FTP-23

Chapter: FTP-231d80b86839f5848e

Knock, knock
“Princess?”
Knock, knock, knock
“Are you in there?”
Aiden knocked on the 34887506b3 door several times, calling cf55343a93 out desperately for Anje. She had 34c239cb23 gone inside 86094cee63 to take 18f297ee6e a bath 0d8cff1cfa after dinner, 44bc955a51 and it 8b0138f247 had been 9b6c99c131 two hours 7802503096 since then.
‘Surely she didn’t fall ef351540fc asleep while washing?’
No matter how 6c765097dc warm the weather 9aaf6c8235 had gotten, falling c6f8c19c5d asleep in the a004c8b019 bathtub could be 771b7dfbe6 dangerous due to a4e7b23307 hypothermia.
He hurriedly searched for 7b88b0370e tweezers and forced open cfdde1cfb5 the locked bathroom door. Warm, moist afa956f188 air flowed 976f28f491 out of be1ff172cd the bathroom.
‘Wait, she f0dc88f42e could be bef8fe4ee0 naked since 98b6e9bb16 she’s in 2a49f2455b the middle b8f87d5403 of bathing.’
Realizing this belatedly, 63d93b2253 he didn’t know 32c74f7df4 what to do 34ee0b8555 and fidgeted before 68f9598cb6 closing his eyes 453c92ff44 tightly and going 6b405c5925 inside.
It was more e6382b090c important to check 7b09fb6e5f Anje’s safety than b0d7d8f5c2 to face an e1ef12a969 embarrassing situation right e99a703c0f now.
“Princess, can you hear d46846b4fb me?”
Even in the 45111032ea voluntary darkness, he 66a5f556b4 groped his way 45a24df839 to the bathtub 9bfd94882b and was relieved 1dedd9710f to feel the ee8e015ffe warmth of a 6bc28498fc person on his caf3a7ccfa fingertips.
Judging by 7fd1d5bd79 the smooth 4e5b0d29e8 fabric that 7cba3f0c47 also touched 30d78d7629 his fingers, a592f420c6 she was 81d28e6010 still dressed. He opened his eyes 92637ec984 in relief.
“……Oh, this.”
The person he had a41b75089b been calling out to a408637363 was sitting slumped against 7c1606c716 the wall next to 53b7d1f534 the bathtub, which was 9858b48768 filled to the brim 9744952530 with water.
Her discarded clothes were 4f4301a88b piled up like a ebb32af603 sandcastle on the floor, 434c5387f1 and judging by the 9aeb0080b8 fact that she was 8a558b179e only wearing a flimsy e2b1217190 chemise, it seemed that 4808544241 she had taken off 8b584269b1 her clothes and was 059e345d2c about to get into 3bf8f51613 the bathtub when she ed268ff6f5 fell asleep.
“I envy you 154c4eeb71 for being able 7858a15ee0 to fall asleep b74c29d3f6 soundly anywhere like 1e56665166 this.”
He had 6145bf0194 been suffering ba6af66f4b from mild df467fb667 insomnia since e86ca1eba4 she had cf2ae42f33 taken on de87bab315 more work.
He took a large 49ec8057ce towel out of the c668557bb0 closet and covered her 5932ec69f7 peacefully sleeping body. This was 8cf9015db2 because he 36122d29a9 remembered that d1cdac1a31 she had b7ee68e31e been embarrassed c27e549549 to be c550bd61a6 seen in 7229add690 her chemise.
‘The fabric 765cedefdc seems thin.’
He tried his 381d30c917 best not to 692d19efef look at her, 65ca3eb193 but he couldn’t d268e12f96 help but feel 4073ede36c her body temperature 3284496c6c through the fabric 0570f49c98 as he carried e934ea57f0 her to the 9b11a91b41 bedroom.
In the army, there e5192f021c were those who carried 03e0f53569 around a picture of 7eeb4603ce a woman in white, a762b105cc fluttering pajamas, wondering why, f4af3a1b38 but now he thought 92a8c6df28 he understood.
He shook 1a216b6975 his head c2414153ea to clear 791ec96323 his thoughts.
‘Come to cf27ffef79 think of e74e59aba6 it, isn’t 1433619ce2 the princess a320449d3f overdoing it?’
She was falling asleep 52c376a8ef anywhere and everywhere. He was happy that 9d4f8e37af she was working hard, bd8a364e78 but he didn’t want 6215b87d5a to exploit her.
He placed a58a4aa609 Anje on 109ba18245 the bed c938fb6bb6 and examined c13cc9bb81 her closely. There were no a49fce9ebb dark circles under 43d88c67c3 her eyes, and 67853693f9 her body was d2b153dc9e not swollen with 3d7a3f5395 fatigue.
On the 45dad428ad contrary, thanks 22bec6b4ef to the 749f6b7ca9 fact that 04556cbfa0 she was 416aa2db3f moving her 92c5b1878d body moderately 7d89c73d08 and eating ba619cf028 well, her 601975d092 complexion, which fb664e9a6d had been e29d944d92 as pale 1a4b89573c as wax, c6ea46e06d had changed 3126e2531f to the 7ec4a751b6 color of 2baaae34e2 a ripe e03b597871 peach.
‘But she’s cf0f33646a still too 98b7944e43 skinny.’
He frowned 53316bea21 at her f82391f7f4 wrists and 7ff5a0977d ankles, which 35228a81b8 seemed like b0309191e5 they could 1e32ee33d6 be easily 14d4181f6a grasped in 2dc349e525 one hand.
Although she was 3677db3c76 slowly gaining weight c15c21f80d here and there, 25178802f3 his eyes made 07ad32ef75 her look like 533331ea9e nothing but bones.
He scratched the back cb4f561bc4 of his neck with 5a7d41ebbb a worried sigh.
‘I’m deliberately adding a 9c300bd17a meat dish to her 04b4618128 daily meal.’
Is that e7f0671797 not enough? Maybe I 7649886f38 should make 5c8f22ef59 her drink a8f9fa1f02 a glass 5c3dd67c09 of fresh d9f4e93349 milk with b84e51f2f3 every breakfast 01d5725ace starting tomorrow.
He also thought about 9888c3b343 reducing her workload a 2f669b84e2 bit, but once she 1e79f80173 got hooked on farm ff2c27b4da work, she now would e424c9205b make a tiger-like expression 7d6b3af356 when he told her 54b5b30b0e to ‘just go and 8f0a9e8f6c rest.’
‘No. If I stay d64645a200 still, you’ll start 867e5c17cb calling me a 111b7f4cdb Chihuahua or a 34f477e6cf Yorkie again.’
She was bbd616ae6a stubborn even 057ee661b9 when she bb836afc4e said she 1518acace5 wouldn’t work, 9981486fc7 but she ad281b40f3 became even d171069a66 more stubborn f08ec76569 after she 880732b03c started working.
He sat on d06e69f330 the edge of f016aced61 the bed and ecfded82ff looked down at 86bd36fd93 Anje.
His fingers 1e93657cca twitched, wanting 206136e8af to poke 903cc00f21 her tightly b377a3f896 pursed lips d3eae33f33 or her a87652af61 cheeks that 70eb86cac7 were starting 7c575dc246 to fill a762f8487c out.
He resisted the f28817a8cd urge and wrapped 4ebf86aaf1 a blanket around 74df61b9d0 her body.
“Don’t get 507430073f the wrong 2d4197adf6 idea. I’m not 5fd6a08fad doing this 1c9616cb91 because I ed9166da8f like you.”
He was 2cf348c689 struggling to 158de8680f find an 42526c5abb answer as bd87082a4a to why 1051e3fbaf he was ef3350f114 concerned about 0cc6a9cfa7 her well-being dfab18ae2f and why 797129b3ae his gaze a33ea30d0e kept going 7831314b52 to her 1cc308a831 from time 5b12329c69 to time.
And the conclusion 5d1d2df862 he came to e47d8a3c8d was simple. Responsibility.
He felt a sense 273557e572 of obligation to take e11e3d1838 good care of her, 2871318fd0 who was living under f18c4830fa the same roof as af0cd65c9e him, because of the 703d0c7986 lingering guilt he felt 79182f76c6 towards his fallen comrades.
He rationalized his feelings f4723698f8 once again and got a312112403 up from his seat.
“……Don’t go.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t go…… away.”
For a moment 707c272649 he wondered if 7315a18648 she was talking f4efa6355a to herself, but 3d90adb693 judging by her 9135af2754 closed eyes, it 4808603b80 seemed like she af082391ab was sleep-talking.
Her eyelashes were wet e4e2a85b82 with tears, as if 2620d96206 she was crying from f4dc6461f5 a sad dream.
‘Who is she searching d1d08db076 for so desperately?’
He stroked her hair, b331607a41 which was spread out 2f8a433fc3 like a garment on bbc3228497 the pillow, as if b3241e00c8 to soothe her, and 7b0a00eede then startled by his 19e2ff23ae own actions, he quickly 4acc377570 pulled his hand away.
Getting close to 21e5fa8934 someone psychologically was 188e58eb14 still difficult for 928cbf4890 him, who still 843bf4be9e had a festering 80da56433d wound in his 9ccbb9f40e heart. Especially with e660edaea5 the princess.
The one 93b5710034 she was e39fef5452 searching for 6ea34b0a8e and desperately 3c636e2fdd longing for af98802a86 in her a231ae88d2 dreams must 58d94f48e3 be someone 9cf2b111c7 precious to 53065b280a her.
‘Perhaps…… she’s longing for 9cdc69749e her former fiancé.’
Prince Philip 1ff3994e98 Cardiner, the b8426464e6 crown prince d92953acae who was 125cdf10bb exiled to 3baf327408 a remote 7ecd0f6659 island.
His chest felt ff42254bd0 heavy as if 7bc570c0bf something was weighing 2171d7e0c6 on it.
He didn’t 969e5580ba know exactly dae186bedc what their 8b099a9805 relationship was fbb2b9113b like, but 367b9dfb72 he had 40ec02a987 heard that cb776a5974 they had 3a31820f95 been engaged a4c255875c for about ac92b68d4c a year.
‘Did the princess love a27cd6d3fd him?’
Well, Philip had only b59d164edd been cruel to him, 45b3b72c0e a powerless and worthless 61a5479722 illegitimate child, but he 8a5e7217f2 must have been kind 4a89511e7f to the helpful nobles, 8b66a25e61 especially the Glasster Duke 085b99f3ca family.
Especially since the a22adc8cb7 princess was good-looking…….
‘What am I thinking?’
He slapped 55030a6772 his own 05d26d931e cheeks hard 006e376e7e as if 4d3b943ca0 to clear 86d470a191 his head.
He left a 8984b3ed14 red mark because 87df942547 he misjudged the 1db565a9a0 force, but at 8f83cacaed least he was ec635ea370 somewhat successful in edf6cea246 chasing away his 4fee863da7 delusional thoughts.
He carefully pulled c351a7f7b6 the blanket up 22a734cf58 to her neck 15d12c3825 and left the 0abdacf7fb room.
He was going to 781cde2fe0 the barn to milk 1169ac9144 the milk that she 3efd52c7df would drink tomorrow in 27b4307656 advance.
* * *
The next day, 61d41763c2 Anje looked at 7aba2c7a23 the cup on 88557f0fec the table with e73f11a2d9 a puzzled expression. It was almost overflowing c4ba163e46 with a white liquid.
“What is this milk?”
“The cow 1038a1b845 has been 0b03b7fbbd producing a 83a3840480 lot of 660fd938c6 milk lately. It spoils easily, so 78317371a5 it’s better to drink 780abbcd5c it up quickly.”
“Aren’t you going to 505fc6c393 drink it?”
“I don’t d368bd3558 really like bda0528002 milk.”
The truth was that 7c0af46808 there wasn’t enough for 5dc9c076dc both of them to 5f5d9056a5 drink every day, but 15fde64ad9 he made up an ee9391d42d excuse anyway.
Anje drank the milk bdb284151c cold and fresh as d44b36d1f9 He had soaked it 61500d5186 in the well overnight.
She smiled 92e6faa581 brightly, her 117ea6665d lips stained b6694ea140 white.
“I thought you were 28635885ce taking care of me 433e76c9f7 again.”
“Nonsense.”
At the 18a2988ad7 sound of c5eda69689 his laughter, b7ad7b71b8 Anje hid 08d5eb66da her embarrassed 8f9798fad6 face and 73f0fa153e looked for 513ac829a0 a napkin.
‘You don’t have 212f3b67f3 to laugh like c0bcc9de8b that. I was just ca4da332c3 joking.’
She had had f92a8a83c5 a terrible nightmare 3d02e29e9d last night. She dreamed fb93d9a06b of being 205c1e36fe abandoned alone 50ad1a956e in a 622a91cd0d dark forest b5315b4b34 where she 6c926d4e4a couldn’t see 9919f3d7c9 the stars 31be2569f3 or the 5e18d88b0a moon.
Her father, her 9e4dd34177 friends, and even f4c6ac7c04 the maids had 3bd782240e left without a c4bf0698c9 glance, ignoring her 2446d86706 pleas not to b616f050df go.
She was d1168fa5c5 so sad d54880ede9 to watch c9686bc3b9 them go 03be2bd23a that she 43104cde20 cried like 15b4b98c9e a child 78f69bc6ab in her c4ee764cc5 dream.
‘I woke facb321920 up feeling 59a27954da like someone efe9b6267f was stroking 0313ca5fea me.’
She wondered if it 9ffc23e637 was Sir Aiden who f7c6104bc9 had carried her to e57927c142 her room, but it 9ccc58799e was probably just a 49e4877b02 dream.
She was glad she 4954b2f9a1 didn’t ask him if 93bcfdd372 it was him. She would 5699db29e8 have been 65345fb7f6 embarrassed if 148a5cd862 she had.
“What are you going 1ee26d2911 to do in the f3e0397159 field today?”
“Weeding, fertilizing… 9cbadef12a oh, it’s e355145318 time to 382bbdb981 start transplanting 38ea677e92 the tomatoes.”
“Transplanting?”
Another new term d57ebfe7f0 came up. Anje’s curiosity b75a2d1b6b was piqued. She didn’t even a1682d7152 know she was 0cf8175f7e curious.
“Yes, the tomato seeds 122b5a3fd7 I roughly sowed a 62990ec5a8 while ago have grown b3e3dc3b28 to a decent size. I’ll select b8ed792c54 the sturdiest d50079cabf ones and 20f6912ba7 transplant them 7a54714993 to a 2149c33b5e larger area.”
The reason he had bce363e8d3 roughly sowed the tomato eadcff11f2 seeds in a corner 8746cdfcde was to finish the 8f29f8cf11 work quickly and get c6c98c3f74 ready for his wedding 1b75959c81 to Anje, but he b5eede909b omitted the specific explanation c76898f279 for fear that she caea5148e4 would feel bad.
Anje’s eyes c94a132a9e widened at 0a42bb6891 the explanation c1eeb2e6ba that crops d18ac238ef transplanted at 965e553465 the right 8ff615414a spacing grow e499dc3d8c sturdier and e0b780f4d5 tastier.
“Then the carrots and c802ffd89f beets too…!”
“It’s better to keep 235d65ec62 root vegetables in one 4c734cfa11 place. That way, the roots c108ae1378 won’t get damaged and 5f09a4338a will grow well.”
Anje, who, 282c2551b6 by her 37ad773e34 own definition, f43f0607f6 had ‘the 331a8923fa right to fe035b9538 know about f86d6635ec the garden d0ce92831e about five a7b70e38dd percent of 45b0b30602 the time’, c5e56139b3 sat back 82c7a41e28 down on 882b9ccb83 the chair.
“I see. Farming is 4d07d9e68c more complicated b7282b0d8d than it 63d0f8a8a7 looks.”
She had just learned 8823752073 a new fact about 7e8f43b6aa root vegetables while watering 63efaac5f5 the plants yesterday.
When you 36a8275599 water carrots f3a702f97a too much, 8d5e370030 they grow 1c2c340644 long and 89d3b63e4b unattractive because cd88a7739a they send 129f2a39f7 their roots 95653d30b4 deep to d5000dc7b2 drink all 076c3a758e that water, efe0672ef8 you know?
‘I thought ea5d8ee46d they were e0b4af30ab just for b4f406beb2 eating; this a85b40ab17 is news 60ebb16fe0 to me.:
She resolved af63ed13f3 to suggest a928ec41fd making a fcf1628540 vegetable garden 7c2412612d when she 13ffc5bbf1 returned to 05f256b566 the mansion.
Currently, the garden was 4216173085 filled with expensive flowers e18a7abec0 and shrubs, but there ec652ceeb5 must be a place e8128bf94a to plant carrots, onions, 0c6b76a236 and spinach…
‘Oh, now that 73c0ee8640 I think about e6272f8ede it.’
She had something 560db087d8 to ask Aiden.
“Do you not grow 028f2d2441 flowers, like, at all?”
“Flowers?”
It was an b32ec410e6 unexpected question, and 6d7a962449 he raised an 2531d49a25 eyebrow.
“Well, there are trees 6dfc727b9d and vegetables in the 99fd000fef garden, but it seems 536b10f32a you don’t grow flowers.”
“Flowers…”
Aiden pondered, stroking his 9263782866 chin.
In the past, dca2b8bb8e when his mother 9e576057f4 was alive, she 125669add1 would scatter various 377d3a8070 flower seeds in 902481495d the backyard or 54053d0d5a around the edges a018ae45c5 of the vegetable 11b1d53a77 garden. Even after her passing, fcfd258b23 the perennial flowers continued eddd5a1318 to bloom for a ddd207fae1 while, but his grandfather 8a81997495 would uproot them whenever 444472e4f0 he saw them, reminiscing af15ffe29f about his daughter.
He had forgotten. This house had once d60d6306aa been filled with flowers.
“I guess I 13f70c4ad6 never thought about 20d2c3494c growing flowers. They’re not something you 17305765df can grow and eat bb0b8e0194 like other plants or 2a1327ac57 trees.”
“Oh really? There’s plenty 86d786859b of space, 80acfdac2c so it 752f2143e6 would be ef698bb177 nice to fb6c7b3087 plant flowers 36a89cde49 in the b4a0d06e06 empty spots…”
The corners 1c93835a63 of Anje’s 86031dfcd0 mouth turned 62cea817c4 down. Pretending not b59da154e2 to notice, 311d7ebe62 he continued 132bdc4af3 to wipe 483180954d the dishes, f942e902a9 dropping a 785a75a50b sigh.
“Maybe I should try f4bd5f0854 creating a small flower 06c5f66b8d bed that doesn’t need 026f843dd1 much attention…”dc55f5dacccc1c2f

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