The next day, Pristin prepared to go to the forest early in the morning.
“Isn’t it too early for you to leave? You must be tired.”
“I have to go early before the sun gets too strong, so I think I can come back in time.”
Of course, there was that reason, but there was also another reason. If she returned back late, Jerald might bother Akkad with jealous glances again. For the sake of everyone’s peace, it would be better to come back early.
“Then I’ll be back, Madame Korsol.”
“Oh, wait a minute.”
At that time, Aruvina grabbed Pristin, who was about to leave. As Pristin turned around with a puzzled look, Aruvina untied the shawl Pristin was wearing and replaced it with a thicker one.
“It’s summer, but it might be chilly in the morning, so it’s better to wrap yourself with something thicker.”
“Oh… Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Aruvina affectionately adjusted Pristin’s clothes for the last time and said in a gentle voice,
“Have a safe trip, Countess.”
“Yes, madame. See you later.”
After leaving the room, Pristin naturally tried to make her way toward where Akkad was staying. She had prepared and left much earlier than the appointed time.
“Huh…”
But an unexpected sight captivated Pristin.
“Lord Bachell.”
“Oh.”
Akkad, leaning against the pillar and lost in thought, smiled when he saw Pristin.
“Your Excellency.”
“I didn’t know you would be here.”
“I finished preparing earlier than I thought.”
“I came out pretty early considering the appointment time… Did you wait a long time?”
“No, you came out earlier than I expected.”
“I’m excited. It’s my first time visiting Itidian Forest.”
“I also woke up early today.”
Akkad said with a soft smile around his mouth.
“I’ve been looking forward to today even before I came here.”
“Your passion is truly remarkable. I can’t match it when it comes to your passion for herbs.”
“I was also looking forward to seeing many rare herbs.”
Akkad replied in a meaningful voice.
“Since you entered the herb garden, it’s the first time we’re doing an activity together, just the two of us.”
“Yes?”
“We haven’t had many in-depth conversations about herbs, have we? I always felt a bit disappointed about that.”
“Oh, yes.”
Pristin nodded in agreement, thinking she almost interpreted it in a strange way. While looking at Pristin with a gaze full of affection, Akkad asked in a gentle voice,
“Shall we go then?”
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Jerald, meanwhile, had been awake since very early that day.
“…”
Seated at his desk for official duties, at a glance, he appeared to be calmly attending to administrative matters as usual. However, upon closer inspection, he seemed quite uncomfortable.
“Your Majesty.”
At that time, the voice of a servant was heard from outside. Jerald’s ears perked up like a man who waited for news from outside.
“Your Majesty, just now there was news that the two of them left the palace.”
“…”
“As you mentioned yesterday, shall I assign someone to follow them?”
“Yes. Keep an eye on them without being noticed.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Only after giving the instructions did Jerald look a little relieved. There were good reasons for acting this way. Jerald leaned on the back of his chair and muttered as if he were rationalizing it.
“The forest is a dangerous place.”
Pristin was unaware, but even when they went to the forest yesterday, they were accompanied by guards. Jerald still couldn’t completely trust the forest. While Akkad said he could protect the two of them safely, one could never be too sure. Accidents could happen at any time, and having someone to guard them didn’t hurt.
‘Moreover, they’ll go deeper into the forest today than yesterday. It’s even more dangerous.’
In Jerald’s view, this was a measure to protect a national talent.
‘She should return quickly…’
The main reason, of course, was Pristin. Jerald tapped his finger nervously on the desk.
‘Surely, there’s personal interest involved.’
Pristin’s nonchalant attitude, as if she didn’t believe his words, made Jerald frustrated. Nevertheless, Jerald firmly believed that Akkad had personal feelings for her. Even if he set aside the fact that Akkad recommended the herbal garden work to her, the strange attitude of making plans with her as if excluding him when the three were together gave Jerald a sense of certainty.
‘…Come back quickly. Hurry up.’
Perhaps Jerald would continue to be anxious until the two returned today.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
The morning forest had a different atmosphere compared to when Jerald and Pristin visited during the day before. The chirping of birds sounded livelier, and dew adorned the grass leaves, creating a clean and refreshing ambiance.
‘Of course, we didn’t venture this deep into the forest yesterday.’
Pristin walked slowly through the forest, taking a deep breath of fresh air.
“The air is very clean.”
“I read in a book recently that around ten o’clock, the scent released by pine trees becomes even stronger.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, the air at that time is considered the healthiest for the human body.”
“It must be perfect for forest bathing. I’ll have to mention it to His Majesty.”
“…”
“Oh, there…!”
At that moment, something caught Pristin’s eye. She quickly rushed towards the tree she had discovered and began carefully digging beneath it with the tools she brought. Akkad, who had approached a bit belatedly, watched her actions attentively.
“Look at this, lord.”
Moments later, Pristin lifted what she had in her hand with a slightly flushed face.
“It’s ashwagandha root.”
Ashwagandha root was an herb that detoxified most poisons and was highly valued, even sold at a high price in the market. Akkad, examining the herb in Pristin’s hands, spoke with a surprised tone.
“I didn’t expect to see this precious herb here.”
“There must be a lot of amazing herbs. I didn’t expect to find ashwagandha root so early.”
Pristin said in a slightly excited voice.
“I think I really need to explore diligently today. We might harvest more than we can imagine.”
“Shall we have a competition then?”
“A competition?”
“Today, let’s compete to see who can harvest the most.”
“Between you and me? I think I’ll lose.”
“But you’ve already found ashwagandha root, haven’t you?”
Akkad nudged Pristin as if to say she could do it.
“The quality is important as well as the quantity, so let’s leave the result of the game to other herbalists.”
“Yes, that’s good.”
Pristin smiled as if finding it amusing.
“What’s the benefit of winning the game?”
“Well, benefit…”
After a moment of contemplation, Akkad suddenly exclaimed, “Ah,” as if he had a good idea.
“How about granting a wish?”
“A wish?”
“Yes. Even if you don’t have a specific wish right now, it might come in handy someday, don’t you think?”
“Okay. Then the competition begins now.”
After leaving those words, Pristin quickly went off to find other herbs. Watching her retreating figure, a smile unconsciously formed on Akkad’s lips.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
And for a long time, Pristin focused only on finding herbs. Finding good herbs was not as difficult as the first harvest was just the beginning, and over time, Pristin’s herbal basket, which had been empty, gradually became filled with herbs.
Before coming, Pristin was excited about the unexpected harvests and searched for herbs.
‘Ah.’
And it was after a very long time that she remembered Akkad.
‘Now that I think about it, where is Lord Bachell?’
She entered the deep forest before she knew it. It would be difficult if she got too far from Akkad.
‘I’m a little hungry.’
Thinking that she should slowly look for Akkad, Pristin raised her body, which was constantly bent under the tree. A creaking sound came from her waist, indicating how long she had been crouching. After doing a few stretches to loosen her body, Pristin set out to find Akkad.
“Lord Bachell, where are you?”
Although she called out loud, it wasn’t easy to find him. It appeared that he had become quite distant. Walking in the direction she came from, Pristin continued searching for Akkad.
“Oh.”
And not long afterwards, from Pristin’s view, Akkad was seen digging for herbs. Pristin opened her mouth to call him.
“L…”
“Countess?”
Simultaneously, Akkad raised his head and noticed Pristin. Smiling faintly, she approached him.
“How did it go? Did you have a good harvest?”
“Yes. More than I was worried about.”
“That’s good. I think we should call it a day…”
Pristin was going to say let’s go back, but a large snake, unknown where it came from, was rushing toward the back of Akkad. It was an unmistakable venomous snake, seeing its glamorous appearance.
Pristin, who was greatly alarmed, shouted urgently.
“Behind you…!”
“What?”
“There’s a poisonous snake behind you…”
And at that moment, Akkad quickly pulled out the knife next to him and cut the snake behind him. The snake, whose body was cut in half, wriggled to death. It was when Pristin was about to approach Akkad with a bewildered face.
“Lord…!”
“Don’t come yet.”
After drawing the line calmly, Akkad waited for the snake to die completely. Pristin tried to calm her surprise while waiting for the snake to stop breathing.
After a while, Akkad drew a protective circle around the dead snake and then turned to look at Pristin.
“You can come now.”
“Are you okay, Lord Bachell?”
When Pristin asked in a worried tone, Akkad smiled and nodded.
“Thanks to the countess.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“If you hadn’t shouted at that moment, I might have been bitten to death by this snake.”
Akkad, who was staring at the dead snake, added,
“It’s a venomous snake.”
“It was your agility and judgment that saved you, not me.”
Pristin said with a sigh of relief.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Yes, thanks to the countess.”
Akkad said, looking slowly at Pristin.
“You came at the right time. Thank you.”
“You deserve the credit for this.”
Pristin scratched the back of her head as if embarrassed.
“I think it would be better to go back now. I didn’t expect to encounter a snake.”
“That would be wise. Next time, we should bring herbs that snakes dislike.”
“Yes, as long as we’re careful, there should be no harm.”
After nodding, Pristin subtly glanced at Akkad’s herb basket and couldn’t help but feel surprised.
