Rudis spent such busy days that she hardly noticed how the week passed. Spraying growth accelerator on crops daily was exhausting work, but Zimmer proved to be an even bigger headache. His stubbornness was remarkable—Rudis was now returning from giving him the key to a small cabin she had built.

She had pleaded with him, explaining it wasn’t a gift but a loan, and asked him to stay there for just one day. It was a challenging ordeal, and she felt she could almost hear the affinity she had carefully built up crumbling away.

Nevertheless, thanks to her busy efforts, she managed to complete the harvest without problems. She was on her way back after storing the very last crop in the warehouse.

“Alright, this is truly the last day. Just a little more effort!”

Rudis rolled up her sleeves and headed to the barn. She needed to make final preparations before the typhoon arrived. She also moved two golden sheep that had just reached maturity to another barn, separating them.

Black sheep! Black sheep!

She couldn’t help humming. Though still far from completion, just thinking about finishing the livestock section of her guidebook made her steps lighter.

For that, I need this!

“What’s that?”

Iska asked, seeing her bring out items filled with years of know-how. It was the first time he had shown interest in potions.

“This? Well… KC48 and BF29…”

What Rudis held were special supplements. Unlike intuitively named potions such as status ailment potion, health potion, or premium growth accelerator, these had cryptic names, which seemed to confuse Iska as he tilted his head.

“Breeding potion and fertility potion?”

“Ah…”

Not exactly, but that was close enough. KC48 increased the breeding probability even between livestock that normally regarded each other coldly, while BF29 was a supplement that increased pregnancy chances.

“I’ll just go give them this. Then let’s have dinner.”

“Yes… I’ll prepare it.”

Was she too excited? Rudis failed to notice how intensely Iska’s eyes were gleaming.

* * *

The typhoon struck exactly on the day Iska had predicted.

The sound of wind grew closer as rain poured down, drumming against the windows. Water flowed ceaselessly over the roof, and outside, trees swayed with a growling sound. The wind circled around the house, making howling noises. Yet inside the room, it was surprisingly quiet.

The wooden walls were solid and sturdy. The fierce wind and commotion outside couldn’t reach this place. Inside the house, all sounds were muted and subdued. Relief washed over her. At the same time…

I’m so bored.

Normally when a typhoon came, she would have spent her time pacing anxiously, worried about crops being blown away. But this year, having completed all preparations perfectly, she had nothing to do.

So this is how boring it is to be alone…

Having spent so much time with Iska lately made being alone feel even more unfamiliar. With the pouring rain, Iska had shut himself in his room and wouldn’t come out.

What amazed her was that he still diligently prepared her meals. Every time she woke up, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks were all laid out on the table. The portions were enormous, but everything was so delicious that she couldn’t help but clean her plate.

I wonder if Iska is really okay.

Remembering how he had said he was afraid of rain, worry swept over her. Rudis lingered in front of Iska’s door. But seeing it firmly closed, she hesitated to enter.

He probably wouldn’t like it if I just went in…

Even villagers with high affinity would allow home visits, but they would become furiously angry if she entered personal spaces like bedrooms. She had lost hard-earned affinity points in one go more than a few times because of this.

While she was hesitating in front of the door,

“Hnngh…”

A sound like sobbing leaked through the door crack. Her heart sank at the subsequent labored breathing and trembling gasps.

Rudis bit her lip.

I promised I would protect him.

Her heart raced. She had no idea what to do, but she couldn’t just stand there. Even if it cost her affinity points, this was the time to act.

With firm resolve, Rudis opened the door.

“Iska!”

Her gaze moved inside. Though the window was closed, the air in the room felt unusually cold. And in the middle of the room, on the bed, Iska was curled up.

His back was deeply hunched, and his large hands were wrapped around his head. She could also see his trembling body and drooping ears. His breathing was irregular, gasping and stopping before continuing again.

“Iska, are you okay?”

Just as Rudis feared, Iska was shaking violently. Wrapped in a blanket soaked with cold sweat, he was gasping for breath.

“It’s okay. It’s just rain. Our house is safe. It’s never leaked, and no wind gets in. It’s built very sturdy with premium lumber. Don’t worry, Iska. I’ll stay beside you.”

Rudis sat next to him and whispered continuously. Even if these words weren’t helpful, they were what she herself had once desperately wanted to hear.

Her small hand patting his enormous body made her feel incredibly small. Just like her childhood self, curled up somewhere in the distant past she could barely remember.

“…Lady Rudis?”

After a while, Iska’s low, trembling voice was heard. Hazy blue eyes turned toward Rudis.

“Yes, it’s me. Are you feeling better?”

When Rudis asked quietly, Iska stared blankly for a moment before suddenly sitting up and bowing.

“I’m sorry. To show you such a side of me… I’m truly sorry. You must have been shocked.  Usually it’s not this bad…”

“Calm down, Iska. It’s okay.”

Rudis hugged Iska tightly as he kept apologizing, and rubbed his back. Whatever had frightened him, calming him down was the priority. The method seemed to work as Iska took a deep breath and buried his face in Rudis’s shoulder.

“…You won’t abandon me, will you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Rudis frowned at the words that came after a long silence. Her heart ached at his rough, broken, trembling voice.

“For showing such an ugly side of myself…”

His voice was incredibly dejected. He seemed to have trouble finishing his sentence, almost sobbing.

“Iska. Listen carefully.”

I can’t stand this. Rudis grabbed Iska’s shoulders and looked into his eyes.

“I will not abandon you. I can’t abandon you. People… No. In any relationship, such a thing doesn’t exist. No one can abandon anyone else. Never worry about that again. We’re practically family.”

Rudis was resolute. More than ever before.

“…Family.”

Iska’s blue eyes wavered subtly. He quietly repeated the word with trembling lips.

“Yes. That’s right. Family.”

Rudis emphasized with more force. Iska’s blue eyes began to sparkle.

“So Lady Rudis wanted to become family with me too.”

Perhaps a bit too much.

* * *

“This typhoon is lasting a long time.”

Rudis muttered to herself, looking out the dark window. Rain still beat heavily against the glass, and wind circled roughly around the house. Unable to go outside during the typhoon, she started worrying about the animals in the barn.

Though premium feed was dispensed automatically, she had lost many livestock during her first typhoon because she couldn’t provide feed, so her anxiety was unavoidable.

“It will end tomorrow.”

Iska said as he placed plenty of snacks on the table. Though his manner was gruff, his tone was warm, concerned about the worried Rudis.

Shadow mushrooms again…

Rudis thought, looking at the plate before her. Shadow mushrooms had been appearing daily lately. In meals and in snacks. How many had he gathered to have enough for every meal?

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Rudis smiled and managed to express her gratitude. She had intended to honestly say she wanted something else, but suddenly imagined Iska picking each small mushroom with his large hands under the moonlight. She couldn’t bring herself to complain.

As she put a handful in her mouth, the corners of Iska’s mouth stretched into a smile.

Why is he so happy about this?

Rudis wondered inwardly as she watched Iska’s delighted expression.

He’s happy just watching me eat. Is that it? If so, I can certainly do this much.