I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 60

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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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Chapter 60

 

“Finally!”

 

Ponia gazed at the cabin, overwhelmed with uncontainable joy.

 

Walls that stood perfectly straight without a single crack, not letting even wind through. A sturdy roof that could easily withstand even a raging storm!

 

But that wasn’t all that had changed.

 

Instead of the old door that used to fall over with a single kick, Ponia excitedly opened a door made of smooth wood without a single gap.

 

After being moved by the door that opened smoothly without a single creak, she looked at everything inside the cabin with loving eyes.

 

The dining table made of well-processed wood was lighter than the overall color of the cabin, brightening what could have been a dark atmosphere, and the bed frame was built at just the right height to match the cabin’s modest ceiling.

 

But what she liked most was the fireplace. The stones that made up the fireplace were ones Ponia had personally selected one by one.

 

The stones, stacked solidly and stably, were slightly different in size but created harmony. The flames burning within illuminated the armchair placed in front, adding warmth.

 

Though the space remained the same size, the orderly arrangement of furniture made it look much more spacious.

 

Being newly built, it was filled with the natural scent of wood.

 

The cabin that had been close to ruins was reborn with a new appearance!

 

Thinking about the warehouse repairs, the renovation work was still far from over, but that was Chad’s problem to handle. She had no intention of pressuring him either.

 

‘Now who would think this place was a ruin!’

 

Of course, except for her as the forest keeper, no one had ever made any particular evaluation of the cabin, but that wasn’t really important.

 

‘I think I could die here without any regrets.’

 

Though she was merely a forest keeper who owned the cabin for only 6 months, it was still completely her home.

 

It was incomparably more stable than constantly running around using the manor as collateral to solve money problems.

 

For Ponia, who had always wanted her own home, this moment was when her dream came true.

 

“Even I think it’s well-made, but is it enough to bring you to tears?”

 

“I can think of over twenty craftsmen who could build better than this house right now.”

 

Behind Ponia, who was getting teary-eyed and couldn’t take her eyes off the cabin, Chad and Sionel were watching her with puzzled expressions.

 

“Could it be that living in a forest cabin was her dream?”

 

“That can’t be it.”

 

“Or maybe she lived such a hard life that she’d be moved by a cabin like this?”

 

“…Could that be it?”

 

For the first time, the two who had made power struggles and rivalry their daily routine were on the same page.

 

Sionel watched her back with complicated feelings.

 

Getting teary-eyed, then excited again. Why did Ponia, who was exploring this small cabin with joy like a child entering a beautiful garden, seem both cute and pitiful?

 

‘Isn’t it actually good that I can’t go home? What’s the point when I’d just get angry clashing with family anyway?’

 

‘For reference, I’m not stealing. I’m taking back what’s mine. And only exactly what was taken!’

 

‘I’ll pay off my debts with the forest keeper’s salary.’

 

Moments that gave glimpses into Ponia’s circumstances came to mind.

 

All of Sionel’s encounters with Ponia had been mere fleeting moments.

 

The beautifully dressed daughter of Baron Harvel at the imperial banquet alongside other young ladies, the woman who had to infiltrate a crime guild after having her money stolen, and now the forest keeper of a forest so dangerous she had to risk her life.

 

Just as he was thinking he should ask her about her exact circumstances once more, Ponia suddenly turned her head and approached Chad without hesitation.

 

“Chad! You really are a repairman!”

 

“I’ve already told you several times, so why couldn’t you believe it?”

 

But Ponia didn’t even listen to his answer and excitedly listed the aesthetic qualities of this cabin.

 

Mentioning elements that neither Sionel, who still couldn’t feel the difference from other cabins, nor even Chad himself, who had rebuilt this cabin, had thought about.

 

However, Chad, an excellent assassin skilled at managing his expressions, naturally steered her words while smiling and listening to Ponia’s story.

 

“As promised, I finished the cabin repairs within the deadline, so now it’s Nia’s turn to keep her promise, right?”

 

Ponia, who had been talking rapidly in her excitement, paused and tilted her head before remembering her deal with him.

 

‘Right, the date.’

 

A date. Even among conservative nobles, dates were quite common.

 

Though they mainly occurred between engaged couples, even when it was obvious that nobles had married for their families’ interests, they valued what was visible.

 

It was a distant story for Ponia, who had been running around cleaning up her family’s messes.

 

“When do you want to go on a date?”

 

Though she had agreed without thinking, they were in the middle of a forest where monsters appeared. Even if Chad had such an easygoing personality that he didn’t care much about his surroundings, surely he wouldn’t do it here…

 

“Now.”

 

He would.

 

“Now?”

 

She could easily imagine a future where they’d encounter monsters during a date and end up running away.

 

Chad would probably enjoy even that as a unique kind of date.

 

As Ponia forced herself to nod, Chad grinned.

 

“Of course, I’d be fine with right now, but the location is too limited, isn’t it? So let’s do it later. When we leave this forest. When I want to.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“Wow, so we’ll keep seeing each other even after we get out?”

 

Would that be the case?

 

When working under a false name, she tried not to get involved with others for fear of her identity being discovered, but meeting him as Nia rather than Ponia Harbel seemed like it would be fine.

 

“Sio won’t interfere when that time comes, right?”

 

Oh no.

 

Only then recognizing Sionel’s presence, Ponia looked back at him with anxious eyes.

 

She had already rejected his confession, and lately she had been maintaining her distance without letting her guard down against his attitude of trying to accommodate whatever she said.

 

If it were Sionel, he would definitely oppose it.

 

“If Nia wants it.”

 

Was this person going to say something uncharacteristic again?

 

As she looked at him in bewilderment, Sionel smiled as if painted on.

 

“Do whatever you want.”

 

With his voice so soft it was almost seductive, showing not a trace of displeasure, he seemed just like the gentle Sionel she had met three years ago.

 

Ominously so.

 

* * *

 

Why didn’t I think of this situation?

 

The cabin repairs being finished meant she could sleep in the cabin again.

 

At the same time, it also meant she had to be alone with Sionel in the same space.

 

She was briefly tempted by Chad’s offer to sleep with Sionel in the warehouse, but Sionel insisted on staying in the cabin, saying that as her cousin with a weak constitution, he was more comfortable sleeping with family.

 

Chad seemed to be saying something to him with his eyes, but Sionel maintained a calm expression. Judging by how Chad went down with a very displeased face, the conversation didn’t go well.

 

“You two really seem to have gotten close lately.”

 

“I’ll never be close with that bastard.”

 

There was no need to turn serious so quickly.

 

“Shall we sleep, Ponia?”

 

She flinched.

 

Sionel, who had settled on the floor, called out to her. He probably called out casually, but to her it sounded different.

 

‘It was just words without any intention. I shouldn’t get worked up by myself.’

 

Ponia managed her expression as she lay down on the bed.

 

Just in case he might do something unexpected, she focused all her attention, when a low voice drifted up from below.

 

“I won’t do anything.”

 

As if noticing her anxiety, Sionel reassured her in a tone more gentle and calm than usual.

 

“I won’t do anything you don’t want.”

 

“…”

 

“I’ll stay like this, so just don’t distance yourself from me.”

 

And when he didn’t add anything more, Ponia spoke again.

 

“Are you sleeping?”

 

“No. I can’t fall asleep.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“It’s too dark.”

 

At his answer, Ponia hurriedly sat up. Sionel had trouble being alone in enclosed spaces.

 

After showing his struggle once, he hadn’t shown it again, but he might have been forcing himself to endure it.

 

“Are you having trouble breathing?”

 

“Yeah, it’s suffocating.”

 

Blaming herself for her thoughtlessness as she looked down, Sionel extended his hand to her with a calm expression.

 

“So, hold my hand.”

 

“…”

 

“I’m scared, Ponia.”

 

Was it just her imagination that this hand somehow seemed like the devil’s touch?

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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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