CH 131

“Haa, haa… Your Excellency, I can’t do it anymore.”

Archen, who was exhausted, collapsed and breathed heavily. He was the one who taught Ben about the sword, but now he was no longer his match.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Ben thrust the wooden sword into its sheath, picked up Archen’s wooden sword, and held it out. Unlike Archen, he was fine and calm.  

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Archen reached out and stood up, holding out the wooden sword.

As Ben held his sword, he lowered his cumbersome sleeves and checked the clock in the training ground.

“I’m going back. I think I’ve had enough fresh air.”

He moved his legs without hesitation.

It’s 4 p.m. right now. It was only an hour since Cersinia told him to get some air. Obviously, this wasn’t what he wanted. Still, he literally got some air, so now he has a justification for staying with her. Archen was just used for the cause.

“Your Excellency. Just like the Countess said, how about going out?”

Archen, who was quickly following Ben’s footsteps, asked cautiously. He was worried if they went back like this, his master would be kicked out by lady Cersinia again.

“Where am I going? Cersinia is here.”

Ben rebuked Archen as if that was a question that made no sense. Any place didn’t matter to him. Because being with Cersinia is the most important thing.

“Aren’t you sad? Even though we came together on vacation, Lady Cersinia is just working?”

In response to the resolute answer that embarrassed the person who asked it, Archen asked another question.

If the couple who came on vacation put their work before themselves, no matter their position, they might feel slightly sad. But there was one thing Archen overlooked. What does Cersinia mean to Ben?

For Ben, Cersinia was the whole world and the world itself that made up him. There was no way he could feel bad for her. Rather, Cersinia would blame herself if Ben had blamed himself for not being able to help her.

“It’s what she wants to do.”

Ben answered like that.

Archen did not speak anymore. That was enough explanation. What Cersinia wants to do is something Ben wants her to do. That was ultimately what his master wanted.

Suddenly, Ben stopped his steps. He was staring intently at a certain place, emanating a bloody aura.

“Your Excellency?”

Archen was bewildered when he saw his master. For some reason, Ben’s eyes suddenly blazed like flames, and his jaw was twitching. Archen, who didn’t understand the situation, tried to ask what was happening, but Ben was already not there. He was already running to the other side very quickly like a leopard. Left alone, Archen confirmed the direction in which his master was running with a puzzled face.

“Ah…”

Archen, who soon got enlightenment, nodded his head, saying he understood. It was because there was a young man with Cersinia at the place where his eyes met.

* * *

20 minutes ago.

“Lord, please stop by Heness Shopping Street. We keep the streets clean and take great care of it.”

Viscount Getirom said with a proud face. He was reporting the monthly report as an agent managing Heness Shopping Street.

“I will make sure to stop by when I have time.”

Replying with a tired face, Cersinia rose from her seat.

“Then I’m going to go because I have work to do.”

Baron Serbian and Viscount Getirom looked sad, but she didn’t mind it and walked out of the parlor without hesitation. The plans to send them back with a proper greeting failed.

They said the new wind blew in the territory thanks to the young lord, then they recited the flattering comments they had prepared. No matter how much praise you made, fake and excessive praise was only made uncomfortable. If Cersinia hadn’t interrupted them, perhaps their flattery would have lasted until nightfall.

“Joanna.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Don’t allow nobles to visit me for the time being.”

Cersinia shuddered as if she was tired of it.

These days, there’s been a lot of things that she has never done before. Not long ago, she was despised and hated for having special power… Now, her life was 180 degrees different from then. She even got a last name by it.

“It would have been unimaginable in the past.”

Cersinia remembered the time when she had lived so far in the past to be recognized for her existence. Then she got a little frustrated. People’s attitudes changed overnight. Their kindness towards her, which she couldn’t have imagined before, was ultimately due to her power. As if to prove it, this mansion with the gifts from the various nobles was the proof.

She once again realized that the story had changed from the original. Because the witch, who should have died, was now living better than anyone else. Of course, it wasn’t easy to reach this point.

“Lord, are you going to the office right away?”

“No, I’m going to take a walk. I’ll walk alone, so you don’t have to follow me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Cersinia let Joanna go and stroll through the garden alone. No wonder she was full of thoughts today. Four years ago, she was determined not to die like the original, but now she’s living a busy day by day. She eventually burst into a smirk at her life which was so different from what she had hoped for.

“It could be like this too.”

In the end, she achieved her goal. She didn’t die and had someone she loved.

Cersinia slowly moved her head and looked into her mansion. Her own mansion and her own estate. She couldn’t help but feel proud of herself.

While looking around the mansion with a satisfied face, a servant caught her eyes.

“Le-Le… I don’t know. What should I do…”

Just by looking at him, it was obvious he was in trouble.

“What’s going on?”

Cersinia, who approached the servant without making any sound, opened her mouth.

“G-Gasp! I see you, Lord.”

Then, as if he had seen a ghost, the surprised servant hurriedly bowed.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, that’s…”

The young-looking servant blushed at her question. What was so embarrassing that he moved his gaze around and wiggled his feet?

“What’s going on?”

“I… I picked this up, but I don’t know whose it is…”

When she asked again, the boy hesitated and held out what he had in his hand.

“It’s a handkerchief.”

What the boy handed was a pink handkerchief with traces of time.

“I think the name is embroidered on the corner of this…”

The boy pointed at the tip of the handkerchief with a trembling finger. As he said, the name was embroidered on the end of the fabric. There was no problem with reading it because it was easy to recognize.

“Lariella. It belongs to Lariella, the maid.”

“Ah… Lariella. That’s how it is written.”

The boy pondered the name at her words and caught the embroidery pattern in his eyes. It’s as if he’s engraving in his mind that he’s reading this letter as Lariella.

Cersinia looked at the figure with a mysterious expression and said, “What’s your name?”

“Ah, M-My name is Poulin, my Lord.”

“Yes, Poulin. How old are you?”

“I-I turned 10 this year.”

For a moment, Cersinia widened her eyes. She thought he was probably 17 years old, but she couldn’t believe he was 19. Poulin looked like a young boy. It reminded her of the first time when she met Ben.

‘Ben was 19 years old back then…’

“Cersinia.”

Now, Ben has become such a man that she can hardly find his image at that time…

“Huh? Ben?”

Cersinia was surprised. When she thought of Ben, she thought his face and voice came up clearly, just like how she imagined it, but it was real Ben. He came running quickly and naturally stood beside her. She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t say anything and just blinked.

“Were you taking a walk?”

Ben tucked Cersinia’s fine hair behind her ears with a friendly smile. Then he looked at Poulin, who was beside her. No, it would be the right word that he stares at him.

“Hiik. I-I see you, Grand Duke…”

Poulin bowed his pale face as Ben stared at him. The eyes he encountered were so fierce that he felt scared. However, even when he bowed his head, he could still feel that fierce gaze.

Poulin’s legs trembled. He wanted to run away without looking back.

“Ah, Poulin. Please give this back to Lariella. You may go now.”

“T-Thank you, my Lord. I will be on my way!”

When Cersinia came to her senses, she handed the handkerchief back to Poulin, and Poulin ran away right after that. 

“Hmm? Am I that scary?”

She scratched her face at Poulin’s act of running away. Cersinia couldn’t know it was all because of Ben. Because Ben completely hid it when in front of her. Ben’s face before was full of dark feelings and jealousy.

“Ben, didn’t you go get some air?”

“I was on my way back.”

At his answer, Cersinia’s eyes narrowed.

‘Did he come out with a wooden sword stuck at his waist?’

She knew that he was on his way back from the training ground, but she decided not to say anything. With this, they were able to go for a walk together.

She reached out and took his hand. Then, Ben held her hand with a smile clearer than the blue sky. It was a dazzling smile containing love.

Cersinia walked through the garden with him as she felt his hard and rough hands, which she liked.

“That kid just now. He’s 19 years old. He reminded me of the first time we met.”

“…that guy?”

“That guy? Ah, you were 19 years old back then. You were so young and cute.”

Cersinia, who reacted to the words Ben didn’t normally use, continued, dismissing what she had heard wrong. Because Ben used honorifics even to the servants, there was no way he addressed the child he saw for the first time like that.

“I never imagined you would change like this. Huhu.”

She looked at Ben with a sinister look and laughed contentedly. Cersinia was very satisfied with the fact that the sickly handsome boy had grown up desirably and become her lover.

At the sound of cheerful laughter, Ben laughed along with her. But he soon looked over his own body without Cersinia knowing it. Obviously, unlike before, muscles attached to his whole body and height have grown considerably.

‘Should I go back? Can I turn it back?’

Ben, who couldn’t tell her his mind, was in serious trouble, wondering if Cersinia would like him more as a boy.