You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 76

Even an outing was restricted; I couldn’t go outside the outer castle walls.

A foreigner entering Raslet Castle had to pass through a total of three walls.

There was the wall separating the castle where the lord and his family lived from the outer village, the outer wall encompassing even the village beyond that, and finally, the wall that served as the boundary between the Raslet territory and other fiefdoms.

Of those, the area I was allowed to wander was limited to the village inside the outer wall.

The merchant connected with Apple was outside the outer wall, so I separated from Apple for a moment to look around the village. Even so, all I did was browse goods in shops selling small luxuries, but it was still a somewhat meaningful experience for me, who had primarily dealt with merchants visiting the castle or manor house.

The knight Sioden had assigned paid little attention to Apple. He seemed to have been forewarned not to interfere with those around me.

Thanks to that, I could stay comfortably in the shop while Apple was out handling business.

Apple returned to the shop before long. The moment I saw her open the door and enter, I beckoned to her.

“Come over here and sit down.”

Where I was sitting, near the fireplace, was warm.

When Apple sat next to me, I unfolded the blanket I had on my lap and shared it with her.

As I took her hands over the blanket to warm them from the outside chill, Apple said,

“My hands are still cold.”

“It’s alright.”

They would warm up soon enough anyway.

Apple gave a small shiver and tilted her head toward me. She briefly glanced at Jed. Jed had retreated towards the shop’s door, a distance where he wouldn’t be able to hear our voices.

“I’ve put down the deposit.” Apple whispered softly.

“Next time we come out, all we have to do is choose which ship to take.”

The excitement, though slight, underneath the calm tone was not concealed.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

When I muttered that almost involuntarily, Apple softly responded, “Me too.” Warmth had already returned to our clasped hands.

Sitting side by side with Apple in silence for a moment, my gaze fell on a small glass bottle placed on the table. I picked up the glass bottle, which was engraved with a pretty pattern, and opened the lid.

“This is delicious. You should try some.”

Apple looked inside the bottle I offered and asked,

“Where did you get it?”

“It’s candied tea leaves, they said. It’s a snack sold at this shop, and Sir Jed bought it for me.”

It was a high-end confection sold here along with small trinkets, prettily decorated books, and quills.

Snacks containing sugar or honey were quite expensive, so when I tried to pay for them separately, Jed shook his head.

“His Excellency prepared the funds.”

Since Sioden was involved, I didn’t want to delve deeper, so the conversation ended there.

I explained to Apple, who was still examining the bottle’s contents.

“Do you remember? In the South, we used to eat flowers preserved in sugar. It’s similar to that.”

The confection made from sugar and edible flowers was something we often ate in the South. It was a favorite snack of Iswen, so it was brought into Rowen every month.

Despite taking the trouble to order it regularly, Iswen himself didn’t often enjoy it, but thanks to that, I was given a lot of it and remembered often sharing it with Apple.

Only then did Apple pick up a beautifully colored tea leaf and put it in her mouth. I followed her example and took one too.

The tea leaf crunched crisply and then melted away smoothly. Since it was a dried leaf and not a flower, the aftertaste was slightly pungent, but it had its own unique flavor.

“That’s true.”

Apple agreed with me and cautioned me as I reached for another tea leaf.

“Just eat that one more. Since it’s a new food, it might upset your stomach.”

“Okay.”

I nodded to her.

Apple wasn’t a picky eater, but she was highly cautious about new foods. It was a habit she developed after I got sick from eating something bad when I was younger.

Putting the glass bottle back down, I leaned my head on her shoulder. Apple, being used to this posture, didn’t even flinch.

Basking in the warm heat radiating from the fireplace, I said to Apple,

“As for cash, I think we can set aside money little by little under the pretense of using it for outings.”

Jed paid today, but saying I wanted to buy things myself starting next time seemed like a good enough reason.

Apple nodded.

“Yes.”

“This is so nice.”

The words came out as a pure, unintended expression of feeling.

As always, Apple accepted my words with an unwavering voice.

“I’m happy because you are happy, my lady.”

* * *

At the Rowen Ducal Mansion in the capital.

Iswen was anxiously pacing in front of the mansion. Even the fact that he could barely take a step without a cane didn’t seem like a big problem right now.

Soon, the sound of hooves was heard. Iswen, who had been moving as if he felt no pain, turned his head toward the main gate.

A familiar figure stepped down from the carriage that stopped in the distance. It was Demian, who had left for the North to bring back Iella.

Demian’s shoulders were visibly slumped even from afar. Iswen abruptly furrowed his brow and started walking towards his brother.

Demian looked at Iswen, who was limping as he approached.

“Brother.”

“Demian Rowen.”

Iswen, finally stopping in front of his brother, scanned him with trembling eyes.

“Your face, this…”

What kind of state is this? The words caught in his throat. He involuntarily tightened his grip on the cane.

When his brother left for the North, he had looked normal. But now, he was haggard, looking like someone who hadn’t properly slept or eaten for days, and his clothes were completely disheveled.

Though he hadn’t coddled them affectionately like in other families, these were his two siblings, whom he cherished as much as his own life. Seeing one of them in such a terrible state with his own eyes, there was no way he could be pleased.

Iswen clenched his teeth. However, having lived for nearly twenty years concealing his emotions, the inner pain did not show on the outside.

Thus, Demian didn’t notice his brother’s feelings at all and clung to him.

“Brother, what do I do? Iella, Iella…”

His words, tinged with a tone he used only when he was a child, couldn’t be finished. Demian bowed his head deeply. Tears that had pooled heavily splattered onto the ground.

Demian choked out a voice that was hoarse and broken.

“Iella said she won’t come back.”

Iswen balled his hand into a fist.

He already knew from the letter that things hadn’t gone well.

Iella’s letter from the North had arrived a week earlier than Demian. This was possible because he had instructed that anything from Raslet must be treated as urgent news.

The letter was not long.

Excluding the usual greetings and polite phrases devoid of the writer’s true feelings, it could be summarized in two lines.

[-I am not feeling well, so a long-distance journey will be difficult. Please convey what you wish to say via letter.]

There was a faint ink residue on the back of the stationery. It was the impression left when a new piece of paper had been taken out and pressed down while writing on top of the already fully written sheet.

Iella had a habit of placing the previous letter underneath when she needed to write a new one.

Iswen knew this because it was a habit he had personally tried to correct but ultimately failed to change.

Iella had written him a different reply. Whatever it was, it must have been far more positive than the actual response that had reached his hands.

And there was only one reason why Iella would change her reply.

Demian’s visit to Raslet Castle.

Even though he knew this clearly, Iswen couldn’t criticize his brother.

How could he?

“It’s all my fault.”

His brother already looked like he was in unspeakable agony.

“Sh-should I go back again? I-I really want to, but then Iella, I think she would really hate it…”

He couldn’t watch this any longer.

Before Demian could finish his sentence, Iswen grabbed his brother’s shoulder. He commanded in a low, heavy voice.

“Wipe your tears.”

The words came out roughly compared to the worry he felt, as he knew no expression other than menace and coldness.

Demian flinched but quickly obeyed. Iswen looked down at his brother for a moment, then ordered.

“You stay in the capital.”

“B-but Brother, then Iella…”

“I will go to Raslet.”

He had a reason why he absolutely had to.

[-There is no danger to her life, but a scar remains on her back…]

Iswen tensed his jaw, recalling the letter stamped with the Raslet family seal.

No matter the reason, he could not leave his sister in the clutches of that dog-like bastard.

* * *

Since hearing that I could personally choose the ship for the next trip, every single day felt like walking on clouds.

I tried my best to hide it, as being too obvious would draw attention. However, since I was not used to such happy events to begin with, I couldn’t completely conceal it.

It must have been somewhat apparent.

After a few days, Sioden, with whom I shared dinner again, even asked me about it.

“Do you have a reason to be happy?”

He was in the calm demeanor he had consistently shown recently.

I replied while cutting the food in front of me into manageable pieces.

“Just that I went out for an outing.”

This was the line I had prepared to say in case I received a question like this.

It wasn’t a lie.

Although two days had passed, the excitement from that time still lingered.

Sioden remained silent for a moment even after hearing my answer. However, his gaze was still fixed on me, so anyone with a modicum of sense would know he was pondering something.

“Is there something you want to say?”

Sioden, who clearly seemed to have swallowed some words, shook his head and spoke a seemingly indifferent phrase.

“Had I known you would be this happy, I would have been considerate sooner.”

“It’s alright.”

Worrying about what wasn’t done wouldn’t bring back the past. I had too much to look forward to in the future to dwell on things that couldn’t be changed.

Sioden gave a small nod and didn’t speak to me further. I also had a task beyond paying attention to him, so I didn’t continue the conversation.

Before coming to the dining hall, Apple had fixed my clothes and urged me.

“You must eat well from now on. Without stamina, it will be hard to endure the sea journey.”

So, starting today, effort is required.

Around the time the meal—where I tried to eat the maximum amount of food I could handle—was finished, Sioden spoke.

“I actually have something I want to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

Sioden did not answer my question immediately.

“It’s difficult to discuss here, so would you come to the study?”

His study in the main building was a place I had entered before.

As soon as he stepped inside, Sioden offered me a seat.

“Please sit.”

Coincidentally, it was the same chair I had sat in previously. The feel of the chair upholstered in white fur naturally brought back the memory of the past.

I had sat in this very chair, trying to defend myself. And Sioden had ended my attempt with a single sentence.

‘No one in the world will believe that.’

Back then, every syllable of that had felt like my heart was being squeezed, but now, it didn’t hurt as much as it did then.

I glanced at Sioden’s back, who was standing near the bookshelf while I was seated. He was turned away, taking something out. Soon, Sioden approached, holding a box. He opened it and set it down in front of me.

The moment I saw the necklace and earrings crafted with red jewels inside, it felt as though my breath caught in my throat.

The contents of the box were my jewelry that Apple had sold.