RYEHC | Ch 15

15.

“…You had a bit of fuzz on your cheek.”

Laska pulled his hand back and chuckled softly. His warm gaze lingered as he smiled.

“Oh… I see. Thank you.”

Selaya awkwardly brushed her cheek with the back of her hand.

It had been five years since she’d been living down here and doing everything on her own.

Other than when baby Lotte touched her, no one had touched her face in all that time.

“Laska…” she began. His eyes shifted toward her immediately.

“You must’ve been really popular as a mercenary. I bet the customers at Ceylon’s Spear miss you.”

“…A popular mercenary, huh.”

Not “a popular man,” but “a popular mercenary.”

Repeating her words with a faint smile, he looked… just a little deflated somehow.

Selaya found it odd, but before she could ask more, she was interrupted.

“Alright, back to work!”

Vera had returned from the shed with all sorts of farming tools, and little Lotte was kitted out with gloves for her small hands and a hat for the sun.

“Um, I have an idea I want to try.”

Lotte pulled a carefully folded piece of paper from her pocket. When she opened it, it was covered in a drawing.

“What’s this, young lady? Some kind of waves? The sea?” Vera asked, peering curiously.

“It’s the ground. If we dig straight rows like this, and plant the seed potatoes in the trenches, then the walls will block the wind and the sprouts will grow stronger.”

“Huh, that makes sense.”

It wasn’t written in any farming book, but the logic was sound.

“Alright. Let’s try it your way, Lotte,” Selaya said after a moment of thought.

“Laska, can you help her? I’ll start planting with Vera over here.”

“Yes, my lady.”

They split up.

Vera dug furrows while Selaya planted potatoes at even intervals. From the sound of it, Laska and Lotte’s side was also going smoothly.

“Wow, Laska, you’re really good at digging!”

“I’ve had some practice with shovels in the past.”

Selaya smiled faintly as she dropped a few seed potatoes into the earth. That was when she suddenly heard:

“Hey, Laska.”

“Yes, young lady?”

“What do you think of my mom?”

“…What?”

Selaya froze, the potatoes slipping from her hands into the dirt. She turned stiffly to look at them.

She couldn’t see Laska’s face, but she could see Lotte’s expectant green eyes sparkling up at him—and Vera, who let out a little gasp of surprise and perked up to listen.

“She really just…”

Selaya stood up with a mortified look. She should’ve warned Lotte earlier.

The girl had been dropping hints for days, saying things like “You two get along well” and “Maybe you’ll fall in love.” And now this.

He must be so uncomfortable right now.

Selaya quickly started toward them, ready to cut in, when she heard his answer.

“Your mother is an admirable woman. She’s kind and caring toward her people.”

His tone was perfectly polite and straightforward.

The sparkle in Lotte’s eyes dimmed instantly.

“Eh? That’s it?”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? I could spend all day praising her. She’s even kind to someone like me, just a mere captain of the guard. And above all, she saved my life. How could I not be grateful?”

“…Hmmm.”

Lotte sounded disappointed.

Hearing this, Selaya shut her eyes tightly and reopened them, fighting down the rising embarrassment.

Right. It was just a question about her as a person. Why did I assume he’d answer as if… romantically?

She waved a hand at her flushed face, trying to cool down.

“Then… don’t you want to get closer to her?”

“If that were to happen, it would be an honor.”

This time, there was a trace of a smile in his voice.

That seemed to satisfy Lotte, who brightened up again and proudly plopped a potato into the hole.

“Then I’ll help make it happen!”

“I’ll look forward to it, young lady,” Laska replied, covering the potato with soil.

He’s just humoring her politely, Selaya told herself, trying to focus back on her own work.

So she didn’t notice that Laska’s gaze kept drifting her way as she knelt in the dirt, planting potatoes one by one.

But a few days later, Selaya would realize that Laska and Lotte’s little “promise” had been far more serious than she thought.

“A picnic?”

“Yes!”

Lotte’s eyes sparkled as she nodded hard.

“It’s spring now, my lady. The fields are already full of grass,” Vera added with a playful wink.

“A picnic sounds nice. So it’ll be you, Vera, and me then?” Selaya suggested.

Elaine hated outdoor activities, and Maximilian was still recovering from gout.

But Lotte’s eyes went round as she protested.

“What about Laska?”

“Oh.” Selaya gave an awkward little noise.

Of course, cheerful and obliging as he was, Laska probably wouldn’t refuse—but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel pressured.

Thinking like an employer, Selaya started cautiously, “Well… Laska might need some rest, too—”

“I already asked him! He said yes!”

“…What?”

Selaya’s jaw nearly dropped. So this wasn’t a suggestion—it was a done deal.

“And unfortunately, my lady, I’ll need to go down to the village that day,” Vera added casually.

“Then we’ll just pick a different day—”

“I’m afraid whenever it is, I’ll probably have to be in the village.”

“Vera…” Selaya stared at her housekeeper-cook with weary eyes, but Vera only smiled cheerfully and handed over a heavy basket.

“I packed sandwiches. Take these with you. I’ll be back by dinner.”

“Vera, wait—!”

But she’d already darted off.

“Mom, I really want to go on a picnic… Can’t we?” Lotte pleaded, looking up with shining eyes.

“…Alright, we’ll go,” Selaya sighed. She could never be firm when it came to her daughter.

But Laska… lately… she thought uneasily, stroking Lotte’s hair.

“My lady, young lady,”

When they reached the front door, there was Laska, already waiting, ready to go.

“The weather’s amazing today,” he said warmly when he saw Selaya with her braided hair and the picnic basket in her hand.

His simple outfit—shirt, vest, and clean trousers—looked modest, yet somehow he still stood out.

Selaya’s eyes flicked to the bow slung over his broad shoulder. He noticed.

“Special request from Vera. She told me to bring back some pheasant.”

“You can use a bow?”

“You underestimate me.”

Flustered, she waved her hands. “No, I didn’t mean—I just thought you only used a sword—”

“Just teasing,” he interrupted with a quiet laugh.

The low rumble of it made her cheeks burn, and she rubbed at them with the back of her hand.

So, the picnic ended up being just the three of them.

Seeing Laska with his bow, Lotte had insisted on bringing her own little “hunting gear”: a basket and some string, declaring she would catch a sparrow.

Every time she hopped along, her red skirt and dark thread fluttered behind her.

“Over here, Laska!”

“Wow, what a beautiful spot.”

Lotte waved from a hill, and when they reached her, Laska looked out at the wide field with genuine admiration.

Selaya spread out a mat on the grass, breathing in the crisp spring air. It had been so long since she’d enjoyed it like this.

While she laid things out, Lotte got busy making a little bird trap with her small hands.

“You never did this as a kid, did you, Laska?” she asked knowingly.

He scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile. He hadn’t, of course—raised as a prince, he’d never made traps like ordinary kids.

“Well then, I’ll head into the woods for a bit,” he said once Lotte finished her contraption.

“Don’t go too deep, Laska,” Selaya warned seriously. “It’s dangerous.”

“I heard a bear family lives on Mount Metter!” Lotte piped up.

“Bears, huh… I’ve never seen one. I am curious, though,” Laska said thoughtfully.

Selaya blinked. That reminded her of something—she’d once told Lotte that the chances of her and Laska falling for each other were as unlikely as catching a bear from Mount Metter.

“I actually wish one would show up,” Laska added suddenly.

“What?!” Selaya and Lotte both stared at him.

He couldn’t help thinking how alike their shocked expressions looked.

“If a bear appeared, the whole village would have enough meat for three days.”

“…Still, not getting hurt is much more important,” Selaya insisted.

“Glad you care,” he replied, smiling wide enough to show his straight white teeth.

“I won’t make you worry again, my lady. I’ll be careful.”

With that, he strode toward the forest, golden hair rippling in the breeze.

“I hope Laska catches a bear,” Lotte murmured as she watched him go.

Her tone carried something more than childish hope.

Almost like she wished he’d defy the odds—just as much as she wanted him to return safely.