CH 39

“I heard you called—!”

His gaze hurriedly looked at Serdel’s hand.

Her clean and uninjured hands eased the hardened expression on his face. She could tell by looking into his two wide eyes that he was finally breathing easy.

“I took care of the carriage well. When I came back to the mansion, it was too late and I thought you’d want to rest or—”

“You’ve worked hard, Terra.”

Serdel gave him a letter and a bottle of potion.

“Would you mind doing some additional work for me? Take this to Count Maient’s mansion and give it to him.”

“—Huh? W, why this is—”

“I got help for something against my will. I wanted to get rid of this debt quickly.”

Terra’s forehead hardened.

Not knowing the detailed circumstances, he couldn’t understand what Serdel was saying.

But this was the first real task she had given him even if she didn’t tell him all the details.

He had no choice but to be uneasy because it was a problem involving Count Maient and no one else.

“—Do I have to get an answer?””

“No, you don’t need to.”

When she gets an answer, she has to give another answer. She didn’t want to create a troublesome situation with that man.

“Anyway, if that person says something useless, you don’t need to listen, this is the end of our correspondence, just say there’s nothing left between us and—”

Serdel opened a drawer and pulled out three more bottles of potions.

“This is your gift.”

Terra’s eyes shook.

“Thank you, Lady. I’ll take good care of it.”

He felt flustered like last time but didn’t say he was going to give it to Siri unconditionally. Instead, he just quietly put it in his waist bag.

“I will go now.”

“Terra.”

He turned around and stopped.

“I want to say it once again, it was a good decision to treat Laura in that situation.”

“But Lady, you were hurt.” Before Serdel could say anything, he continued. “Until today, I had never imagined myself as a servant to the Count. However, it was a lot of fun and pleasure to work with Lady through Siri. I was relieved that I seemed to have changed into a person you can use.”

“Terra.”

“It was terrifying  not being able to look ahead even an inch when I saw the Lady’s wounds. If it was your life that was at risk, not your hands—” His voice was full of fear. “I’ll be back.”

In the silence where Terra went out and fell, somehow she felt neglected.

His serious demeanor, which was usually always smiling and throwing stupid jokes, seemed to show his wounded heart openly.

Her mind felt complicated.

At the same time, Addis and Redan came to mind.

In front of the carefully constructed plan she had created to gain the power of Radun in Elbash Forest, there were two people who could be seriously hurt, just like Terra.

She wondered why.

******

“I guess that’s what the Count really liked, right?”

Taak!

Count Maient, who was looking at the documents, nervously put down his fountain pen and swept his hair roughly.

“Thank you so much for saving me earlier. If it wasn’t for the Count, I would probably have been hurt more than I am now. You saw that I was safe, so please leave now.”

“Damn it!”

After they had parted like that somehow what she said didn’t leave his mind.

It was annoying to miss out on a chance to step in on the development of the Elbash Forest, but rather than that, he was more upset by her cold eyes toward him.

“Who do you think saved you from the flames!”

Bang!

Isn’t he, after all, her lifesaver? But that facial expression and attitude!

“Since the last time—!”

Tsk!

Although he was the first to speak of breaking up, Serdel had changed as if she had become a different person since that day.

Her image, which used to always be unstable and anxious due to her obvious lack of self-esteem, came to him from out of nowhere and boldly demanded his attention.

Even in front of uncomfortable company she does not feel discouraged and can change the atmosphere as she wishes.

As a result, all of his original plans to use the broken marriage as a weapon and swing the situation as he desired were ruined.

‘If it went as expected, she should’ve hung on to me to the point where it was ugly.’

If so, the Count’s honor would have been tarnished. All issues, including the cause of the breakup, would have been focused on her.

He was going to use that to continue his business.

‘Nothing’s going well.’

Bit his lips, he nervously swept his face.

No matter how much he thinks about the past. Instead, he recalled Serdel at the slave market.

‘How did she know of a place that I wouldn’t have even known of if I hadn’t followed Count Sollette?’

“I don’t think she went because she liked it.”

No matter how different she has become, she’s not a person with a bad enough personality to enjoy such things.

There must be another reason.

But what could it be?

Hmm.

With a stuffy sigh, he pondered leisurely while tapping his fingers on his desk.

“Master. Count Robbesta has sent someone.”

“Bring him here now.”

Moments later, a young man in leather armor stood in front of him.

His face had a look a bit too fierce to be called a knight, and the air that he spewed out was also unorganized, so he seemed to be a servant.

It was ridiculous that she had sent a servant who was not even a knight to deliver a message to him.

“Greetings to Count Maient.”

“Ha—”

“The Lady said thank you and told me to give this to you.”

Even though the count burst into astonished and mildly offended laughter, Terra calmly took the potion out of his arms and held it out.

“Is this all?”

Terra gave him the letter only then.

“Did you know that the letters and potions you brought were not exchanged for no reason?” The count asked, trying to bait Terra into assuming he and Serdel still had a vague relationship.

When Terra found an answer to the question that was satisfying, he raised his head and opened his mouth first.

“You know. That means you were there with the Young Lady. But why don’t I remember you?”

Count Maient’s eyes became quite sharp as his gaze settled on Terra.

“Ah, did she take you as a horseman? Because it wasn’t close by of course, she required someone to drive the carriage. But then what happened shouldn’t have happened unless— Oh, because you went outside with the slave she picked up first?”

Mumbling to himself, the count began to tap the desk with his fingers again.

His mouth suddenly twisted.

He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t to be seen. Now that he thinks about it, the escort he encountered near the Count’s mansion was not there at that time either.

After sending out the slave, the servant and the escort first, why did she remain there alone?

Everyone runs away in surprise from a sudden situation.

‘Only the Young Lady jumped into a deadly situation.’

When he saw her returning to the place where everyone had fled, he wondered if she was unaware of the commotion, but there was no way she could not have felt the chaotic atmosphere.

Moreover, there was no hesitation in her steps.

As if her purpose was there.

“The Lady.”

At the same time as his thoughts subsided, a voice filled with heavy power flowed from Terra.

“She said there’s nothing left between her and the Count. So she asked me to tell you that she doesn’t want to get involved with you anymore.”

Terra, who deliberately added words that Serdel had not brought up, bowed his head.

“Then I should get going.”

Terra, who turned his body to leave even before permission was granted, left the office.

Taak. Count Maient’s forehead narrowed as the door closed and he was left alone.

“Master and servant, all of them are arrogant!”

He was irritated that a long-running thought had been cut short by an interruption.

While pressing his temple, he took the letter he left on the desk.

He opened it and looked at the contents first. What will it say—?

[I didn’t want it, but I appreciate your help anyway.]

From the beginning, his forehead was frowned.

“Your manners used to be rolled in soup. Ha.” (t/n : I’m not sure what this means ;; e/n: maybe it means watered down like adding water to a salty soup haha)

[Let’s just say I’ve never run into the Count. And that the Count has never seen me either. There’s nothing good about going to such a low-quality place, right?]

“What is this—!”

The style of writing was frivolous as if she were addressing a fly, and there was even a strange subtle threat that scratched his nerves.

His eyes read quickly.

[Anyway, if you’re thinking about using this position and getting into forest development, you should give up.

You can’t be caught following Count Sollette, can you?

Wouldn’t it be dangerous if he knew that you’re also trying to exploit him to take over Count Deriens’ business?

I hope you don’t continue to irritate me.

Otherwise, you’ll find out just how much I know about the Count.

My consideration ends here.]