(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 70

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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 70

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll use the ointment well.”

“Thank you? We’re the ones who should be grateful. I’m so relieved that the trading caravan liked the sample products.”

“Of course. If you compare soup with seasoning to soup without seasoning, there’s no way they wouldn’t like it.”

“You’re the one who came up with that idea, Hazel. Whenever I run into Anna these days, she only talks about praising you. She says you’re our village’s lucky charm.”

I smiled bashfully with my eyelids lowered. While I was very happy about the praise and recognition, I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.

“What did I do…? It’s only natural to help out and live together in Ruden Village.”

Monica’s large, warm hand gently stroked my back. Her emotional and firm voice clearly pierced my ears.

“Hazel, I’m telling you this because you really don’t seem to know how amazing the things you’re doing are…”

“…?”

“Thanks to you, more people are working at the glass workshop and leather workshop. People who were worrying about taxes day by day and making do with oat porridge have started buying bread, so Maria’s Bakery’s sales have gone up too.”

My surprised lips opened into a round shape.

I had never expected that the increase in Golden Sundries Shop’s sales would lead to an increase in Maria’s bakery sales.

“These days, customers are even coming from Cromwell Castle after hearing rumors about Golden Sundries Shop. Thanks to that, the candy shop and bookshop are getting more customers too, aren’t they?”

I shook my dazed face from side to side.

She chuckled as if she knew this would happen. Her gentle eyes, filled with warmth, folded softly.

“You don’t know how grateful the herb gatherers are. They thought they’d only be exploited their whole lives, but they never imagined they’d be able to sell herbs for a fair price. Do you know how excited the herb gatherers get every time they go up the mountain since the day you called the hawk?”

“…”

My eyes stung, so I pressed my lips tightly together. I wanted to say something in response, but if I opened my mouth, tears would probably come pouring out first.

But the moment I heard Monica’s last words, I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer.

“Thanks to you, Ruden Village is becoming lively.”

“…”

Transparent droplets rolled down over my tightly closed jaw.

She silently pulled me into her arms and hugged me.

“Thank you, Hazel.”

Like comforting a praiseworthy child, like soothing a pitiful child.

My throat choked up at the constant warmth.

***

Before my eyes could swell up, I rubbed away my tears and let the increasingly warm wind dry my face.

“It’s hot…”

Still, the wind is cool when standing in the shade or after the sun sets. They say summer is cooler in mountain villages than on flat land, but the sunlight is harsh during the day, probably because we’re closer to the sun.

“This is terrible. I never thought there’d be a day when I wouldn’t open the shop by this time.”

It was well past 8 AM.

I was walking up in the opposite direction from the shop, holding the ointment I received from Monica. At the end of my gaze, I could see a cottage that was falling apart. Our house, that is.

Even though I was skipping work without even opening the shop, instead of feeling rushed, I felt strangely good.

Today’s first reservation is at 10 o’clock. Customers might come before then, but Felix’s feet are more important than customers.

This damn brother of mine won’t even disinfect his injuries and will walk around like that if I don’t personally apply medicine for him. It’s the only thing that scoundrel Felix and unicorn Felix have in common.

Imagining him chattering about how injuries heal with just some spit the day before I’m supposed to apply medicine made anger surge up in me.

Felix is always like that. He makes a huge fuss if I get even a tiny scratch on my body, but he wouldn’t bat an eye even if one of his own limbs flew off.

‘I don’t like it. I’ll have to give him a good scolding later.’

I approached the door quietly, worried about waking Felix who was sleeping soundly. I grabbed the door handle and was about to turn it when—

“…please pass along my regards.”

I heard Felix’s voice from inside the door.

‘What? Wasn’t he sleeping? Who is he talking to? Felix wouldn’t have brought someone else into the house. Is there someone standing outside the window?’

I held my breath and brought my ear close to the wooden door.

I couldn’t miss this golden opportunity to dig into Felix’s secrets that had been suspicious for the past few months.

However, from inside there was only a rustling sound like paper being unfolded. It seemed like they were exchanging words, but it was hard to make out clearly.

Then—

“…confirmed.”

The moment I heard another man’s voice that wasn’t Felix’s, my heart skipped a beat.

‘Baron?’

I couldn’t be certain since it was heard so briefly, but it was definitely Baron’s voice.

There was no way I couldn’t distinguish that uniquely low and languid tone.

My heart was pounding. I pressed my ear even closer to the crack in the wood.

‘Why are Felix and Baron together?’

Baron has been living in our village for a long time now, so it wouldn’t be strange for villagers to chat as they come and go.

However, Felix had been wary of Baron from the first day he saw him. He even put some unheard-of false accusation of being an “assassin” on him and threatened me not to even make eye contact with him.

From then on, he treated Baron as if he didn’t exist at all. I also refrained from mentioning him because I didn’t want to accidentally flip Felix’s scoundrel switch.

That was the end of Baron and Felix’s relationship. At least as far as I knew.

‘Please pass along my regards.’

Felix said such words to Baron?

The more I thought about it, the more my doubts wouldn’t go away. But one thing was certain: Felix wasn’t as wary of Baron as he used to be.

I waited to eavesdrop on their suspicious conversation, but I couldn’t even hear any signs of people inside the house. The inside of my cheek that I had been unconsciously chewing stung painfully.

Whether Baron had left or not, what broke the long silence was Felix’s muttering to himself.

“Ha, I need to buy socks. Hazel’s going to scold me.”

“…”

If you knew, you should have bought them earlier.

If you had worn a couple of thick socks layered together, your feet wouldn’t have gotten so messed up.

I squeezed my eyes shut to suppress my rising irritation. Step by step, his feet that had walked toward the kitchen stopped in front of the dining table.

“Oh…”

It seemed he had discovered the sandwich. Felix immediately pulled out a chair, sat down, and bit into the sandwich.

The sound of the tough, hard baguette being crushed by his teeth came regularly.

As he ate the sandwich silently, he cleared his throat as if evaluating it and muttered quietly.

“It’s a bit disappointing…”

…

…

Why?

This time I followed the recipe perfectly and made it without exercising any creativity.

What went wrong?

As I rolled my reopened eyes around, a voice full of bewilderment hit my ears.

“Why is it delicious?”

…

…

Ah.

That’s the problem. That makes sense. Although “disappointing because it’s delicious” is a sentence that doesn’t make sense, Felix could say that.

I wandered around, unable to decide whether I should be happy or sad, then suddenly turned the door handle.

Whatever the case, I wanted to startle my annoying brother.

“Felix, are you awake?”

I saw Felix’s back as he heated up a pot of stew, probably because the meal wasn’t enough.

I could clearly feel his panic from his round head and broad back.

Soon his stiff body slowly turned toward me. He looked at me as if he had seen a ghost and stammered.

“H-Hazel…?”

He only called my name, but I could almost hear the unspoken words asking why I was here.

I shamelessly composed my expression and held out the ointment in my hand.

“Your foot is injured, Felix.”

I’ve seen it all. You fool.

***

I left that infuriating Felix at home and went to work at the shop alone.

Felix couldn’t come to work today. I threatened that if he stepped foot outside the house, I wouldn’t speak to him for a whole week.

‘Hazel, I’m not hurt. This kind of wound is nothing to me.’

‘Shut up and apply your medicine.’

‘I’m really fine-.’

‘If you keep talking back, I’ll sleep somewhere else tonight.’

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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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