ERTHMB Chapter 56

Sweet Apple The scattered tree branches nearby were woefully inadequate to serve as splints. Elai threw the branch behind his back and turned around to sit.

Helena showed reluctance when she realized what this meant.

“I’m fine.”

“If you had said that while looking even remotely presentable, I might have pretended to believe you.”

“I wasn’t in perfect condition to begin with. Even if this happened just now, it has nothing to do with you.”

“That remains to be seen. Whether you’ll take me where I want to go.”

Elai let out a sigh tinged with meaningful mockery.

Knowing she wouldn’t obediently get on his back, he cast a glance over his shoulder.

“Should I take your continued resistance to mean you’d prefer being carried like before?”

Dry saliva went down Helena’s throat. For some reason, she was reminded of Ian from their first meeting. A man who wouldn’t be swayed by stubbornness.

Since she had absolutely no desire to be carried like a princess again, Helena had no choice but to bend over onto his broad back.

His slightly curly blonde hair touched her cheek, and then her view suddenly rose.

“Guide the way.”

Helena thought of the nearest residential area in her mind and pointed to the side. Elai readily stepped in the direction her finger indicated.

After about three blocks, houses with birch trees and red-brown brick roofs began to appear sporadically. Helena asked to be let down since they were almost there.

However, Elai tightened his grip on his clasped hands behind his back and sternly warned her.

“If you answer falsely, I’ll visit every single house and ask if this woman lives there.”

“Making work for yourself must be your hobby.”

“Yes. It’ll be a long day.”

“…You wouldn’t.”

“Let’s start with this house right here.”

Elai strode forward as if he would immediately knock on the door of the company house in front of them. Helena pulled at the arms wrapped around his neck and declared surrender.

She attempted to escape several more times after that, but failed every time. She could finally touch the ground again when the sun was setting, in front of the guild entrance.

Elai set Helena down and looked around the guild carefully. He had been somewhat worried because of the memory of being torn away again in Futuo. Fortunately, he was able to find it right away.

Beyond the log door built as thick as a fortress. Elai’s eyes narrowed as he looked out at him.

‘So you were in a place like this.’

At first, he had only gotten involved because he was curious about a woman who would stand up for a stranger. But the woman he thought would be a passing connection was already someone else’s cherished bond.

She had also served as an excellent guide. There was no need to doubt that his lord was in Partren.

“Miss! Thank goodness you’re safe!”

Even the dog that ran away from home had managed to find its owner and was here.

Helena turned her head toward Sakin, who was running toward them from afar. Elai dropped a farewell above that red back of her head.

“I’ll repay you for the ankle somehow next time.”

And then he disappeared. He had probably hidden himself, but it was so fast it looked almost like teleportation magic.

By the time Helena turned her head again, he had already left no trace. As expected, it was a silent and swift exit, just like his entrance.

Helena thought he was truly a peculiar man.

But…

‘Next time?’

He had spoken of meeting again as if it were an obvious fact. That made her tilt her head in wonder. Sakin had already approached her like a puppy who had found its owner.

“I’m sorry, miss! I should have kept my wits about me so you wouldn’t get lost…!”

Sakin circled around Helena in distress. He examined every corner as if checking whether hidden food was still in place before stepping back.

As Helena was led away by Sakin’s hand, she occasionally glanced back. She thought she caught a glimpse of blonde hair glinting between the bushes.

****

“Anyway, it’s fortunate, so very fortunate that nothing happened!”

After passionately declaring that he had been thoroughly scolded by the guild master and that such a thing would never happen again, Sakin’s mouth finally fell quiet.

Of course, it was rare for his body to be completely still. Only his mouth had quieted down while his arms and legs remained busy.

Helena sat in a dining chair made smooth by people’s touch and watched what he was making as an apology.

“It’s done!”

Before long, a colorfully decorated plate appeared in front of her. A sweet smell assaulted her nostrils.

It was a muffin topped with pink cream and a cherry, a cinnamon roll drizzled with vanilla syrup, and cool lemonade.

Star-shaped ice pieces clinked against each other in the transparent glass.

‘Pretty.’

Pure admiration came naturally. Sakin had unexpected dexterity. Helena gazed down at the intricately decorated plate.

When she only looked without touching anything, Sakin sat in front of her and asked.

“Don’t you like desserts very much?”

Helena was about to say yes out of habit but hesitated. The answer that was about to come out habitually was swallowed more easily than expected.

“No, I like them.”

Memories of the past spread like a painting over the plate.

Was it during the first regression?

There was a day when Eugene brought her lots of desserts. He had personally visited a famous shop that sold out of their prepared stock as soon as they opened.

[To think that man called the butcher of the battlefield would come bearing cake boxes. Even though he’s my son, I can hardly believe it.]

[Your Grace the Grand Duchess is quite thick-skinned too, attending parties so leisurely while your husband works so hard.]

Not knowing how it would be talked about among those wolves.

The mother-in-law and her noble followers acted as if they couldn’t see her even though they clearly knew she had come.

No matter what she did, arrows of criticism poured down without fail. No matter how much she acted like a noble lady or saint, in front of people she was just a clown and hypocrite.

Eugene was not at fault. The problem, if anything, was that she was his wife.

Unable to let even him be disgraced, Helena habitually cut herself off.

[Thank you, I’ll enjoy it. But Eugene… I don’t really like desserts. You don’t have to do this next time.]

From then on, Helena dutifully avoided sweet things. She hid everything she liked so Eugene wouldn’t have to worry about her.

So that even the smallest, most trivial scandal wouldn’t stick from the beginning. So she would appear like a dignified and refined grand duchess.

[Can’t you act warmly like Natasha even once? Even a stone would be warmer than you.]

Looking back now, it was all pointless.

The voice that had gouged at her heart during the last regression came back to life. To shake it off, Helena mechanically moved her hand.

When she grabbed the warm muffin and took a bite, the fresh cherry flavor spread throughout her mouth. Sakin’s skill was a great help in overturning the afterimage.

With sweetness held on her tongue, Helena muttered as if to herself.

“Was it… wrong of me to be dishonest? Does it make people tired of you?”

Receiving the question that wasn’t quite a question, Sakin’s eyes rolled around. It was an unusually thoughtful expression for him.

But soon his face changed to one that said it wasn’t a big deal. He wiped the butter grease on his palm with a napkin and opened his mouth.

“Hmm… Being dishonest does cause misunderstandings. But if someone is truly interested, I don’t think it’s a big problem. While mouths can lie well, bodies can’t be easily deceived.”

Helena stopped moving while holding the muffin with both hands. She raised her eyelids to look at him, and his deep green eyes sparkled.

“Why do you think I made this?”

“Well, Sakin said it was an apology for today’s incident…”

“There were plenty of other ways to apologize. But why did I specifically bake bread?”

“Because Sakin… is good at it?”

“I saw your expression when you smelled the sweet aroma passing by the dessert shop, miss.”

“…”

“I also know your expression when mango pudding or lemon tart occasionally appeared as dessert during dinner time.”

Did such expressions show without her knowing?

Helena, who had become strangely embarrassed, tried to avoid his gaze. But Sakin’s words wouldn’t let her go.

“My younger sister Sana, who’s right below me, always says she’s fine. I think it’s probably because she feels responsible for taking care of the younger siblings while I’m away, but I know that’s not really fine.”

“It might have been her own judgment that hiding it was better for everyone. She might say that because of emotions she doesn’t want to be caught.”

“Even so, the fact that it’s a lie doesn’t change, and no matter what she does, I know. Because she’s family I love. When there’s affection, you come to know even without trying.”

Affection. Affection.

‘Reading you was both the happiest and most painful thing for me, but did you also look at me with such eyes?’

Helena tried to recall Eugene’s face when he spoke of love. But it didn’t come to mind as readily as expected. Instead, another man’s face kept covering his.

“And to add, our mother used to say this. While it’s important to untangle twisted knots, the wisest thing is to prevent knots from getting twisted in the first place.”

The man who became even clearer as she listened to Sakin’s words.

Sakin also clenched his fist boldly and asserted as if he had been saving this trump card until now.

“And our guild master absolutely hates complicated things. Whatever the reason, I guarantee she won’t create a situation where you have to hide what you want, miss!”

Of course, the green eyes that had been sparkling cleanly could no longer look at her. His upper body was also strangely twisted diagonally toward the opposite side.

Helena gazed intently at Sakin while resting her chin on her hand. Then his tightly pressed lips twitched occasionally.

That drop of cold sweat flowing down his neck probably wasn’t from the heat.

“…What you just said was something that person told you to say.”

“…!”

She seemed to have hit the mark. Sakin’s face, which had turned into a crying expression, revealed that answer entirely. The facial muscles that changed rapidly in an instant were amusing, so Helena couldn’t help but smile softly.

Sakin let out a dejected breath as a finishing blow. His eyes, which had become pitiful in the meantime, blinked round.

“Haah, I guess I have no talent for lying. Please don’t tell the guild master. I already got an earful for leaving you alone and disappearing, but if this gets discovered too… ugh…!”

His appearance of biting the napkin looked exactly like a retriever with drooping ears.

Helena took the napkin, which had tooth marks like a bone, from his mouth. The edge had become a bit damp. Helena found a dry part, folded it in half, and wiped the cream from Sakin’s cheek.

“I won’t tell.”

“You promise!”

“Yes, and Sakin, you’re not stupid.”

As if her one word was anything but special, the crying expression disappeared like it had been a mask. As if he had never known such a dejected expression, Sakin smiled with his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Hehe, it feels good hearing it from you, miss.”