LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 175 - Side Story (8)
The sound of rustling echoed from the bed.
“…”
The woman with black seaweed-like hair, looking haggard, lifted her head. Through her blurry vision, she saw a clock. It was 5 a.m.
“Lady Fanora, are you awake?”
“…”
“I’m going for a run…
Oh
, I saw a really pretty flower yesterday. Should I pick it up for you on my way back?”
The man, getting ready to go out, approached Fanora, leaned down to meet her eyes, and spoke kindly. However, Fanora responded sharply to his gentle words.
“Talking about flowers after nearly breaking my back?”
A fierce glare shot through her disheveled black hair. She had a reason for her visibly upset demeanor.
Did I get punished for making someone cry?
Fanora wiped her face, where tear stains remained. No matter how hard a lowly count lineage tried, she couldn’t outmatch the lineage of Andras in physical strength. She often found herself unable to handle the young man’s affection.
Anyway, Carl still has a long way to go before becoming human. He’s a beast, not a human.
Sitting up in bed, she glanced over at the man with a kind face, then after a while, she cooled down and said, “…Have a good workout.”
“Yes! Lady Fanora!” With that farewell, Carl immediately left the house.
So diligent. Fanora muttered to herself, watching him go for his morning exercise without fail every day.
“I don’t feel like moving when it’s this cold.”
She had tried going out with him one dawn, but by her standards, it wasn’t something she could keep up consistently. So lately, preparing breakfast while waiting for Carl to return from his exercise had become her routine.
Greeting him as he came back panting like a dog from a walk, enjoying breakfast together as the morning sun rose, and then following Carl’s guidance for her own physical training…
Fanora got up from her seat, planning the day ahead.
Let’s see. Should I use chicory today?
It was time to tackle the first task of the day. As she prepared the salad ingredients, she thought to herself.
Every part of her body ached. She thought their marital relationship would be fine now as she had started training again, but that was just her overconfidence. Yet, there was something more embarrassing than her overconfidence.
We have too little self-control.
As Fanora chopped the carrots, relying on the dim flames of the stove, her expression gradually changed.
Both Carl and I.
If it was so hard, she could have used Io to refuse. But she had never once pushed away Carl’s expressions of affection. What that implied was clear. Maybe she really was crazy this time. Just seeing his face made her smile, and she kept laughing at her own laughter, which she thought was ugly.
“…”
Looking at the poorly chopped carrots, she paused her actions. Realizing she was only thinking of Carl and recognizing how desolate the cabin felt without him.
“…”
The woman with the knife in her hand glanced around the dark interior, quiet in the early morning air. The lonely scenery reminded her of her distant past, but she was no longer afraid of the future that might come.
“Let’s do some house cleaning today.”
Grateful for the happiness given to her, Fanora smiled softly. The fireplace’s gentle light reflected on her face.
“…?”
But this long peace was short-lived.
“Carl?”
Startled by a sudden noise, Fanora turned towards the sound coming from the door, her expression hardening. It was too early for Carl to return, and the presence outside the door felt unfamiliar.
“!”
Proving her intuition correct, within seconds, an incident unfolded. Someone outside swiftly broke the old lock and invaded the house. Fanora widened her eyes at the sight of two intruders appearing at dawn. However, the intruders acted as if they knew Fanora would be there alone.
“See, the lady is always alone at this hour.”
They brandished sharply honed blades as they entered the living room. Judging by their accent, they seemed to be from Kollaeng. Were they merely robbers or sent by someone? But what was certain was they were armed…
“…”
Fanora, standing in the doorway, looked alternately between the intruders and the knife in her hand, then sighed deeply.
I was starting to like this place.
The familiar sensation of Io’s power settled at her fingertips.
It was a few minutes later. Carl returned home as dawn broke.
He entered, imagining Fanora’s joyous face at the sight of the exotic red flowers he had brought. But upon opening the door, he froze in place. Instead of the cozy aroma expected at home, the familiar scent of battlefields wafted through.
“Lady Fanora?”
The acrid smell of blood hit his nose.
Two intruders lay scattered, furniture in disarray. His spine chilled instantly. Dropping the flowers, he frantically searched the house. Then, a familiar voice came from a corner of the cabin.
“Carl, you’re just in time.”
“
Ah…
!”
Relieved to see her safe, Carl took a deep breath. But Fanora urged him not to relax yet.
“About those people lying there, I’m not sure if they’re just robbers or someone’s henchmen. I was so distracted that I finished them before I could interrogate properly.”
“…”
“Stop standing around and help me.”
She was prying open the wooden floor. Hidden beneath was the vast fortune she had amassed during her noble days.
“It looks like we’ll have to move again.”
Even if the intruders were merely thieves, they couldn’t stay here any longer as their location was exposed. Thanks to them, she had learned how vulnerable the secluded cabin was.
“It’s about time we checked on that person you mentioned.”
“
Ah
, are you talking about my sister-in-law?”
On a spring day, the two set off on another long journey. Like wars between kingdoms, their journey seemed endless.
* * *
Several days later, in the Kingdom Bellumel.
“Lady Hanie, you have guests outside.”
“Guests…?”
At the edge of spring, a lady with delicate features like a bird’s feather raised her head at the servant’s call. Her face showed confusion. Due to her frail health, she barely participated in social activities and didn’t have many acquaintances. The only person she knew in Bellumel was her cousin, and she rarely received guests.
Could it be…?
However, something clicked in her mind, and she hesitantly went to the front door. Outside the iron fence, familiar faces awaited.
“
Ah
!”
She opened her mouth wide at the sight of the woman with a contrasting appearance to herself, who had pure white hair. Despite the heavy makeup that almost made her unrecognizable, she realized the visitor was the eldest daughter of Celsius, whom she had seen before.
She greeted them with a voice full of joy, or at least, she tried to. “Fano—!”
As Haniel attempted to say the name, the two guests hastily covered her mouth.
“Nice to see you, Lady Felton! But please, do not say my name!”
“Let’s move somewhere quiet to talk, shall we?”
The reunion was somewhat abrupt, but Haniel welcomed their visit, tears brimming in her eyes.
It was Carl and Fanora visiting Bellumel.
After a while, they arrived at a secluded meeting place. It was a rose garden owned by Haniel’s cousin.
“Have you been well? I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you because if it became known that I contacted my sister-in-law…”
“The marchioness might have targeted me. That must be why you keep your distance.”
“I’m relieved to see you’re safe. I’ve been worried all this time.”
They continued their conversation while getting some fresh air under the overgrown ivy. Haniel Felton led the conversation.
“I’ve heard about what happened. This place is close to Kasius, so rumors easily flow here.”
“And the war?”
She glanced at Fanora beside Carl’s question.
“I heard the marchioness is fighting against Gamiel’s army in Taindem. And…”
Why is she looking at me like that?
“It’s unfortunate news, but… if you’re thinking of returning to Kasius after passing through here, I’d advise against it, Lady Fanora.”
“Yes?”
“Count Celsius is dead.”
The current situation of the count’s family was also discussed. Haniel mentioned she had been keeping an eye on the Celsius family’s movements in preparation for their eventual meeting. But all the news that reached her was far from good.
Firstly, Fanora’s younger brother, who went to the battlefield, died, and upon learning of his son’s death, Count Celsius, despite being advised against it, went to the battlefield to avenge his son but ultimately died due to a pre-existing injury. Hanar’s whereabouts are still being investigated, but she couldn’t give her any positive news…
Summarizing Haniel’s words, the Celsius family had essentially fallen into ruin.
“So even if you step foot in Kasius, your family…”
Hearing this, Fanora was slow to react.
“
Haha
!”
Fanora clapped once and then burst into laughter as if she were a child, her laughter louder and more refreshing than ever.
“So it ended up that way.”
Ahahaha.
Her laughter stopped after a while, leaving a quiet smile on her lips.
Her family fell into ruin, yet…
Why is she so happy? Haniel, puzzled by the sudden outburst of laughter, looked confused for a moment but decided it wasn’t her place to pry. She must have her own reasons.
“Lady Felton. We just came to see you, and we’ll be moving on soon. We have no plans to return to Kasius.”
“Is that so?”
“Our current plan is to head south… but we haven’t decided on a place to settle yet.”
They briefly discussed their financial situation. And during this short time, Haniel sensed a peculiar atmosphere.
When they came to give me the holy relic, they were quite distant from each other…
Carl was intently looking at Fanora, then naturally adjusted her disheveled hair, and Fanora too, accepted his touch without any hesitation.
Haniel, realizing their closeness, smiled slightly and asked, “Now, you two really look like a married couple. Where did you have your wedding, then?”
Fanora responded calmly to her question. “We haven’t.”
“Yes?”
“Married.”
When Fanora answered that they hadn’t even held the common vow ceremony before the God, Haniel turned her head with a gentle smile. Her gaze then shifted to her husband’s younger brother.
“Still… haven’t married?”
Afterward, Haniel dragged Carl to a corner of the garden to talk quietly. From this angle, only her back was visible, so it was hard to guess what she was saying, but as the conversation went on, Carl’s expression became as wretched as a drowned mouse.
“Sister-in-law, you’ve gotten much healthier since I last saw you. You can even say many words without even taking a breath…”
“Getting out of a life where I was constantly counting my dying days naturally brought some vitality back.”
After finishing the brief conversation, Haniel walked back to Fanora, clutching the hem of her dress, and said with a strong tone, “Sorry for the delay, Lady Fanora. Anyway, I’ll ask directly. Do you not want to take Carl as your husband?”