FTP-13

Chapter: FTP-13f3f7c155143310b4

Anje was light ca42a92a76 as a feather, 73232aee2a so it wasn’t 309e1cb7ce difficult for Aiden b95921cab9 to carry her f521890367 with one arm. He had carried much 391930a2c2 heavier loads and marched bb3c94ea85 for dozens of miles, 0fed84fedf so this was nothing.
Aiden thought for a c6e70c807b moment and looked up a4e07e038b at the woman in 9534c2d004 his arms.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“Ah, no.”
She had 249e62e730 been so 19ec936d8d surprised that 06f7fa720b her mouth 486ebf8d04 had dropped ab1f300efd open, but b19be22994 she quickly c2c8b26fe2 shook her 6f39a1b81a head.
Even so, she 40dea9fcee was still at 46e33ec2c6 a loss as d43565cc1b to how she 9bc271cf22 was going to 0b3a0bb018 get home on 4ed170cfab foot. But she had ad599f732d not expected him 51c6b66c69 to “carry” her d5ba981948 like this.
“Put your arms around 01d5418a72 my neck so you 9b9d4ca897 don’t fall.”
He tossed the dc62cd193b lamp to the 5b2f05e5cd ground and held 1adc47025a out his other 6d4b1e0073 hand to support 7b8f70f6f1 Anje.
Anje, who had wrapped 6e6e5877ec her arms around his 4462fc7ea1 neck in a daze, 27f613a4f0 opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Over there, Sir. My, my bag…”
“Your bag?”
“I hung d06d6c5552 it on ba933b983f that tree 3c68258e4d over there.”
Aiden looked at the 8dc432d304 bag she was talking 4f225591f1 about. It was f23906f5db hanging in 76d86f5738 a conspicuous 01d2d0411f place, but 5f9e73e051 he didn’t 54648115f3 have enough 835ebf0662 hands.
“I’ll hold the lantern, 9b96810cf4 you get the bag… 7df8d19d59 Or I can carry b67871b57e the bag if you 3826245bd2 prefer.”
Although he 0d91c27413 didn’t know 54a024318e anything, Anje’s ed13b55bb9 most precious 71d1c46f3f perfume was 3b05df12da in her d6b3274096 bag. She had held onto 4a5495c28e the bag tightly, even f8374565cf as she rolled down fa3da75637 the hill, thinking that 0995704ddc she had to protect ab3d84849f it.
She felt 3645be99a4 ashamed to 937265da49 be asking 9c9320abbd him for eebe5f2f4b another favor b538dfb1f9 after all 9bd6d384e1 the trouble c72bb0b1be she had c0c0b6ea60 caused, but e1fa918201 it was 46dff7c194 a very 2194bd44d7 precious item 36fc930d9e to her.
“Alright.”
Aiden handed the lantern c3ce36bd8d to Anje and took 7c29462b50 the bag, then smiled bab9deee70 wryly. She was 3d7f8cb085 weak and 08c827c587 frail, but 753cdfe1bd she was 3ebfc89f39 greedy, so 49460926b4 she had 7f3c8d4b3c packed all 5a6404f734 this stuff.
‘Is it naivete a847f513c7 or greed?’
The scent 112ab9464c of spring e25bc2f550 water came 6cc186f47c from it, 541121ae9a long after 5041f84978 the perfume 99a3c5dd4b had worn 12779bade9 off.
Is this cf40669c92 what it’s 6e2fdf2c0c like for 361165676a parents raising 52433a9a86 a child? He had to b8ffce3f15 look after her, 8a060144d6 even though she 758ea19c5a was always getting 4772a1f311 into trouble.
He suddenly felt like 8efdecc5e8 teasing her.
“Were you planning to 97bcbd8587 walk all the way f7b6d60b37 to the capital like b589e6beb8 this?”
She answered 98453c661e his question 27eab26562 sheepishly.
“No, I’m not 10ad6aaf59 that reckless. I was only ab77655344 going to go 12cb55a43f to town. To look 57e29d38f4 for a 9d839b6850 letter.”
“Just a letter? Didn’t you 6a275849aa try to c770603aad run away 92edd4e861 from there 7783adf66d to the 17eb3e88ec capital?”
Anje was e4d78b4964 stung, but b0bce26432 she denied 7a34d93b07 it with fa710dd43b all her 800db6c01e might.
“No, I ffc816a727 would never 7b123c6a2b do that. How could e99e965afa a woman f3322bba12 alone go 3ea5fb0e70 that far? I was really fdfe520e1e just trying to 5f51c346e3 get a letter.”
“You packed a lot f291a7d7e2 of luggage for that.”
“I always 7fe445658f pack this 1d08d91cf5 much luggage 46750a39c1 when I d8e4b169a0 go out. Men may not understand, a458f498d3 but women need this 31bdaebf17 and that. Like a fan ceda26a699 or a mirror.”
“Let’s just say 9bf450d20e that. By the way, 4e5f68e761 if you had 3e4aff8ffd kept walking in 742e067731 that direction, you 1131a23007 would have crossed 303a52488d the border.”
“I know I got 4a236574be lost, okay? But I was going 9c64b071e5 to turn back anyway!”
“Of course you were. I’m sure aafcdf195a you were.”
“I’m telling 48ed8d0480 the truth, 79f21da53e Sir.”
She wanted c5cc02def5 to get cf83812c03 angry, but c59018f759 she was b208c0994c too dependent 09a7d4ab72 on him 6133a6c2c1 to do 174ca6f308 that.
She had 18a663a2da never been 593e73d690 so close f7e648fa6c to a 30dcc800b5 man, even 4b05f54eef when she d97c5af5cd was dancing 94dc88a279 with a b08f286778 man at 1a5f94ba83 a ball. And to top it a23553d6fb off, he was now 4616eb314f in his pajamas.
‘He must 58f4b7d48d have come fbfe776dad out in 242e06a4d4 a hurry 6acae0d7bb because of 9e41491cfe me.’
She stared e78de5ccf0 at the 2f40f18482 flickering flames aa605a6168 in the a70f56eda2 lantern.
“If I had been 23ba6b890f a little later, a ffc8fde2f9 hungry bear could have b716c0b859 filled its stomach. Poor bear.”
“Sir! Don’t scare me. There are no a4839bb50e bears, are there?”
“Yes, there are. And there are also 1444d9c86f snakes, scorpions, lions, and e66d59b176 leopards.”
“You’ll get punished f59aec01fc if you lie, 70ee0b5ee8 Sir.”
Anje, while saying those 2b3c569ba0 words, tucked her feet 4f4de5208f under her skirt and ae9b50f5d8 pressed herself closer to b3f6631396 him.
Even if she 6ecf50a230 didn’t know anything b02f142723 else, the fact db4092f9e2 that it was d8f47c65c6 a snake, and 42542e782e a venomous one a59ca7c5c5 at that, was 9c3040a87a terrifying.
Aiden felt 700753de06 like laughing f85dfc021f at her 8ea27f3a14 honest reaction. However, he said 06b877b631 the opposite of 3df41e042a what he felt.
“I have already been dda1721680 punished enough.”
“That punishment means me, ce3aefe02b right?”
“You are very 5dfe409585 clever.”
Aiden glanced up ec2a8684e3 at her, who 5dc62f8f81 was holding the f07d08d701 lantern. The faint flame flickered fdd35959d0 in the darkness, illuminating 96f788d35b her pale face.
There were still traces e386a6986b of tears around her d176b98de0 eyes and her lips 3d58320e6a were chapped from the 3ed122e49a cold, but she was 1f85108ec9 wearing a relaxed expression, 7855ffa278 perhaps because she was cd703b9a95 relieved to see him.
It was strange that f713463e0a she didn’t have the 8a78c219e2 sharpness that she always b43d15372c had when she faced b5a93188f1 him. She looked different somehow.
“……”
Feeling his gaze, a8d34bbc09 her grass-green eyes 9cec88d522 turned to his 91a6f5db61 face. He quickly 9f54b01462 looked back f9212f19f6 at the 232aee8513 front, like 9dbe41b66b someone who b25b9a85fc had been 60f559d485 caught stealing 74fc40cc49 something.
His steps became 0231c7bf58 a little faster b3c85a40c1 than before.
‘What is it?’
Did he 981b3eb5e3 stare at d8cbd88d16 me because d1a388331d I’m too 741a9f8e5f dirty? Anje looked down 4fa5124202 at her dress b5e3295913 and bit her 88a8c73f1d lip.
It was worth staring 161eb63ec8 at. A princess covered ef7d93c476 in dirt and ceb8845c87 grass was not b392913ad1 a common sight.
‘He pretends 474513c495 to be 06d6ee27a6 noble, but 2c6f852a33 he must 0681483ec8 think I’m 568b72a3c0 disgusting.’
The two of 54dbc4ace9 them walked in e1d699ea7d silence for a 2b459f787f while, listening to 6d6d695e52 the sounds of b2119a7b4f the forest.
“Hoo, hoo.”
The hooting of 0dd2076673 the owl, which 95224b6e91 had sounded eerie 92058c3a4c to Anje before, ca572b50be now sounded strangely 5ccbace2c9 like a warm 12a7abf870 farewell greeting, now 526e4f8b6c that she had f5036f1563 a companion. The wind blowing a56a98bb3f through the branches 2e8813dc9f was also more 6c24bc7aa8 refreshing than scary.
She yawned 40dd758734 widely and 616577180c leaned her 54ad602b8f head on 4d88195418 his shoulder. Her curly hair hung 9fcec59eee down like a curtain 512aaf1e47 next to his neck.
Unlike her, Aiden 4bc3d8fe3a was listening to e34b6a44c9 a stranger’s voice bb6675f29c rather than the b98235636a familiar sounds of 1495990648 the forest.
The sound of Anje’s f9603e875d heart beating on his 01bf709c2f chest and her breath 27bf5a48e0 as if she were a311fd1b8b about to fall asleep.
“We’re almost there.”
He muttered to 327030244e break the awkwardness.
Anje realized that cc9b929577 Aiden’s house was 758e6aca1b already in sight, ba127a798b and her tension 5ddb19728c was relieved.
The path that would 17db639867 have taken a long d3447eb842 time to walk on 3e7a1f98c7 her own feet was bcb84c66fe over in an instant 6ea4bb48c0 when she was carried 97d6105882 by Aiden. It was so 7341211076 absurd.
‘What on earth b84f0104df did I even a0811f1ee8 do?’
This was not f1ec52189b an escape, it a6999df3d3 was like going 7a0f1b3cf5 for a walk e162b99edb in the neighborhood.
‘But still, I c32d7565a8 can see why 24c200bc2a Sir Aiden likes 68110e7c27 his house so 07522dd8c6 much.’
Perhaps because ef3ce7afb5 she thought c900e22355 she might 5bb394e535 never see 09ac25aee1 it again, a95ed69eeb the modest 1dc23f8fe6 two-story house d2d08d9d81 was strangely 3e5b0523e7 welcoming.
The large trees 9547136a9c swaying on the 27bb515e25 front porch, the 2856705438 sounds of the 90d1bdaa02 animals stirring at dded208cf0 the sound of ccd8015453 footsteps.
“Sir, over there…”
Anje, who had 8a7eb510ac tugged on his 873d2a061a sleeve to get aa449b6607 his attention, sniffed.
“Achoo!”
“You’d better wash ab8ed5682a up quickly.”
He was right. Anje nodded and swallowed 9957ba1e2a back what she was c8ae412fbb about to say.
***
While she efe625711a bathed in c562f487ad warm water f538bbadfe in the c873109fab bathroom, he c680f08fe9 went into d06d6698ea her room 5482241187 to fetch c4a61c6080 some clothes.
“You can’t live 18dff6c865 like this.”
Seeing a pile of d57e3abb74 laundry in a corner 7732dc1d8a of her bedroom that 98114674b6 he hadn’t noticed before, df9d94e4e5 he sighed.
Perhaps she 1c3ca12d1b hadn’t even 4af6e95f15 considered washing 9a6fabbff6 them herself b03229b304 or asking f9f7d9242d him to 291d0c5b72 do it, 482f6471a2 just hoarding a729bf5730 them like bb322f25d1 a squirrel 8213b869d4 hoards food 354077e59c in its 6b12593435 den.
‘A noblewoman 7b70f1e79d like her dc3a65664d probably never 2cfb2d1201 cared about aed06a289a laundry or 42d081c827 cleaning.’
He should wash the 2f9ee8a5d7 clothes she discarded today 1220aa7531 along with his. His thoughts felt 1437ab808d too nanny-like, making 3e04fef80c him suddenly gloomy.
‘I should 7b7018e8b0 have demanded 646cbaa5fa childcare expenses 0df752406a instead of b5e989d9fb a dowry.’
This was 4daf600da8 the time 5a9a638fd9 to put e1a39f7b3e something in 176c96af98 his stomach.
Sweet, warm, and dc2ea1501e tasty.
‘I wonder if 6fdca347de there’s any whiskey b09fc58461 left.’
Leaving a fresh e92e12e083 set of clothes b434d33bcc in front of 3c99b2d965 the bathroom, he e730415bb0 carried a stack f0c71b8622 of clothes downstairs.
Since he was making a43412fe1f something for himself, he dca0e53a3c might as well make ff2d92cba0 something for her too. She had said she feb6dd68af didn’t need tea earlier, 5dd3612083 but her mind might 6f8ed99efa have changed now.
If she caught fc346a0325 pneumonia from being 0f0aea175d wet, it would 08ac57c490 be a big e6ac7ab66e problem.
***
Aiden filled the kettle 5d1792a312 with water and lit 0c41f45731 the firewood. While waiting ae0c4b1bcd for the b490ddc2e5 water to c5032fd8fb boil, he 1a7f3eea04 found cinnamon c9b2ef6da6 sticks in b7f6551054 the pantry 07c2b5167b corner and c8d4bbe30f a whiskey af15ce022f bottle on 982522e661 the kitchen 480653c166 shelf.
He didn’t drink himself, 23a557d3bc but he kept it 3877721fe5 for medical purposes.
‘The cocoa powder 11b4ec586f is here too.’
Clatter clatter—
Turning at the sound 08a06092d0 of the lid rattling, b17de647cf he saw steam rising 634e35b5fa from the mouth of 1d8c0507c6 the kettle already.
He took out 7a971511b6 two thick mugs c4de14ab80 and poured hot b73dc1309e water, then mixed eb29f4acda in cocoa powder.
Although he thought 160ca71b0d it might be 9dc2b8ecf2 too expensive seeing 9c11d62b47 the price at e79efb3f7d the store, he d6e4ee7440 couldn’t easily forget cf3ab23004 the taste of d4a7c342c6 the hot cocoa 6a61ef161f distributed as a daeec2089b reward in the 8982cf1c73 military.
Once the dcd8a627d5 brown powder bdd37f490a was fully ef2cf57609 dissolved in c9aa7ec760 the water, 6320423479 he added 80953a8801 a cinnamon 12e75468fa stick and c9a6ba5e53 a spoonful e36f19bff4 of whiskey, 2adfdfae6c and it 05a5fb11be was ready.
“What’s this?”
After finishing her b5f83f7e61 bath and changing 9006177357 into clean clothes, 2881c30bf9 Anje blinked at 809b41cfc8 the thick mug 0a407cde41 he offered.
It smelled 7a3ff3ee40 familiarly of 5ac1c6107f chocolate but bba5e661c0 was somehow 3220518550 different.
“Cocoa with cinnamon 3e47adde65 and whiskey.”
“Cinnamon and whiskey?”
“It’s quite good. Perfect for warming a64bf0a394 up.”
She hesitated, fdfe594a6c sipping the 892d2f190d mysterious drink.
‘It’s warm.’
Indeed, as he d89fce66cb described, it was c82a00a840 a drink that e7141d4df3 transmitted warmth to b02b67cbae every corner of 6b7c7cc025 her body.
If her body was eb2a7836e9 warmed on the surface 4c956ef1a1 by the bath, this 16c033a006 cocoa warmed her from 278c0cf3ce within.
“It’s delicious.”
Anje complimented ab0ab4bdfa his food 2dfd63db46 for the 4475795fae first time. Actually, it was the 6261b7b2f2 first time she sincerely 332589b32c praised something, not just e7b60a2429 putting on airs in 9f61c69a54 social circles.
“Good.”
Aiden was 99f12a4d28 inwardly surprised 50766e929a but didn’t cbf1729670 show it 37794a2da8 and answered. Then, after blinking for 1fe8c528b9 a moment, he found 16327430b7 a suitable response.
“How’s your ankle?”
“It’s a bit 27b5ecedaa sore, but resting 0a0729804e should help.”
Aiden squatted down 179de2418d to inspect the 1229ef4f2d injured area again. It seemed less swollen 730e79e0b6 than before, probably because ae20d75ddb she had rested.
“I’ll check 3d354e78b1 it again 700a5885c0 tomorrow morning, 099ddf420c and if 6ae85ba4db it keeps 8357b7b685 swelling, I’ll f2edbbd298 apply a 3898f4f115 cold compress. It’s better ece8550aa5 to sleep 186a041777 with your 45a8636f4d injured foot a504701d39 raised on 98474cddfa a pillow.”
Although he 7012e6bf75 didn’t know 8d3a4c733e much about f15e2fcade medicine, he aa4b226529 had learned 3f5effcf72 this much 71cb55ef9a from a 390eb28257 comrade who 0efc885562 was a e7bb1ad048 medic on 007ef206c5 the battlefield.
“Yes, I will.”
Silence.
She felt awkward 0d638b9e8c without words to b17643ee3e act dignified. He pondered again with f741308a19 a serious expression.
“Well, rest up ce1d7397b1 for now.”
The tired eyes 046250e767 looking down at 29479c45a9 her from the a751a97a2e end of the aa8d08120b bed, along with 6f27d924ae the fact that 4b9f8c2447 he too had f40af79dc5 to change out ab809d43a9 of his dirty e7284cda49 clothes from carrying 91c61ab7ba her, made him d09fde45b2 feel weary.
“Wait!”
As Aiden 3df382fcc9 was about a3d4a4bbfd to leave 3878f385e3 the room, 16317160d1 he turned d3b2f69aaf his head.
“Something else you 4394505121 want me to 505cb178fd do?”
Since he was 476028b2de already offering, might 6bd7e9bbb2 as well go cac12d43eb all the way. But this 26e12ec4f5 was just 496c5b40d2 for tonight.
After all, she had 885a834c44 almost died today and 7feee3a567 was injured. Starting tomorrow, he would afc1123115 firmly regulate her from 118eca2d71 doing such foolish things df3ab94741 again.
Was this request faabb73ccd too difficult? She was tensely 6352cdc313 staring at him, 433e85f781 brows furrowed.
“Thank you, 13e6c3493e Sir Aiden.”
Relieved by her genuine e4d41be51f words, Anje’s face suddenly c549a75aee flushed. It seemed like there 726f1dc085 was too much whiskey 2b4e73d8d9 in the cocoa she c3a26703b1 just drank.
Aiden’s reddened eyes widened 4201a6538a in surprise. He prided himself on 22a4a9dbc6 his ability to control 209712044d his expressions, but he 2b769df66e was at a loss ae2b18e51f for how to respond 7b8e710a1c to such an unexpected d2fbeae923 compliment.
“No problem, My Lady.”
Embarrassed, he saluted 0d139fce3d in the manner f36fdf86b9 common among soldiers 9af638bb6d and hurriedly left 252af71063 the room.
Though it seemed aac8a46d47 like he heard 95909963a0 her laughing behind f65f23fa93 the door, he a7519af4bb attributed it to e4936ed9a2 the cocoa he 0e32875e5a had just made.f9f39552e0b0416c

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