Chapter 95 – About to Burst Just from Touching
“Young Master, over here!”
Hadius’ mask was a simple affair, faithfully covering only his face without ornamentation. He glanced at it reluctantly, then donned it himself to ward off the approaching crowd.
The black mask oddly matched his jet black hair. His clothes were also rather plain, perhaps to hide his identity, but it only served to make him stand out even more.
“Doesn’t he look like a pirate? The infamous pirate queen, Black Mamba,” Pip whispered, shuddering.
For a moment, Emilia was so engrossed in drawing a pirate on the careless man’s form that she forgot she disliked him.
Pitch black, rough and cruel, merciless…
Suddenly he turned his head. Just before their eyes met, Emilia managed to look away.
“Young master, this way!”
Pip called, leading the way. Hadius followed, taking wide strides to avoid any chance of colliding with dirty pedestrians.
Emilia couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched the elegant man retreat.
Not a pirate, but still a lord of high rank.
“Let’s go, Sis.”
Charlotte urged, and Emilia quickened her pace.
The square was lined with stalls, like a carnival. Most were selling wine, but there were also stalls selling bread, biscuits and soda water, as well as a flea market selling second-hand items such as old clothes, shoes and jewelry.
As they progressed, the festival atmosphere grew stronger. There were musicians playing flutes and accordions, fortune tellers reading tarot cards, puppet shows, gamblers and magicians.
Charlotte looked delighted. It seemed that the lively music and the sweet smell of snacks, just like at the village fair in Erndorf long ago, were enough to excite her.
Pip stopped at the entrance to the square.
“Oh, the grape stomping has started over there.”
“Really?”
Charlotte’s hand tightened around Pip’s as she exclaimed,
“Let’s go!”
The child tugged at her sister’s arm, excitedly wondering what was causing so much excitement.
All the buildings around the square were breweries. At each brewery with an open door, large barrels filled with grapes awaited people.
A man introduced himself as the representative of the village and began to explain how grapes were crushed.
“In our cantar, we have been pressing grapes with our feet for generations. Although some wineries have recently started using machines, we prefer to stick to tradition. That’s right, we’ll do it with all of you!”
Cheers and applause followed.
Women who looked like maids appeared with baskets and began handing out damp towels. People wiped their feet and entered the barrels.
Finally it was their turn. Charlotte grabbed Beppy’s hand and jumped into the barrel.
“Oh, how strange!”
Charlotte frowned, but soon burst into laughter. The child, who had been slowly stomping grapes, suddenly stopped and stared into space.
“Sister?”
It was strange. If it had been a normal day, Emily would have jumped in, if only for Charlotte’s sake, but Emily found herself recoiling and looking at Hadius.
She was strangely self-conscious and embarrassed as she became more aware. Emily felt she was behaving like Lady Reinen, who had laughed awkwardly in front of the boys a long time ago.
“Sister?”
Charlotte’s mouth twitched as she searched for her sister again.
Emilia let out a short sigh and called to the child, “Okay, wait!” as she carefully lifted the hem of her skirt up to her calves and stepped inside.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…”
The sensation of the juicy flesh squeezing between her toes was strange. It was like stepping on cold mud and being immersed in sticky honey at the same time.
“Young master?”
Charlotte asked suddenly. The child turned her head toward Hadius as if she could see him clearly. Then, without giving Emilia a chance to stop her, she shouted,
“Young master, wait for me!”
Emilia thought he would refuse, but Hadius bent down and began to roll up the cuffs of his trousers.
Emilia’s eyes widened in surprise.
When he actually stepped into the orc barrel, Emilia felt she couldn’t breathe. Although the room was wide enough for five adults, it felt like it was completely filled with Hadius.
“It’s slippery, be careful.”
He muttered to himself as he looked at the grapes squeezing between his bare toes. His gray eyes unconsciously turned back to Emilia. Startled, Emilia quickly turned her body in the opposite direction.
They stepped awkwardly on the grapes, facing away from each other. What brought them closer together was the small size of the barrel.
The excited old man grabbed Charlotte’s hand and began to jump around. In the confined space of the orc barrel, they soon ran out of room to move. Despite their best efforts to avoid each other, their hands, feet and bodies brushed against each other. The contrast between the slimy, mushy fruit and the man’s hot, firm body left Emilia breathless every time they touched.
“Ahh!”
Beppy stumbled again, his feet spinning, and the backs of the two people trying to avoid him collided directly. Emilia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out all the dizzying sensations that were overwhelming her.
The floor became increasingly slippery with pulp and juice. And then, suddenly,
“…!”
Charlotte’s body swayed violently. Beppy tried to catch her and slipped as well. It was a chain reaction, like a row of dominoes. Emilia, who had been holding Charlotte’s hand, also lost her balance and stepped on a clam, twisting her ankle.
“Ah!”
She was completely off balance and about to fall forward when Hadius caught her.
The man’s hand dug into her armpit and rib, her soft chest crushed against his solid muscles as their inhales and exhales blended. Her heart sank and her breathing was cut off.
Like magnets with opposite poles, the two people hurriedly pulled away from each other. The real problem came the next moment.
Emilia groaned, “Ah…” as she sat down, feeling a dull pain in her ankle. Without thinking, Hadius grabbed her again.
“Are you all right?”
To answer, Emilia had to swallow the rising sharp pain.
“My ankle… feels twisted.”
As she finished speaking, her body suddenly jerked awake. Startled, she instinctively grabbed Hadius’ shoulder like a lifeline. Realizing that she was clinging to him like a child, her body froze.
“Are you all right, Sister?”
“Uh…”
Luckily, Charlotte was fine. So was Beppy.
“I, I can stand on my own.”
Emilia turned her flushed face away and pressed against his chest with all her might.
But Hadius didn’t pretend to listen and slipped out of the orc’s cage.
“Hold me.”
She let out a sigh and slowly lowered her small body, leaning against his shoulder.
Pip rushed over with a towel, as if waiting for him, to wipe Emilia’s grape juice covered feet.
“It’s OK, I’ll do it.”
Having received the towel from Pip, Emilia slowly put weight on her uninjured leg. She still had to get support from the man’s shoulder with her other hand, like a crutch.
Hadius knelt in front of her, examining her thin ankle. Every time his gaze fell on it, sparks flew and her stomach churned.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little…”
Hadius frowned.
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t seem too serious as it’s not swollen. I’ll try to walk.”
She took a step to test it. Her right foot was fine, but as soon as her left touched the ground she screamed and almost fell again.
He quickly grabbed her flailing arm. As their bodies collided relentlessly, they felt strange sensations that had nothing to do with pain or worry.
“…it seems it’s sprained a bit.”
Emilia muttered softly as she looked down at her ankle. Just then, Pip appeared out of nowhere.
“Young Master, here.”
He had a bandage in his hand, and where he got it no one knew.
“Rumour has it that there is a doctor here, but it will be difficult to find him during the festival. We can at least provide first aid with this.”
Hadius quickly wrapped Emilia’s slender ankle in bandages. As his skilled hands worked, the pain that had her writhing slowly eased.
“You’re all right now.”
Hadius stood slowly.
“Thank you.”
He looked down at Emilia.
Her smooth white cheeks were flushed with a rare blush.
A few strands of hair fell from her scarlet mask, revealing her round ears, thick earlobes and long, slender neck.
“Can you stand on your own?”
“Yes.”
The strength in his grip on her slowly faded.
Hadius tried not to look at the woman, who seemed she might burst into tears at any moment, and stuffed his empty hand into his pocket.
“I’ll just say hello and return.”
Bianca whispered as the carriage shook. Her face was bright with excitement, unlike in the bathroom last night.
“Ugh, I can’t live like this…”
Ruth tried not to look at such a lady and crossed her arms.
A few hours ago, the troublesome lady had awakened her in the middle of the night.
“Wake up, Nanny.”
In the dim light of dawn, Ruth felt her sleep slip away under the sharp gaze of the young lady.
The lady was dressed and had put on gloves and a hat herself.
It was then that she realized she had to pay the price for lighting the fire with all sorts of sweet words when she had washed the lady last night.
As Ruth had expected, Bianca’s lips twitched in secret.
“Let’s go. We need a surprise attack. Just like before.”
Oh God.
Ruth sighed.
The question “Why don’t you think it over?” rose in her throat.
But the lady was an unbending and stubborn person once she had made up her mind, and the words “just like before” lingered like an aftertaste.
Ten years ago, the young Lady Reinen fell madly in love with the young Master Meyer.
The young lady cried and said she didn’t know what to do because her heart was beating too fast, and that image was stamped on Ruth’s heart like a seal.
How could anyone turn away from such a lady?
“Ah.”
Ruth sighed deeply and stood quickly.
“All right, this is good.”
And so, before dawn, Ruth boarded a carriage for Sitmer.
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