Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Sunshade
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Cherry was right. It was late spring, and early summer was just around the corner.
Ethan and Knox paused, their glasses of milk halfway to their lips, and looked at her.
She was looking at them with an expectant expression.
“I think we should set up a sunshade. In the garden. Summer is coming, after all.”
*...Set up a sunshade, so casually, in the middle of all this?*
But seeing Cherry’s sparkling eyes, Ethan and Knox couldn’t bring themselves to ask. Instead, they nodded reluctantly.
Her gaze was clearly a subtle command for them to help set it up.
Once the social season ended, the nobility would return to their country houses and set up sunshades in their gardens. There, they would enjoy leisurely outings or pass the time with simple lawn games.
Cherry likely had a similar purpose in mind.
With no other choice, Ethan and Knox finished their milk and helped Cherry set up the sunshade in a corner of the garden.
She had already brought out all the heavy materials needed for the task, as she was the only one who knew where everything was stored.
It was only right, then, that Ethan and Knox handle the final assembly.
Cherry spread a wide cloth on the lawn in place of a mat, then lay down to watch Ethan and Knox work.
“To think I was worried about Miss Cherry’s mental state,” Ethan whispered to Knox. “What a waste of time.”
Knox, who had been working without complaint, glanced over at Cherry.
And for good reason. She was sitting on the cloth, nonchalantly sharpening the blade of her axe.
A lovely, elegant young woman, sharpening an axe in the middle of a garden, at a mansion surrounded by monsters.
The term ‘cognitive dissonance’ might as well have been coined just for Cherry Sinclair.
Just then, Cherry asked Knox a question.
“I understand why Sir Ethan wants to return to the capital, but Mr. Ludpersher, why do you intend to stay?”
“If my staying here is a problem, I’ll leave with Sir Ethan. It’s only natural that you’d find my presence shameless…”
“Hey, Ludpersher. Why would you follow me? Who said I’d take you with me?”
Ethan retorted sharply. Hearing his line, Cherry burst out laughing.
“You’re a doctor, Mr. Ludpersher. I’d be grateful if you stayed at Happy House.”
Knox’s face brightened at her response. A moment later, however, he found himself puzzled by his own delight.
Of course, Cherry’s Happy House was an ideal shelter. But if he grew complacent, he could very well end up trapped in this mansion with her for the rest of his life.
Alone with Cherry. In this mansion. Forever.
He would survive, yes, but was that truly the right choice? While Knox was lost in a moment of introspection, Cherry spoke again.
“Once Sir Ethan leaves, it’ll just be the two of us. We should move you to a new room. Would you like to take the one Sir Ethan has been using? I think that would be better. It’ll be easier to find each other in an emergency.”
Her voice remained matter-of-fact. She seemed to feel no sense of urgency or concern at the prospect of the two of them living in the mansion alone.
Then again, what was there to fear for someone with the monstrous strength to send several creatures flying with a single swing of an axe?
Knox silently conceded. Unlike Ethan, someone like him posed no threat to her.
The one who reacted unexpectedly was Ethan.
“Why would he move rooms?”
He frowned, clearly displeased, and glanced between Cherry and Knox. Cherry, who was still sharpening her axe, looked up at Ethan with a puzzled expression.
“That’s my room, Miss Cherry. I’d be hurt if you gave it away to someone else so casually.”
“What? But you said you were leaving.”
“Exactly. You can talk about it after I’m gone. Behind my back.”
*Ugh. So hurtful. So, so hurtful. After all the time we’ve spent together…!* Ethan continued to mutter under his breath.
“Then don’t leave.”
Of course, Cherry just cleaned out her ear, letting his words go in one and out the other. For some reason, her nonchalant attitude, brushing everything off so easily, rubbed him the wrong way.
Despite his grumbling, Ethan diligently draped the white canvas over the poles he’d secured in the ground. As he tied the canvas to the poles and hammered the stakes into the earth, he replayed their recent conversation in his mind.
Ethan himself didn’t know why he’d said something so pointless, but the thought of Knox taking over his room left a sour taste in his mouth.
*It’s probably because of that bastard Knox,* he thought.
He didn’t dwell on it. He’d always despised Knox, after all.