CHAPTER 4: EACH TRUTH AND EACH HAPPINESS (XIV)
Part 080
Before she knew it, she was trapped between Adrian’s solid body and the wall. She didn’t even know she had backed off this far. She was breathing hard and trying to catch her breath, but Adrian smiled mischievously, lifting his shiny lips. He folded the corners of his eyes, smiled, and kissed my cheek. She just watched him out of breath, then he made a soft noise and kept kissing his cheek. He’s smiling to death because he’s so adorable, but he has nothing to say. When she laughed too, she lowered her lips again, but this time, not to her cheeks but to her ears. There was a sound, and the lips that had fallen came again, and this time, they were placed under the earlobe for a long time.
Tickle. It was tickling and somehow creepy, and the tingling sensation of electricity passing through her spine made her lose her breath that she had managed to control again. Adrian’s lips moved to the back of her ear, and she felt something unfamiliar. Something wet and slimy comes from his ear and down his neck, and he’s like, wow, what is this? “-“
As she closed her eyes and flinched, Adrian’s lips began to move around her ear and neck in earnest. It became difficult to even stand, so she finally called his name.
“Ah, Adrian-”
His lips stop, part slightly, and take a long, deep breath. ‘No, don’t exhale there. Ugh.’ Adrian called her, leaving his lips and resting his forehead on her shoulder.
“Damian.”
It’s only a three-syllable word, and it’s a name I’ve heard thousands of times, but hearing my name sung in a slightly pensive voice was so unfamiliar. A somewhat impatient and sad voice called her name once again.
“Damian.”
‘Please. Please don’t call me that. I have no idea what to do.’
Adrian barely stood there, just breathing quietly, and slowly Adrian raised his head. The bright red eyes flashed dangerously. For some reason, he looked very thirsty and slowly let her go.
“It’s late. Just take a nap.”
He smiled with a pretty face, but his subdued voice and red eyes seemed completely different from usual. She did her best to make a smiling face, but it must have been obvious that she was stiff from nervousness.
“Adrian, go to sleep quickly too. Sleep well.”
“Sleep comfortably.”
Adrian walked away from her, bowed politely and turned around. Then, in an instant, he flew to the terrace of his room. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to tell me not to run dangerously between the terraces. He returned to the room and looked at the closed door, then quickly crawled into bed. As he lies down covered in blankets, his whole body seems to have become a heart. His whole body was pounding and pounding, making him feel like his muscles were going to ache. She could almost hear the sound of blood flowing through the dilated blood vessels in her ears. When he closed his eyes, Adrian’s red eyes appeared, as if he was desperately wishing for something. Even though he shook his head and pretended not to notice, it was even more difficult because she could guess what those eyes wanted. The touch that hugged his waist and the feeling of his lips nuzzling became more and more vivid, causing him to twist his entire body inside the blanket. No, but that guy always has no preview of skinship! What did she do! Why did the switch turn on when everyone else said, “Welcome home?” or “Thank you for your hard work!” You have to know where the light came from so you have to press it or not!
‘If I know, okay? If I know, I’ll pretend not to know sometimes and press the button, okay? Oh, I don’t know.’
* * *
She didn’t even know when she fell asleep last night. She threw down the blanket, screamed in silent mode, and rolled off the bed. She woke up feeling stiff from how alone she was, and when she looked at the sundial, it was already 10 o’clock. She pulled her leash and Lewis came in.
“Lewis, what about Jenny?”
“The young lady’s escort knight was injured and is currently being taken care of by her.”
“Huh? Franz? Why?”
She woke up wondering what was going on, but Louis tilted his head and said something strange.
“I was told he was faking it after being beaten by the Duke, but I don’t know what really happened…”
“He got hit by the Duke? Why is Adrian hitting Franz?”
“It looks like he has been training with all the knights since dawn.”
“Huh?”
Why did someone who was going to go out tomorrow train today? First, she washed and changed clothes, and then headed to the knights’ quarters beyond the sponsorship. As she entered the large training hall, there were people sitting here and there, lying down, or rather stretching out. The knights who were holding on to a certain spot spotted me, stood up hesitantly, and let out a low exclamation. A strange sound was also heard: ‘The angel of salvation has come.’ In the middle of the training hall, Adrian was sparring with a knight with wooden swords. Then, the wooden sword the knight was holding flew through the sky like a picture, and as the knight sat down, Adrian shouted in a very refreshing voice.
“Next!”
“I’m the last one!”
The knight who lost his sword spoke while almost crying, and Adrian, who had put down the wooden sword he was holding, turned around and made eye contact with me. He stands in front of me with a sparkling face. The look on his face after training since dawn was so refreshing.
“Damian.”
He had the freshest face in the world, smiled brightly like a blooming peony, and called her name. It’s been a long time since my eyes were so dazzling. She could definitely tell that something feels really good. The knights who had been spread out behind Adrian lined up in a row. Adrian, who gave me a quick glance, turned around and spoke.
“We are disbanded today. Let’s all rest until we go out tomorrow.”
The knights who were barely standing collapsed like deflated balloons.
“Did you sleep well? Did you eat breakfast?”
“I slept well, and it’s still breakfast. Did you train? Everyone looks like they’re having a hard time.”
“I warmed up lightly.”
Yes, Adrian looked like that. But their legs are completely loose? As they turned around together, she held out her hand to receive the familiar escort, but Adrian just looked at her without holding her hand.
“Why?”
“Damian’s hands will get dirty because of the sweat.”
Was that sweat causing a brilliant reflection in the morning sunlight? What kind of refreshing sweat do you have? She held his outstretched hand and returned to the mansion. She had a meal, not sure if it was breakfast or lunch, with Adrian, who came out after washing up like a breeze. After finishing the meal, they drank tea on the balcony of the first floor living room. The tea was delicious, Adrian was like a flower, and it was a perfect tea time with a cool breeze blowing and warm sunlight shining.
She asked Adrian as she put down the teacup.
“Adrian, we are going on a mission tomorrow, is it okay if you don’t prepare anything?”
“Ethan is taking care of it.”
“I’m saying this because it seems like Ethan is running around the mansion screaming earlier.”
“I’ll tell him to be quiet.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Adrian, who was trying to stand up, sat down again and said, ‘Ahh! ‘That’s not there!’ She looked at Ethan pitifully as he ran into the entrance. There were two wagons standing in front of the entrance in the distance, and several servants were clinging to them like ants on candy, scooping up something. She was looking at the busy-looking attendants and Adrian, who looked very relaxed, and he said:
“The members of the Knights Templar asked me to express their gratitude.”
“Oh, it was nothing special.”
Even though Jenny’s special herb sauce recipe was included, she was a little embarrassed to be thanked for the sandwich I made by stealing the duke’s food warehouse and using the Duke’s manpower. She said it with a smile, and Adrian laughed along with her, but his expression was not subtly bright. It’s like he has a distressed face. She tilted her head and asked if anything.
“Do you want to eat too, Adrian?”
He noded his head with a bright smile.
“I’ll make it for lunch.”
She was a little worried about her hands, which naturally reveal the identity of her front paws even when cooking, but she smiled and said that she wanted to do something.
“I think it would be fun to make it together.”
“Adrian needs to rest.”
“Being with Damian is relaxing.”
Why was every word he said so pretty? This person’s desire to do something for him rose up like wildfire, but he held back. She was pretending not to notice, but the aftermath of last night’s incident still hadn’t gone away. This was a dangerous person who didn’t know where the switch was, so it was better not to provoke him for now. It’s broad daylight and it’s almost lunch time, and she was a sensible lady. She quenched her appetite and emptied her teacup.
* * *
After chatting about nothing special for a while, we decided to meet in the kitchen and came up to the room. She called Jenny out to Lewis, who was waiting, and after a while, Jenny came into the room.
“Is Sir Franz okay?”
“Yes, miss, he’s not only big, but he’s a tough guy.”
“What happened this morning?”
“I heard that the Duke showed up at the training ground at dawn, followed him around the training ground all morning, and as soon as the sun rose, he climbed to the top of the mountain behind him and came down, where he sparred with all the knights?”
What? Why? What did I hear? A person can do that all at once? If it’s the mountain behind you, do you mean that thing you can see through the window? That one that’s half tree and half rock? When she made an absurd face, Jenny shrugged her shoulders.
“After finishing five plates of breakfast, he became calm. Shall I invite you?”
What on earth were the bodies of people called knights made of? If it were the kite commander she saw earlier, she wouldn’t be able to run even one lap even if she died. Half of the time, she would run, half of the time she would walk, and at the end, she would crawl. No, wouldn’t she be able to get in even if she crawled? After doing such scary things since dawn, what was Adrian’s refreshing feeling? She had been thinking about this before, but was he of a different race than her? Did the fist fire as expected?
“No, that’s not it. I called to ask about the sandwich recipe I made yesterday. Adrian said he wanted to eat it.”
“Huh? You’re going to make it?”
Jenny rarely looked surprised. When she nodded, he turned around with a solemn look on his face and opened the door.
“I’m not going to tell you in words, so just go with me.”
“Yes. Thank you, Jenny.”
She woke up full of motivation. And then he majestically entered the kitchen. When she showed up without warning, the maids and the chef in the kitchen were surprised and greeted her.
“Sorry to disturb you. I just need to use the stove in the corner. Everyone, keep doing what you’re doing.”
As she said, everyone must be uncomfortable because the woman who has been occupying the duchess’ room has suddenly appeared. One by one, they left the kitchen, and eventually Jenny and she were the only ones left in the kitchen. She put on an apron and Jenny skillfully made the sauce. She asked what was included, but she nodded because she was told not to ask if she was concerned about Adrian’s health.
“Just thinly slice the meat for two people, put it in a pan, add a ladleful of sauce, and fry it.”
“Is this enough for two people?”
She asked, picking up a piece of meat, and Jenny’s face turned a little white and she shook her head.
“That would be enough for about eight people.”
She shyly put down the meat.
“Because cutting a knife is dangerous, I’ll do it for you. Just add the cut meat, stir-fry it, and put it in bread with the vegetables.”
Jenny said as she pulled me away from the meat, and as I nodded excitedly, I heard Adrian’s voice behind me.
“You decided to be together.”
When Adrian came in, Jenny bowed her head and left the kitchen. As he left, he clenched his fist and showed it to her. She responded with her eyes. She took a deep breath and was about to pick up the knife, but Adrian came up from behind and took the knife out of her hand.
“How can I cut with this?”
“Just slice it thinly.”
“Do I slice it thinly like this?”
He was cutting meat with a knife, but it looked kind of dangerous. Adrian, it’s food ingredients. Not the enemy.
“Just cut it thinly and wide.”
She added, and Adrian smiled and nodded. After looking around at the kitchen knife, Adrian put the knife to the meat.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on December, 1.
Want to read more?
