(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 90

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

Chapter 90

“A pre-order of 1,000 honeycomb loofah insoles total, and I can deliver additional quantities in bundles of 100 to the Bashar Merchant Guild. Would that work?”

“Good.”

As I wrote down numbers in the thousands on the invoice, I realized how much my business sense had grown.

I wasn’t surprised or intimidated by large orders anymore.

The Duke took out an expensive-looking fountain pen from his coat and elegantly signed the invoice. Truly a noble among nobles. Even his handwriting was neat and elegant.

“How much inventory do you have right now?”

“I only have the quantity that the Bashar Merchant Guild pre-ordered… but I can give you about thirty right away. I’ll provide these as a complimentary service.”

The Imperial Army that visited Ruden Village this time totaled thirty men.

At my sensible answer that I would take care of their share first, the Duke’s lips curved into a gentle arc.

“You have excellent business acumen.”

“Th-thank you for the compliment.”

“I’m not just saying that. I’m usually stingy with praise.”

“…”

I knew that. Every time the Imperial Army visited the village, I would hear voices complaining about the Duke’s strictness.

That’s why the Duke’s unusually friendly attitude toward me was even more puzzling.

When Monica or Felix were nearby, it wasn’t to this extent, but now…

‘It’s, it’s overwhelming.’

He was looking at me with eyes that seemed almost honey-glazed.

If his status weren’t that of a Duke, I might mistake him for someone about to ask me on a date.

‘I don’t know where to look.’

Usually I would look customers in the eye and respond with a bright smile, but right now I simply couldn’t do that.

Like being unable to look directly at the sun, I kept finding myself looking down.

And for good reason – golden hair that seemed spun from sunlight, fresh green eyes like summer foliage, and perfectly sculpted features like a flawlessly crafted gem.

His face was literally self-luminous.

Just having such a face nearby was overwhelming enough, but with him staring at me so intently with those, those kinds of eyes, it was difficult to maintain my composure.

But it absolutely wasn’t that I was enchanted by the Duke’s face, as Felix had warned.

Rather, it was closer to feeling fear. Like the first day I saw Baron.

Because of his uniquely dangerous aura and overly perfect face, I had been unusually tense, unlike myself.

Still, I was grateful that the Duke wasn’t more handsome than Baron. If he had been, I would have been too frightened to even breathe by now.

‘This is why plain potatoes are good. Being next to them puts your mind at ease.’

I took slow, deep breaths to find peace of mind as I packaged thirty insoles.

His blatant gaze slowly moved between my fingertips and the top of my head.

He could look somewhere else, but I had no idea why he was staring so persistently.

Thinking it would be better to say something, I initiated conversation first.

“Is Felix still not finished with work?”

“Ah.”

The Duke made a surprised sound, as if he hadn’t expected me to speak to him.

“Felix went deeper in with three elites.”

“It’s not a dangerous place, is it?”

I slightly raised my eyes to check the Duke’s reaction.

When our gazes actually met, the Duke cleared his throat and turned his head to the side.

“Felix treats it like his own backyard, going in and out.”

“Felix isn’t causing any trouble, is he?”

“Not at all. He’s being a great help. His movements are excessively light for his build. If he learned proper swordsmanship, he’d be good enough to compete with Imperial Army officers.”

My shoulders flinched at the words “Imperial Army.”

It was good that the Duke evaluated Felix positively, but…

I looked up at him again with frightened puppy-like eyes and asked casually.

“Are you thinking of taking Felix into the Imperial Army?”

Once I said it, it seemed like a ridiculous question.

Taking some rural young man who hadn’t even received formal education at military school into the Imperial Army.

Worried that my comment might have been rude, I carefully added.

“I apologize for rudely jumping to conclusions.”

However, the Duke seemed more flustered by my follow-up and opened his eyes wide.

“Rude? Not at all. Felix really is a coveted talent.”

“…”

“But I won’t take him into the Imperial Army.”

“Why not?”

“Someone needs to be here to protect Ruden.”

“Ah…”

I felt relieved, as if a stone had dropped from my chest.

I thought I didn’t care about dreams and such, but I must have been worrying about it all day.

The fact that the uneasiness in my heart completely disappeared like lifting fog proved it.

Noticing that my expression had brightened considerably, the Duke spoke warmly.

“You don’t want to be separated from your brother, I see.”

“Our parents died during the war, so Felix is the only person I have to rely on.”

“What kind of people were your parents?”

The thought “Why is he asking this?” briefly crossed my mind, but I answered casually.

“I don’t remember anything about them. Felix says they were ordinary people.”

“Ordinary…”

“…”

“I don’t think that’s quite right.”

At his answer, as if he knew our parents, my head tilted in puzzlement.

He stared directly into my eyes as if reading my thoughts, then belatedly added.

“The eldest has excellent martial skills, and the second has excellent business sense, so your parents probably weren’t ordinary people either.”

“Ah… thank you for the compliment.”

Not knowing how else to respond, I quickly moved my hands.

When I came to my senses, I noticed a large paper bag in the Duke’s arms, which looked terribly mismatched with his well-tailored uniform.

It seemed like he should be holding a finely crafted sword or a bouquet of brightly bloomed roses…

‘He said he likes flowers.’

Suddenly, the paper bag in the Duke’s arms seemed to transform into a bouquet full of white flowers.

The strange vision made my mind wander for a moment before returning to reality.

Noticing my blank stare, the Duke asked casually.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Well…”

Get it together, Hazel.

As a general store owner, instead of being captivated by baseless visions, I should be doing more business.

“Duke, do you like bacon?”

“Bacon?”

His right eyebrow twitched upward. He didn’t seem opposed to it.

After all, where in the world would you find someone so heinously uncultured as to dislike bacon?

I grinned and pulled out Carson’s special bacon from under the counter.

When the Duke, entranced by the sweet and salty aroma, slightly opened his mouth, I boldly pushed the bacon into that gap. I don’t know where I got the courage to do that.

“This is bacon marinated in spotted honey mushroom syrup, excellent for energy recovery and inflammation reduction. It’s smoked for 36 hours so it can be stored long-term, and can be eaten immediately without any special preparation. It’s compact for easy storage, and since the pork fat is marinated in sugar, just a little bit provides excellent energy. I think it would be good as emergency rations for soldiers…”

The Duke blinked in surprise and slowly moved his jaw. The bacon gradually disappeared into the Duke’s mouth.

“As you can taste, it’s also excellent as a drinking snack.”

The Duke nodded twice as if entranced. I clenched my fists behind my back.

***

Knock knock knock-.

Lucas Aden’s Aide knocked on the mayor’s office door three times, then tilted his head in confusion.

Usually, permission to enter would come before the third knock was even finished, but today there was no response no matter how long he waited.

“Mayor?”

“….”

“Are you sleeping, Mayor?”

“….”

“Why is there no answer? There’s no way the Mayor would leave his post without saying anything….”

The Aide stood in front of the door like a faithful stone statue, chewing his lower lip.

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