Chapter 14: Suspicious Behavior Leon
As they returned to the cabin, Leon spoke.
“Diana, can you sleep alone at night?”
Diana looked puzzled.
“Huh?”
“Starting today, I was thinking of sleeping in the cowshed over there.”
Diana asked with a perplexed expression.
“I can do that. . .but why?”
Leon lowered his gaze and inexplicably blushed.
“. . .I want to sleep separately.”
“Hmm. But won’t you smell like the cowshed, Leon?”
“If I do, I’ll soak in a hot spring or something.”
Given that response, Diana couldn’t say anything.
“Alright then. I’m a little uneasy, though.”
“Thank you.”
Leon showed a relieved expression for some reason.
“Will you come here in the morning?”
“Yeah, I’ll come.”
“I saw earlier that the hens laid eggs. Shall we have sunny-side-up eggs for dinner?”
“Thank you.”
While continuing their conversation, Diana prepared the meal.
Leon started a fire by her side. It was their usual cooking scene.
Diana gazed at the pot of boiling potatoes and suddenly thought.
I want to continue this life.
Even if I can’t be loved by the person I love, I want to be with them.
Until the cooking was finished, Leon would always doze off on the bed where Diana slept alone. His sleeping face was incredibly endearing to her.
She approached the bed and peered at his defenseless face.
She gently reached out and touched his cheek.
And then,
Leon slightly opened his eyes, grasped her hand, and pressed it against his own cheek.
Diana was surprised, but Leon gazed at her as if pleading for something, remaining still.
The stalemate continued for a while, but suddenly Leon seemed to realize something and abruptly sat up from the bed.
“Whoa. . .Diana!”
“Oh, what did you think?”
“I thought it was a dream. . .”
“It’s reality.”
“Did. . .Did I do something strange?”
“You didn’t. . .but. . .”
“I see. . .That’s a relief.”
Diana remembered the sensation of Leon’s cheek and rubbed her eyes. Leon blushed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
For a moment, Diana was overjoyed that he had desired her even for a brief moment.
“It’s ready. Let’s eat together.”
Sunny-side-up eggs and mashed potatoes.
The freshly laid egg eagerly awaits the moment when its yolk will be elevated and sliced with a knife.
The two cut the yolk with a knife in unison.
At the same time, the semi-soft yolk oozes out, and they exchange smiles.
Three days later.
A laborer brings a carriage, carrying flour, wine, and rough clothing.
Diana immediately changed into the work clothes.
A white shirt and a beige overall.
All made of sturdy linen.
“Wow! It’s so easy to move in!”
“That’s good, Diana.”
While pulling out the weeds around the flowers, Diana chuckled.
“Now work will go smoothly.”
“. . .I hope they bloom soon. The flowers Aurel-sama mentioned.”
“They will definitely bloom. And then Leon will become rich.”
“. . .Is that so.”
“It would be interesting if you became the boss of Leon Trading Company.”
“Don’t come up with funny ideas, Diana.”
She was half-joking, half-serious.
(Then, I could truly become Leon’s bride)
“If that happens, you might really become my bride.”
Diana stared blankly at Leon, who had said something similar at the same time. He seemed to notice her gaze and quickly averted his eyes.
“. . .Just kidding.”
Leon stood up. Diana also blushed and stood up.
Lately, Leon had been acting strange.
He was doing something secretly, and his complexion kept changing.
Was it because their wedding was approaching tomorrow? He seemed to be carrying a strange tension.
The two walked towards the cabin.
“Finally, tomorrow.”
“. . .Yeah.”
“We’ll become husband and wife.”
“. . .A fake one.”
(I wonder what kind of ceremony it will be. He said he would call a priest.)
Other than gathering in the village square at noon, they didn’t know anything about it.
Diana recalled her sister Ilsa’s wedding with her husband.
Ilsa wore a magnificent couture dress in bright red at the largest cathedral in the neighboring capital. She was adorned with dazzling jewels and pledged her love to her husband in front of the priest.
The partner was a blond, overweight man whom she had never met before.
Gustav, the future head of the Ishtar Trading Company.
The marriage of her older sister was undoubtedly a political alliance.
Diana herself was dressed in a chic cream-colored dress, watching her sister’s wedding ceremony.
After the vows in the cathedral, the most luxurious reception in the world was held, using ingredients imported from all over the world. The orchestra played loud music, and the guests were lively and excited.
Amidst all that, Ilsa’s face was filled with a resolute expression, as if she was breaking free from something. That somewhat melancholic sight has stuck in Diana’s mind.
(I wonder what face I’ll be wearing in front of Leon tomorrow.)
Staring at her own brand new peasant dress, Diana thought such a thing.
