~Chapter 7~
I don’t know if the rebels will win or lose in the end. I always died before then.
I just want a peaceful and quiet life.
‘To do that, I have to leave before four years pass. Before Noah joins the rebels…’
In my last life, I thought divorcing Noah was the only way to survive. One reason was because he joined the rebels.
I don’t think my six deaths were all just bad luck.
I have a rough idea why I died… I just need to find out how to live.
But running away without marrying Noah is also a reason for death.
‘First, I’ll marry Noah and escape this terrible baron’s house.’
After making my plan, I lowered my eyes from looking straight at Noah.
Clink.
I picked up the fancy teacup from the table and spoke to Noah. Then I looked at him again.
“Count Lenister, will you marry me? I’ll be a useful wife for you.”
My proposal didn’t match my gentle voice. It was a bold question.
Clatter!
“Miss Rotten!”
Lady Philon was surprised and dropped her teacup, but Noah showed no emotion.
But I saw it. His eyebrow went up a little.
Noah quickly hid his surprise and spoke with a plain, cold voice.
“I refuse, Miss Rotten.”
Noah rejected my quick and direct proposal right away.
Instead of running out in tears, I calmly sipped my tea like nothing happened.
I expected Noah to say no. Even if the marriage was arranged, it was still his choice when to accept.
I looked at Noah with calm eyes and asked quietly,
“Do you have a reason to refuse marrying me?”
“What do you mean?”
Noah tilted his head and crossed his arms, staring at me.
“Count, you don’t have any money.”
I smiled proudly like a noblewoman and looked him up and down.
My gaze made him frown a little.
“…Ha!”
Noah let out a small laugh, but I spoke firmly.
“Just marry me. My father will pay off all your debts.”
That way, I’ll survive, my father will fail, and your debt will be gone too.
“I’ll even bring you a star from the sky, so please marry me.”
Noah reached for his cravat, pulling it down roughly. The veins stood out on his hand.
He looked at the fabric, and I got up and walked over to sit next to him.
Resting my chin on my hand, I whispered to Noah,
“If you marry me, my father will give you any dowry you want. How long will you let the Lenister name be ruined?”
Noah let out a laugh and bit his lip.
He didn’t even try to hide his angry face as he leaned toward me.
“What makes you so confident, Miss Rotten?”
His cold eyes looked down at me, full of pressure. Even young, a count is a count.
Now it was my turn to answer.
“I believe in my father.”
“…Ha. Last time we met, you ran away.”
“That was then, this is now.”
I met Noah’s eyes without looking away.
People say first impressions matter, but since I messed up the first one, I have nothing to lose.
“I learned embroidery to be a great bride.”
But I kept to myself that I was terrible at it.
“I learned swordsmanship for fun. Of course, my manners are perfect too.”
“Your manners are perfect, but you don’t seem polite.”
“Isn’t this polite enough?”
I let go of my chin and twisted my hair a little, trying to look like a spoiled, arrogant rich girl.
‘First, I’ll get married. Then I’ll try to make Noah like me.’
Lady Philon just drank her tea and watched us, not interfering.
Noah laughed, then suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Nice hands. For someone practicing swordsmanship.”
“Yes. I wear lace gloves when training. It’s been about two months.”
I showed off my smooth hands.
The signs of hard work from my childhood were long gone thanks to money.
Noah ran his hand over my smooth hand and spoke calmly,
“There are always knights in the house. Why does a lady need to use a sword?”
“…You’re right.”
Noah stopped talking, acting like it wasn’t worth discussing more.
He had learned swordsmanship since he was six, until last year. But he was too weak to become a knight.
His hands were always covered in scars, and no one took care of them, so the marks stayed.
I looked at Noah’s scarred hand, then turned to Lady Philon.
“I’m tired, so I’d like to go rest, Lady Philon.”
“Why not stay a bit longer, Miss Rotten? It’s your first time really meeting. Isn’t it good to get to know each other?”
Lady Philon smiled awkwardly.
She already got her matchmaker’s fee, but if the wedding is cancelled, she would have to pay a penalty. So she wanted us to talk more.
“But…”
As I trailed off, she got up from her chair, still smiling.
“Oh, my. I forgot that it must be uncomfortable to have an adult here.”
“Still…”
“Miss Rotten, please talk more before you go. Count came a long way in three days, and you should show him around the house.”
She added some requests, then picked up her fan and left the room.
Click.
The door closed, and now it was just me and Noah. The quiet felt strange.
‘Finally, we’re alone.’
I took a deep breath and reached into my dress pocket for something.
Rustle.
Even as I opened the cloth and took out a metal tin, Noah didn’t look at me.
“Excuse me, Count.”
Before he could answer, I gently took Noah’s hand and put it on the table.
Then, using my finger, I took a lot of ointment from the round tin and carefully spread it on the back of his hand.
Maybe it tickled, because he frowned a little. He seemed puzzled by my new attitude, and narrowed his eyes.
“…What are you doing?”
Noah looked like he wanted to pull his hand away.
“It’s medicine. I made this ointment from wild herbs. It’s good for wounds.”
“Why are you…”
Why was I putting it on his hand, he meant.
Instead of answering, I finished spreading the ointment on his hand and wrapped it with a bandage.
After treating his other hand too, I gently let go.
Noah didn’t pull his hand away, even though I wondered why.
“Don’t let it get wet until the medicine dries. Tonight, take the bandage off.”
“Why are you doing this…”
Noah didn’t finish his sentence and bit his lip.
He still looked blank, but I could see he felt a lot of things inside. Probably, no one had ever taken care of him like this before.
I swallowed a bitter smile and carefully put the ointment back in my pocket.
“Even if it’s annoying, you should do it. If you leave wounds alone, they get worse.”
Noah still didn’t answer. Worried he might think I poisoned him, I added,
“Don’t worry. The medicine is special and works well. I used it when I was little.”
Ever since I was little, my hands were always full of wounds from begging.
‘Medicine was expensive, so I used to climb the mountain and crush herbs with rocks to make my own.’
I would put it on my wounded hands and they would heal, so it was already tested and proven.
“Rest a little longer. I’ll make you some healthy tea.”
“…No, thank you.”
Noah hesitated for a moment, but refused my kindness. I didn’t try to stop him from leaving, but instead spoke gently.
“If you go now, you’ll have to see Baron Rotten. Is that okay?”
“……”
His silence was answer enough.
Of course it’s not okay. Baron Rotten treats Noah like a prize horse with good blood.
“Tea won’t take long. Please wait for me?”
“Then, please do.”
Noah answered calmly and bowed his head a little.
His ears turned red, but I pretended not to notice and went to the kitchen next to the sitting room.
“It’s chrysanthemum tea.”
I put the light orange tea in front of Noah. In the sunlight, it looked golden.
Noah, who had been silent, reached for the teacup.
A maid set down a piece of bitter pound cake in front of him and added,
“This tea is made from dried chrysanthemum flowers. It helps calm the heart. It’s good for relaxing.”
Chingtoumyeongmok (Qīng tóu míng mù): It clears the head and brightens the eyes.
Even in my last life, I liked tea and made it often. When my heart raced at night, I would drink warm tea to calm down.
“I don’t know much about tea,” Noah said. His face looked guarded, almost wary of me.
