An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 71

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#71

Anyway, worried that Gert might feel hurt, I hurriedly tried to make excuses.

“So what I meant was…”

But he approached with long strides matching his long legs and grabbed my shoulder first.

“You…”

Before I could finish speaking, Gert spun me around this way and that, checking my face and body all over. My vision kept spinning around, as if I had become a ball.

“Early…”

After looking me over like that for a while, Gert finally set me upright back in my original position. I barely suppressed the rising motion sickness and finished my sentence.

“…I’m glad you came back early. But what did you just do?”

I asked, unable to hide my bewilderment. Gert seemed to have no energy left to answer my question, sighing in relief while rubbing his face with his hands several times.

Now I noticed sweat beading on his nape and temples. If Gert was sweating this much, the return journey must have been quite a forced march, but I wondered if there was any reason to rush back this urgently.

I quickly gestured to Berta. Berta thoughtfully brought water along with a towel.

Receiving the water cup, Gert not only gulped it down in one go but also grabbed a whole bucket of water and poured it straight down his throat.

I watched Gert quench his thirst and quietly wiped away the sweat that had formed on him.

Only after a long while did Gert catch his breath and give a breathless answer.

“…Deer.”

“Huh?”

“I heard the Keryneian deer was rampaging in the city. And that you were there too.”

‘…Who delivered that news?’

My face involuntarily scrunched up. I hurriedly managed my expression and smiled brightly.

“I was there, but nothing happened. I calmed the deer down with my lyre performance. I do have some experience rolling around with you guys in the expedition, so I can handle that much.”

The memory of trembling when facing the deer had long been forgotten. Since it was all over, I proudly puffed out my chest.

“I heard about that too.”

“Then what were you worried about?”

If he heard the news that I had safely resolved it, there was no reason to worry, right? Unlike me tilting my head in puzzlement, Gert’s face darkened even more.

“The Keryneian doe isn’t an easy opponent. Even a slight graze could cause serious injury… I couldn’t feel at ease without seeing with my own eyes that you were unharmed.”

“Don’t tell me you came back in the middle because you heard that news?”

After blurting that out in surprise, I realized something strange. In the first place, when Gert was hunting due to his madness outbreak, he couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe. So it didn’t make sense for him to hear news and stop hunting.

“What about the madness? Are you okay?”

I hurriedly checked Gert’s condition. This time it was my turn to spin the other person around like a ball.

Of course, it was impossible for me to spin Gert’s heavy body around like tossing a ball in my palm with my strength. Still, thanks to Gert obediently moving along, I could examine his large body here and there without much difficulty.

Not stopping there, I placed my hand on his forehead and even flipped back his eyelids to check.

“No fever, and the eye redness is within normal range…”

According to my amateur diagnosis, the current Gert was completely fine!

Gert, who had bent his waist to let me check his eye condition, straightened up and asked as if puzzled.

“Madness? What madness?”

“Weren’t you hunting because of the madness?”

“No.”

Gert frowned and shook his head. I, who had naturally believed he left for hunting, was bewildered.

“Then why did you go to the north? I thought it was definitely for hunting.”

“…”

Suddenly Gert was at a loss for words. Gert’s eyes briefly avoided my gaze and looked into space. He couldn’t readily speak and just moved his lips for a while, then let out a deep sigh as if drawn from his lungs.

“Hilias!”

Gert shouted toward outside the room. Soon the sound of Hilias hurriedly running over after hearing the booming voice could be heard.

“Just a moment! I’m coming, ack!”

“Be careful! Should I help you with something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

As if there was some problem, noisy clattering sounds could be heard. Just as I was about to go out to check in worry, someone presumed to be Hilias suddenly appeared. It was only a presumption because something so huge that it covered even his face was cradled in his arms, making it impossible to confirm his face.

“…Calla flowers?”

I belatedly realized the identity of that huge thing. As if someone had uprooted an entire noble’s flower bed, it was full of white calla flowers in a bundle.

Gert grabbed all those flowers from Hilias. What looked like a huge bundle to Hilias just looked like he was holding an appropriately sized bouquet when Gert held it.

“Here.”

“Huh?”

I widened my eyes at the bouquet that filled my vision, thrust right up to my nose.

Was he giving it to me?

Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d received flowers as a gift from Gert. I was bewildered even while receiving the calla flowers.

“What are the flowers for?”

“You asked me what flowers would suit you. This is my answer.”

Gert nodded satisfactorily while watching me hold the flowers.

“They really do suit you well.”

Only then did I remember what I had said to Gert.

“What flowers do you think would suit me? Then I’ll try liking those flowers.”

Though I had said that, I hadn’t had even the slightest expectation that Gert would actually come back with flowers.

I blankly touched the white, broad petals. The soft texture of the petals draped like white curtains tickled my fingertips.

Having some knowledge about flowers, I knew this wasn’t calla season. Moreover, since they weren’t famous flowers, it wouldn’t have been easy to find someone growing them in a greenhouse, so how did he obtain so many flowers?

“Did you go to the north to get these flowers?”

“…Well, I didn’t go that far.”

Gert deflected while awkwardly rubbing only his nape. I could feel his ears turning bright red. This kind of situation seemed unfamiliar to him.

Gert acted like it was nothing special, but obtaining calla flowers wouldn’t have been such an easy task. Even in the north, it wasn’t calla season right now. He probably searched extensively around mountain ranges in the north where temperatures hadn’t risen yet.

Suddenly, some overwhelming emotion surged up. The flowers touching my fingertips were cold, but inside I was boiling with unknown emotions as if I had swallowed a ball of fire.

As I couldn’t say anything and just stared down at the flowers, Gert asked carefully.

“Do you like them? You don’t have to force yourself to like these flowers if they’re not your taste. I just thought they suited you well…”

At Gert’s appearance of reading my mood, I barely managed to open my mouth and express my gratitude.

“I like them very much. They’re completely my taste. I really came to love calla flowers.”

When I asked Gert to choose flowers for me, I hadn’t thought that deeply about it.

I didn’t have any favorite flowers anyway, and I wasn’t the type to attach meaning to such things.

Probably even if Gert had just picked a single flower he glimpsed while passing by, I would have readily made that flower my favorite.

But thinking that Gert had put this much effort into obtaining flowers, I couldn’t help but truly love these flowers.

I carefully removed my hand from the petals I had been touching. I was worried the petals might get crushed.

Watching me like that, Gert smiled proudly. That smile, as if he hadn’t had any hardship at all, strangely stuck to my retina for a long time.

***

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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