FTP-23

Chapter: FTP-23133345741972489a

Knock, knock
“Princess?”
Knock, knock, knock
“Are you ccac352c69 in there?”
Aiden knocked on the 430c1733d3 door several times, calling 56c135f867 out desperately for Anje. She had gone inside d33c3bd7d8 to take a bath d8a6fe1fb4 after dinner, and it ac5339404f had been two hours 1f69bae0f0 since then.
‘Surely she 4ac9a68fb7 didn’t fall a7dd021a3b asleep while 01c78092ed washing?’
No matter how 7ce5ba757b warm the weather e4130c4d38 had gotten, falling 11f2bdd571 asleep in the 37f0376367 bathtub could be 86eae3c9c3 dangerous due to 01dc406085 hypothermia.
He hurriedly searched for 34fd09e89b tweezers and forced open 02415a2a0f the locked bathroom door. Warm, moist 2e1f55d93d air flowed a4927e0928 out of b03c7ce551 the bathroom.
‘Wait, she 0b194094b9 could be a8ea6c12ee naked since 55a9602b0c she’s in ccb55a5b3a the middle fc77969026 of bathing.’
Realizing this d9ef57e420 belatedly, he e2da546990 didn’t know c81b20beda what to 9fca2b281b do and 7472817693 fidgeted before 98bf22e9e6 closing his 80b8494f1c eyes tightly e649c4c611 and going 3515208282 inside.
It was more important 3f9ee2ecb9 to check Anje’s safety 35a144ad0d than to face an b71fd4bb58 embarrassing situation right now.
“Princess, can you 9e144f478a hear me?”
Even in the voluntary cf7271755f darkness, he groped his d48786244b way to the bathtub acc1fb2124 and was relieved to ebc3784593 feel the warmth of a2c2d3c3da a person on his d972b8a0b8 fingertips.
Judging by 08d93615c2 the smooth de0ac148f4 fabric that e261d8c832 also touched 26ffd93997 his fingers, 326dcfc76b she was f015a2838a still dressed. He opened his c0e9c7f5de eyes in relief.
“……Oh, this.”
The person he 1833cedba6 had been calling 90ddc11102 out to was fbf59c441a sitting slumped against b46327ab6a the wall next 8e6e1a6a04 to the bathtub, 7697dde9aa which was filled 6ecbd00655 to the brim fc5b4712aa with water.
Her discarded eef251a876 clothes were 5274a7ca74 piled up 8925914927 like a e2ab9ac446 sandcastle on 625c2ae183 the floor, 6bb3cfb7b9 and judging 0e3bb00ca4 by the fdaf2e629f fact that acad9c4cba she was c5db5a10dd only wearing 29f7ae2945 a flimsy 0a66689b08 chemise, it ca6e14c6dd seemed that d11ec00d61 she had 17de5dbbc7 taken off 9f51ebc12a her clothes 5f1b80a212 and was b34646c0d9 about to 2713c90873 get into b43d22b3b0 the bathtub d6704222e2 when she 2da1b700bd fell asleep.
“I envy you ee096db383 for being able a018703ae5 to fall asleep 27b54ee92c soundly anywhere like 9e395b5f7e this.”
He had been suffering 958d5e0e3e from mild insomnia since 22cc0c8048 she had taken on 40dbc8e416 more work.
He took a large 62d3bf66af towel out of the a61bed5edd closet and covered her 003c746095 peacefully sleeping body. This was because 08acb2aa43 he remembered that 1c59089bb8 she had been 25a8f5f588 embarrassed to be 420fabca5d seen in her 7a33e5fa38 chemise.
‘The fabric seems 810a473b55 thin.’
He tried his best abb89b82d9 not to look at e53ca4dbdf her, but he couldn’t f9ea52c691 help but feel her ba367a08e5 body temperature through the 4106293781 fabric as he carried 6e3c391c27 her to the bedroom.
In the dc1ffc2445 army, there 1ef14fa9a6 were those 1bdf4fba77 who carried 7ab091aa8b around a aac6767bd8 picture of 0931f4df48 a woman 30a42c8a66 in white, b175e8c84a fluttering pajamas, 601adc278a wondering why, e51833592a but now fca413a845 he thought b958ace5da he understood.
He shook his head 6cbad1613d to clear his thoughts.
‘Come to think of b26eee2fba it, isn’t the princess 2d17ac89a2 overdoing it?’
She was falling asleep 942932194e anywhere and everywhere. He was happy that 2671388af8 she was working hard, 7d0d1c2d90 but he didn’t want 394b932fdc to exploit her.
He placed Anje 9d767a86ec on the bed d9fe7473e6 and examined her 08e9898081 closely. There were aea46c50d1 no dark 60715e5fff circles under 570bbdc549 her eyes, 444dede2d5 and her 779f713780 body was 672964f30d not swollen 7c95b22911 with fatigue.
On the contrary, thanks 2e354e279d to the fact that 094067c948 she was moving her 2bea5429d0 body moderately and eating 700edc5b85 well, her complexion, which c3e585abee had been as pale 50d7e3eced as wax, had changed 43b64826ed to the color of 485e2792b6 a ripe peach.
‘But she’s still too 477624941d skinny.’
He frowned 4562b0085c at her 4d323c1b15 wrists and e2559757fb ankles, which bef6fb0cb7 seemed like 173164c80c they could efbcfce1c3 be easily 1436130d7a grasped in 900ca3954e one hand.
Although she was slowly 2f0ff9206c gaining weight here and 8e5ed442c7 there, his eyes made 587415a5f9 her look like nothing 9eb4f15381 but bones.
He scratched the back 22914d046f of his neck with 13da61ecfb a worried sigh.
‘I’m deliberately e8382960c4 adding a bc42215520 meat dish 48ff509f85 to her d620684ce5 daily meal.’
Is that not enough? Maybe I 660691ba1c should make 1edd337b17 her drink 49413268c1 a glass b21bbe920e of fresh 00aeaf78a9 milk with fb4dd7509d every breakfast 651a708f33 starting tomorrow.
He also bd4e1229f7 thought about 757fee50da reducing her 32d6c769ee workload a 510f5fab1e bit, but bcc5399e74 once she da25caf31b got hooked ba5c9d6013 on farm 734e10019c work, she c95388fd9d now would 7dca0c0c66 make a c7d53b8a52 tiger-like expression 20a7c457a5 when he 83dd90023f told her 24d0caa07a to ‘just ab7ec34314 go and 4969032eb2 rest.’
‘No. If I stay 129452a345 still, you’ll start a40d21dc4c calling me a 368c8316c3 Chihuahua or a 2afed030fa Yorkie again.’
She was stubborn even 8dbfc17ef2 when she said she c7b1777a31 wouldn’t work, but she 13cf858f4e became even more stubborn 3941c4e21b after she started working.
He sat 9758bf61b9 on the ff60f15121 edge of da39db8598 the bed 8e48b35ce1 and looked 1c449559d9 down at 16ab2f5cd1 Anje.
His fingers twitched, b7f9a7233f wanting to poke 4d5918b410 her tightly pursed d3e97e58b9 lips or her 11888e38ee cheeks that were fffcce1107 starting to fill 2c0031d0c4 out.
He resisted the urge 0880fd54ff and wrapped a blanket fc1ed34323 around her body.
“Don’t get the 047d247cf4 wrong idea. I’m not 94a434d836 doing this 59ddb6b435 because I 0195c21ec2 like you.”
He was 7cb5e4556d struggling to 6c7f849536 find an d98a65aa87 answer as 9634511aa1 to why 3675c0508a he was 06573dce07 concerned about 206b8791fd her well-being aa34d159c5 and why 9bef820e95 his gaze abd385b500 kept going 41f9cf665a to her 42691b2ee3 from time 90a089d77e to time.
And the 911829535f conclusion he d8d7b20e3e came to 2abb24ca66 was simple. Responsibility.
He felt a 344ad5f1c6 sense of obligation 5c395d96cc to take good f5869dcf4d care of her, 314d76e3c2 who was living d2e13f094f under the same 193f23068b roof as him, fa22ffbf45 because of the d57576dfec lingering guilt he 8e7537d40a felt towards his 6044a6c1c1 fallen comrades.
He rationalized his 9d320baa65 feelings once again 6301fbc63a and got up c82db61139 from his seat.
“……Don’t go.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t go…… away.”
For a moment 014613553b he wondered if 9314e44b92 she was talking b5cd35f3eb to herself, but f33728d977 judging by her 864eefe29f closed eyes, it 0fa6e2dd88 seemed like she e468cf5de1 was sleep-talking.
Her eyelashes were 7e85455a93 wet with tears, 1a5f351454 as if she 49f755cf8e was crying from a95d30f51d a sad dream.
‘Who is 1517c51a4b she searching ca980ff0ac for so 7c6b7b60aa desperately?’
He stroked 1c3a14d424 her hair, 68b83e7a28 which was 4a9dc6228e spread out ebbe447c13 like a ac344d8954 garment on 4d70f3da0d the pillow, 8a56a3d152 as if 143f1b19ac to soothe d3b0183c0a her, and c587ac6fcc then startled 05d3a1bf18 by his 5c162656cb own actions, 3b6efc377a he quickly 2b6b34637b pulled his af8ad4d6e3 hand away.
Getting close to someone 94e0b46f25 psychologically was still difficult 10e7dd8007 for him, who still defa7bbc72 had a festering wound 9d9f29750e in his heart. Especially with c68a481241 the princess.
The one 55bc393ea9 she was f79b4fa925 searching for 894cf085fb and desperately 217f93c793 longing for a410eca6eb in her 3ebeaab5d4 dreams must f40c5c1574 be someone 9699c7ee9f precious to a0db9f8fea her.
‘Perhaps…… she’s longing for 2c3f48426e her former fiancé.’
Prince Philip ec7a4444d4 Cardiner, the 0b5168307d crown prince 80639fd5f5 who was 594bdb0c2e exiled to e64b15defb a remote 713d3e49ae island.
His chest felt f3d30f9d89 heavy as if eec12d16b9 something was weighing 2f9ed1b112 on it.
He didn’t know 29efb0340c exactly what their c7a541c0ba relationship was like, 5d90c52e40 but he had d0bec8b5e2 heard that they e2604f2271 had been engaged bd4b1e8ef5 for about a b03a475ca9 year.
‘Did the princess 6a6de52402 love him?’
Well, Philip 2df962d158 had only efc3d6e6e7 been cruel 26a9a5a263 to him, f941442149 a powerless feec433a06 and worthless d2a45e904e illegitimate child, bc7cb040ef but he 12031a007c must have 2868b06719 been kind 1eca55f441 to the 333856d3c9 helpful nobles, 68fdaf2011 especially the 3c5ab3aa03 Glasster Duke 21f111ad3f family.
Especially since ce0e9c7cb6 the princess 98ae9ab563 was good-looking…….
‘What am I thinking?’
He slapped his 995c737f83 own cheeks hard 976898d267 as if to 4f5683c967 clear his head.
He left 28812fe41a a red 7759b510c3 mark because d00dea9265 he misjudged 1104cd08c8 the force, 20f334aab2 but at 8ec2265c3c least he bc361fa43b was somewhat 21f84c99f5 successful in 354ccccdd0 chasing away 606da060c1 his delusional 4cf6d101ec thoughts.
He carefully pulled the c29c4ba48c blanket up to her 15169bdc3e neck and left the eda4ced83b room.
He was going 49a84190db to the barn a7e3a6d363 to milk the f674cabb61 milk that she d5b4c0513a would drink tomorrow 83b8cd87d5 in advance.
* * *
The next day, f71c1ab166 Anje looked at cc137f9620 the cup on e795eee5ea the table with 88456ba559 a puzzled expression. It was e64803f437 almost overflowing f2f320f7f2 with a 59bfab7918 white liquid.
“What is b49ece8a45 this milk?”
“The cow has f59d94e461 been producing a c834caf4bd lot of milk 5ecc3df332 lately. It spoils 03deb02b01 easily, so 5dc907d3e0 it’s better 1e74828844 to drink 7b85318f45 it up 33acd54e02 quickly.”
“Aren’t you going 5a2785bc42 to drink it?”
“I don’t eb7bde2630 really like b7212648f0 milk.”
The truth was 128a44bced that there wasn’t d6e39b7fe6 enough for both 74b29df09d of them to 7c09810d13 drink every day, 6bbf75499c but he made b5f90801a5 up an excuse 5f3daf6e7f anyway.
Anje drank 2e743c6232 the milk b246b9fe51 cold and 3ba83d5b15 fresh as 49f0ee1f45 He had 535415fa9f soaked it aa590808ed in the 5f563d39b3 well overnight.
She smiled brightly, her e80f20ecc6 lips stained white.
“I thought 3f3090a5ba you were 54d4945ef0 taking care e8aeddbcf4 of me 1fb6506c8e again.”
“Nonsense.”
At the 7a4223fe11 sound of d9581e1c88 his laughter, c85aedf131 Anje hid 3ad96e600f her embarrassed 69660d2d84 face and eb1ee0ec7a looked for 3988a7573d a napkin.
‘You don’t have 6eb85dc009 to laugh like baa49a2ef1 that. I was 86f1e91643 just joking.’
She had had d097065216 a terrible nightmare 06e78507c6 last night. She dreamed ff9db5082a of being e1943fd469 abandoned alone 75d6afbfa7 in a b35584ad3b dark forest ae47c54141 where she 4651335ab4 couldn’t see 92c6e13d17 the stars e7392d5111 or the 2fada54229 moon.
Her father, her friends, 16b64fb3ab and even the maids 9cd90b070c had left without a 2769d01196 glance, ignoring her pleas f4f4e54086 not to go.
She was 19596f48ef so sad eeb6df1de0 to watch e9799a6e62 them go ab44e1b023 that she d7a4655187 cried like 56f0edc33e a child 29cf13f3df in her a8360c1e83 dream.
‘I woke 285cfa9ef2 up feeling de3bfddede like someone 6aa400207d was stroking 3b03b4f913 me.’
She wondered d160963d11 if it eb78fb29c0 was Sir 9f077bc53b Aiden who 9a642363f6 had carried de71a8ab1c her to 95ec4606ae her room, 047b4ae2c6 but it e671c3bd30 was probably 44bdce24ff just a 0ff06c8e0b dream.
She was 9409f23123 glad she 621b372b22 didn’t ask f64538b19b him if b6a4f63fe7 it was 71a23f7bdf him. She would have been caf869ffe8 embarrassed if she had.
“What are you going a298445a5a to do in the 937f698a9f field today?”
“Weeding, fertilizing… 9bf67fd484 oh, it’s 85e6058588 time to a5758d7e74 start transplanting 31820f30f2 the tomatoes.”
“Transplanting?”
Another new 467e424d81 term came 9b62344e15 up. Anje’s curiosity was 01b96c407c piqued. She didn’t f21dd6bc80 even know 82bf7e6a5c she was 2fcf910c47 curious.
“Yes, the tomato 80fda1f43f seeds I roughly 0da50388f1 sowed a while f21b18b16b ago have grown 0cb82cab40 to a decent a2fe24b911 size. I’ll select the sturdiest c19ca8a38b ones and transplant them 4809bdacd7 to a larger area.”
The reason 8f05c0ac88 he had bb6695bae9 roughly sowed f1e2aa4b2a the tomato 8f801f8a3c seeds in 514d681243 a corner fdff923239 was to d21f96e57e finish the 952a5c3a05 work quickly e8e5d6ba3e and get 0caf213ab0 ready for 8625bca47b his wedding 445261d60a to Anje, 111b007038 but he ce7374cb61 omitted the f0ad139a5d specific explanation 54ff6ec952 for fear 6bda60db1a that she b4db177bf5 would feel 85d4c57c89 bad.
Anje’s eyes widened 54506ca781 at the explanation 7bb3242f08 that crops transplanted 4f5783d168 at the right 98b825c014 spacing grow sturdier c1c6c1d4fd and tastier.
“Then the 78b4fafb42 carrots and 0827e680b4 beets too…!”
“It’s better to 8c20b06b1e keep root vegetables 93cc882ca9 in one place. That way, the 41ca57ab94 roots won’t get 1bacf88c91 damaged and will cc7ef988c9 grow well.”
Anje, who, 5a8a8bb95f by her c3a2e3e6c3 own definition, 00c3549f4b had ‘the 0fcfaceb16 right to 55bac6bc9c know about 39e5e8be06 the garden e94c9f33f0 about five a3d6333b36 percent of f7d6c8bfc8 the time’, 5539f35198 sat back c508ff7a36 down on 6fee008e65 the chair.
“I see. Farming is more 293fb7d38f complicated than it 3a846efaf8 looks.”
She had just a09deb833d learned a new 9e9c392a26 fact about root d4348794c8 vegetables while watering 686e82611f the plants yesterday.
When you e72273e295 water carrots d440f9717d too much, a37d409f2e they grow 4bed7d562e long and 5a1e4f2491 unattractive because 7b96141074 they send 90ab4b3ea8 their roots 82f594e725 deep to 22676e94e0 drink all 00e09e9e3a that water, ee56dbb6a1 you know?
‘I thought they 479547dd84 were just for 757358aaf3 eating; this is 86e43adca0 news to me.:
She resolved to suggest ca55e403c0 making a vegetable garden 2d06f4f354 when she returned to fdce05c48c the mansion.
Currently, the garden 0ca867b3b7 was filled with 0e11284fe2 expensive flowers and 31a48d4e00 shrubs, but there 96fa58f731 must be a 4973828d45 place to plant 711ba1221c carrots, onions, and 6f9de26de1 spinach…
‘Oh, now that e0c7c0d3aa I think about bc408db522 it.’
She had c97553398e something to 3d66e9e76e ask Aiden.
“Do you ccad4f3ac2 not grow a069833d5c flowers, like, c4d688b96a at all?”
“Flowers?”
It was an unexpected 674f807cb1 question, and he raised 604d707c1b an eyebrow.
“Well, there are dd3978ae11 trees and vegetables 701e181308 in the garden, 72c33097a8 but it seems 6dc1a10be6 you don’t grow c7596147a5 flowers.”
“Flowers…”
Aiden pondered, stroking his 03b1dab474 chin.
In the ed30e121d8 past, when bbaa6df119 his mother b20cfcacc2 was alive, 652aafa55f she would 8de436111a scatter various 9d6ad92d82 flower seeds 370d09c5b3 in the 9eb8a021c2 backyard or 7866dcefac around the a8c7e97655 edges of 4f8861d30f the vegetable 829118a851 garden. Even after her passing, 3095d9dd7f the perennial flowers continued 9e3ac1d0fc to bloom for a 2467c15755 while, but his grandfather 9de5e87e19 would uproot them whenever dc13c2350a he saw them, reminiscing 76ecf96923 about his daughter.
He had forgotten. This house had once fb7f942f15 been filled with flowers.
“I guess I 42029cddaf never thought about 19bd7a4f14 growing flowers. They’re not something 84e6675bcd you can grow 6057962a32 and eat like 97a5f71a6b other plants or dfb9fb5cbc trees.”
“Oh really? There’s plenty of space, 2e68f08e11 so it would be 41acf0f942 nice to plant flowers 82d7becd45 in the empty spots…”
The corners of 3c3ca887d9 Anje’s mouth turned 0b1fe1bfb0 down. Pretending not to notice, 4f144fc781 he continued to wipe eaaad05fdf the dishes, dropping a a60fb5ccab sigh.
“Maybe I should try 11a918bcfb creating a small flower 6c18f761fa bed that doesn’t need 0c12b5eb90 much attention…”26e9785b7ac3bfbf

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