Chapter 114

“Ugh… Huh?”

Harneie, who had been sleeping under the covers, woke up rubbing her sleepy eyes at the sound of sparrows chirping, signaling the morning.

Blankly staring at the sunlight coming through the window, she suddenly realized the morning had come and swallowed a breath.

“Oh no!”

She clearly intended to sleep for just a bit longer but ended up sleeping so deeply that she woke up in the morning. She couldn’t lift her head out of shame. With her hands covering her face, Harneie let out a silent scream.

“What should I do…?”

Carefully recalling what happened yesterday, it was good that she tried to avoid the Marquis House of Rusmaier’s attention by staying there. But Barak said there were no rooms available for guests.

Alright, there was nothing she could do about that.

It was supposed to be solved by informing Count Carsein and making a plan. However…

The plan was too extreme.

“Sleep outside, of course.”

How could he offer to sleep outside while keeping her in a room?

Her hands instinctively reached out. Such an incident must be prevented at all costs.

“No matter what, he didn’t tell me to sleep outside!”

“…Then what? We can’t sleep together in this situation.”

As a result, they naturally leaned towards sharing a room.

“You’ll sleep on the bed.”

She was prepared to sleep on the floor.

And then,

From somewhere deep within, warmth suddenly started leaking from her body.

“Let’s change the conditions. If you’re going to sleep here, I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll go outside.”

It felt like she was being unreasonable, but was she really being unreasonable?

Now they were in a helping relationship, but fundamentally, they were tied by a contract engagement. They would eventually become strangers again.

But she showed genuine kindness, something she never received from others.

So Harneie asked almost involuntarily, with a hint of hope and a little self-consciousness.

“Why…?”

She asked.

After some hesitation, Carsein gave his answer, and warmth returned to Harneie’s body once more.

That hope,

That answer she was conscious of,

Seemed foolish as it might vanish immediately.

“Because if I see you sleeping on the floor while working, it might distract me.”

Hearing that, Harneie immediately covered herself with the blanket.

Although she said she would sleep first, she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

While trying to figure out what it meant,

She kept thinking over and over, each time feeling a surge of heat rising in her face. Afraid of being caught, she quickly covered herself with the blanket.

Then,

With her eyes closed in the darkness, she fell asleep.

Morning came.

Harneie, feeling embarrassed, rubbed her eyes again.

Her cheeks were already flushed red.

“What am I supposed to do now? Harneie!”

What’s the point of thinking? The water has already been spilled.

She glanced at the floor where Carsein was supposed to be sleeping with her palms spread.

However, Carsein wasn’t sleeping on the floor.

When she noticed, both her hands had already lowered.

“Did you just sleep like that because of me?”

Harneie muttered discontentedly, holding onto the blanket.

She slept comfortably on the bed, very comfortably, even achieving a deep sleep.

But because of that deep sleep, she felt uneasy.

Seeing Carsein sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, eyes closed, instead of sleeping on the floor made her feel uneasy.

“He even had two blankets…”

Now she noticed he had two blankets. One was for her, but the other was supposed to be for him.

Realizing the uncomfortable truth, Harneie got up immediately, holding the blanket tightly with both hands and approached Carsein.

She wanted to cover him with the blanket, hoping it would help him stay warm a little longer.

But regrettably, when she tried to cover him,

Carsein opened his eyes sensing her presence.

“If you’re going to cover me, it’s fine. I just woke up after a long sleep.”

“Long sleep…?”

“Yes.”

At his calm response, Harneie was taken aback.

Sure, she understood he must have woken up after putting on clothes, but looking at the documents casually glanced at, Carsein must have stayed awake until dawn.

She was also a guild master of a merchant guild.

Considering the workload she witnessed, she couldn’t have fallen asleep before 4 AM at the earliest.

Which means he probably only slept for three hours.

This couldn’t be ignored.

Harneie quickly grabbed Carsein’s arm and pulled him toward the bed.

“Harneie?”

“Don’t say nonsense and lie down and sleep. You barely slept a few hours.”

“I’ve slept enough.”

“When did you sleep?”

“Um… around 5 AM, I think.”

Goodness.

Even if he started counting from 4 AM, he would have only slept for three hours.

Saying he slept at 5 AM means he only slept for two hours.

Harneie’s grip tightened.

“Please, just lie down and sleep. I feel so guilty taking your bed and blanket away.”

“Huh? I was planning to wake up around this time anyway…”

“Say something sensible! How can someone work after only two hours of sleep…! Forget it. If the lord says he only slept for two hours, the residents will panic and try to stop it.”

“No, there’s no need to do that.”

He was trying to escape somehow.

In that case, she had a thought too.

“I’m your fiancée, after all.”

It was a bold reason, but it was the best one.

“Should I stand by and do nothing knowing my fiancé is overworking himself?”

“…”

Seeing his expression, Harneie shouted towards the door.

“Everyone. The lord says he’ll work after only two hours of sleep. What should we─”

“Alright, alright.”

Residents would surely make a commotion hearing this news.

Carsein had to listen to Harneie’s stubbornness.

Reluctantly, Carsein climbed onto the bed.

Harneie smiled and covered him with the two blankets.

“…Just one hour. Let’s sleep for exactly one hour.”

“No way. At least two or three hours. Sleeping in a chair was just pretending to sleep.”

Though she wanted to scold her fiancé for putting up barriers, Carsein had no choice but to get some sleep.

“The rest is about adjusting the price of gravel. It’s something I can handle. But since I need to check whether you’re sleeping or not, I’ll watch you with both eyes wide open.”

Carsein sighed, still not fully adapting.

***

At the same time,

Nobles gathered at the house of Count Modrich.

They were all nobles clustered around Mount Waglew, plotting to divide the land of Rusmaier.

However, their plans seemed to have stalled at some point.

The land value of isolated Rusmaier was low, but they were waiting for it to collapse and take it without spending a penny. Unexpectedly, a human appeared, wanting to buy the land and become the lord.

At first, they thought he was a fool.

Even though the land value was low, they assumed he wouldn’t find a way to save it and that the money would end up in their pockets when they bought supplies from neighboring territories.

But Rusmaier, with its new lord, did not waver under pressure, even when the prices were raised.

It seemed he had predicted the price increase, buying necessary items beforehand, and now he was collecting tolls from the nobles.

Thus, the disgruntled nobles gathered here.

This incident was definitely linked to Count Modrich’s house.

“Count Modrich, why do we have to pay tolls to them?”

“Explain. What happened that we have to pay tolls?”

“They even bought necessary items as if they knew the prices would rise. How do you explain that?”

“No, ask Hemnan Modrich. Explain how you managed it.”

“That, that is…”

Hemnan couldn’t bring himself to speak as the nobles advanced aggressively.

He wanted to make excuses, but he couldn’t.

“Are we just going to sit here without making any plans!”

“Lord Retelvik…”

“Explain at least. We need to discuss. If we want to prevent them from becoming self-sufficient, we need to address the root cause right here.”

Under the stern pressure from Lord Retelvik, Hemnan squeezed his eyes shut and recounted the day’s events.

The nobles clicked their tongues.

“So, not only did they take our compensation, they actually paid us back in full and even gave us money?”

“Yes, yes…”

“Is that even possible?!”

Lord Retelvik slammed the table.

“Who is the lord of Rusmaier? Did the royal family intervene?!”

“There’s no way. How could the royal family intervene? They’ve clearly devalued the land!”

“Then he must be colluding with someone.”

“No! Absolutely not. Only…”

“Only what?”

Hemnan swallowed hard.

“It’s difficult to approach. Because they are… the House of Bargrand…”

“…The House of Bargrand?”

At the mention of the House of Bargrand, the nobles’ eyebrows furrowed.

If the House of Bargrand got involved, it was obvious that Hemnan, as just a young lord, couldn’t stand against them.

Not just Hemnan.

All those present knew they couldn’t stand against the House of Bargrand.

But there was one contradiction in this premise.

“Really? What benefit does the House of Bargrand gain from buying this territory?”

“They know well that taxes increase with the number of territories. Why would they buy such a useless piece of land like Rusmaier?”

“There’s no value in that land. Why would they buy it?”

No matter how you looked at it, the House of Bargrand had no reason to buy the land of Rusmaier.

“Could it be that Hemnan Modrich is lying?”

“Li-Lying?! No! The lord of that land has a certificate from the royal family.”

“Then tell us. Who is the lord demanding such absurd tolls?”

Hemnan clenched his lips and replied.

“Carsein Bargrand.”

“What? Carsein Bargrand?”

“Not Lady Isabella or her sisters?”

“Yes.”

At Hemnan’s confirmation, a wave rippled through the conference hall, soon turning into laughter.

“Of course. There’s nothing to worry about with Carsein.”

“Even if he stockpiled goods, it won’t last long.”

“Hemnan Modrich. How much did you give Rusmaier?”

“About 10,000 pesel…”

“Thought I’d need exact numbers. Guess not.”

Lord Retelvik chuckled.

“That brat won’t last a month with 10,000 pesel. Everyone knows what to do, right?”

“Yes.”

“Make sure to lock your doors.”

Locking their doors.

The code word known only to the nobles of Wagle region meant to refuse any offering from Rusmaier and leave it to die.

“Even if monsters appear, we’ll reject them. After all, they dared to collect tolls.”

The nobles grinned and agreed.

This was their retribution for Rusmaier’s audacity, a lawful punishment.

The meeting, filled with noise, ended.

The nobles saw it as good news and dispersed, deciding to enjoy a party.

Perhaps this arrogance would bring them great upheaval.

***

Three days had passed since then.

Staying in Rusmaier for three whole days.

During that time, Rusmaier had accomplished everything I ordered beautifully.

“Master Carsein!”

Barak approached me abruptly.

Not calling me “lord,” but “master.”

But it made sense.

Such a splendid tunnel had been completed.

Still, verification was necessary.

“How’s the safety? That’s the most important part.”

“Nothing to worry about. We are who we are.”

Barak patted his chest twice, as if reminding himself who he was.

“A sculptor considers the balance of a structure the most crucial part. This tunnel could withstand even thousands of people from the Empire.”

“Haha. Really?”

“Absolutely!”

“And the magic stones for lighting at night?”

“They’re already set up! Along with some design improvements, it’s become quite a sight.”

It seems saying “no problem” wasn’t just empty words.

Of course, the fact that a few more tunnels need to be dug remains unchanged. But it seems this place will become one of the Empire’s most critical strategic points today.

First, I need to gather funds to dig the remaining tunnels, so I must head to a certain location.

“By the way, My Lord. Are you okay?”

Barak asked with his brows furrowed.

“Okay? What do you mean?”

“Well, My Lord…”

Barak closed his mouth mid-sentence.

“Harneie, when do you plan to return?”

“…”

“Harneie?”

“Yes, yes?”

She seemed startled in reply.

“Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Just some thoughts… By the way, what did you ask?”

“When are you planning to return? I was just about to pick you up to take you to the Marquis House of Aiferos.”

“If that’s the case… I’m going to the Marquis House of Aiferos too.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I have no intention of returning to the Marquis House of Teresia anyway.”

Plus, despite only being here for three days, she didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable, and she had some purpose of her own.

Well, everyone has their reasons.

I boarded the carriage called for by the duke’s house.

“Are you… doing something…?”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind. I’ll just handle some business and return. Then we can depart.”

I asked her, thinking she had something to say, but she didn’t respond.

“Barak. I have something to talk about. Can you come with me?”

Instead, I took Barak, who had been talking with me just now.

***

This distance should be far enough for Carsein not to hear.

The residents haven’t noticed yet, but Barak seems to be aware of it.

That’s why Harneie brought him along.

Turning around, Harneie wore a serious expression and spoke.

“As a guild master, I know things. So I’ll ask directly. How many hours does Carsein sleep per day?”

Barak sighed deeply.

“And as Miss thinks, Master’s sleep is extremely limited. Maybe two hours, no, one hour. And that’s mostly in short naps.”

A shadow cast over Harneie’s face.