(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 96

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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 96

“Have a safe trip! Have a wonderful day!”

4:30 PM. My voice being particularly bright as I see off the last reservation customer is definitely not my imagination.

I’m feeling very, extremely, really, truly good right now.

To exaggerate a bit, I’m practically floating.

After the customer left, I gently lowered my eyes and lovingly gazed at the money pouches lined up in a row inside the counter.

A whole thousand silver coins.

Black Hand had paid ten times the price for the painting.

‘Wasn’t the painting price one hundred silver coins?’

‘Yes. It was one hundred silver coins per painting.’

‘…Are you asking me to draw nine more paintings?’

‘No. He said he had already received them.’

‘Yes…? When?’

‘The payment has been made accurately, so I’ll be taking my leave now.’

Black Hand’s subordinate eventually gave me ten bags of silver coins and took away one painting and the pendant containing the young boy’s portrait.

I still can’t understand why he paid ten times the amount, but I couldn’t refuse money that was being offered.

Who would dare stop Black Hand from doing what he wants?

‘Black Hand might have a hobby of buying things at high prices like Baron does.’

Having concluded that, I clasped my hands together and bounced in place.

I used to constantly nag Felix about how getting addicted to making money in one go ruins people when he fell into gambling, but now I’m about to become that addict.

“All of this…”

Where should I hide it?

Throughout the entire afternoon shift, this was the only thought in my head.

If Felix finds out, all thousand silver coins might disappear again.

He’d take everything under the pretext of keeping it safe. I haven’t forgotten the sense of betrayal from that day.

That said, it’s not that I don’t trust Felix’s word. (Probably) The money would be in a safe place.

However, Kaiden Goldenhands said that money should be diversified for investment (storage). It’s true. I read it in a newspaper column.

Ring-!

The sudden sound of the fish bell put a period to my idle thoughts.

“Welcome! This is Golden Goods!”

I greeted the customer with a bright welcome. Originally, the more money you make, the more you shouldn’t lose your original intentions.

“Miss Hazel, are you done with work now?”

The blue-haired customer entered the shop carrying a large basket in his arms.

Fortunately, the dirt on his face had been completely cleaned off.

“Mayor, are you enjoying your vacation?”

“Thanks to Miss Hazel. Would you like to take a look at this?”

He placed a basket full of vegetables that had been cleanly washed of dirt on the counter.

It seems the Mayor has been thoroughly enjoying his rural experience.

Yellow paprika, crimson carrots, light green celery, green kale, and even purple eggplant.

Just looking at them contained a basketful of Luden’s fresh summer.

Though these are all things I don’t eat. Originally, vegetables aren’t for eating but for admiring.

“Did you harvest all of these yourself, Mayor?”

He nodded with a proud face and also showed me the potatoes that had been hidden under the vegetables. I was secretly pleased that something I could actually eat finally appeared.

“If there’s anything you like, would you like to take some?”

“Actually, I don’t really like vegetables that much…”

I smiled awkwardly and reached for the potatoes at the very bottom.

“I like potatoes. I’ll just take a few.”

“Take all of them.”

“These are crops that you harvested with your blood and sweat, Mayor. I can’t do that. You should try them too. Luden’s new potatoes are so delicious.”

I took out two potatoes for myself and five potatoes for Felix onto the counter.

The Mayor, who had been quietly watching this, casually brought up a topic.

“But…”

“Yes.”

“When it’s just the two of us, would it be… okay… if you called me Ruki?”

I rolled my eyes in difficulty and spoke carefully.

“Ruki is… your childhood name, isn’t it?”

Childhood names are only called by family…

“If you’re worried that I might get confused in front of the village people, I’ll keep calling you Ruki.”

The Mayor nodded as if satisfied.

Then there’s no choice. I have to do as the high-ranking person wants.

He began chattering about what happened today in a much brighter voice.

“I had many conversations with the village elders today. There seems to be a lot of accumulated complaints against Lord Cromwell.”

“Everyone would feel that way. But since they say this level of tyranny is common in other villages too, they endure it and live. Places like Benu are rare.”

The Mayor of Benu shook his head firmly.

“No. Rather, in the south and north, there are quite a few villages that have formed independent armies and separated from their lords. Due to the long civil war and rebels, there aren’t many lords who maintain their former prestige.”

“…”

“It seems like new movements are happening inside Luden as well.”

“Yes? What kind of…”

Ring, ring-.

The fish bell rang loudly as if cutting off my question. I checked that it wasn’t closing time yet and welcomed the customer warmly.

“Welcome! We’re almost at closing time, but is there something specific you’re looking for?”

“Miss Hazel…?”

Today’s closing customer was surprisingly Count Cedric. I thought there would be no more reason for him to come, but surprisingly there must be remaining business.

The Count stopped mid-way into the shop and stood blankly at the door, looking back and forth between me and the Mayor.

A strange silence flowed between the Count and the Mayor.

Both were looking at each other with hard, unreadable expressions, but it wasn’t difficult to read the thoughts in their heads.

‘Why are you here.’

That’s the expression that comes out when you encounter someone you know in an unexpected place.

‘Well, the Mayor of Benu and the Imperial Army’s Commander-in-Chief couldn’t not know each other.’

But why are they just glaring at each other?

If they know each other, they could just greet each other, so why are they standing there dumbfounded as if they’re meeting for the first time?

Were Lucas Aden and Count Cedric in an antagonistic relationship? That can’t be right.

I endured the suffocating silence anxiously and finally spoke first.

“Um… Count, what brings you here?”

“Ah.”

The Count finally opened his mouth as if exhaling a breath he had been holding.

“I came to order the bacon you fed me last time.”

“You mean the spotted honey mushroom bacon?”

“Cut into bite-sized pieces for easy carrying. The soldiers who tried what Felix brought have been unanimously begging me to buy some.”

That stupid Felix.

I told him to eat it alone, but he went and shared it anyway.

“…I see. How much quantity? As I mentioned last time, mass production of honey mushroom bacon is difficult.”

“Right.”

The Count moved his long legs and strode into the shop.

Standing close next to the Mayor, he glanced sideways at the Mayor. The Mayor also swept over the Count’s profile as if returning fire.

“…”

What, what is this.

Could this be some new greeting method among the nobility? Or did they catch some disease where they’d die if they acknowledged each other first?

Why are they doing this in my shop?

Making the shop owner who’s watching suffocate.

Lowly as I was, I dared not interfere in the power struggle between such high-ranking people. I could only hope this moment would pass quickly.

“Miss Hazel.”

“Miss Hazel.”

The two men called my name simultaneously as if they had planned it.

“Y-yes, yes!”

I blinked my frightened eyes and answered twice. The beast-like men’s eyes trapped me threateningly.

I don’t care about any of this, I just want to run away.

***

Splash, splash.

The man’s footsteps crossing the pool of blood were excessively cheerful.

Eyes redder than bloodstains gleamed coldly under the moonlight. Soon his emotionless lips twisted into a crooked smile.

“The air at the foot of the mountain is filthy.”

His aide swallowed nervously and handed him a bottle filled with purification water.

“Your Highness, please wash it off quickly.”

He poured the purification water over his head. The unpleasant ash and bloodstains were cleanly washed away.

However, his disgusted mood hardly improved. Even though he had mercilessly annihilated his enemies.

“Hah…”

The aides hesitantly stepped back from their master.

They were well aware that their master’s temper had been getting worse by the second since leaving Luden.

Basarion Abraksia.

The Empire’s 13th Prince, who was known to have died in the early stages of the civil war.

However, he had tenaciously survived and was building his strength while hiding in the Western Empire.

So that his blade would reach the throats of his older brothers who had tried to kill him.

Secretly but sharply. He was carrying out his plans without obstruction.

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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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