(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 20

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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 20

It’s nothing new to say, but there’s nothing Baron can’t do.

‘Wow…’

I watched Baron tending to the lantern flowers with eyes full of admiration and awe.

With his thick hands and forearms bulging with veins, he held delicate tweezers as thin as dragonfly legs, moving with such precision that not a single petal was crushed.

‘No heavy lifting today. The muscles are temporarily closed for business.’

Baron’s massive arms were as sculpturally perfect as his face.

Rather than those chiseled muscles, I prefer the haphazardly attached muscles typical of country folk…, wait, what am I even thinking? What kind of thoughts am I having while watching someone work hard?

Anyway, let me introduce these flowers – the lantern flowers got their name because they light up the mountains like lanterns when night falls.

The mysterious petals can be used as lantern substitutes until they wither, but the true value of these flowers lies in their thorn-like sharp sepals.

When these sepals are inserted into the skin, even people suffering from severe insomnia can fall into deep sleep immediately. There are no side effects either.

The problem is that the processing difficulty is extremely high.

The sepals are so thin they break easily, and there are countless people who fall asleep after being pricked while trying to separate them.

That’s why I knew it takes a long time to carefully extract just the sepals with tweezers…

But Baron was indeed different.

His eyes fixed on the flowers didn’t waver even slightly, and his hands moved so fast that afterimages remained wherever they went, making it look like he had ten hands.

‘Really amazing… Maybe this kind of work requires more muscle than I thought.’

To think such a talent essential to countryside villages was wasting away in the city. If we had just three people like Baron, our village would have become wealthy.

I kept my gaze fixed on him while fumblingly picking up flower petals that had fallen to the ground.

For reference, I have nothing to do today either.

Baron asked me to gather the remaining flowers and make lantern flower bouquets, but honestly, I don’t understand why.

Bouquets made from lantern flowers do emit a gentle light until the petals wither, which is pretty.

But they wither quickly, so by the time we reach Cromwell Castle, they’ll have already lost their light. In other words, they have no commercial value.

Still, since I’m properly receiving wages for this work, I can’t do it carelessly, so I diligently made the bouquets.

‘It’s a shame that the parts where the sepals were are empty. I should insert some clover in those spots.’

I picked some clover from around the cottage and inserted them into the center of the flowers.

As they say, if you’re going to do something, do it right – even the same product sells better if it’s pretty. I may not look it, but I’m a general store owner, so I have an eye for recognizing beautiful things.

While I was turning the completed bouquet this way and that, I felt an obvious gaze from across the way.

‘What? Why is he looking?’

Maybe he doesn’t like that I added clover? Should I take it out again?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant. Fortunately, shortly after, a positive comment flowed from Baron’s mouth.

“It’s beautiful.”

At those words, a smile mixed with relief naturally spread across my face. I asked again in an excited voice.

“Really? I did well adding the clover, right?”

“Ah, the clover.”

“…?”

“Not bad.”

“???”

What? Wasn’t he saying the bouquet was beautiful?

Baron is fine in every way, but his way of speaking is often ambiguous.

Shortly after, when the processing of one basket of lantern flowers was finished, instead of bringing another basket, Baron unpacked the basket he had brought.

“Shall we have lunch first?”

“Sounds good. I’ll eat well.”

I usually eat hearty breakfasts and dinners, but I tend to keep lunch simple with just fruit and biscuits.

It’s not just me – most village people are like that. Busy people sometimes skip lunch altogether.

So even though Baron said he brought a lunch box, I didn’t have high expectations. I expected a simple sandwich with brown bread, ham, and cheese, but-

“Oh my.”

Baron was indeed extraordinary.

From his basket emerged foods comparable to a full dinner course.

Salad topped with cheese and strawberry sauce, cream soup loaded with mushrooms, bacon-wrapped roasted potatoes, and even a sandwich stuffed with a whole beef steak.

‘I wouldn’t eat this much even at a birthday party.’

Amazingly, this wasn’t the end. Baron was a man who even prepared dessert.

When a pound cake topped with honey-glazed dried figs appeared, my mouth dropped open.

Baron’s mischievous eyes curved beautifully.

“I prepared something simple. I hope it suits your taste.”

“Simple…, this is simple… you say?”

I know you’ve been earning good money lately, but at this rate you’ll squander your fortune on food expenses.

“It’s my first meal with Miss Hazel, so I couldn’t prepare something too modest.”

“Ah…”

The mention of “first meal” made the back of my neck tingle. I know Baron said it without any particular meaning, but countryside women are prone to misunderstanding such words.

‘City men, really.’

I was about to warn Baron that if he keeps talking like that, he might get caught by some woman, but I blocked my mouth with the sandwich instead.

“Mmm.”

The moment I bit into the steak sandwich, a groan-like exclamation burst out.

The thick meat was impossibly tender. The meat slid between my teeth like pudding and glided down my throat.

Even though it had cooled, flavorful juices spread throughout my mouth. It was a taste that could make the blind open their eyes.

It wasn’t just the sandwich that was excellent. The salad, soup, roasted potatoes, and dessert were all top-notch.

If Felix is the ultimate master of home cooking, Baron could get hired as a chef at Cromwell Castle.

“It’s so delicious. So tender and rich, I don’t know how to describe it…”

Anyway, it was delicious to the point where my poor vocabulary felt frustrating.

“Everyone would believe it if you said you used to work as a chef.”

“I have handled knives before.”

“Did you learn cooking?”

“I’m quick to learn anything.”

“…?”

“…”

“You know our conversation is connecting strangely, right?”

“I find it interesting.”

I wore an awkward smile and terminated the conversation myself.

Baron is really a mysterious person. Making someone feel more distant the closer they get isn’t easy to do. This could be considered a talent too.

***

After lunch, we finished processing one more basket of lantern flowers, completing today’s work.

We got a whopping 300 lantern flower sepals, and about 20 bouquets of various sizes from small to large.

I received three silver coins as wages, same as yesterday. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, nonsensical words popped out.

“Thank you, Baron. I wasn’t going to say this, but you saved my life. As you know, tax day is coming soon.”

“I also asked for help because I needed Miss Hazel.”

Knowing it wasn’t true, my embarrassed smile deepened.

Baron sometimes seems impossible to communicate with, but he rarely misses the timing for such touching words.

“Oh, right. There was something I wanted to ask you, Baron. Do you have a moment?”

“As much time as you need.”

I took out the newspaper I read yesterday from my basket and handed it to Baron.

“I saw articles in the newspaper about purification water cosmetics and health drinks. Do these things really sell in the city?”

Baron readily agreed.

“Certainly, purification water is used for various purposes in the city. Research on the efficacy of purification water is also being conducted from multiple angles.”

“Then would products like these sell too?”

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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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