“Did you write the exchange diary?”
“It seems like Karnov doesn’t want to hear me speak these days because of the exchange diary.”
“Then why don’t you stop talking about the exchange diary?”
The girl looked at him gently. Karnov told his servant to bring his coat, in the sense of acceptance.
“I’ll give it to Karnov later. When we arrive at the inn in the evening.”
“Okay, I believe you.”
After a brief respite, they got back on the carriage to resume their journey. But Ivan shocked the girl by mentioning that he would go with the other knights outside until they arrived at the inn.
Karnov pushed the girl inside the carriage, trying to console her with an apologetic expression. Then, he turned around and looked at Ivan, who had a petite figure and expressionless face. The boy only kept his eyes down at Karnov’s gaze.
“Is it because you don’t think she’ll be able to rest peacefully?”
Ivan’s eyes showed a slight hint of agreement at Karnov’s question.
“Okay, understood. I’ll tell her that.”
As he climbed into the carriage, the girl looked worried.
“It’s because he thought it was uncomfortable for you since you kept trying to feed him this and that.”
“But I’m doing it because I want to!”
“Ivan says he wants you to relax. Can’t you just let him do what he wants without getting in the way?”
Couldn’t there be a softer way of talking to the girl? Karnov conjured up the idea of having the girl sit in front of himself, and then handing her a letter instead. The girl, with a somewhat dejected face, lowered her gaze.
“I understand your point, but…”
“Yes, so just sit quietly…”
“But still!”
The girl rose from her seat with a determined expression.
“I have to let Ivan know that when desires clash, the weaker desire may lose. If he wants to win, he should have stronger desires. The stronger one always wins…”
“Are you really going make him into foie gras*?”
[*TN: Foie gras means fat liver so he’s talking about the Korean saying about having a fat liver = being brave/bold.]
“Oh, really, Karnov! What are you talking about?”
The girl glanced at him, but eventually sat quietly. Karnov sighed and leaned against the backrest.
“If you want to care about Ivan, take care of your body first. Get some sleep. You slept late yesterday because you were making snacks.”
“…How did you know? Are you two… Are you talking about me?”
The girl looked shocked as she alternated between Lise and Karnov. Lise let out a small smile.
“Your Highness, that’s not true. It was Lord Karnov who understood my feelings.”
“…Did I make you worry, Lise?”
“A little bit.”
When Lise nodded, the girl looked apologetic and lowered her eyes.
“But I thought since we’re all going together, if only I slept, it would be a bit selfish, so I held back…”
“Because you couldn’t sleep, no one else could either.”
“It was like that? Were you all sleepy? No… that’s not true!”
“I’m sleepy and tired, but how dare someone of lower rank sleep when Your Highness is not sleeping?”
“What a liar!”
The girl’s expression was full of injustice. But soon after the carriage started moving again, she began to doze off. Karnov felt like laughing, but held it in and wrapped a blanket around the girl. The inside of the carriage was filled with a pleasant silence as everyone drifted off to sleep.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
At the end of a week-long journey, Asha intentionally stopped the carriage a short distance away from the house.
“Actually, I secretly came without telling my parents. I wanted to surprise them.”
“…I think they’ll be too surprised.”
Asha jumped out of the carriage while pretending to not hear Karnov. Karnov sighed from behind. The house, similar to the old cottage, had not changed from when Asha left.
Asha stood in front of the door, laughing, and then quickly knocked when she noticed the lined-up servants behind her.
“Oh, Mom! Dad!”
And after a brief moment of silence, a loud and clamorous sound filled the air as the door swung open.
“Ah, Asha! Oh my god! Asha!”
“My princess!”
Yuriev and Irina, who looked surprised as if they were about to faint, did not know what to do for a while, and soon picked up Asha. It took Asha spinning three times in mid-air before she could finally touch the ground.
“How did you come here? Did that crazy emperor… uh! No, I mean, His Majesty send you? Maxim didn’t say a word…”
Yuriev, who was beaten in the back by Irina, quickly corrected his words.
“Oh no, it’s not that. It’s because of our guest…”
“Our guest…”
The couple, who had finally looked away from Asha, paused for a moment when they saw the large group of people behind her. And then, belatedly, Yuriev murmured quietly.
“…We already have a guest.”
As the cabin only had three rooms, most of the entourage had to sleep outside. Although Yuriev had suggested a nearby inn in the village, the knights firmly rejected it, saying they couldn’t move away from the princess’s presence.
Irina hugged and greeted Lise, a friend she had not met in a long time, and also greeted her junior members of the knights. And when the greetings between acquaintances were over, Asha introduced everyone to each other.
“This is my mom and dad. My mother is my maternal grandfather’s daughter and my father is my paternal grandfather’s son. This is Karnov. He’s my friend, an imperial military vice commander, and the future Duke Sedvoyer. Lise is my mother’s friend, my guardian in the palace, and Arten…He’s the best harpist in the world.”
Arten Juvanne, who was a harpist and guest of Yuriev and Irina, had a blank expression on his face. An expression that seemed to want to just disappear from this place.
“Arten also played at our peace treaty ball. Isn’t it amazing? But I didn’t know he was here.”
“He came to visit today to deliver news about you, our princess. But I didn’t know the real princess would be here!”
Yuriev said so and lifted Asha up, patting her cheek. Asha burst into laughter, but looking into Arten’s eyes, she felt a little embarrassed.
“Mmm. Arten, you were so surprised… Huh?”
“A… Asha…! Your…! No, I mean, I… I…”
Arten’s expression was a mixture of wanting to ask about all this and wishing that the world would just disappear, while also seeming to understand everything that had happened at the same time. And finally, with a determined face, he closed his eyes tightly and exclaimed.
“May I go outside and play the harp? I have a habit of playing music when my mind is in turmoil.”
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
A gentle harp could be heard from the courtyard.
Asha remembered that there were at least two chairs in the house, but one of them looked broken from when she had knocked on the door earlier.
In the end, Asha sat alone on the chair in the narrow living room while everyone else knelt down, creating a solemn atmosphere. They all wanted to meet Asha’s gaze.
“Ahem. First, I have something to say. Mom, Dad, we’re moving.”
“What are you talking about?”
Irina asked, looking worried. Asha chuckled.
“I bought a new house by the lake near here! Let’s move there.”
Upon obtaining permission from the emperor, Asha built a new small house around here through Baroness Saratov.
“A house? With what money? Don’t tell me that crazy old man…”
“Did His Majesty give it to you?”
While Yuriev was clutching Irina’s waist, Irina asked in a hushed tone. Asha shook her head.
“No, I bought it myself!”
“How did you buy it?”
“That…”
Asha pondered for a moment. How should she explain her success in business? Then, as if she had noticed Asha’s troubles, Lise took a bundle of notes out of the little bag she had brought with a subtle smile.
Asha, who tilted her head, ended up turning red. What Lise brought was a clasp of articles from the Monthly Vichegda.
While the adults in the room perused the clippings as if they were holy scriptures, Asha glanced at Karnov, who was smirking. Karnov avoided Asha’s eyes and pretended not to know.
“Oh, my god… Our princess is like this? Is this true?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
While Lise spoke proudly, Yuriev, deeply moved, wiped away tears and affectionately patted Asha’s cheek. Irina quickly raised her head and hurriedly stopped Yuriev.
“Asha’s cheeks are going to wear out.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“If that’s the reason, we can’t accept that house. You shouldn’t spend the money you worked so hard to earn recklessly.”
“But the house has already been built.”
Asha said in a resigned voice.
“If we don’t move, it’ll be just an abandoned house.”
“It’s not about that. We can sell…”
“Are you saying that I should turn the house I bought with the money I earned from selling cake into an abandoned house?”
“Ah, Asha! That’s impossible! My princess, but this dad wants you to spend all your hard-earned money on something that makes you happy…”
“That’s exactly what makes me happy! Let’s do it! Let’s move! Right now!”
“Slow down, slow down. Today, let’s rest and prepare for it.”
“Yes, Asha. You’ve had a long journey and must be exhausted.”
“For now, let’s take a break and prepare, okay? Seeing your face should come first, right?”
Asha stood up abruptly, but she had to sit back down as all the adults in the living room opposed her.
“Then we’ll move tomorrow. Promise.”
“Yes, I promise.”
Yuriev smiled brightly and promised Asha with his fingers.
The gentle sound of the harp continued to be heard out of the window.
