Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: An Awkward Morning Encounter
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"Hng..."
Slowly opening my eyes, I took in the sight of the Winterguard mansion at dawn.
It was that early hour when a few servants had just risen to begin tidying the estate.
Having slept deeply for the first time in ages, my whole body felt refreshed, and my mind was clear.
For a split second, I wondered why I wasn't in Cassius's bedroom but in a room with a fireplace—then yesterday's events came rushing back.
"Come to think of it, I was pretty exhausted."
Not just pretty exhausted, but so much so that my eyes had closed on their own.
What was it like? Maybe a bit odd to compare, but it felt like getting hit straight with a blood sugar spike.
The kind of fatigue no amount of mental fortitude could fend off.
Anyway, thanks to that exhaustion, I'd fallen into a deep sleep right away.
"...That said, I feel like I had a weird dream."
A ridiculous one where my modern-day parents were pranking me and secretly filming with a hidden camera.
I must have unwittingly called out to them, begging them to stop.
Of course, it ended soon after with a warm sensation in my head.
Anyway, it was a bizarre dream.
"Today's going to be a good day."
Weird dream or not, after such sound sleep, I had a feeling everything would go smoothly today.
As I rose from the sofa to head back to my room, something caught my foot.
"Hm? ...Hm?"
What had snagged my foot... was Yelena.
Yelena Astria.
The heroine of Until the Ice Flower Melts, Yelena Astria herself.
'Why is she here...?'
Caught so utterly off guard by this completely unforeseen situation,
"Uh, uh."
I'd stood up to back away, only to stumble and topple right onto Yelena.
"..."
Thank goodness I managed some superhuman feat of strength to avoid colliding with her fully.
'...Maybe because she's the heroine, but her looks are killer.'
Her soft, bouncy golden hair exuded nobility, and her flawless, smooth skin looked incredibly soft compared to the stern Winterguards.
Her perfectly straight nose bridged the balance of her face, and even without special makeup, her lips were a vivid red.
And finally, those two blue eyes evoked the starlit lakes of the Winterguard territory...
'...What am I even doing. I need to get up...'
Her beauty must have gotten to me, because I'd unconsciously overlaid the original novel's descriptions onto her.
...
Wait, blue eyes?
Only then did I realize Yelena's two eyes were blinking up at me.
"Eek."
Her cheeks gradually flushed red, accompanied by hiccups like an engine warming up.
Just as her mouth gaped wide for a scream,
I swiftly clapped a hand over it.
"Mmph?!"
"Hold on, it's a misunderstanding."
"Mmmph!"
"Just stay quiet for a sec. I'll explain the situation."
With my hand over her mouth and my body unavoidably covering hers, resistance was nearly impossible for her.
Sure enough, she looked up at me with teary eyes.
With her cheeks blazing, it almost looked like I was the criminal here.
"I'll let go of your mouth, but no screaming. I don't want any needless misunderstandings. Got it?"
Nod nod.
Confirming her agreement, I slowly removed my hand from her mouth.
A rough sigh burst from Yelena's lips.
"Haa..."
First things first, I cleared up the most urgent misunderstanding.
"I had no idea you were sleeping here. I was trying to avoid you and tripped, that's how we ended up like this. And that's when you woke up."
"You expect me to believe that...?"
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true. If you want, I can recreate it right here on top of you."
She had no comeback to my offer of a perfect reenactment, so her cheeks burned even brighter as she turned her head away.
"F-Fine, no need! Not like you're trying to pounce on me again...!"
"That's what I've been saying—it's a misunderstanding. I didn't even know you were here."
"How could you not kno—...!"
She started to retort, then suddenly froze.
She clearly knew something about this situation.
'That's it.'
I decided to press that point to turn things around.
"By the way, this is the previous family head couple's room. How did you even get in? Lucia sure didn't bring you here."
"W-Well..."
"And I didn't see you when I came in to sleep. Which means you snuck in and lay down here while I was already here..."
Yelena's expression shifted rapidly.
Absurdity, doubt, realization, panic, embarrassment—all in the blink of an eye.
"I think you owe me an explanation, Yelena Astria."
I demanded one while gripping her wrist.
Honestly, it might've been an innocent mistake on her part, but for me, it was life-or-death in terms of my future.
'If Yelena thought I was some criminal...'
I might've met a gruesome end at the 3rd Prince's hands.
So I had to dispel the misunderstanding completely—and it turned out she was the cause, which left me feeling unfairly wronged.
That's why I'd grabbed her wrist without thinking.
"I-I was just... wandering around looking for something... and the fireplace was so warm, I fell asleep..."
She hung her head in shame as she said it.
'Are you some cat curling up by the hearth?'
At this rate, if I ever made an ondol floor, she'd be lounging all over the mansion.
Not that I knew how to make one, of course.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding... and for sleeping here without permission..."
Seeing her apologize as politely as possible eased my lingering frustration a bit.
The incident started off weird, but the misunderstanding was cleared up in the end, so I'd gotten what I wanted.
I stood first and offered my hand to help her up...
Creeeak.
"Master, pardon the intrusion. Here to clean the fireplace ashes...?"
"..."
"..."
We came face-to-face with the maid who'd arrived to clean the fireplace.
Yelena still clutching my hand, half-risen in an awkward pose.
Both of us in nightclothes, right by the sofa.
"...Wait, it's not what you're thinking."
"S-S-S-Sor-ry!!"
Bang!
I desperately reached out to explain, but the maid slammed the door and fled faster.
'We're doomed.'
"Wh-What...?"
Yelena belatedly grasped the situation and stared blankly at where the maid had vanished.
Best to get out of the room now. Before leaving, I told her,
"Remember this: I will never do anything to you, no matter what. Keep that in mind."
As I said it and left, for some reason, Yelena's expression looked oddly downcast when I glanced back just before going.
'Because of the misunderstanding?'
A short while later, after hurriedly parting from Yelena and returning to my office for work, I ran into Alf with reddened eyes.
"...What's wrong, Alf?"
"It's nothing... I just felt sorrow for the pain you've carried, Master, and joy that Lady Yelena helped heal it, so I..."
"...??"
How had the rumors spread so fast—and so wildly?
Like a virus rapidly multiplying, the gossip had already reached most of the mansion staff in no time.
"And the maid said she saw you and the lady comforting each other...?"
"...Y-Yes. That's right."
"...It was just exhaustion on my part, and Yelena dozed off by the warm fireplace. We both forgot that fact while talking, and that's how the mess happened."
"I see."
"So no misunderstanding... Haah."
I tried explaining to Alf, but it didn't change his peculiar expression.
Like he was beaming proudly at a young grandson who'd started dating, ready to slip him some pocket money.
In the end, I gave up defending myself.
'Yelena will handle keeping the staff quiet anyway.'
She was closest to the maids, after all.
The accumulating weird misunderstandings with Yelena bothered me, but they weren't as important as the pressing reality of normalizing the territory right in front of me.
If anything, I was prepared to leverage even the rumors if it helped with territory development.
'...Wait, rumors?'
Speaking of which, I had several plans brewing for the territory's growth.
Most were stalled by timing or conditions, but one could start immediately.
The downside? Convincing the locals and northerners would be incredibly tough.
But if I played up rumors of it being for Yelena's sake... it might just squeak through.
'Let's milk it once.'
I immediately called Alf.
"Alf, connect me to the Northern Branch of the Engineering Research Institute. I want to talk."
"Understood."
"...And tidy up the glass garden Mother cherished in her lifetime. I plan to use it again."
The Winterguard mansion had many facilities, but various reasons had left them neglected or useless.
I intended to repurpose that greenhouse.
'The novel mentioned Yelena likes tending plants. Plus, it gives a noble excuse of caring for her.'
Given her strong sense of responsibility and dislike of owing debts, she'd probably gladly take it on.
But my ambitions went further.
'If done right, it could expand into heating or greenhouse farming.'
That was why I was bringing in the Engineering Research Institute.
To gain the tech to revive the glass garden and find ways to scale it for the territory folk.
I'd use the previous reparations for the institute and the garden.
'Care for Yelena, mansion repairs, territory growth, institute ties. Killing four birds with one stone.'
After assigning Alf his tasks, I turned back... to find him in tears for some reason.
"Sob, under...stood...!"
'What?'
I couldn't fathom why Alf was suddenly crying.
"Sleeping in the late family head's room yesterday... wanting to restore the glass garden the late Grand Duchess treasured..."
Alf mumbled something.
"Were you... grieving that much...?"
He wiped his tears and set a resolute expression.
"This old butler Alf will faithfully carry out your orders, Master."
"Y-Yeah."
He seemed to think I—precisely, Cassius—was missing the previous heads, sleeping in their room and wanting to revive the garden.
Far from it, but no need to correct the misunderstanding, so I awkwardly nodded.
The next day, staff from the Engineering Research Institute arrived at the mansion.