Anje placed her hands on her full belly and sighed contentedly.
‘I’m glad I changed into a corselet.’
The ‘corselet’ she found in the closet and put on served a similar purpose to a corset, but it was much looser and made of breathable material, and was commonly worn as underwear by commoners when they worked.
If she had tightly cinched her waist with a corset, it would have been difficult for her to bend down to work or even eat lunch.
‘It’s so comfortable.’
Her desire to snap at the people around her had also diminished significantly after changing into a corselet.
Anje decided that she would have to wear the corselet from now on until she returned to the capital. After all, she had to keep up the pretense of working to win Aiden’s favor.
“Princess, have you ever made tea before?”
“No, never.”
She got up briskly from her seat. Her full belly gave her renewed strength.
“Well, let’s give it a try.”
There was nothing she couldn’t challenge herself to do now.
* * *
Days later, in the middle of the vegetable garden of Dilton Farm.
“Wow, I did it!”
Anje, who had succeeded in pulling out a weed that had its roots deep in the ground, swung her long shovel handle in excitement.
“Hey, look at this. I pulled out this huge one.”
Aiden replied naturally, dodging the shovel she was swinging as she ran up.
“It’s a pretty old weed. You must have had a hard time pulling it out without breaking it.”
If she had been a few seconds later, He would have been hit squarely on the head. Unnoticed, Anje swung the shovel dangerously again in excitement.
“Right? I even used that long tool you lent me to pull it out. What was it called again, a cobra head?”
Her cheeks were flushed like rose petals that had just bloomed, and her eyes sparkled like they were catching the sunlight.
Aiden hesitated to tell her to take it easy.
But in the meantime, she hopped like a rabbit and disappeared into the bean sprout field where she was working.
“Ah, I’m so busy.”
She muttered to herself and took a deep breath. The fresh smell of the freshly dug earth seemed to purify her lungs.
‘I didn’t think I would be working this hard.’
The first reason her mind changed was that farming was more addictive than she thought.
The soil, warmed by the sun’s rays, was warm and pleasant to the touch.
And she felt a sense of pride whenever she looked at the rows of the field that had been cleaned of weeds and saw the results of her work.
At first, all the plants looked more or less the same, but now she could tell them apart and see how much they had grown in a day.
Whenever she whined that her arms or legs were hurting, Aiden would point to the plants and run up to her.
‘You see, didn’t they grow an inch more than yesterday thanks to you pulling the weeds and watering them?’
The second reason she changed her mind was Aiden’s attitude.
On the farm, he put aside the ‘jerk’ attitude he had shown her before. In particular, when she did a good job, he gave her dry but sincere compliments.
‘Good job, princess. You’re getting faster at pulling weeds.’
This was the first time Anje had had this kind of ‘teacher’. The tutors who had taught her were usually too strict and quick to find fault, or too condescending and showered her with praise and treats.
He didn’t fuss, but rather praised her specific good behavior in a restrained way. Coming from his lips, which rarely spoke well of her, his compliments sounded quite sincere.
And even if she made a mistake and got discouraged, he would just pat her on the shoulder and tell her to try again.
Anje liked his teaching style, just like the other trainees he had trained.
“Let’s have lunch soon.”
Anje stopped her busy hands and looked up at the sun in the middle of the sky.
Time had already passed so quickly. It seemed like time was flying by these days.
“I packed a lunch to eat outside today.”
“Ah, so that’s why you brought a basket.”
“That’s right, since the weather is nice.”
True to his word, the wind was still and the sun was warm today.
“This way.”
Since Aiden had said they would eat outside, Anje had thought of the back porch or the vegetable garden, but to her surprise, he headed in the opposite direction from the house.
“Where are you going?”
“There’s a shelter in there.”
Past the orchards next to the field, a little further into the woods, there was a clearing hidden like a secret spot among the birch trees.
A place where a fast-flowing stream briefly formed a pool and then headed towards the sea.
Aiden used to play lost in his imagination or go on outings with his family here when he was a child.
‘Oh, I only brought one towel.’
As he rummaged through the basket, he offered her a white towel and made way for her.
“Here, take this towel first.”
She took off her gloves and hat and washed her hands and face in the cool water flowing from the stream. The cold water felt so refreshing on her cheeks, which had flushed from the exertion.
Taking the towel she had used, he also washed his face and wiped away the water. Then he offered her a brown flannel cloth.
“A blanket.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Anje sat on the brown blanket and hesitated. The plump cloth was too big for one person to sit on alone.
“Here, sit here.”
She patted the empty space next to her.
She knew he didn’t mind sitting on dirt or grass, but she didn’t feel comfortable sitting in a comfortable spot by herself.
He waved his hand quickly and refused.
“No, I’m fine here.”
“Here” he was referring to a patch of grass slightly away from her.
She felt a pang of confusion.
‘Do you really hate sitting next to me?’
She had thought she had gotten a little closer to him through her ‘work’, but maybe she was wrong.
Just as she was about to ask again, the food they had prepared for lunch came pouring out of the basket.
Boiled eggs and potatoes, boiled until they were soft in water. Sandwiches made with oven-baked bread, cheese, and jam.
The meal was as luxurious as a banquet, even though the food was simple. They ate while gazing at the sky and the lime-green branches, which shone more brilliantly than any jewel.
Anje closed her eyes and opened them thinly, peeling an eggshell.
“Is the weather always this good here?”
The capital where she was born was often gloomy and rainy due to coal smoke, so she thought that most of the empire was originally this kind of weather.
In terms of weather alone, Leslie seemed to be a much more livable place than the capital.
Aiden, who was proud of his hometown, replied with a slightly smug tone.
“It will get even better. The flowers will be in full bloom in about a month. Apple blossoms, cherry blossoms, rowan blossoms…”
“Are there apple trees here? Where?”
She liked most fruits. Apples in particular would be even more delicious if they were freshly picked in season rather than the old ones stored in the cellar.
He held out his finger to her as she craned her neck and rolled her eyes.
“You.”
“Me?”
“The trees you see right in front of your room are apple trees.”
“Ah.”
She turned around and looked at the house, laughing sheepishly. The big trees she could see from the window were apple trees.
“I didn’t know because there are only leaves now.”
“I guess so.”
He picked up a twig and drew a simple house shape on the ground, circling the surrounding trees and explaining.
“These are also apple trees of the same species, and these are cherry trees. When the weather gets warmer, they are covered in snow-white flowers, which is a sight to behold.”
From a man who seemed to have no sense of aesthetics, the phrase “a sight to behold” came out of Aiden’s mouth, and Anje suddenly wanted to see the trees in bloom.
Why did I feel this longing? She pondered for a moment, savoring the sweet strawberry jam.
Until now, flowers had been a vain decoration to her, sometimes blooming and sometimes withered. The rose gardens tended by gardeners and the bouquets scattered around the house were all meant to be seen by others.
But now the meaning was different. She now had a vague idea of how much time and effort it takes for a plant to grow.
‘Is it wrong to want to be around until the flowers bloom? … That’s ridiculous.’
She laughed at herself for indulging in such strange emotions. But at the same time, a wave of regret washed over her: ‘I could leave before I see the garden I’ve worked so hard on bear fruit.’
Anje took her forefinger out of her mouth and rummaged through the empty basket. Her mouth was dry and she wanted to drink something.
“Hey, Sir Aiden. Do you have anything to drink?”
“Ah, I thought I forgot something.”
She watched him run his fingers through his hair with a fresh expression.
“You forgot because you told me to bring down the pot quickly.”
“No, I forgot because you spilled the pepper shaker.”
“Are you trying to make me go home because of that?”
“There’s another way to solve this.”
Aiden got up and walked over to a nearby birch tree and peeled off its bark thinly.
The object that was created by folding the ends here and there in his large hands was handed to Anje.
“Here.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a cup.”
Anje looked alternately at the newly born ‘cup’ and Aiden who made it.
“……How did you make this? Show me again!”
Her eyes sparkled like the ripples that adorn the surface of spring water, like the new shoots that sprout from the ends of branches.
Aiden grumbled about her making a fuss about it, but peeled off another piece of birch bark. He couldn’t refuse a request from a princess with such eyes.
TL/N: JUST GET THEM MARRIED AGAIN, AUTHOR…!
* * * *
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