(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 29

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

Chapter 29

“…?”

What, what, what is he saying.

That I wore a pink dress to show off to him.

On the contrary, I wore the pink dress because I didn’t have an appointment with you.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say the words that had risen to my throat. It would be strange to say that outright.

Having missed the timing to respond, I silently focused on looking ahead and descending the mountain.

The atmosphere was indescribably awkward, but it didn’t really bother me.

“….”

No. It bothers me tremendously.

The pink hem of my dress kept catching on trees and scraping against stones, his footsteps falling incredibly slowly to match my pace, and that persistent gaze lingering on the back of my head – it was all so irritating I could barely stand it.

What bothered me most of all was-.

‘He’s not mistaking this as me being interested in him, is he.’

It was an assumption born from his overly confident remarks.

Of course, Baron is handsome and capable, and though his personality is a bit strange, he has good self-awareness, so he’s probably been popular his whole life.

Just like Milo.

Milo, who was once Cromwell Castle’s scandal maker and famous as everyone’s mother’s friend’s son.

With his warm face, tall height, easygoing personality, decent job, and family money, every marriageable woman in Cromwell Castle at the time was after him.

According to the Herb Gatherers’ testimony, there were dozens of duels between women over Milo, and in the end, Milo married the prettiest woman from the wealthiest family in the castle.

And now, ten years later, he’s had twelve affairs. To be precise, he’s been caught twelve times.

I’ll say it again – when it comes to men, a solid potato is the best. When a man has too many things going for him, he’s bound to wander.

But today, it seemed I was destined to be the one wandering.

“Ahhh!”

Having misstepped in the mud puddle at the mountain entrance, I grabbed Baron’s hastily extended arm and slipped ungracefully.

My brand new dress, purchased yesterday, slid beautifully across the muddy ground. If Baron hadn’t wrapped his arms around my shoulders, I would have cracked my skull.

Anna’s words about wearing it right away and rolling around anywhere had become reality.

‘Ugh.’

Still, the mud on the dress could be dried and brushed off, so that was fine…

Baron, who slipped with me, was not fine.

Having thrown himself to catch me, the entire right side of his body from head to toe was buried in the mud.

I scrambled up in horror and checked his condition.

“Baron, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

He lay still as if dead, then began laughing with a chuckling sound from his throat.

Whatever he found so amusing, he had no intention of getting up and was busy rubbing his handsome face in the mud.

“Baron… sir?”

“Yes, Miss Hazel.”

“Why are you doing that? Are you hurt?”

“Ah, it’s not that.”

“Then…”

“Don’t I look like a potato now.”

“Pardon?”

What kind of stream of consciousness nonsense is that.

Does he think just covering yourself in dirt makes you a potato?

Unable to understand the context of his words, I stared down at his face blankly.

His dirtied face looked less like a potato and more like a pearl buried in mud. The kind of face that glows on its own and reveals its presence no matter how much you try to hide it.

“Miss Hazel.”

“Yes?”

“On your cheek…”

He trailed off and reached his clean hand toward me.

His fingertips brushed across my cheek as if drawing a diagonal line. His playful gaze settled calmly.

“You have mud on it.”

“Ah…”

“On your dress too.”

“…”

“It was pretty.”

His voice sounded somehow dejected. I should be the one sad about the ruined dress, but he seemed more disappointed.

Did he like the pink dress?

Or perhaps me wearing it…

‘It was pretty.’

His quiet voice echoed repeatedly in my ears.

An uncomfortable silence came, making my mouth go dry.

The air was so quiet I couldn’t even breathe loudly.

Baron’s hand, which had been wandering in the air, touched my cheek again. His touch was quite gentle as he removed the hair stuck with mud and tucked it behind my ear.

Just like Felix would.

Baron broke the silence first and spoke. His fingertip pointed beneath my right foot.

“Miss Hazel, is this perhaps…”

It was my sketchbook, horribly crushed.

“Oh no! Those were today’s sketches!”

I jumped up and picked up the sketchbook.

Please, please, please.

I prayed the drawings would be intact as I turned the pages, but-.

“No, this can’t be.”

The paper with the white claw grass and lantern flower drawings was crumpled up, and mud had gotten on it in places, dirtying the pictures.

I quietly despaired. I thought about going back up the mountain to draw again, but today’s artistic spirit had already died out, and I didn’t have confidence I could draw pictures this good again.

“Sigh…”

Baron approached close behind me as I sighed sadly.

His chest, which didn’t have mud on it, pressed gently against my shoulder.

His handsome face suddenly squeezed between my shoulder and neck. His fine hair tickled my nape.

Even covered in mud, he still smelled refreshingly of pine.

“Did you draw these yourself?”

“Yes. They were going to be pictures for the labels of Sleepy Gentle and Sleepy Strong. Now they can’t be used.”

“Miss Hazel, you’re truly talented. It’s not easy for a person to be this multi-gifted…”

Baron introduced himself while slyly taking my sketchbook.

Then he rubbed his muddy finger across the lantern flower sketch.

Startled, I swallowed a gasp in shock.

“Baron, what are you…”

“This has a nice feel to it.”

“Pardon?”

He grinned and returned the sketchbook to me.

The mud mark running horizontally across the lantern flower was quite…

‘Artistic, isn’t it?’

I had to acknowledge the city person’s sense of aesthetics.

The wild pencil sketch, the randomly crumpled paper, the intentional touch of mud marks. The combination of these three elements came together exquisitely.

I’ve never properly studied art so I can’t be certain, but it seemed like it would sell for much more than a simply well-drawn picture.

I transferred mud from my skirt to my finger and wiped it along the white claw grass drawing. A yellowish vertical line was drawn following the white claw grass.

“It looks good.”

“It really does.”

“How artistic. You have quite the sense for it.”

I feel like that should be my line.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Baron. I could use this design for the label as is. No, it’s much better than before.”

I smiled awkwardly and expressed my gratitude. Baron smiled contentedly as if he was genuinely happy about my success.

“I’m glad I could be of help to you, Miss Hazel.”

***

“Hazel, what on earth happened to you.”

Felix took one look at my appearance when I arrived at the shop and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

He seemed quite satisfied that my new dress had become a worn-out dress in just one day.

“I rolled around in the mud.”

“Anyone with eyes can see that much. You really drew with passion, didn’t you.”

“…Something like that. I guess I ignited my artistic soul after a long time.”

The image of the man who had rolled in the mud with me flashed before my eyes, but I shamelessly changed the subject.

I had no choice. If I told the truth, Baron might end up buried in a mud pit. I couldn’t do that to the benefactor who upgraded my drawing into a work of art.

Anyway, I’ve been hiding a lot from Felix lately, so I was hesitantly looking around as I entered the shop, when Felix frowned and waved his hands dismissively.

It meant for me to get out.

“You’re going to come into the shop looking like that?”

“It’s dried mud, so it doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. Every time you walk, mud will crumble onto the floor.”

“Felix will clean that up for me.”

“Says who.”

“Says me.”

When I acted shamelessly, Felix let out a deflated laugh.

His cheerful dimples deepened.

“Ha, I don’t know who the real troublemaker is here. Are you seven years old?”

“Yes. I sold off my fifteen years.”

“Good grief, I can’t live like this.”

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