Side Story Chapter 8
“Here, come this way!”
Lilian led the way, motioning with her hand, and the people carrying baskets followed behind her.
Even as they entered the deep forest, the faces of the villagers were full of smiles rather than tension.
“I hope there are lots of blueberries this year. My child loves them the most.”
“I prefer raspberries.”
“It’s a bit early, but will we be able to find any hawthorn berries? My grandmother needs them for her medicine.”
Each person seemed to have their own expectations, as if waiting for a gift.
Edgar whispered to Clois as he watched them.
“No one seems afraid at all.”
In this countryside, the forest was another word for danger.
Even a slightly secluded area was filled with beasts that could harm humans. Among them, wolves were particularly numerous in this region.
When traveling to another village, one would never go alone and would often hire guards if possible.
That was why the inn at the village entrance was always filled with people gathering to hire escorts for crossing the forest.
Even in the neighboring Solem territory where they had stayed until yesterday, those who had to go into the forest were tense, clearly reluctant.
But the people of the Solem estate now looked like they were on a picnic.
“It must be thanks to the lord’s daughter,” Clois said.
He observed the villagers following Lilian closely. A few of the castle knights and sturdy young men from the village surrounded them in the middle as protection.
At the very front of this group was Lilian herself.
Even the knights and villagers, who initially looked uneasy when facing the forest, immediately relaxed upon seeing her, gripping their baskets more firmly.
“That’s right. I spoke with the villagers a moment ago, and they said as long as Miss Lilian leads the way, there won’t be any problems,” Curtis whispered.
“Their trust in Lilian is unwavering,” he added.
Clois nodded. Indeed, it was clear the villagers had absolute faith in her.
That’s impossible.
How could a single woman fend off wolves in the forest?
Seraphina even said that would be difficult.
Seraphina, the versatile magician who graduated top of her class at the academy, had said it would be tough even with magic. Yet here was a seemingly ordinary woman possessing such an unbelievable strength.
Not entirely ordinary, though.
Clois’s gaze fell on Lilian chatting and laughing with her attendants. Her hair was braided and pinned neatly, yet seemed comfortable and easy to move in.
Her softly curving green eyes seemed to sparkle even more in the forest light.
She had a kind of charm rarely seen in the capital.
Not that she’s beautiful or anything.
Clois thought of the women he had encountered so far. As the imperial crown prince, and the son of two strikingly beautiful parents, he had never faced a woman who was not polite in his presence.
Even when hiding his identity as crown prince, many women had approached him brazenly, some even pretending to be of similar social standing and acting predatory.
Once, someone had spread false rumors just to force him into marriage.
Had he stayed longer in the neighboring Solem territory, similar incidents likely would have occurred. That was part of the reason he had hurried to Solem, and he even praised his own choice afterward.
The women there visibly frowned when facing him, clearly more concerned with how to send him away than capturing his attention. Thanks to that, Clois had slept soundly last night.
Clois continued to watch Lilian. Unlike her interactions with him, she always smiled warmly at the villagers. She frequently glanced back to make sure no one had fallen behind or strayed.
It was curious how concerned she was about not leaving anyone behind.
A lord’s daughter usually sat at home, embroidering or reading books, dreaming of the day she would go to the capital. Yet her gaze remained unchanged, even after seeing documents bearing the crown prince’s seal. If anything, it had become colder.
Does she dislike the capital?
Why would she? The capital is where all goods and people of the continent gather. Even those who dislike crowds would be curious to visit at least once.
“We’re here!”
Lilian’s loud voice pulled Clois from his thoughts. He looked around.
“Wow! There’s even more this year!”
“Look! The branches are bending under the weight!”
The villagers admired the fruits that had grown abundantly. They quickly set down their bags, picked up baskets, and began harvesting.
The children went straight for the fruits at the bottom, filling their own small cloth bags carefully.
“Could the forest really have this many fruits…?” Clois muttered. Edgar looked at him, equally amazed.
“If the fruits are this robust, I’d believe they were cultivated,” Edgar said.
Wild berries were rarely abundant, and most were eaten by forest animals before humans could harvest them. Yet here, the forest seemed almost like a field prepared for the Solem villagers, overflowing with fruit.
“Come on, hurry! We need to pick them, go wash them, and make jam!”
“Yes, Miss!”
“Don’t worry! We’ll fill the baskets!”
Cheered by Lilian’s call, the villagers raised a hand and shouted excitedly before diving into the harvest.
As Clois watched in awe, a basket was suddenly held out before him.
“What are you doing? Hurry and pick!”
Lilian glared at him with sharp eyes.
“Me? This?”
“You thought you’d just stand there because you’re a guest? If so, why even follow us? You look weak compared to the others and probably won’t help if danger strikes.”
“Pft!”
Cough!
Edgar and Curtis spit out their water in surprise. Weak? Clois, weak?
Even Clois was shocked and took the basket Lilian handed him.
“If you don’t fill it up, don’t expect dinner.”
With that, Lilian returned to the villagers.
“Edgar.”
“Yes?”
“Do I really look that scrawny? Weak enough for someone to call me ‘feeble’?”
“I don’t think so… but standards may be different in a rural territory,” Edgar said.
This was a farming and forestry estate. Most men here were sturdy and muscular. Compared to them, Clois might appear somewhat slender.
But Edgar and Curtis knew better. Despite his elegant appearance, Clois had a well-trained, muscular body beneath his clothes.
Still, that thought didn’t comfort him much. Clois bit his lip and glanced around. People were already filling their baskets.
“Move aside, please.”
A child gently nudged him aside to reach a fruit, and then laughed at Clois’s basket.
“Ha, even as an adult, you pick worse than me.”
The child carefully picked only the ripe berries and moved on. Clois bent down and began picking fruit with determination.
Seeing Edgar and Curtis, he said, “What are you waiting for? Start picking!”
Looking at his face, they could tell Clois was serious about harvesting.
By noon, everyone who went up the mountain had returned, their bags and baskets overflowing with fruit.
Some fruits fell occasionally as they walked.
The children, sneaking fruit past the adults, quickly popped berries into their mouths, leaving red-stained lips as proof of their little thefts. The adults decided to turn a blind eye today.
At the castle, villagers lined up to hand over their harvested fruits. The weight would later determine how much each would earn when the fruit was sold.
“Shion, 140 ounces; Milena, 220 ounces. Milena worked hard, didn’t she?”
“Of course! I want to buy a lot this year.”
Lilian smiled as she helped the castle secretary weigh the harvest.
“I wonder who picked the most this year?”
The person who harvested the most would get the right to request a small favor from someone going to the capital to sell jam in winter. The lord would pay if the cost was reasonable.
The numbers in the ledger kept increasing:
170 ounces… 195… 250…
Beyond Milena’s grumbling at losing first place, cheers rose from others.
Finally, the last person stepped up. Lilian looked at the scale.
“380 ounces! That’s the highest today!”
She smiled and looked up.
“Huh?”
Her gaze met that of someone crossing his arms, watching her expectantly.
“Ise…?”
It was the guest from the capital she didn’t like—him.
