Chapter 156

Chapter 156

The next morning .

I saw myself with wonderful eye bags in the mirror .

The more I tried to sleep, the harder it was to close my eyes, and counting sheep proved useless . In the end, it wasn’t until the sky became bright that I finally felt like getting some sleep .  I’m so tired .

Yesterday’s blizzard felt like a lie in this sunny weather, so I had gotten ready to set off, but it snowed much more than we had expected and our plans had been pushed to tomorrow .

Truth be told, I was saved . If I fell asleep like a sack on the trip, it would only cause more trouble for others .

Around the end of breakfast, I was informed that Commander Lieber had returned .

I went outside in order to greet him . Though the sky was clear, the freezing wind blew away all of the drowsiness from my hazy head in one fell swoop .

Isn’t the snow about 30 centimetres thick? A narrow path less than a metre wide carved out of snow led right up to the front gate .

A large hooded figure could be seen passing through the doors .  That’s probably the commander .  It looked like he was handing over the reins to his subordinates .

When he dropped his hood to his back, the snow on it also fell off, revealing a strong-set face underneath . I could see that he had a terrible complexion even from a distance and wore a hard expression on his face .

I was a little worried and looked at Sir Leonhard who stood next to me, only to be met with an equally grim expression, so I shifted my gaze away .

Commander Lieber, with that terrible expression still on his face, turned his back to us . Only then did I notice that there was someone else besides him . The other person, hidden under the gate’s shadows, was riding on a horse, so perhaps they were a family member of his . I couldn’t see their face under the hood, though .

After telling that person something, he turned our way and finally noticed us .

Commander Lieber approached and greeted us with a, ‘Good morning,’ apologetically, the bags under his eyes rivalling even my own .

“I apologise for being absent yesterday . Did you have any problems while I was gone?”

“Nothing in particular . Everyone behaved themselves as they should . Rather than that, your wife…”

The moment he heard the word, Commander Lieber’s shoulders shook .

I involuntarily swallowed my words as sweat ran down my back .

“The truth is…”

After a heavy silence, Commander Lieber opened his mouth . We waited for him to continue with a grimace .

I swallowed with a gulp .

“My wife loved me so much that she didn’t want to part with me, so I was late . ”

“…Huh?”

A stupid sound escaped my lips .

Commander Lieber then laughed out loud, seemingly in response .

“Hu- Huuuuh…?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but you were so cute, Marie, I just had to . ”

“Ernst…”

“No, sorry . Forgive me . I knew it was a horrible thing to do, but I didn’t mean any harm . ”

Hearing Leonhard’s sigh, Commander Lieber defensively puts his hands up in front of his face .

I don’t know what’s going on, but were you all just making fun of me?

Commander Lieber apologised for his actions, though I couldn’t help but think of a mischievous fox at the sight of his face .

“I did a horrible thing despite knowing how worried you were . But please, don’t be . ”

Ah, I finally understand that I was visibly worried sick .

I had such a dour expression on my face earlier, that’s why he purposely did what he did .  But instead of feeling sorry, I was now more concerned .

Is your wife’s condition really okay?

“I also apologise for being in a hurry at this time . Since my family is waiting for me, I shall excuse myself after turning in the documents . ”

“Please wait!”

Commander Lieber, who was about to leave, promptly stopped .

“Miss Marie?”

“I have an acquaintance who is a very capable pharmacist . He is soon to arrive in Nebel, so could you allow him to meet with your wife, even just once?”

When asked desperately, Commander Lieber met my eyes .

His round hazel eyes slowly narrowed and he then gave me a solemn smile, a far cry from his usual cheer .

“Thank you very much, but just the thought alone is more than enough . ”

I couldn’t press anymore on the matter after such a sincere, gentle rejection from him .

Sir Leonhard quietly stared at Commander Lieber’s back as he left .

*********

That day, Sir Leonhard said he’d be shovelling snow with the knights, so I decided to read the material I borrowed from Vice-Commander Walter just like yesterday .

I had thought that Vice-Commander Walter would be the one to accompany me today, but it turned out Commander Lieber, who had accumulated a mountain of paperwork while he was away, would take over instead .

The sound of Commander Lieber running his pen echoed throughout the room .

Although I was reading the material, I hadn’t come across anything significant for a while now . It was just me repeating the same parts over and over again .

“Your Highness . ”

“Yesh!?”

The moment I sighed out emptily, a call made my body jump .

My response was so embarrassing that I had to cover my mouth with both hands . When I raised my gaze, I met Commander Lieber, who was laughing despite looking a bit troubled .

“Did I startle you?”

“…Only a little . ”

What do you mean, ‘a little’? I exclaimed in my heart .

Weren’t you so scared just now, me?

“I’m taking a short break, so would you like to join me?”

“Of course, but is it fine for you to leave your work like that?”

By any chance, are you trying to be considerate because of my higher status?

When I replied, ‘I didn’t want to be a bother,’ Commander Lieber in turn laughed once more at my uneasiness .

“I have many exemplary subordinates under my command, so it’s okay if I skip here and there . There are snacks and tea available . Although we don’t have any fancy sweets, I can offer you a few tales of an old man’s past instead as we drink . ”

He added one more laugh in as he said that . One hearty laugh akin to a child plotting a prank .

I couldn’t pass on the temptation of possibly hearing old stories of Sir Leonhard and nodded before I realised .

By the time I was done cleaning up the journals, Commander Lieber came back with a tea set presented on a tray . He then skillfully brewed the tea with his rugged hands . A reddish-brown liquid was poured out exactly on the sixth minute rest into a pale porcelain teacup .

It had a slightly sweet smell with a darker shade, so they were possibly Assam tea leaves . When asked if I wanted milk and sugar, I nodded for both without hesitation .  After all, Assam tea is best served as milk tea .

“Thank you for the drink . ”

Taking a small sip, the aroma of strong black tea, unable to be masked by the milk, drifted throughout my nose . The sweetness and intensity were perfectly balanced . The clean aftertaste was only the cherry on top .

“It’s delicious . You’re very skilled at brewing black tea . ”

When I praised him from the bottom of my heart, the commander could only scratch his head shyly .

“Please don’t think I’m pitiful for this, but actually, it was only because my wife prefers it that I desperately learned how to brew tea . ”

“What do you mean pitiful? I think this is worthy of praise . ”

“Thank you very much . Speaking of which, Leonhard is surprisingly clumsy, so he’s not very good at these things . ”

‘Oh~?’ I murmured in a voice that even I knew was disgustingly giddy .

“It’s not that he can’t cook, but more like he’s bad with the fine and delicate work? It always ends up having a certain flavour . The soup he once made had huge chunks of ingredients sprinkled in and the taste was way too strong . It’s not exactly bad, but it wasn’t anything to brag about either, so I’m having quite a difficult time trying to describe it . Despite being raised in a good house, he would often say things like, ‘I’ll be fine if I have rice to eat . ’”

Is that what they call a man’s meal!? Heavy taste, salty and sweet, mostly meat, simple to cook—the type of food to revitalise any man?

I wonder if it’s because of my taste to find that seriously cute?

“His lineage is good, and not to mention his wide array of talents . If you’re a man, you won’t ever be popular around him . All girls of the same age were always attracted to him, but perhaps because of his affability, other men often showed admiration and not jealousy . ”

If I were born the same year as him, I would have undoubtedly entered a fanclub of sorts .  Not that it’s any different now, though .

“As I thought, he is very popular with women after all . ”

“You could say that, but the man himself back then was… Ah-”

Commander Lieber stumbled after coming across a certain topic . Maybe it wasn’t something he ought to be telling me .

“‘My behaviour in my adolescence was far from exemplary . ’”

“!?”

“He once told me that . ”

I told Commander Lieber, who was now visibly startled .

With the lingering surprise, he blinked a few times before clapping his own knees in joy . After that, the ice melted between the two of us .

“So he even told you that much!”

Commander Lieber murmured happily . He sounded truly emotional .

I wanted to ask what it meant, but that smile of his soon morphed into that of a mischievous brat’s .

“I’ll be blunt, then . Without a doubt, he wasn’t a very good lover . Of course, it wasn’t as if he was cheating or violent, in no way did that ever happen . In fact, he was the perfect, attentive gentleman . When those girls first started dating him, they were thrilled from the bottom of their hearts because they were truly the happiest girls in the world . However, since women are wise, they soon noticed . The other party didn’t share anywhere near the same passion as he did . ”

Listening to Commander Lieber’s story reminded me of Sir Leonhard’s fiancée .

She truly loved him, but it was clear who loved the other more, and it only made her suffer . In the end, she left him .

“There is nothing noteworthy when it comes to his love . There are none of the uglier, messier feelings like attachment or jealousy, so if a woman were to test his love by threatening to break up, he would be willing to let go of her hand . If you ask me, that’s not worthy of being called ‘love’ in the first place . It’s hilarious that man has never experienced his first love despite climbing the ladder into his thirties . ”

He surely said something terrible .

However, Commander Lieber had shown no bad intent such as ridicule or contempt . His hazel-coloured eyes were only filled to be brim with worry, contrary to his tone .

“Leonhard von Olsen is a man beyond troublesome . Despite that, are you still okay with him?”

“!?”

I nearly spat out my tea but managed to hold it in .

Maybe my feelings have been found out, I initially thought, but perhaps it was even more so than I had realised .

Commander Lieber smiled as he raised his face up and cleared his throat .

“You are young, beautiful, and intelligent . You’re very charming and sincere . With just a smile, I’m sure you’d have numerous men lined up, all begging for your love . I’m certain there will be a kind and talented individual of suitable status among them . Even if you don’t involve yourself with that man, I believe you will still be able to find happiness . ”

Looking at Commander Lieber’s face, I got the impression he was asking if I was all right with Sir Leonhard as opposed to an advice nugget to stop loving him .

All right or not, we aren’t lovers in the first place . It’s simply my one-sided, wholeheartedly unrequited love, and the possibility of fulfilling it is abysmally low .

But, it’s too late to talk about any of that now .

“I believe the situation is a little different . ”

“Hm?”

“I don’t want a husband who loves me . I want to be the wife of the one I love . ”

I basically told him it’s meaningless if it’s not Sir Leonhard .

Commander Lieber stiffened with his mouth half-open in what I thought was disappointment . When his widened eyes narrowed back to normal, he finally relaxed . He put one hand on his forehead and muttered, ‘I’m beat,’ before letting out a hearty laugh .

“You are a fine woman . ”

‘So much so that I might have fallen for you if I hadn’t met my wife first!’ He said with a wink .

Commander Lieber is a good man himself .

I wish I could do something for him and his wife . If only I could be their strength in some way .