All the onomatopoeias and the proverb in here literally killed me.
Translator : Karo
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RAWs Provider/Converter : Roo
Also, there was another reason for getting up at dawn.
âBecause today is the day, when I will I vomit blood again. But Iâve never vomited blood in the early morning, so this is the safest time.â
In addition, there was a place which Cain regularly visits at dawn. He will be training in a nearby clearing close to his workplace. He does this because, just like Eugene, Cain is a knight as well. Come to think of it, it was around this time when encountered he the heroine as well.
Anyway, I had a bad dream today, so I decided to be a princess, who wakes up early. And while taking a walk, Iâll run into him and thus we will have a little time alone. I changed into light outdoor clothes and put the soft shawl I wore the night before around my shoulders.
Soon the moist air of dawn greeted me. Feeling the fresh, cool air, I walked slowly. As if in deep thought while walking, I touched the soft petals and looked around every nook and cranny of the things that I hadnât seen properly before.
âAs expected, morning exercise was a good thing.â
Although itâs closer to a walk than to exercise. I managed suppress the smile that wanted to come out. Soon, the destination, an empty lot, appeared. I seemed to have walked quite a bit, so I just needed a place to rest. As I was through the bushes with a delighted heart to approach the clearing, I heard a voice saying âWait a minute!â somewhere. Â Startled, I looked around in surprise, but I couldnât see anyone.
âDid I hear it wrong?â
But I was a little suspicious, so I decided to just show up in front of Cain. I tried to make a move and approach you politely. When I quickly stepped into the clearing, I saw the Duke appear in the clearing.
âYour Highness?â
The Duke looked unusually perplexed.
I called him with a startled look on my face at the right time: â Your Grace?â
âHere ⌠how?â
He asked me while rushing towards me: âAre you here alone?â
âYes, I didnât know your Grace would be here though. Did I interrupt something?â
âNo ⌠ehm.â
He blinked his eyes and replied softly then: âNot at all. More than that, Your Highness, you look cold.
I swallowed my saliva. This is because I couldnât get his voice, which was close to me, and his eyes, which looked strangely blacker at dawn, out of my mind. It was even harder to do so because I could read the faint affection in those eyes.
âItâs not cold.â
Rather than that, Iâm so excited that Iâm on the verge of having a fever. He frowned slightly when I spoke softly on purpose because I thought if I didnât, I would make a strange sound like choking.
Oh my. What should I do? Heâs so beautiful!
ââŚâŚExcuse me.â
âYes?â
To my surprise, the beautiful creature in front of me acted like I was going to faint any moment. He walked away for a bit, just to come back with blanket. It wasnât soft, but it was very warm when he put it around my shoulders. Only then did I realize that my body had cooled down. Oh my.
âOh, thank you.â
After shaking his head slightly, he naturally led me off the clearing and we started walking. It was not until a little time had passed that I realized that I was walking back with him.
My heart skipped a beat.
When I looked up at him, Cain, who remained silent till now, asked me: âWhy are you here this early instead of sleeping?â
Hehe, itâs kind of a gloomy tone.
I said while holding back a smile of satisfaction, which was about to pop out: âI had a nightmare. I woke up early and couldnât fall back asleep again.â
âNightmare you say?â
âYeah, well, there are days like that.â
I told him with a soft smile on my face, which I have become used to by now: âWhat about you, your Grace? What were you doing there? Oh, if Iâm troubling you, you donât have to answer.â
When I asked quietly, trying not to ruin the mood this early, he said while constantly looking at me: âI was training.â
Good. I came out this early morning to bring this topic up. Smiling inwardly, I opened my eyes wide.
âTraining?â
âYes.â
âOh, my God. I really did interrupt you! Iâm so sorry, Your Grace.â
In general, when a male aristocrat trains, it means polishing their skill with the sword. I waited for his answer after showing a natural response.
âNo, you didnât.â
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and replied: âItâs not sword training, but instead training my mind.â
Surprisingly, the conversation so far was similar to the conversation he and Ariel had in the original. And at this time Ariel replied: âYour mind?â
âOh, your mindâŚ.â
But instead of repeating Arielâs lines, I decided to do this my own way. This is because if you follow Arielâs lines as they are, the conversation will take longer. But the palace was already close. Sniff1.
âItâs mind trainingâ, murmured I again, with a calm smile, as if reflecting on his words.
Then I asked: âI see. So when you train, does your mind become stronger?â
When he heard my question, his steps were slowing down. Then he answered when lowering his gaze: âI donât know.â
Haha. The atmosphere is gradually getting then, but I was about to lose my mind.
âIâve heard too many great voices of him. Oh my god!â
But I canât screw up here. Cain was born with a strong magical power that cannot be controlled by the blood of a vampire. His pain wasnât going to get better with just a few words. But there is a magic word that will give him some comfort. I had to hand it over to him to comfort him as much as possible.
âI see.â
I struggles to take my eyes off his black hole-like face, I replied with a lecherous look.
âItâs something one canât see nor touch, so how could one measure it accurately? My question was silly.â
Then I went on and asked: âBut training the mind⌠Perhaps, The Duke seems to be having a hard time with something. I am right?â
He hesitated for a moment: âThatâs right, but itâs not something you should worry about.â
Cain said so and added quickly: âI mean, itâs not that important.â
After glancing at the Duke, who began to reach the peak of depression at dawn, I looked forward again and hid my smile: âI didnât mean to pry. Itâs justâŚ.â
Shaking my head slightly, I said to him the very line I wanted to say to him right from the start: âIf the Dukeâs mind is struggling, wouldnât it be better to comfortably rest instead of training? Thatâs what I thought.â
âIf itâs hard, then why are you training? Take a break, Cain!â
Ariel followed Cain around to the point it felt burdensome and then said this. Of course, she didnât understand how one can train the mind. When he said that he was training because he was struggling, she just answered that. I knew from the original how those words were of great comfort to Cain.
ââŚâŚ.â
The Duke paused without saying a word. I stopped next to him as well. His eyes, which were showing his inner turmoil, looked dark and sad like an abyss. Hing2. My heart ached.
He was a man who had lost a lot from a young age on due to his unmanageable mana3. Heâs someone accustomed to loss.
âTake a rest, your Grace.â
Remembering his tragic past, I spoke to him with a gentle voice: âTo be honest, Iâve always wanted to tell you this.â
Then his eyelids trembled and closed: âWhat do you know about me?â
âNothing. I donât know anything.â
However, I smiled softly as I looked up at him to say: âItâs just that knowing and understanding do not necessarily go hand in hand. Thatâs all.â
I donât know about your situation, but I read the mood. Thatâs roughly what I meant. It was my own answer that I pondered over for quite a while. Cain opened his eyes slightly wide and for some reason distorted his eyes as if he was crying. I took a deep breath looking at his rare expression.
Great. I didnât expect this treat!
However, my naughty hands could not resist a handsome man who looks depressed like a puppy in the rain. Eventually, I couldnât hold myself back and reached touching his black hair lightly while standing on my tippy toes.
Caress4.
Oh my god!
ââŚâŚ.â
His eyes, which had darkened, suddenly became round.
Haha, so cute. No, no, no! You bad hand!
I lowered my hand casually, hoping it didnât scatter ashes on already cooked rice5. Then I quickly moved on and walked a few steps ahead and said to him: âItâs enough to take me here.â
ââŚâŚ! Your Highness.â
âThank you, Your Grace. Iâm going inside. See you soon!â
Yeah, well, itâs not an unpleasant expression. I succeeded.
He wonât react like he met a savior if he hears the same thing from Ariel now. Convinced, I quickly left.
In the memory of my eight-year-old unnie, she was studying hard again in the evening.
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X1: í (keung) once again is an onomatopoeia which means âwith a sniffâ or just âsnifflingâ. I decided to use âsniffâ because it felt the best.
X2: í (hing) is another onomatopoeia. Itâs a sound used to express disappointment. It can also be used in at cutesy way.
X3: mana is magical power. Its amount usually varies from person to person. In this case, Cain has so much mana that itâs hard to control. (Just in case some people donât know about it)
X4: ě°ë´ě°ë´ is another onomatopoeia, meaning stroking or caressing. X5: âScattering ashes on already cooked riceâ is an proverb referring to ruining work thatâs almost
X5: âScattering ashes on already cooked riceâ is an proverb referring to ruining work thatâs almost finished.