GDTEA Chapter 42

The topic she had successfully evaded came up again.

‘I thought I’d skillfully avoided it, but I was mistaken.’

Sharti pressed her forehead, having underestimated Ren’s memory.

Then, suddenly, Sharti tilted her head.

‘Would it be better to just be honest?’

It seemed better to be momentarily embarrassed together rather than drag out something trivial by being overly conscious of it.

Sharti glanced at Ren.

Seeing Ren’s surprisingly enthusiastic demeanor, Sharti’s deliberation was brief.

‘Yes. Let’s address this properly and move on.’

Sharti opened her mouth with the most composed attitude she could manage.

“I can’t make the medicine the general store uncle requested. It’s not meant for treatment.”

“What do you mean?”

Ren, who had been full of enthusiasm, paused.

After being lost in thought for a moment, Ren’s face hardened.

“Don’t tell me he requested a lethal poison from you? A doctor?”

“No. How could I sell something without knowing where and how it would be used?”

Sharti waved her hands frantically at Ren’s wildly incorrect guess.

“That’s right.”

Ren nodded, relieved.

Sharti carefully examined his expression. It seemed that Ren detested the idea of a doctor, who should save lives, making poison that could kill people.

Sharti glanced at her herb room, feeling guilty.

“Deadly poisons are only to be used for your sake, Sha.”

At these unexpected words, Sharti’s eyes widened.

She had been certain that someone like Ren would have told her not to even look at poisons.

Sharti gazed at Ren in a daze.

“If someone who used your poison gets caught, you would certainly be in danger too, Sha. It’s better not to let dangerous things leave your hands.”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Sharti nodded in agreement, caught off guard.

Ren’s gaze as he advised her seemed briefly solemn.

‘How should I put it… It seems somewhat… contradictory.’

Sure enough, Ren’s lips curled up and then returned to normal.

Having caught that fleeting moment, Sharti let out a small, hollow laugh.

“Anyway, the medicine the general store uncle requested isn’t my specialty. That’s why I refused…”

As Sharti’s tone became troubled toward the end, Ren’s expression also grew serious.

Belatedly realizing he had fallen victim to the general store uncle’s cunning words, Ren gritted his teeth.

“So that fellow deceived me and assigned you an impossible request. If he comes back, I’ll speak to him directly.”

Watching Ren quietly clench his fist, Sharti awkwardly rolled her eyes.

It seemed the general store uncle would be having a conversation with Ren’s fist.

Sharti sighed deeply and corrected the facts for the sake of the general store uncle’s safety.

“Rather than deceiving, he was a bit underhanded.”

“Underhanded?”

“Well, the general store uncle misunderstood the relationship between Ren and me. He thought he was really helping and persuaded you effectively.”

“……”

Ren’s expression worsened, as if his pride had been hurt. Unfortunately, the general store uncle had made statements that seemed to doubt Sharti’s abilities, and Ren had quickly taken the bait.

It was entirely his own fault, so Ren had nothing to say.

With a gloomy face, Ren clenched his innocent fist even tighter.

“To think I fell for such a scheme…”

Ren muttered darkly.

As he repeatedly mulled over Sharti’s words, Ren suddenly looked up.

“…Then is it not a lie that I could be of help?”

Sharti fidgeted with her fingers, subtly avoiding Ren’s intense gaze.

“There was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

Ren slightly frowned, recalling the general store uncle’s misunderstanding.

Newlyweds, husband, and supporting one’s spouse.

“……”

Ren also quietly avoided Sharti’s gaze.

Unlike Sharti, it wasn’t because he was embarrassed or uncomfortable. It was because his conscience bothered him for neither confirming nor denying the misunderstanding to the general store uncle.

A brief silence passed between them.

“…I’m sorry, Sha. I put you in an awkward position.”

It was a low apology, as if he felt ashamed.

Sharti waved her hand. Just as she was about to end the conversation, thinking it was fortunate that things were clarified now…

“But Sha, if we had that kind of relationship, how exactly would I be of help?”

Being deceived was one thing, but wasn’t this already an accepted request?

Ren’s mindset remained unchanged.

“I’ll do my best to help, giving my all.”

Sharti pressed her forehead.

‘This isn’t it!’

Contrary to her hopes, she somehow ended up receiving Ren’s active assistance.

In the end, Sharti spoke in a half-resigned state.

“He wants medicine for a married couple.”

“…What?”

“More precisely, a medicine to enhance stamina for bed.”

“…!”

Ren’s face, shocked by this revelation, instantly turned bright red.

“I-I had no idea he-he would ask you to m-make such a thing. I-I’m s-sorry.”

Greatly flustered, Ren stuttered and bowed his head.

He was not an innocent boy. Even having lost his memories, he knew what needed to be known.

This time, a longer silence than before passed between the two.

Sharti, whose face had also turned red, plopped down on the sofa, hugged her knees, and buried her face in them.

‘So this log cabin can feel hot sometimes.’

In fact, stamina-enhancing medicines were commonly used in everyday life. There were many professions that required physical strength, such as knights or students.

Regardless of marital status, with knowledge of herb mixing, the manufacturing method for the bedroom-specific version the general store uncle wanted wasn’t significantly different.

“It’s beyond me. I have no intention of making it.”

However, Sharti was born in the conservative Krianet Kingdom and had never had a romantic relationship, let alone recognized a man as a potential partner. Even with knowledge she had picked up here and there, she was naturally ignorant about the use of such medicine.

So naturally, she felt not only embarrassment but also aversion.

“If he comes back, I’ll explain it well. Sha, regardless of your wishes, he and I imposed this on you, so if I explain it properly, he’ll understand.”

“…Do you think so?”

“……”

Ren paced restlessly in front of Sharti.

Despite her weak voice, Sharti was in quite a stable state.

At that time, she had been overwhelmed and shocked, but after taking time to think calmly, she realized that, as Ren said, there was no need to diligently fulfill a request that the general store uncle had arbitrarily assigned.

‘And I didn’t even receive a request fee.’

The fee the general store uncle paid along with the medicine price was for a nutritional supplement good for skin beauty.

Sharti snorted slightly.

It was unlikely that she would vaguely accept a request that should be entrusted with trust.

‘Whether Ren will still be here when the general store uncle comes back is uncertain, and anyway, since the general store uncle was the one who misunderstood on his own, it seems like it can be resolved through conversation.’

The general store uncle had already acknowledged and praised her skills, proposing regular business dealings.

It didn’t seem likely that her relationship with the profit-driven general store uncle would deteriorate.

Sharti glanced briefly at Ren.

‘Now Ren probably won’t easily fall for superficial words.’

Sharti hoped that Ren would gain awareness from this experience.

‘Even casual remarks from Ren can be interpreted differently by others.’

Sharti fidgeted with her warm earlobe.

The reason she had been agonizing over the rejected request was partly because she kept thinking about Ren’s statements about “dedicating his body” along with the title of “master” and the general store uncle’s misunderstanding.

It was becoming confusing who was overly immersed in the false status of slave and master.

“Um, Ren, that’s enough. The request—”

“…I was in a hurry then.”

“…?”

Just as Sharti was about to speak to calm Ren down, he sat down at her feet and began to reflect.

Surprised, Sharti took a sharp breath.

“I was angry at how that fellow spoke carelessly about you, and I wanted to shut his mouth that was saying such things to you, and also perhaps…”

His eyes revealed concern as he looked at her, and his monotone voice expressed anger at the general store uncle’s rudeness.

“I was afraid thinking you might say you needed another man, so I was in a hurry.”

“What are you—keh, cough…”

Another man?

Startled, Sharti choked as if she had swallowed wrong.

“Wait—”

Alarmed by her intense reaction, Ren hurriedly fetched water.

While doing so, he carefully patted her back.

After thumping her chest and finally drinking the water, Sharti calmed down, regulating her breath.

[Does she need two men? Am I not enough?]

Recalling what he had said in front of the general store uncle, Sharti looked at Ren with incredulous eyes.

“Why would I need another man, or rather, why would I need anyone else!”

“You might need a man with a sound mind.”

“I don’t need one! With Ren here, why would I…”

In her agitation, Sharti rambled and then, “Heup,” covered her mouth. Then she heard Ren let out a small laugh.

At the ticklish sound of laughter, Sharti unconsciously raised her head, then quickly lowered it again.

Seeing Ren’s face laughing as if relieved, her insides churned as if tightly constricted.

“…Anyway, it was all a misunderstanding between us.”

Sharti pulled her hood, hiding her face more deeply.

It was unclear whether she was trying to hide her expression or her emotions.

“And that request is also a misunderstanding.”

For now, she wanted to finish the conversation with him and leave.

Before her heart could respond to the emotion she was feeling now.

Sharti explained to Ren as calmly as possible about another request she had received and that it wouldn’t cause him any trouble.

“—I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. But Ren, please be careful from now on. Um, then rest well.”

“Sha—”

As Sharti quickly rose from her seat and tried to enter her room, Ren blocked her path.

Always leaving her room to refuse, Ren grabbed her sleeve and hesitantly opened his mouth.

“I’m wearing the clothes you made, and the weather is nice. We’ve had a meal, and the misunderstanding is cleared up… how about going outside?”

After speaking disjointedly as thoughts came to mind, Ren released her sleeve when she didn’t respond and headed to the kitchen.

Then, unexpectedly, he emerged from the kitchen carrying a wooden water bucket.

‘When did he find that?’

It was the wooden water bucket Sharti used every time she fetched water from the stream.

‘That’s right. I promised.’

She had promised Ren that they would go out after meeting Vireta.

Moreover, although there was drinking water left, the water for washing was running out, and she needed to fetch water from the stream tomorrow.

Sharti nodded.

“Let’s go, then. For exercise.”

Seeing Ren’s face light up at the successful invitation to go out, Sharti also smiled slightly.

It would have been fine if he had just told her to keep her promise, but Ren deliberately added an excuse as to why it would be good to go out.

Ren sometimes approached awkwardly and cautiously, and each time, Sharti felt a tickle in her chest.

It was frustrating and slow, but Sharti and Ren’s pace was gradually matching.

As Ren said, the weather was good, and the mountain air was clear and refreshing.

Winter was approaching, but today the sun was strong, so the cold wasn’t felt much.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“It’s warm.”

The effort of purchasing thick fabric had paid off.

Since she had adjusted the measurements several times to fit his frame, it fit Ren perfectly. Throughout their walk in the mountains, there were no signs of discomfort.

Unlike Sharti, who felt proud, Ren was entirely focused on their surroundings.

“Be careful.”

To avoid others’ eyes, they chose a dense thicket instead of the regular mountain path, and Ren walked behind her, concerned that Sharti might get hurt.

At the same time, he was being careful not to let the clothes Sharti had made get scratched by branches.

“But even if we fill this wooden bucket with water, it doesn’t seem like it would fill even one bathtub. How many trips did you usually make?”

“It depends on the season. Basically, I go more often in summer and less in winter.”

“…I see.”

The water storage container in the old log cabin would require filling this wooden bucket more than 30 times to be somewhat sufficient.

Ren’s eyes narrowed as he imagined her struggling alone on this rough path, carrying the water bucket.

“Do you fetch drinking water separately? Where do you get it from?”

“They distribute it in the village.”

“……”

Ren swallowed a sigh.

His hand gripping the wooden bucket handle tightened.

He couldn’t earn money, and he didn’t have the mind to be an assistant. Then there was only one thing he could do.

[You shouldn’t make a woman work hard!]

He had to take over the household chores so that Sharti would work less.

“It’s over there.”

Ren raised his head at the sound of water that was cool, almost cold.

He saw the stream.

Following Sharti to the stream, Ren immediately filled the wooden bucket with water. It was quite heavy.

“Let’s go then.”

“Wait a moment. Sha, you stay here.”

Effortlessly lifting the wooden bucket with one hand, Ren turned to Sharti with a calm face.

Ren pointed to a rock near the stream.

“Sit there, and I’ll be back soon.”