Chapter 38
38
“How many years have I been with you?”
I didn’t raise you to be such an idiot that you can’t even untie your own shoelaces.
At Jin’s words, Nina rolled her eyes, saying, “It’s not like Jin raised me,” but then she sighed and slumped her shoulders.
“Even though Young Master is strong… Will he be okay? He’ll have to go deep to find Clairon. And who knows what might pop out in the Violet Forest. It’ll take a long time to go all the way there and back, too.”
“And yet he left you behind, didn’t he?”
“That’s right! That’s exactly it! How could he leave me behind!”
“You leave Young Master alone and wander around just fine, though.”
“That’s different. Young Master is Young Master, and I’m me.”
“Right, so His Excellency went to do what His Excellency has to do.”
Aren’t I nice?
Jin spoke in a coaxing tone, and Nina burst out laughing. Jin would often soothe her like this when she fought with Adrian and sulked.
Awkwardly, like an older brother caught between squabbling younger siblings.
“What should I do? I like Jin too much?”
“Yeah, yeah. You like me a lot. I know. That’s why you beat me with a stick during training.”
“That’s all affection, you know.”
“Of course, it is. Yes, yes.”
Jin said that as he reached out to her head, then subtly moved his hand down to pat her back.
He said the words, but worry was evident in his green eyes.
Nina grabbed his wrist that was patting her back and leaned her cheek against his arm.
“Jin.”
“What?”
“I’m glad you’re alive.”
Jin bit his lip slightly before opening his mouth.
“You too.”
“If Jin had died, I would have cried so much. I would have cried until my eyeballs melted.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I mean it.”
“I’m being serious too.”
Nina looked up at Jin with a pout, and Jin was smiling gently. Knowing that his words were sincere, Nina blinked.
“But don’t cry so much that your eyes melt.”
“If Jin says so, I can’t help it.”
Nina rubbed her cheek against his arm and sighed.
“It feels like just yesterday Jin was telling me to ‘get lost,’ and now he’s thanking me for crying. It’s a real sign of the times. Really.”
Jin’s face turned red.
“Why do you have to bring up other people’s embarrassing pasts?”
“You’re aware it’s embarrassing?”
“I am. Completely. I was wrong back then. Really. I mean, how many times have I apologized for this?”
“It’s okay to apologize as many times as you want. I’m going to milk it until I die.”
Jin ran a hand over his face.
When Nina came, he was disappointed in his life and in humanity, so he wasn’t happy at all about her taking care of him.
Nina only grumbles about him telling her to ‘get lost,’ but he had even roughly pushed her over.
Back then, she was just a skinny thirteen-year-old girl.
‘No, I thought you were a boy?!’
That was his final defense. If he had known she was a girl, would he have said such harsh things and acted so roughly?
He was so surprised when he later found out she was a girl.
You could tell just by looking at the faces of the people after they found out that he wasn’t the only one who thought that.
In fact, back then, Jin couldn’t even sleep properly for a day without alcohol.
He roughly swept back his hair and said,
“I was really sorry back then. I wasn’t in my right mind.”
Nina smiled brightly at his renewed apology.
“I know. I know.”
She let go of him and got off the desk. Nina picked up the shoes she had thrown far away herself and said,
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight, but I should still go to bed early. Because an important guest is coming tomorrow.”
Jin snorted.
“Important guest my ass.”
“It is an important guest. A sage is coming from Bluestone Island.”
“Isn’t he going to bring a bunch of attendants? That’s a headache too.”
“No, it said he’s coming alone.”
“That’s unusual. Is he a weirdo?”
Nina laughed, as if he was complaining about everything.
His perception of sages didn’t seem very good.
As Nina turned her gaze to the window, Jin covered her eyes with his palm and said,
“You’re not going to fly away in the middle of the night or anything, are you?”
“!!”
When Nina looked at Jin with a face that said, ‘Did you read my mind?’ Jin said again,
“Don’t do that. You’ll just get scolded and come back.”
“I can’t believe it. Jin might be right.”
Nina grumbled and lowered her gaze. Jin grinned and asked,
“Should I sleep with you?”
“No, thanks.”
Nina waved her hand.
“I’m going to go wash up and sleep. I’m tired.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Go to bed quickly.
Nina gathered the documents for her duties as Commander from the desk and moved to her room.
Today, she had been acting as Adrian and Louis’s proxy, so her own work was still left on the desk.
Nina returned to her room and looked at the shining Seed Crystal.
It was still shining brightly.
It was good because she could save on candle costs, and it didn’t smell like cheap oil from cheap candles.
It was a hardship that people who used expensive beeswax candles wouldn’t know.
‘And it’s bright.’
If she replaced all the candles with this crystal, there would be talk among the servants.
Because the side income from selling the melted leftover wax and candle drippings was quite substantial.
‘But there aren’t that many crystals anyway.’
But this crystal is very beautiful in itself.
Looking at the golden wick shimmering inside and the rainbow-colored surface sparkling, it seemed like she could look at it all day without getting tired.
‘The seller will come up with the sales pitch.’
Nina thought so and moved the crystal onto the documents.
“Ah, it’s convenient because there’s no lamp shadow.”
Nina relied on the bright light to process the work documents.
Considering that ordinary knights are illiterate and have difficulty with simple arithmetic, the Jet-Black Knights are a very elite group.
All three of the remaining members are talented enough to handle civil service work.
‘They’re really unique.’
Nina finished drafting the budget and put down her pen.
Tomorrow is the day she meets the male lead.
‘Let’s go to bed early.’
She couldn’t turn off the light, so she had to cover the shining crystal with a lid.
Nina covered the crystal and slipped into bed.
\ \ *
“Nina, hey. Wake up. Nina La Del.”
Shaking her body, Nina squinted open her eyes.
“What is it…?”
“You’re completely sprawled out and can’t even hear the knocking, and you don’t even know when I call you. Do I have to shake you to wake you up? Your discipline is all gone?”
Nina’s irritation surged at Jin’s grumbling voice, but the next moment, she shot up in fear.
“Did something happen to Young Master?”
Jin shook his head at Nina’s widened eyes.
“No. The sage has arrived.”
“What? What time is it? No, damn it, it’s not even dawn yet?”
“Yeah. But he’s here.”
Now that she looked, Jin also had a face full of annoyance. His hair was also disheveled.
“The butler came to me because he couldn’t wake you up.”
“Oh dear.”
Nina scratched her head roughly and crawled out of bed. Still, thanks to the surprise, she was wide awake. She got out of bed and twirled her finger to make Jin turn around.
Nina changed into the clothes she had taken off yesterday. She washed her face roughly with just water and combed her hair with her hands, tying it into pigtails.
“How is it?”
“You look like someone who just woke up.”
“It’s the truth, so I can’t help it. Let’s go. It’ll make a worse impression if we keep him waiting.”
Nina put on only her jacket and went downstairs. Entering the guest reception room, the man who had been sitting stood up.
“I apologize for being late.”
As Nina apologized, the man smiled and waved his hand.
“No. Come to think of it, everyone on Bluestone Island is awake at this hour, but ordinary nobles aren’t.”
He said with a laugh.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Nina held out her hand.
“I am Nina La Del. I am the Commander of the Jet-Black Knights and currently acting as the Duke’s proxy.”
“You’re the one who sent the letter. I have so much to talk about.”
He said as he shook her hand in return, and Nina was dumbfounded and asked.
“So you sent the letter because……?”
Only then did he say, “I’m sorry,” and introduced himself.
“I am Randel, the sage of Bluestone Island. I am a humble member of the Seven Sages.”
