Chapter 72

Is there no safe place anywhere in the world? (6) – unedited

My name, Merson, and Evan were called one after another, and we moved to the left. As if Guernia was doing her last quality check, she started to scan people’s faces once again. Like everyone else, we stood still, staring straight ahead and attentive.

Gernia, who was carefully examining the faces with her raised eyebrows narrowed, stood tall and stopped her steps. Right in front of Merson.

Gernia’s eyes, like a cold, thick ice wall, melted away. She was in a rare embarrassment and kept changing her glasses’ position in front of him.

“Who are you?”

Instead of answering, Merson looked at Guernia without averting his eyes. Despite Guernia, flapping her wings with all her might, his gaze had no special meaning or interest, as if he was watching a fly flying at a very slow speed.

“This is Merson Holden!”

Before a loud noise came out, I answered hastily. Guernia’s eyes sharpen again, and her voice reverberates.

“I didn’t ask you, did I?”

Ooh, this eonni. What’s with that temper?

Guernia looked at me, moving her eyes up and down blatantly. Then she let out a small ‘Ah-’, “He’s the one who had covered his face with a cloth. So I didn’t recognize you. You said you two were a couple, maybe?”

“Yes, the third year.”

Newlywed! When you still love passionately! So don’t touch Merson!

Guernia tapped her own lips with a long finger for a moment and then she poked it at me as soon as she stretched it out.

“You go back.”

“Yes?”

Without a word, Guernia had the attendants hold my arms. As I struggled, I saw Merson’s tendons stand up, revealing his towering wrists that were already in tightly clenched fists. I quickly called his name.

“Merson! Wait!”

He flinched and trembled and stopped the movement of his hand that was about to blow the servant’s face away.

If he openly wields violence against an employee belonging to the family at the home of that nobleman, I do not know what kind of retaliation we may face. In this situation, Guernia was staring at me, it was necessary to prevent an accident from happening. I heard from Evan, who was standing next to me, sighing in relief too.

“I, I will go. I walk on my own two feet.”

“I will go too.”

“You don’t…….”

“Merson Holden stays here.”

Before I could even speak, Guernia gave an order. But Merson didn’t even hear it with the back of his ear and came close to me.

“Merson, you stay here.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Listen to me.”

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards me. I make a small gesture in front of my face, and Merson, who understands it, gives me an ear.

“Did you forget? Our goal is to find Chenin. You better look around the hall where the banquet begins, and I better look around the outskirts. If you find Chenin, we can leave without having to watch the whole banquet. Understand?”

Merson still looks dissatisfied with my explanation. I grabbed his neck and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“You can do it, right, Merson?”

“… yes.”

After letting him go, I passed Evan and handed him a word.

“Take care of my husband.”

“Is it a son or a husband…….”

Evan chuckles as he speaks. Isn’t it time for you to apologize for the fourth time?

***

As soon as I moved to the group of unnamed people, we were led into the main building under the guidance of an attendant.

The entrance is much bigger than Sezaine. Even one of the ivory-colored pillars has wonderful carvings, which makes it look like it was well taken care of. Looking at the old-fashioned portraits hanging in the hallway, I felt like I was on the set of an old-fashioned period movie. But that fantasy was short-lived.

“It’s here.”

I went into a dark room as if thrown away.

Click.

When the lights came on, I was relieved for a moment at the surroundings I saw. There are other people besides me. But rather than visually, I was more impressed by the stinging smell.

“Ah, are you the girl who came here as manpower this time? By the way, can you use your power?”

The old man with a lot of hair on the back of his hand smiled profusely. A neatly white-cooking suit dressed cook… I wanted to say that, but there are yellow marks on the ends of the sleeves and the protruding part of the belly.

“What is all this?”

“What is it, onion? Are you seeing it for the first time?”

“No, it’s not, it’s…….”

The quantity was too much. All three sides were filled with onions except for one side with the door. There were plenty of smooth, peeled onions in a spacious bowl, and more new onions were clamoring to be peeled.

Pouuur— I heard the sound of running water and looked up, and there were piles of onion skins so much that it could be called a bed of onion skins.

“Does County Abitz actually make money from onions?”

“Ha ha ha! no. Things to use for a banquet. For a banquet that will last for three days, this amount is not ridiculous. Nobles from all over the country will e. Come on, you have to learn to work. Have you ever peeled an onion?”

Ha, what do you see me as? It’s been 4 years since I’ve lived alone. Have you ever peeled an onion? Really??

I accepted the rather unfamiliar, heavy, thick knife. There were scratches here and there showing its signs of use, and the wooden handle was cracked, so I thought that if I did it wrong, my hand could be cut by the protruding pieces.

Cloths that seemed to have been used to wrap onions were rolling around on the floor, so I quickly picked them up and tore them lengthwise. I wrapped the cloth around a knife and carefully peeled the onion. Oops, my eyes hurt.

“Miss, you’re good!”

“Of course. But am I the only one assigned here?”

“Originally, they said they would send three men, but I’m a bit confused as the Miss came alone.”

I looked at him while holding the knife and onion.

“… Isn’t that a joke?”

“I like to think it’s a joke too.”

What a life.