Chapter 9: Planning for the wedding and Fritz (the friendly fourth son)
Fritz’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at Diana.
The three of them were gathered around a small table.
In three glasses were the syrup juice of those wisteria flowers.
“Oh, so you met while working as a gardener in town. . .”
He shouldn’t be lying.
Leon cleared his throat, trying to salvage the situation.
“He came to help me in the midst of the war, and that’s when we decided to get married.”
Diana explained with a smile, without missing a beat.
For some reason, Leon’s ears turned bright red.
“I should have gone when the master carpenter invited me to work,”
Fritz said, laughing. Diana and Leon forced a dry smile to cover up.
“Actually, I brought two chickens as a gift. I thought you might be in need of something.”
Diana’s cheeks lit up.
“Really?!”
“Yeah, I’ll give them as a wedding gift. They’ll lay eggs for a while, so you can eat them, and when they stop laying, you can eat them too.”
“Thank you so much!”
Diana stood up and bowed repeatedly. Leon looked up at her with a slightly bitter expression.
“So, when is the wedding?”
Fritz asked, and both Diana and Leon were taken aback.
“Huh? The wedding?”
“It’s customary to make vows in front of God and the villagers. We need a priest and the villagers to come, and we should have a feast.”
Leon turned pale. Diana quickly spoke up.
“Um, I just arrived here, so maybe we should wait until things settle down for the wedding. . .”
“Good things come to those who act quickly. The war is intensifying, and if we miss this spring season, we might not be able to do it anymore, you know?”
“But, but. . .that’s right. We don’t have the supplies for a feast.”
“In that case, we’ll split the cost among the brothers and have the wedding! The eldest son has a wheat field and a flour mill, the second son is a tailor, and the third son has a vineyard and a winery. I have a chicken farm, so we can have quite a luxurious wedding!”
Trying to stop him, the conversation unexpectedly progressed.
Diana couldn’t stop her own lies from rolling into a strange situation. She looked at Leon, seeking help, but even he was sitting there, holding his head in despair.
“And Leon, I think this is a chance.”
Leon looked up.
“. . .A chance?”
“Yes! A chance for reconciliation with your brothers.”
Suddenly, Leon raised an eyebrow.
“. . .Are you saying we should use our wedding as an opportunity for reconciliation?”
“Yeah. It’s just perfect.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I will never reconcile with them. I never want to see you guys again. I’m better off in the wilderness.”
“You’re still sulking, Leon. I understand how you feel, but I want you to forgive our father and brothers. Everyone just directed their pent-up anger at you because their hearts were disturbed and deranged at that time.”
“Fritz can say that because he hasn’t been directly confronted with negative emotions. Put yourself in my shoes. It’s impossible for me to forgive. You and your brothers are all heartless.”
“Leon. . .”
Interrupting the sorrowful expression on Fritz’s face and Leon’s unrelenting anger, Diana interjected.
“Um, I appreciate your feelings. But. . .we should also consider Leon’s feelings, and maybe not rush things too much.”
Deep inside, Diana was thrilled at the mention of a wedding. However, she made an effort not to show it on her face in front of Leon. Fritz crossed his arms and groaned, looking troubled.
“. . .Well, since we’ve exchanged greetings for now, I’ll leave for today.”
Diana gently shifted her gaze to Leon.
Leon pouted.
“Well, I’ll come again. At least I’m glad I got to meet the bride. I’ll talk to my brothers a bit.”
Fritz said that and left with a smile only at the end.
Diana bid farewell to the fourth son and returned to her seat in front of Leon.
“Leon.”
“. . .?”
“What happened between you and your older brothers?”
Leon openly showed his frustration and glared at Diana.
“It’s none of Diana’s business!”
Receiving his angry outburst for the first time, Diana flinched and looked down in fear. Finally, Leon regained his composure.
“. . .I’m sorry.”
“. . .”
He tightly closed his eyes as if holding back something and answered with a sigh.
“I. . .I was abused.”
Diana looked up.
“Huh?!”
“When I was young. . .I was abused by my father and brothers.”
Leon’s dull, straight gaze was directed at Diana. The cruelty of his words made Diana question her ears.
“W-What do you mean? Why. . .such. . .”
Leon lowered his gaze and answered.
“. . .It’s because of me being born that my mother died.”
Diana clutched her chest in anguish.
“Because of that, my father became an alcoholic. He also resorted to violence. So, my older brothers joined in and abused me as well. Even Fritz, although he didn’t hit me, didn’t stop it out of self-interest. The neighbors turned a blind eye too. I was finally freed from the abuse when my father died. In his will, he instructed me to be sent to this remote place, unsuitable for farming, with only hot springs and rocks.”
Diana fell into a sorrowful silence.
“That’s why I don’t want to face them now. It’s somewhat happier for me to stay here, not meeting those people, and just eating potatoes.”
Diana asked.
“Hey, Leon.”
“. . .What?”
“Can I touch your hand now?”
“. . .Sure.”
Diana reached out her hand and touched Leon’s hand.
His rough and calloused hand, used to digging stones and potatoes, gently grasped Diana’s fingertips.
[insert page=’4633′ display=’content’]
[insert page=’4587′ display=’content’]
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- My Gacha Gaming Habit is Bleeding My Bank Account Dry: How to Stop Before You Go Broke
- Naruto and Sasuke: Bro-mance or True Love? The Ultimate Anime Bromance Debate
- Lacus Clyne: The Ultimate Waifu? A Gundam SEED Freedom Deep Dive
- Yo, Millennials: This TikTok Dictionary Translates Gen Z So You Don’t Sound Like a Boomer
- Loid Forger: The Ultimate Husbando?
Leave a Reply