Chapter 4

Lavi tilted her head as she received the greeting from the knight assigned to serve as her temporary escort. He seemed strangely familiar. Of course, he was a knight of the family, so that was natural, but something about him struck her. She couldn’t stop pondering what it was.

“Heh—how adorable. Nice to meet you, young lady. I’m Caleb, assigned as your escort while the vice-captain is resting.”

“Oh, the knight who got drunk and passed out in the training grounds!”

As Lavi recalled, she looked at the knight with blue hair who winked at her. The scar on the corner of his lips was so distinctive that she couldn’t forget it.

“Hm, you already know me? Well, it’s no surprise. I do have a good-looking face that’s hard to forget after just one look.”

Caleb hummed a little tune as he plopped down onto the carpet and leaned his head back on the sofa cushion.

Watching his nonchalant behavior, Lavi quietly moved closer.

“What are you doing?”

“Aren’t you staying in the room?”

“I am.”

Lavi glanced at the window as she answered. On a scorching day like this, she naturally planned to stay in her room, reading or resting.

“Then I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up if you need to go somewhere.”

Caleb stretched out  his arm, patted down on the crown of her head once, then folded his arms and closed his eyes.

The absurd situation left Lavi so dumbfounded that all she could do was blink.

‘What kind of person is this?’

Lavi moved closer to Caleb, who seemed genuinely asleep.

“Are you really sleeping?”

She waved her palms in front of Caleb’s face, checking to see if he would open his eyes.

After about ten minutes, she heard only the steady rhythm of his breathing, as if he was truly asleep.

Her lips curved into a smirk without realizing it.

“Sleep well. If possible, stay asleep..”

Carefully avoiding making any noise, Lavi grabbed a parasol and crept out of her room.

Familiar with paths rarely used even by servants, Lavi left the main house and unfurled her parasol, humming to herself. Where should she go? Although she was still within the estate, it had been a while since she’d enjoyed such a sense of freedom..

“Ah, but it really is hot.”

She hadn’t been outside long before sweat began to bead on her skin, and her energy quickly drained.

Squatting in front of the fountain, Lavi let out a long breath.

Now that she was out, wasn’t being alone kind of boring?

She pouted her lips as she picked up a fallen branch and started poking at the law, digging up the grass.

“Lavi?”

A large shadow appeared, accompanied by a familiar voice. Lavi tilted her parasol back and looked up.

“Akkad!”

Akkad, his eyes wide in surprise, crouched down to meet her gaze.

“What are you doing out here like this?”

Akkad removed his gloves and placed a hand on Lavi’s cheek.

“It’s cool.”

Akkad stiffened momentarily before biting off the other glove with his teeth and brushing the damp strands of hair stuck to her flushed face.

“It’s so hot—why are you out here? And alone, at that?”

Akkad glanced around, as if searching for her escort.

“Allen is still unwell, so my escort was changed. He fell asleep, and I escaped… Phew—I feel like my life has been saved.”

Lavi gave a hasty explanation  before leaning into Akkad’s body.

“Why are you so cool? Usually, my body temperature is much lower than yours.”

“Lavi, it’s because you’re overheated. Are you okay? How long have you been outside?”

“I don’t know.”

Her face felt so hot she half-expected steam to rise off it.

Akkad ran his fingers through her hair and placed a hand on her forehead.

“Keep stroking my head—it feels refreshing.”

When Lavi pulled Akkad’s hand to her cheek and rubbed against it, his body froze again.

Looking up at Akkad’s face, Lavi asked with a puzzled expression, “Your face is red too. Is it just that hot today? It’s nearly autumn.” She grumbled about how this must be a lingering summer heatwave.

“Let’s go inside.”

“But I finally have some freedom.”

“Freedom?”

Lavi nodded and explained why she had ventured outside.

“So, he’s sleeping in your bedroom?”

“Yeah.”

Akkad’s face hardened as he lifted Lavi into his arms.

Lavi held her parasol and contemplated where they might be headed when a thought suddenly came to her, prompting her to ask, “By the way, what happened to your uncle?”

This was the first time she had seen Akkad since the incident. Werner had been so busy that she rarely saw him, and whenever she asked her parents about it, they avoided giving her a straight answer.

“Uncle…you don’t need to worry about him anymore,” Akkad replied. 

He went on to add simply that his uncle’s wife, the countess, had taken their son and left for another country with the help of her family. The Duke of Enoch’s household had stripped Count Courtney of his title, leaving the two of them with no further connection to the ducal family. So, now there was no longer a need to worry about them threatening Akkad’s position in the future.

“Still, what happened to your uncle exactly?”

“…Hmm?”

Akkad frowned, looking troubled as he averted his gaze.

“What is it? Huh?”

Lavi unwound her arms from around his neck and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her.

Pausing under a shady tree, Akkad hesitated briefly before sighing,  and then opened his mouth as if he had no choice.

“He is a person who no longer exists.”

“I see.”

Lavi understood why Akkad was reluctant to speak about it, but she found herself feeling unexpectedly calm. Rather than sadness, she felt a sense of relief—relief that Akkad wouldn’t have to go to war and that the lingering anxiety that had settled in a corner of her heart long ago  had disappeared at last.

“I’m sorry, Lavi.”

“Hm?”

“For putting you through that.”

Akkad sat down beneath the tree where Lavi’s height had been marked, pulling her onto his lap.

Lavi placed her parasol on the ground carelessly and spoke with a firm voice, “It’s okay. Everyone’s safe, and that’s what matters.”

“…Even so.”

Akkad reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

“If you’re sorry, then just come by more often to hold my hand.”

Akkad’s grip strengthened, letting energy flow into her.

“…From now on. Always.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll hold on. If you let me take your hand.”

His voice sounded so sincere and serious, heavy with a weight that perhaps came from lingering guilt.

 Lavi burst into laughter, thinking this was another cute side of him.

“I really like this—being here with you. Even in weather like this, I can be outside.”

Leaning back against the tree trunk beside Akkad, Lavi closed her eyes. Even though the thought of his father joining the war after the truce weighed on her mind, she knew it was something she couldn’t change.

“Ah, by the way, are you controlling the amount now? You can do that too? It seems a little different than usual.”

“Umm, yeah. Somehow, I learned it quickly.”

“Amazing! Awesome! Then why don’t you hold hands and show me what it’s like to max it out?”

Akkad hesitated, looking at Lavi’s sparkling eyes, then adjusted their hands and let out as much energy as possible. Lavi, who was holding on to Akkad, furrowing her brows as if it was too much to accept, was mesmerized for a moment, then admired him with eyes glistening even more.

“Wow – we just held hands, but if it’s like this, how much would the maximum be from kissing …? Ah, fine, I won’t ask.”

* * *

***

Returning to her embroidery lesson, Lavi cursed under her breath as her fingers throbbed. She had pricked them countless times today.

‘Boring. Ughhh.’

Until now, Lavi hadn’t taken etiquette lessons since dismissing Mrs. Austin. But now that she was nearly fifteen, her mother had  insisted that she at least learn how to embroider a handkerchief and how to  dance when attending ball.

Lady Gridden, her new, thoroughly vetted teacher, was known for her gentle and good character. There was just one problem.

“Oh my, you pricked your finger again! When I was learning, I did that all the time. Your skills will improve soon, so don’t worry too much!”

“Yes, ma’am…”

That problem was: she was a woman with an unnervingly optimistic, chatty personality. 

Lady Gridden taught everything from basic etiquette to social dances, embroidery, and flower arranging, all with relentless positivity.

“I improved a lot when I first met my husband. He loved it so much when I embroidered his name for the first time!” So much, in fact, that he apparently kept the handkerchief to this day.

“By the way, whose name will you embroider?”

“Mine.”

“…Pardon?”

For once, Lady Gridden appeared taken aback.

Lavi looked up from her handkerchief with an innocent expression, as if wondering what the problem was.

“Usually, it’s for… a beloved…”

“I don’t have a lover.”

“Or for family, perhaps?”

Lavi thought briefly of Werner for a moment, but shook her head. While she wouldn’t mind giving her brother a gift, it seemed unnecessary. Her father didn’t need one either, as her mother often made them for him as gifts.

What about Allen, then? No – If she gave him one, it was obvious how jealous her older brother would get,, which would undoubtedly end in her making a duplicate.That made her rather reluctant. 

The next to come to mind was Akkad. 

‘Giving an embroidered handkerchief to a friend feels embarrassing.’

The very idea made her whole body itchy just to imagine, so she shivered and she dismissed it entirely.

“Because the first embroidery one makes is special, many give it as a gift to a special person.”

“Can’t I just embroider my own name?”

Lavi just didn’t feel like giving it to anyone else. Besides, after finishing this lesson, she didn’t plan to embroider anything again. A gift to herself seemed like the tidiest solution.

“Of course, the young lady  can do whatever you like. If you find anything difficult, just ask.”

Lavi nodded, focusing her attention back on the needle and her fingers.

“Ow!”

Another needle prick. Lavi frowned, close to tears.

“I think it would be best to finish here today. You can take your time finishing the handkerchief, so don’t rush.”

“I understand.”

After seeing Lady Gridden off, Lavi returned to her room and sank into a chair, sighing at the sight of her unfinished handkerchief.

It felt like she had been stabbed with a needle more than ten times just that afternoon. Was it just her body that was weak, or was there something else fundamentally wrong with her, too?

“Lavi.”

“Akkad? Come in.”

True to his word after the carriage attack, Akkad visited whenever he had the time. Even if it was only for an hour, he showed up five times a week, holding her hand and transferring his energy to her.

“Akkad!”

Lavi leaned back against the chair and extended her hand.

“You had lessons today?”

“Yeah. I hated every second of it to death.”

Akkad sat beside her and took her hand, asking, “What happened to your fingers? Oh, that explains it.”

He glanced at the messy handkerchief on the table and nodded in understanding.

“Why are you staring at it like that? Does it look weird?” Lavi picked up the handkerchief, holding it out defensively. “I don’t think I did well, but I don’t think it’s  bad either.”

“What are you embroidering on it?”

“My name.”

Akkad blinked, clearly surprised, which made Lavi furrow her brows.

“Is embroidering my own name that strange?”

“Usually, embroidery is for gifts.”

“If it’s for a gift, it should have my name on it. If it’s for someone special, it’s a way of saying they’re mine, isn’t it?”

“’Mine’?”

“Yeah. If it’s someone special, like a lover, it means they belong to me, right?”

Smiling at her logic, Lavi imagined the handkerchief reminding someone of her every time they looked at it.

Still, since she didn’t have a lover, she had no plans of embroidering anything for anyone else. If she met a priest later, she wondered if she would give them something. 

Silver-gray eyes followed the handkerchief as Lavi tucked it back into its box.

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Translator comments: ….whoops. Finally getting back to this an actual year later. I have no excuses nor promises that I won’t go AWOL again. If anyone else wants to pick up the series and post more regularly – be my guest! I will not be offended.

Translator notes:

• Caleb’s tone with Lavi is almost comically different from Allen’s. Even when Allen is being sarcastic with her, he usually uses the formality to enforce it, if that makes sense. Caleb, by contrast, is playful bordering on rude.
• Akkad’s speech has a couple of places that definitely go over Lavi’s head. In particular, the exchange about taking her hand. Akkad says “네가 잡아 준다면” (If you’ll hold on to me) which is probably slightly closer to ‘if you will allow me catch you in my grasp’ and when combined with his earlier “앞으로도 계속” / ‘from now on/forever’ it’s pretty possessive (as in, ‘If you’ll hold on to me, I won’t ever let go’ or possibly even ‘if you let me catch you in my grasp, I won’t ever let go’) But as usual, Lavi takes his words literally and misses the nuance. From a localization perspective, there is the fun nuance of playing with the English implication of ‘take your hand (in marriage)’ though.
• Also if you translate the comment about his uncle literally, it’s something like ‘he isn’t a person anymore’ which like, oof. Is both poetic and scary.

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