Chapter 8 (Part 1)

When she woke up, Cardin was still asleep. He lay in a straight posture, seemingly unbothered by the discomfort. It was clear that he hadn’t had proper rest on his way here.  

The journey from Devok to Peroy took over three hours, and by the time he arrived, it was already late at night.  

The sound of rain outside the window was no longer audible. It seemed to have stopped during the night.  

As she carefully stepped out of bed, she noticed how small the room felt in comparison to Cardin. Everything seemed too cramped for him.  

Even his attire looked uncomfortable; he had only taken off his jacket. Yet, he seemed to be in a deep sleep, looking utterly serene.  

It had been a long time since she had seen him asleep. His closed eyes were calm, his long lashes delicately resting, and his well-defined nose emphasized his handsome face. His closed lips, tinged with a lively red, quietly drew her gaze.  

At that moment, a knock on the door startled her. Her shoulders flinched as Cardin’s brow furrowed slightly.  

He seemed to be in such a deep sleep that she didn’t want to wake him. She quickly walked to the door.  

When she opened it cautiously, Kelle stood there. Sensing the situation, Kelle spoke softly.  

“Is the Duke still asleep?”  

She nodded and closed the door gently behind her.  

“Yes.”  

Even with the door shut, Kelle lowered her voice.  

“Brienne, make sure you prepare breakfast for the Duke. I’ll be heading to Romseed Village with Batrick for a while.”  

Hearing the familiar name after so long jolted her awake.  

“Why are you going to Romseed Village?”  

“The herbal shop owner passed away.”  

The unexpected news left her stunned.  

“When I first came here, I used to go down to that village to sell herbs. I got to know the shop owner well. They helped me a lot when I was making herbal pills.”  

“……”  

“Brienne?”  

“Yes?”  

“Are you okay? Oh, that’s right—you said you were near Romseed Village before coming to Peroy, didn’t you?”  

“Yes.”  

Her voice trembled, even though her words were brief. The herbal shop owner had been kind to her as well, though not their son.  

Kelle took her hand.  

“Brienne, I’ll leave it to you, then. I have to go now.”  

Kelle seemed busy as she hurried out of the house. Watching her leave, Brienne turned her gaze to the dining table.  

Kelle had already prepared a hearty breakfast.  

She felt a pang of guilt. Kelle was busy enough and had still managed to prepare the meal.  

On the table were boiled eggs, fresh salad, freshly baked ciabatta, crispy bacon, rich butter, and raspberry jam neatly placed in white dishes.  

She sat at the table, staring blankly. Kelle’s earlier words echoed in her mind.  

‘The herbal shop owner passed away.’  

Should I have gone too? 

But the thought of their son held her back. She never wanted to see that face again.  

Thankfully, Cardin had come to her back then. She had been grateful for him during that time. It had been unexpected, and it had surprised her that he cared so much.  

Her heart settled quietly. For some reason, thinking about that memory always made her feel sentimental and nostalgic.  

How long had it been?  

The door suddenly swung open, startling her.  

She turned to see Cardin stepping out. His slightly tousled hair gave him a casual yet oddly fitting look.  

Cardin smiled as he sat at the table.  

“Why are you alone?”  

“Kelle went to Romseed Village.”  

“Why?”  

Cardin began serving her salad, bread, and jam. Watching him place the food, she replied,  

“The herbal shop owner passed away.”  

“Did they die from the shock caused by their son?”  

His offhand comment made her look up in surprise.  

Cardin added bacon and sausages to her plate without any change in expression.  

“Do you know something?”  

She was curious. While she knew nothing, Cardin seemed to know everything.  

Their eyes met. His emerald-green eyes, though seemingly indifferent, held a clear interest.  

As she stared at him without looking away, Cardin smirked and poured orange juice.  

“The son, who couldn’t quit gambling, got into a fight and died because of his temper.”  

After handing her the glass of juice, he poured one for himself and drank it.  

He looked at her calmly, his face breaking into a faint smile as he noticed her shocked expression.  

“Surprised?”  

“I didn’t expect that.”  

“He was always that kind of guy.”  

Cardin’s voice was colder than usual.  

“Don’t dwell on it. You have no ties to that place anymore.”  

He was right.  

She had disliked the herbal shop owner’s son from the moment she met him. Still, the shop had reasonable prices, and she hadn’t had the means to go elsewhere, so she kept going back.  

But something felt strange. How did Cardin know so much about a place she had barely spoken of?  

“Cardin.”  

He looked at her as if he had been waiting. Without hesitation, she asked,  

“How do you know all this? You’ve never even lived near here.”  

“That guy bothered me, so I looked into him. I was worried he might bother you again after what happened.”  

The fact that Cardin had gone to such lengths surprised her.  

“You won’t feel uneasy visiting Romseed Village anymore.”  

How did he know? 

Every time she went near Romseed Village, she felt uneasy because of the herbal shop owner’s son.  

How did Cardin understand me so well?  

He always seemed to grasp the feelings she buried deep inside, the ones she didn’t dare to confront.  

“How did you know?”  

Cardin met her gaze steadily.  

“You stopped going to that village after what happened.”  

It struck her that Cardin might be the only one who truly understood her.  

Then, Cardin pushed a white plate toward her.  

“Why haven’t you eaten anything? You look thinner than before.”  

Her cheeks flushed with heat.  

“I’ve been eating well since I came here.”  

Cardin smiled at her and held out a piece of sliced tomato.  

When she hesitated, he tilted his head.  

“Do you want me to stay like this all day?”  

Reluctantly, she took the bite, but he kept offering more—sliced sausage, bread, salad. Finally, she picked up her fork herself.  

“I’ll eat on my own.”  

As she ate the salad and popped the tomato into her mouth, Cardin spoke.  

“When I married you, I wanted to spend every day like this.”  

Her chewing slowed naturally.  

Cardin met her eyes and said,  

“I’ve been too busy, haven’t I?”  

She couldn’t bring herself to reply, but Cardin smiled faintly.  

“Let’s do everything we couldn’t before.”  

She swallowed her food with difficulty.  

Her thoughts about a future with Cardin remained bleak. Yet, her heart kept fluttering, and she found herself wanting to be with him.  

Why was I drawn to him, even though I knew better?  

Was it because I feared he wouldn’t leave if I didn’t?  

Just as she had agonized the night before, her thoughts continued.  

Then, as if it were nothing, Cardin spoke again.  

“When we return to Devok, there’ll be an herbal fair in a week. I prepared it for you. I thought you might miss the herbs you loved while in Devok.”  

His gaze lingered on her briefly before his words filled the air.  

“I just want you to be happy when you’re with me.”  

“……”  

“Let’s go together.”  

Cardin spoke again, his words sweeter, his gaze filled with longing.

What would happen to me once we returned to Devok? Would I grow weary and leave Devok for good, or would I remain by his side?  

The future remained uncertain. She couldn’t even bring herself to decide yet.  

Eventually, she stopped eating and stood up, but Cardin got up and stood in front of her.  

He looked at her briefly before taking her hand.  

“If you don’t want to, I’ll leave alone.”  

As he said this, Cardin tightened his grip on her hand, as if he didn’t want to let go. His gentle words contrasted with his firm action, leaving her heart in turmoil.  

Cardin stared at her intently and spoke.  

“Of course, if I go to Devok alone, I’ll miss you so much that I’ll think of you every night, lose sleep, and wake up early feeling exhausted. I’ll even have to take medicine…”  

“You’re taking medicine?”  

Cardin let out a soft sigh.  

“Yes. When you were with me, I could at least sleep well, but now I can’t even do that. Instead, I stay up all night working. When I feel unwell, I take medicine occasionally.”  

Her heart ached. She had thought that Cardin would live well enough without her.  

Cardin gave her hand a gentle squeeze.  

“Last night, I slept well because you were beside me. It was the first time I’ve slept so soundly since you left.”  

“Then, all this time…”  

“I’ve been living miserably without you.”  

Cardin spoke matter-of-factly, but for some reason, it tugged at her heart. Now that she looked closely, his jawline seemed sharper than before. Perhaps he hadn’t been eating properly either.  

“What about food?”  

“The same. Without you, I can barely eat. I just manage to drink water.”  

Cardin stood close to her, looking down with a hardened expression.