Surviving as the Wife of the Swordsmanship Clan’s Troublemaker - Chapter 50
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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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Episode 50
“Yes. Did you drink the tea I gave you as a gift?”
After politely asking Helbeorn for a favor, I immediately changed clothes at Francesca’s summons and went to find her.
The original plan was to safely leave the manor together with Helbeorn, but since Francesca suddenly requested a meeting, I had to stay here.
The deep, subtle fragrance of rooibos tea had been gently brushing past my nose since earlier.
“Yes. I enjoyed it gratefully.”
“It’s a good tea with no caffeine, so you can drink it comfortably even at night. If you run out, just tell me. I’ll procure more and bring it to you.”
I nodded somewhat bewildered. It was because Francesca’s tone had become gentle.
“Thank you.”
She smiled softly while savoring her tea. Moreover, she offered me the three-tiered afternoon tea desserts, put a macaron in her own mouth, and even hummed as if in a good mood.
I also awkwardly drank my tea and followed her lead by putting a macaron in my mouth. The sweetness spread luxuriously across my palate.
By the way.
“What did you want to see me about…”
“That pickled onion you made last time. It was really delicious.”
“Ah, yes. It fermented well, didn’t it?”
“Yes. When I was peeling them, they were so spicy that I thought they’d be hard to eat. But surprisingly, there was no spicy taste at all. They were sweet and salty, and went well with meat just like you said.”
Francesca had become talkative.
She must have held onto her feelings about being made to peel onions after all.
“I’ll make them for you from now on.”
I hadn’t seen someone cry so pitifully in recent memory, so I had been feeling sorry too.
“It’s fine. Your body will gradually get heavier too, so you need to be careful.”
Hm?
My body will get heavier?
I looked down at my stomach. I wondered if I had gained some weight from playing around and eating, trusting in Hallara’s slender, thin body.
But my waist was still just a handful – too slim to say I had gained weight on this slender body.
At that moment, my mother-in-law’s voice crossed my mind.
“Women who get fat after marriage get abandoned by their husbands. You must always wear makeup and uncomfortable clothes in front of your husband.”
I don’t know what country’s law that was, but my mother-in-law always demanded perfection from me.
What about your son then? He’s not even 40 years old and his waist is already 40 inches!
I should have snapped back at her refreshingly back then…!
“But really, what did you want to…”
“Have you been to the garden?”
I wanted to stop recalling that trauma and tried to get up from my seat, but once again Francesca cut off my words.
“I went there with the young master last time.”
“With Docheop? Docheop went to the garden? How surprising.”
Her eyes widened greatly. She seemed to want to say more but for some unknown reason appeared to be deliberately swallowing her words.
“Do you perhaps have something you want to tell me?”
This time I didn’t miss the opportunity and asked. It might sound rude, but I was really curious about why she had called me.
“Uh… no.”
“Yes? Then why did you…”
“Can’t I just call you for no reason?”
“Pardon?”
I was the one who was flustered.
“Just to enjoy tea together… and have a conversation.”
“…Ah.”
“I only have sons.”
She shrugged and averted her gaze, covering her face with her teacup.
Then she murmured.
“It’s hard to see my friends after they got married.”
Slurp.
Slurp slurp…
She sipped her tea for a long time.
For some reason, I couldn’t immediately respond to those words.
Because Francesca, whom I had always thought of as someone like a mother-in-law, seemed to be looking at the me from those days.
Because she seemed to be looking at the me from those days when I had no time to care for myself because I was busy worrying about my family.
“Please call me often.”
I couldn’t refuse her request.
“Really?”
She finally put down her teacup. Then, perhaps feeling embarrassed, she cleared her throat and composed her voice.
“Yes.”
Since this was Francesca who had turned away from Docheop, I had only felt uncomfortable, but I could do at least that much.
“Or please come visit the annex. I’ll make you something delicious.”
Francesca smiled with her large eyes curved into crescents. Her brow, which had always been furrowed as if displeased, smoothed out, and gentle wrinkles formed around her eyes. For a moment, she looked so beautiful that my mouth fell open without realizing it.
“I’ll definitely come visit.”
“…Yes.”
“But I don’t want you to strain yourself, so I’ll treat you to delicious food instead.”
Like Docheop, Francesca also seemed to be sensitive about my body being strained.
I didn’t know the reason, but I thought of it as this family’s way of showing consideration and nodded.
“Hallara, you know that kimchi among the food you served me last time. Would you tell me the recipe?”
“If you want to eat it, I’ll make it for you.”
“I’m going to make a lot, so I’m just asking for the recipe. Just taste it for me later.”
Francesca’s tone rose.
“So you prefer kimchi over pickled onions. Spicy food does strangely stimulate the appetite, doesn’t it?”
“Actually, Docheop said he liked the cabbage you made better than the pickled onions… so I want to make more for him.”
She added shyly.
It seemed she had presented the food I made to Docheop.
‘I thought she wouldn’t give any to Docheop.’
I smiled broadly, pleased that Francesca seemed to be looking after Docheop.
“I’ll help you with everything I can.”
But if she’s making a lot…
A good idea occurred to me.
“May I bring someone to help make the kimchi? I know someone who’s good at cooking.”
I should bring Michelle.
***
“Damn… where the hell is that flighty girl’s house!”
For an hour now, Helbeorn, who had left the castle, had been going around and around the market.
Helbeorn was directionally challenged.
“Ugh! Why is this map so complicated?”
Actually, being directionally challenged was romantic. He had dreamed of falling in love with a woman he met while wandering lost.
But far from a fateful encounter, the market he barely reached by following the map was so crowded with people that it was difficult to even walk through.
Helbeorn entered a narrow alley and unfolded the map Hallara had given him once again.
The roads were strange.
That was because he couldn’t distinguish between east, west, south, and north.
“I’m starving to death.”
He clutched his empty stomach.
Indeed, the blood sword and blood energy were on a completely different level from ordinary sword energy. Using both muscles and blood simultaneously caused massive energy consumption.
“At this rate, my precious muscles are going to waste away…”
Helbeorn scanned the market with his eyes once more.
The market sold all kinds of food.
Meat and snacks scattered throughout the streets.
People grabbed them with their bare hands and wiped their hands on their pants.
Then they chatted with shopkeepers in front of the food stalls, spitting as they talked.
“Ugh.”
Though Helbeorn often ate with knights at the training grounds, he was born a high noble.
He had no tolerance for unhygienic market food.
“Isn’t there a proper establishment anywhere…”
The market seemed completely hopeless, so he hurriedly escaped from there.
Now he really needed to eat something.
Sniff sniff, a delicious smell was wafting from somewhere.
Helbeorn used his blood sword as a walking stick and moved toward the direction of the smell.
Through the trees, he could see smoke rising from a small house’s chimney.
Even Helbeorn, whose brain was made of muscle, knew it wasn’t a shop, but he thought he could get something to eat if he paid money.
Fortunately, the door was slightly open.
It was convenient since he would have forced it open anyway even if it weren’t.
“Excuse me…”
Helbeorn was squeezing his large frame through the small door.
“What’s this?”
The house owner who should have been busy preparing a meal.
“Pl-please spare me.”
Was being held captive by a hooded man in white robes.
“I’m hungry.”
This was an annoying situation.
“Lady, what about the food?”
“Wh-what do you…”
Seeing vegetables still on the cutting board, it seemed the meal wasn’t finished yet.
Helbeorn ground his molars.
“Damn it. I’m starving to death and this is getting troublesome.”
He drew his sword.
If he just killed this guy right now, he could eat, so that would solve everything.
“It would be better not to attack.”
Then a heavy voice that seemed to echo from a dungeon flowed from within the white robes.
A voice he’d heard somewhere before, unpleasantly ambiguous between human and not.
Where had he heard it before?
There was no point thinking about it since his brain wouldn’t work anyway.
“You’re the one who should get lost. This strongest swordsman is very hungry.”
As soon as those words ended, a short explosive sound scattered.
It was the moment Helbeorn’s blood sword clashed with the hooded man’s sword.
Clang!
The red aura steeped in the stench of blood collided head-on with the silver-gleaming sword.
A sharp and disgusting energy flowed back through the touching blades.
A gentle yet absolute barrier of light seeped from the opponent’s sword.
“…Whoa.”
His mouth fell open.
The bored and annoyed expression from moments before vanished completely, and like a child discovering a new toy, all wariness and hostility disappeared.
“…You’ll regret this.”
The opponent stepped back and readjusted his grip on his sword. Clear wariness appeared on his previously expressionless face.
He had realized that the blood sword’s energy was abnormally powerful beyond expectations.
Helbeorn slowly raised his sword and gazed at it as if holding it up to the light.
Red blood veins were flowing as if alive and moving.
And finally, he narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“Oh… that knight I saw at the border back then. You smell similar to him.”
The corners of his mouth slowly rose, almost tearing upward.
It was a twisted smile, hard to distinguish between admiration and joy.
“I don’t know how you crawled your way in here.”
He lightly pressed the floor with his toes and leaned his body forward.
Blood energy swirled as red aura surged.
“But I might be able to test my strongest power a bit?”
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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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