Fish Don't Know About Water - Chapter 14

“L-losses?”

“If someone with a bad temper like you, Commander, says, ‘Huh? What’s this trash?’ and throws my necklace on the ground, I’ll have to spend all day searching the camp for it.”

“H-how much of a l-low-life do you think I am?”

Viett groaned and frowned.

“Do I look like a p-pathetic g-guy who throws away other people’s keep… keepsakes?”

“No! You look like a pathetic guy who cuts other people’s treasures…”

“A pathetic guy. A-and?”

As he narrowed his eyes, Phenelity let out a low groan.

“No, you look like a ‘person’ who cuts other people’s treasures.”

“…”

“I corrected it quickly, so it’s not an insult to the royal family, right?”

Seeing her wide-eyed face made his brows furrow deeply.

“Look at this!”

The broken necklace chain dangled in front of Viett’s eyes. He shifted his gaze to the necklace chain that Phenelity held right in front of him.

He alternated between looking at the broken necklace chain and her teary eyes. Despite her bold return and anger, her eyes were still watery. It felt awkward to meet her gaze.

Of all things, it had to be her mother’s keepsake. Of all things… Viett’s expression grew a bit complicated.

He knew well the feeling of seeing a precious item of his mother’s being destroyed right before his eyes. The king had burned the keepsake left to Viett by the queen right in front of him.

At that time, Viett was barely five or six years old. He was at an age where he could do nothing but helplessly watch his mother’s letter burn away.

Recalling the loss he felt then, he could fully understand Phenelity Cochrun’s intense reaction. Thanks to that, he felt remorse even faster than when he had left the wax doll alone in the hospital room today.

“It… it was a mistake.”

“Alright. Let’s say it was a mistake.”

“…”

“And then?”

Viett felt uncomfortable with the situation where a woman barely reaching his chest was pushing him. He couldn’t hide his discomfort and took a step back, but Phenelity approached with a determined face and glared at him.

“And then?”

Her eyes, looking up at him as if she were showing mercy, softened slightly.

Go on, make an excuse if you can. Her gaze seemed to say.

An awkward silence ensued. Phenelity, standing still like a statue with the necklace string extended, gradually grew colder. She didn’t look like the usual carefree Cochrun who always laughed like a fool.

“Do you really not know what to say?”

Her cold stare was so intense that Viett straightened his back as if he were being scolded by a strict nanny from his childhood. His throat tightened uncomfortably.

He couldn’t believe he was nervous. He never expected such a small woman to remind him of painful childhood memories. Phenelity, staring intently at his tightly closed mouth, asked in a subdued voice.

“Do you have nothing more to say?”

Viett thought for a moment and then frowned slightly. He barely managed to open his tightly closed throat and mumbled in bewilderment.

“W-what do you want…?”

“Good grief! This is so frustrating!”

“Th-the one who’s frustrated is m-me.”

The dragging conversation was becoming increasingly frustrating and annoying. They barely had time to discuss the marriage, and here they were wasting time.

“Is it so hard to give a sincere apology? You did the same thing when you left my gift in the hospital room. You’re doing it again now!”

Phenelity shook her head and sighed.

“Just bend down for a moment…”

Phenelity covered her mouth with one hand and whispered. Gesturing for him to lower himself, Viett, bewildered, bent down to her height.

“Listen carefully.”

Phenelity stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips close to his ear.

“In situations like this, you say this to the other person.”

Her soft breath, mixed with her whisper, tickled his skin. Just as Viett flinched at the unfamiliar sensation, she took a deep breath. She intended to shout into his ear.

How dare you? He clicked his tongue and covered her mouth with one hand. Her mouth was muffled with a dull sound, but she didn’t give up.

“I’m sorry!”

Her muffled shout was barely intelligible, but he managed to understand it. He grabbed her soft cheek with one hand and gave her a stern warning.

“O-of course you should be sorry. Y-you almost made me deaf just now!”

“You’ve ruined my only treasure so terribly!”

Phenelity pushed his hand away and frowned.

“Commander, can’t you even reflect on your actions?”

Of course, he had reflected. He also acknowledged that his actions were careless and rude.

“I… I’m reflecting enough.”

Viett answered as he avoided her sharp gaze.

“Is that the face of someone who’s reflecting?”

Phenelity’s expression crumpled again. She stared straight at his face for a moment before a look of realization dawned on her.

“Now I get it. You’ve never apologized to anyone before, have you?”

Viett hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t prevent this situation from being recorded in the novel <Pepe>. Keeping his mouth shut stubbornly wouldn’t help. The readers of the novel would interpret his silence as an admission. In the end, he nodded silently.

Though he had been treated as a troublesome fool, Viett was still a member of Westenia’s royal family. He had never been out of the second place in the line of succession and would enjoy the glory of the Hartmann royal family until the day he died.

Therefore, he had never needed to learn how to apologize by lowering his pride. He had been thoroughly taught that royal blood should never bow its head. Admitting his mistake was enough.

Phenelity, unaware of this, widened her eyes.

“So that’s why you acted so immaturely, like a seven-year-old.”

“S-seven… what?”

Now she was treating him like a child? Viett looked indignant, but Phenelity didn’t care. Before he could retort, she continued slowly.

“So, Commander. What did I say just now?”

“J-just now?”

“What should you say to the other person in situations like this?”

Her tone, gentle and precise, like she was teaching a child, made him feel strange. It reminded him of the nanny who used to worship his older brother like a god. Feeling like a scolded child, he mumbled.

“S-sorry…”

“Sorry?”

“…S-sorry?”

The nanny used to pinch his side, leaving bruises whenever she scolded him in secret. As he grew older, she left handprints on his arms and back.

The reason he had been unconsciously tense since Phenelity’s questioning began was precisely because of that. But unlike the nanny, she didn’t punish him. Instead, she smiled gently.

“Well done.”

“…”

Viett stared blankly at her smile. At that moment, the evening sunlight filtered through the leaves of the large tree.

The leisurely evening sunlight shone brightly on her face, making the faint bloodstains on her cheek less noticeable.

She seemed to only know how to laugh foolishly, but she could smile like this too.

Seeing her gentle smile, he gradually relaxed. Then he snapped back to his senses. The tightness in his throat loosened, and a hoarse, sarcastic laugh escaped.

“It f-feels like you’re t-taming a hunting dog.”

“What kind of comparison is that? Now, open your hand.”

Phenelity placed the necklace chain in his bewildered hand, then carefully closed his fingers around it with both of her hands. The string rattled softly within his warmly enclosed hand.

The touch of her skin brought him back to his senses. Startled by the sudden contact, Viett instinctively shook off her hand.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Now, your final mission! Fix this perfectly within a week.”

“…Fix it?”

He felt annoyed again at the commanding tone.

“Huh? Was that a bit rude?”

Seeing his displeasure, Phenelity rubbed her chin and thought deeply.

“Then… Please fix it for me?”

“Th-that’s the same thing.”

In his entire life, only two types of people had ever given Viett orders: the royal elders, including his father, and high-ranking military officers.

But now, this strange woman who acted like a clown in the newspapers was giving him orders? The absurdity of the situation left him feeling dazed.

“To begin with, it was Your Highness, no, Commander, who pulled me and broke the string.”

Viett stared blankly at the triumphant woman’s face. He wanted to retort, but his guilt kept his mouth shut.

“You must fix it perfectly within a week. Got it?”

“…”

“You made a mistake, so you have to take responsibility!”