CH 165

Fog (2)

Whenever she felt a sense of distance from him, all of a sudden, her younger brothers came to mind. He pressed down every time, and it wasn’t easy.

Is it okay for me to leave my family for wanting to be like this?

She asked if she really meant to be such a selfish woman.

Her tightly closed eyelids trembled. Would there ever come a day when her heart became her own?

A cloud of breath formed on the window. She felt queasy.

“Madam. I apologize for disturbing you.” Talin approached.

A red circle from leaning against the window stood in the center of Lily’s forehead as she turned around. Lily paused. It was because Talin was holding in each of her hands something very unsuitable.

Talin sensed her gaze and raised her left hand holding the plate slightly. “Madam’s favorite maid named Buttercup brought it. I got it because I thought it might be on the way… The weather is also gloomy, so I recommend you eat and drink the food.”

“Ah…”

The honey cake on a small silver plate shone appetizingly.

Lily’s green eyes turned to Talin’s opposite hand.

Talin raised her right hand with the rolled parchment. “This was given to me by the administrator who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared like a ghost. It must have been sent by the chief administrator.”

Lily blinked her eyes and stepped closer, the sweet and savory scent of the honey cake making her drool. “Thanks, Sir Talin. To have my knight take care of such trivial things every time…”

“No. If I could get your appreciation, I might as well rip myself!”

“That… Yes. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart.” Lily faltered, went to her office table and sat down.

Talin, who followed her, put down the plate and parchment. Lily invited her to sit, but she politely declined, saying she didn’t dare touch the food.

When Lily laid down her dessert fork and cut the edge of the cake, it felt softer than usual. When she put it in her mouth, the nutty and crunchy biscuits and the creamy honey filling drifted sweetly in her mouth.

The flavor was amazing because it was made with more effort than usual.

“Tasty…” Lily groaned and savored the taste that lingered in her mouth. It was a taste that made her feel better.

Seeing Lily, Talin laughed softly. “Are you feeling a little better?”

Lily slowly opened her closed eyes. It was only then that she realized that Talin was carefully examining her complexion. She put her fork down and looked up at Talin. “Did I look so weak?”

She thought she had been better for a few days. It didn’t seem so.

“Everyone was pretty worried. Everyone, from the chieftain to the knights. The lord didn’t even say anything, but it was evident that he was not very worried. Still, the atmosphere of the knights was no joke…”

Talin sighed and shut her mouth. After coughing a few times, she scratched the back of her head as if awkwardly.

Lily smiled apologetically.

“I have troubled you. I guess everyone paid a lot of attention… It made everyone unfocused.”

“It’s a hassle, no one thinks of it that way, Madam.”

Talin, seeing her mistress tilt her head, added, “There is no one in the castle who does not care for you,” she said. “Everyone is just sincerely wishing for your happiness.”

Lily froze. Her face heated as she sensed the sincerity of the words. Her heart was tickled. She felt as if her mood had been lifted up in an instant.

Her cheeks dyed pink, she lowered her gaze. “…Thanks.”

Her heart was beating fast from the nape of her neck. It was still cloudy outside her window, but she saw the bright spring sun in her heart.

Lily, fiddling with her fork, reached out for the parchment that Hans had left behind.

Talin, who saw her, muttered involuntarily, “Seriously… You are so beautiful that my heart melts. Madam, If I had been a man, I would have wanted to rebel against the lord. The dazzling halo behind you…”

“Thank you. I’ll read this. Now…!”

Talin regretted that she had not been able to praise her to the fullest today, and she returned to her post.

Lily fanned her face with her hands and struggled to focus on the parchment. She wasn’t quite used to it.

“Like that. Gunpowder…” With an expression of unparalleled brightness, she read the parchment over and over again.

It was as if she had found the flowers blooming in the Ataka Plateau in the glass greenhouse.

Then, rolling over the parchment, she got up hastily from her seat. “Sir Talin.” She smiled brightly. “I need to go to Vlad. Is he in the Knights Templar now?”

Talin smiled as she looked at Lily’s lively face. “He’ll see you right away, Madam!”