scurry away from the fence.
It was at that moment when she heard a low voice coming out from somewhere.
“Long time no see.”
She turned her head to the source of the voice and saw a man leaning against the fence. When his eyes locked with Siella’s, he smiled, his eyes twinkling.
“Uhm, do you mean after four days?”
“…”
Siella quickly scanned him up and down without realizing it. But she couldn’t tell with only a glance. After a moment’s hesitation, Siella made up her mind and started walking. She moved a little closer to where he was standing.
“Your wound….”
“It’s almost completely healed.”
His answer came before she could finish her question. His smile was brilliant as he answered, as if he had been waiting for her to ask him. Siella was momentarily speechless, but then awkwardly nodded her head and opened her mouth.
“… I’m glad to hear that.”
“Thank you. I owe you a big time.” He continued, smiling coyly, “All I do these days is think of how I can repay you.”
“I didn’t do anything, so there’s no need for that.”
“Hmm,” he muttered in a low voice before adding, “You took my joy away too easily.”
Siella didn’t know how to respond to that, so she took a step back, thinking that maybe she should just go home.
“… You can finish your walk.”
But the very next moment, his voice wrapped around her ankles.
“Ella.”
Siella stopped and looked at him, his one hand sweeping through his disheveled hair by the blowing wind. His jet-black hair was well-groomed but still quite long, and his bangs naturally fell across his face, covering half of his forehead.
“I saw you standing there the entire time I walked up here. You looked troubled.”
“…”
‘What were you thinking about?”
He added, noting that she seemed to be in deep though she didn’t even notice him approaching. It was the last thing she expected to hear from him, so Siella simply stared blankly at him.
He was certainly handsome, but he seemed to be a bit fierce, perhaps because his eyes were long and narrow, and piercing. His height and stature made him look even more ferocious. His eyes looked just blue at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she could see the strange tinge of gray in them.
“I want to share your troubles.”
“…”
“Having two heads means we should be able to find answers to your problems twice as fast.
Standing there and blankly looking into his eyes, Siella barely regained her composure at those words.
“I don’t have any worries… in particular.”
She still couldn’t understand why he was asking this and it was very disconcerting, but Siella kept calm.
“It’s just, I saw a rabbit nearby, so I was looking at it.”
“A rabbit.”
“Yes. And even if I had concerns, I don’t see why you need me to tell you about it.”
What does it matter what I am thinking, what does it have to do with you?
He replied softly, turning to Siella, who was looking at him with even more wariness than when they first met.
“Because we don’t have any kind of relationship.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be easier for you to talk about your worries?”
(T/N: I don’t know about you, but talking about your worries to some stranger is probably not the best way)