I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 70

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought this was a healing farming game.
Chapter 70

‘I know there’s a saying about getting your foot stepped on by the very axe you trust. But I’ve learned that’s not always how things work out.’
Kaies watched my reaction with an amused smirk, then proposed something as if nothing had happened.
“We were just about to grab a meal. Want to join us, princess?”
“…Dinner? With whom?”
“Siard. Me. And you.”
“Ah… where will you eat? At a tavern?”
“Yeah. Too much hassle to cook. Why? Did you have somewhere else in mind?”
“No, not really… well, okay. Let’s go!”
“What? Why did you hesitate?”
“I was planning to make tomato spaghetti today. I still haven’t used the tomato sauce I made during the village festival.”
“Spaghetti works fine.”
“Really?”
“Let’s go, princess.”
With those words, somehow the dinner location got decided—my house.
‘I was just going to throw something together.’
With a guest coming over, I felt an odd pressure to make something more presentable.
“Can I lie down?”
“Sure. There’s a sofa over there.”
Kaies stretched out on the sofa the moment he entered, settling into it with his eyes closed in comfort.
Watching him lie there without a shred of caution in someone else’s home, I shrugged.
‘He trusts no one, yet he naps on other people’s sofas without hesitation.’
When Siard rolled up his sleeves, offering to help, I shooed him out of the kitchen, telling him to read a book if he was bored.
With the guest here, I decided to stick with the tomato spaghetti and just add a salad on the side.
While the pasta cooked, I sautéed onions, mushrooms, and bacon, then added the tomato sauce and pasta water, simmering it until it thickened.
Once I finished the salad with dressing, the rich aroma of tomato filled the house.
‘Smells good. This will be delicious.’
“…Kaies.”
Between the bubbling sounds, I heard two voices.
I turned to see Siard standing over Kaies with a book in hand.
“What were you thinking, giving me this?”
Siard’s voice was sharper than usual.
Still holding a dish, I tilted my body slightly to observe them both.
Kaies, reclining on his side with his head against the sofa’s armrest, looked up at Siard with a lazy grin.
“It’s entertaining.”
What on earth was this conversation about?
‘Did Kaies give me something strange?’
I tilted my head and tried to read the title of the book in Siard’s hands.
‘Secret…’
Part of the title was hidden by Siard’s palm, but I recognized it quickly enough.
It was the book Kaies had given me not long ago—Secret Space Interior.
“It’s not entertaining at all.”
“Are you seriously upset? Over something like this?”
Siard exhaled sharply.
The sigh sounded oddly like someone genuinely annoyed.
I stopped transferring the spaghetti and hurried to intervene.
“Are you two fighting? Don’t fight. What’s this about?”
“…It’s nothing. We were just talking.”
The moment he looked at me, his voice softened, but I studied Kaies with an uneasy expression.
“Kaies, was that book weird or something?”
I gestured at the book in Siard’s hands, and Kaies shook his head.
“What? You didn’t read it?”
“I did read it… It looked really useful for creating storage spaces.”
Even as I spoke, I glanced at Siard’s expression. He wasn’t showing it, but the atmosphere around him was unmistakably heavy.
“Isn’t that right? I merely gave her a useful book as a gift.”
For a moment, something sharp flickered in Siard’s gaze as he looked at Kaies.
But it vanished just as quickly.
“Um… I’ll bring the spaghetti right away! Both of you, please have a seat at the table.”
Sensing the atmosphere might grow more awkward if I lingered, I hastily steered the conversation toward food.
I hurried to the kitchen, divided the finished spaghetti onto plates, added a salad on the side, and brought everything to the table.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Thank you for the meal.”
“Hehe. Please, enjoy!”
I picked at my salad while stealing glances at the two of them.
Kaies, who usually had a modest appetite, was eating far better than expected, and I found myself watching him more than I should whenever he twirled the spaghetti onto his fork and brought it to his mouth.
“You’re going to stare a hole right through my face, Princess.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I was just curious whether it suited your taste.”
“It’s delicious.”
“Really?”
Judging from Kaies’s expression, he wasn’t being polite.
“Mm-hmm.”
He nodded seriously and finished the spaghetti with deliberate, unhurried movements.
When I saw the plate completely empty moments later, I felt a quiet swell of satisfaction.
‘Is this what Grandmother felt whenever she watched me eat well and always asked if I wanted more?’
“Would you like another serving?”
“I’m stuffed.”
He shook his head firmly, his face clearly signaling he couldn’t manage another bite.
“Then I won’t insist. Thank you for eating so well.”
I smiled contentedly and carried the empty plate to the sink.
“You’re quite skilled at cooking.”
“I enjoy it. I’ve been doing it since I was young.”
After the meal, I brought out fruit and yogurt as a palate cleanser.
Kaies frowned slightly at the fruit plate.
“I’m full.”
“Just a taste, just a taste.”
Perhaps this impulse to keep feeding someone who says they’re full was also something I’d inherited from Grandmother.
At my urging, he cleaned every last bit of the snacks I’d prepared.
“Delicious, isn’t it? It’s wonderful to see someone eating with such appetite.”
After we’d talked for a while, the time came for the two of them to leave.
“Safe travels, you two! Next time, let me know in advance. I’ll prepare something even better.”
“You mean you’ll make us eat even more than today?”
“Of course!”
Kaies shook his head with an exasperated look, and I laughed at the sight of him.
Though it had been a hastily arranged meal, it had turned out to be an enjoyable time.
Still, I never did figure out why the two of them had engaged in such a tense exchange over that one book.

* * *

The day of the village council meeting.
I stretched my arms across the desk and slumped forward.
“When will this monsoon ever end? There’s so much rain I can’t go anywhere, and I’m absolutely bored out of my mind.”
The Twins, hearing my complaint, each took one of my hands from their respective sides.
“It’s okay, Miel.”
“We’re here with you.”
“Aha-ha-ha.”
Their small, adorable voices made me burst into laughter.
Priam, who had been listening to our exchange, leaned toward me with bright, eager eyes.
“Then why don’t you come over to my place tomorrow? They say it’ll rain all day, so let’s watch movies and play at home.”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“Yeah. On rainy days I’m mostly stuck at home anyway, so I get bored too.”
“That sounds amazing. This is going to be so fun! I’m moved that you all take such good care of me.”
Still holding hands with the Twins, I pretended to wipe away tears.
But watching the children calmly hold my hand despite my theatrics, my heart melted away.
‘This is nice…’
Just having these lovely little creatures close by was enough to warm my heart.
“Come visit our house too, not just Priam’s.”
“Come to our place, Miel.”
Eun-yu and Yu-eun spoke almost in unison.
I nodded eagerly, my face brightening.
“Of course. Next time I’ll bring snacks and come play!”
Eun-yu regarded me quietly with an expressionless face, then parted those small, delicate lips like a doll’s.
“We like Miel.”
“You like me? I like Eun-yu too! And Yu-eun.”
“Miel appeals to us.”
Caught off guard by the sudden flood of praise, I shrugged my shoulders and broke into a giddy grin.
“Oh my, how embarrassing.”
“Miel is nice.”
As the Twins murmured in perfect sync, an Affinity increase notification appeared above their heads.
I was too busy being happy to catch the exact number, but it seemed to have risen quite a bit.
More than the numbers themselves, I felt a warmth bloom inside me knowing that I was gradually growing closer to the villagers.

* * *

The next afternoon, I arrived at Priam’s House at the promised time.
True to the forecast of rain all day, the sky hung heavy and gray.
I shouldered a bag of comfortable clothes and knocked on the door.

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