Chapter 12, Gina’s Feelings, Edward’s Feelings

Translator: Lizz

 

The next morning.

 

Gina woke up and saw Sylvia sleeping soundly. She smiled without making a sound and quietly slipped out of bed.

 

Edward seemed to have woken up already. He wasn’t in the room.

 

Yesterday, she had been in a hurry and focused on cleaning the kitchen, so she hadn’t had much time to look around, but this room was so luxurious that it was beyond the imagination of a commoner. Gina thought she would like to take a careful look once they had settled down.

 

After washing her face and getting ready, she quietly looked around the room, and finally opened the window and stepped out onto the balcony.

 

“Wow…”

 

Below her was a cliff. In front of her, the sea spread out, sparkling in the morning sunlight.

 

A refreshing breeze blew through. Gina, who had never seen the sea before, was deeply moved.

 

“…I should have gone with Uncle.”

 

The words slipped out.

 

After the accident, she was taken in by that family, and since then, she had lived a life of seclusion, doing nothing but sewing. She truly didn’t know the world.

 

This time, when traveling with Sylvia and Edward, she had learned many things she didn’t know about. If she could see such a breathtaking view, she would like to travel with her uncle. She was also able to ride in the wagon because Sylvia had collapsed; if she had gone with her uncle and faced various hardships, she probably would have been able to ride in a carriage too.

 

Thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. Everything was the result of her own foolishness and cowardice. …But she had met Sylvia. That was fortunate.

 

She resolved to serve Sylvia and live in this fortress from now on.

 

Suddenly, she noticed Edward standing beside her.

 

“What a wonderful view.”

 

Edward said, looking at the sea.

 

“Yes. …Have you never seen it before, Sir Edward?”

 

Gina sensed that Edward was not a commoner.

 

In reality, Edward had been disowned and was now a commoner, but when you were with him, you could tell he was originally a noble. No matter how rough he acted, there was an elegance in his every move. At first, she thought it was because he was a knight, but she gradually realized it was more than that.

 

Edward also occasionally displayed the manners of his noble days when he was with Sylvia, so it was understandable. He smiled wryly.

 

“It’s alright to drop the honorifics. I’m a commoner now. –If I can keep looking at such a beautiful view, I can truly say I’m glad I came here.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Gina responded energetically, strongly agreeing.

 

*

 

Edward had decided to wake up before sunrise and resume his training.

 

He didn’t know how long he would be ‘Sylvia’s attendant’. However, now that they had come to the fortress, he had to be prepared. In his current state, he would probably lose even to a thug.

 

He headed to the back gate where they had first entered through to practice, and also to check on the livestock.

 

…It seemed that the livestock had worked quite hard. The ground was in a terrible state.

 

“First, I need to clean up.”

 

He gathered the uprooted grass into one place.

 

The livestock seemed to be sleeping; they were lying down together peacefully. He thought it might be due to Sylvia’s magic, but they seemed to get along well. He also thought that since they were covered in mud, he would need to wash them once they woke up.

 

He pulled himself together and began training.

 

“I’m rusty…”

 

Aware of how out of shape he was, he still enjoyed the training after such a long time. …Ah, he really didn’t dislike physical activity. In fact, he liked it.

 

…That was right, he took on chores because he liked being active. He remembered that he accepted them because he didn’t mind them, and because he was thanked for doing something that wasn’t a big deal.

 

Now, he was taking on cooking because he wanted to hear Sylvia’s compliments, which she repeated like a broken record. That was all there was to it.

 

He mocked himself for being a fool, but somehow felt a sense of clarity.

 

“…It wasn’t something to hold a grudge over.”

 

He had been betrayed by a man he thought was his best friend. Everyone around him had just been using him. So what? Edward had never expected anything from others in the first place, had he?

 

He did things because he wanted to feel good by being appreciated, and the man he thought was his best friend probably got tired of praising him. And no matter what crime he committed, his father would have covered it up for the honor of the marquis family.

 

That was all there was to it.

 

By the time he finished his training, the livestock had woken up, so he washed them at the water hole. He also lightly rinsed off his own sweat and changed clothes.

 

“Wait a bit for the feed. Only Lady Sylvia can prepare it.”

 

Since they had pulled out so much grass, her magic power should have recovered… probably. However, he decided to avoid making her use it as much as possible in the future. They could buy food in town. If there was a nearby town, they would buy it there; if not, they would go to the town a bit farther away.

 

“Now that she has become the Lord of the castle, at the very least, she should be able to collect taxes from the towns and villages under its jurisdiction.”

 

But he wondered if there were any towns, and if they had been tax-free until now, would they accept suddenly being taxed?

 

Thinking about the mountain of things to consider and do, Edward headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.