Chapter 22
Chapter 22. While the count was away from the mansion
“Lady. Please save some time next Saturday.”
“Yes…?”
Every Sunday is the library’s holiday and weekend. Henelone, who had been lazily oversleeping, stuttered without even being able to open her eyes properly. Milena, her brother’s wife, burst through the door.
Why are you suddenly asking me to leave time….? Henelone was rubbing her troubled eyes and yawning.
“What do you mean all of a sudden? Hmm…”
“It’s a match.”
“Cough… Huh? A match… Are you my sister in law?”
Slap. Milena, who was talking headlessly with her head, smacked Henelone’s lips, glared at her. Thanks to this, Henelone woke up in an instant and gently held her burning lips with her stinging tears.
“Why, why are you hitting me…”
“Lady. How long are you going to live like this?”
“…Wow, sudden criticism…….”
It looks like the nagging is about to start again.
Milena’s fingers pinched the same spot on Henelone’s lips that she had struck earlier, her expression twisted into a clumsy pout. The sharp pain in her lips made Henelone instinctively lean forward, following Milena’s hand. But when she tried to pull away, the pain only worsened—an outcome shaped by Milena’s years of practiced precision.
“You’re already twenty-five, young lady! You should have had a child a long time ago!”
“How can I have children if I’m not married….”
“Oh, really! If I don’t say anything, you won’t change!”
Milena’s eyes sparkled with her murderous spirit, and Henelone quietly closed her mouth.
“I didn’t not change… It seems a bit unexpected to suddenly have a match.”
Is there a man who wants to marry me in the first place?
Questions welled up in her throat, but Henelone wisely kept them unspoken. It had been five years since her debutante prom. As Milena had pointed out, nobles her age would have long since married and had children. If Henelone were to accept the match Milena proposed, the man would likely be someone passed over during the debutante season—or a widower. She didn’t even bother to hold any expectations about him.
“He’s a noble from the Harfield Kingdom.”
“Huh? Harfield Kingdom?”
Harfield Kingdom. It was a kingdom adjacent to the Günther Empire where Henelone lived. Uniquely, it was a country made up of two islands. Ten years ago, it was divided into the Kingdom of Harfield and the Kingdom of Leeds, but now both islands are called Harfield. But isn’t it too far? There is no land route, so he has to take a boat. Henelone rolled her eyes sheepishly.
“I guess he came here for a while because he has a relative in the empire. He is said to be the Count of Harfield Kingdom, and his conditions are very good.”
Why would someone with such good conditions be with me… Henelone frowned at Milena’s questionable words. She said that he was a nobleman from a foreign country. She didn’t like it and was about to reject it, but Milena pretended and held up her index finger in front of her.
“This is the last time! Think like that and go for it.”
“I don’t really like it…”
“If you don’t, I know you’ll be kicked out of the mansion. You know that your mother is waiting for you, right? If she finds out that you refused to meet him, you’ll be in real trouble.”
“But……”
“Do it for my reputation. I already promised him your presence, but are you going to embarrass me?!”
Milena’s pointed eyes pierced Henelone. Henelone eventually had no choice but to nod her head. It was definitely not because she was afraid of Milena.
‘I don’t have the money to become independent…..’
If Diana finds out that she refused to meet him, she will kick her out of her mansion without giving her a penny.
She didn’t even know. She’ll just sit down and come back. As Milena said, if he was such a good person, there was no way he would have his eyes on Henelone.
***
The next morning.
As Henelone stepped into the library garden, humming softly, she paused to bask in the warm sunlight. The weather had grown milder, and with it, her heart felt lighter.
But where there are blessings, there are also burdens.
Weeds had grown tall—some reaching up to Henelone’s waist—making the already old library look even more neglected. Her cheerful expression faded as she lowered the brim of her bonnet.
“…What are you doing?”
“Weeding.”
“…Young lady?”
“… Do it together……?”
A heavy silence passed between them. Heinz’s heavy eyes scanned the library garden. Overgrown weeds occupied a garden that wasn’t a simple matter. Two people doing this? Heinz looked at Henelone, who was smiling awkwardly, and let out a heavy sigh. He couldn’t believe it at all.
“Luckily I had a mower!”
“…That’s a good thing.”
Henelone smiled brightly as she searched the shed in the corner of the garden and took out two old weeders. With her messy hair tied up and wearing old gloves, she looked like she had prepared herself well. But she was wearing was a dress.
What was in Henelone’s hand was a long sickle with the blade lying horizontally on the ground. It sounds simple, just holding the handle and cutting the grass, but in reality it wasn’t that easy. There is no way she can cut down tough weeds with one swing of a scythe. Heinz sighed deeply and rolled up his sleeves.
“Ugh….”
