When Ardelheid saw me, she seemed surprised.
“─ What can I do for you, Lord Alfred?”
I’ve come this far already, I’ve got to do it.
“Erm, can we talk alone?”
Ardelheid stiffened a little.
She nodded as if she had made up her mind and invited me into the other room.
The two of us faced each other and were silent for a while.
Ardelheid was staring down.
I guess I’ll have to start the conversation.
“Ms. Ardelheid. I heard from Mil. She told me that …… you were worried that I hate you.”
Ardelheid freaks out and looks at me timidly.
When a beautiful woman looks at me like that, I feel like I’ve become the bad guy.
“I don’t dislike you at all, Ms. Ardellheid.”
She was staring at me with an upturned gaze, but she was thinking about what to say.
In times like this, if I talk too much, she’ll start thinking about it.
I can’t blame her or look at her like I’m urging her to speak.
I try to keep my face as calm as possible and wait patiently.
After a moment, Ardelheid looked down and began to speak.
It wasn’t very logical, but I listened in silence. She let my emotions and memories guide me as I string the words together.
The conversation went back and forth. The chronological order of events had been skipped.
I silently sort out the story in my mind.
(T/N: Ardelheid starts thinking or talking from here.)
I was so shocked at the sight of the burning corpse that I secretly threw up all over myself.
I realized how naive my thinking had been.
""
I was so happy to be able to save my mother and child friend that I shed tears.
But I thought I was being self-centered when I made eye contact with a dead body that I couldn’t save in time.
It was very painful to see the people who offered to help me become more and more emaciated day by day.
My mind went blank when I saw that one of my helpers had died and was burned.
I felt that I had killed him.
Eventually, I realized that I no longer felt anything when people died, and I was overcome with self-loathing.
I was relieved to hear that the number of sick people had dwindled and that my father would ask me to return, but on the other hand, I was troubled by the fact that it would be very despicable.
When he told me he had brushed it off, I felt saved.
A proclamation was issued in the name of the dead dog tribesman, and I was devastated that I had forgotten about him.
With him dismissing me as his secretary, I thought he scorned me for seeing through the contents of such a heart.
I thought that my appointment as Minister of Public Health had given me an opportunity to atone for my sins.
When she finished speaking, Ardelheid was crying.
(T/N: She stops here.)
I have to have to do something about her before I can improve relations between the winged tribes ……
I waited until she calmed down a bit and I decided to start talking.
“I’ll tell you something first. I don’t despise you, and I didn’t give you the opportunity to atone for your sins.”
Ardelheid wanted to say something, but I stopped her with my hand.
“First of all, I can’t blame you for not knowing the harsh reality. It’s not wrong to take the lives of your friends so seriously and take others so lightly.”
Ardelheid looked surprised.
“Why is that?”
“If you prioritized your friend’s treatment and put others aside for later, I suppose you should take the blame. Did you do so, Ms. Ardelheid?”
Ardelheid shook her head.
“Then, you just didn’t get there in time. There’s nothing we can do about it. The Chief of the Cat Tribe made a bad decision and couldn’t save them …… It’s natural to feel the weight of the lives of those closest to you. It is unreasonable to consider the lives of your own children and those of others to be of equal weight. Of course, we shouldn’t insult or use other people’s lives as tools.”
Ardelheid was blaming herself so much, that she’s losing her mental balance ……
With that in mind, I’ll tell her what I think.
“It is human nature to become insensitive to death as it becomes more familiar. It’s impossible to ask people to continue while remaining sensitive. It is also human nature to be relieved at the thought of escaping from such a hell. I used Mr. Smythe’s name because I didn’t want everyone to forget his name.”
Ardelheid seemed to have calmed down a bit.
I hope this gets through to you …… I thought, opening my mouth again.
“I didn’t dismiss you of the secretary position because I scorn you. As long as there are dead people, we must at least settle the score.”
Ardelheid gave a small nod.
“Yes, I understand that.”
“As the Minister of Public Health, I thought that you, who have seen hell, would be the best person to deal with the situation.”
“Is that so?”
I scratched my head.
“Yes, although I have a personal hope that you will grow from your mistakes.”
Ardelheid began to cry aloud.
""
I know I’m right at this point, but I’m a married man.
However, I’m partly responsible for driving her away, too.
I sat down beside Ardelheid and gently patted her on the head.
After that, Ardelheid buried her face in my chest …… and continued to cry loudly for about 10 minutes.
It was so awkward.
When she stopped crying and looked up, Ardelheid had an expectant look in her eyes, but …… I can’t do that.
If I had been single, I would have been caught perfectly.
I scratched my head again.
“Well …… So why don’t you be my friend?”
With the word “friend,” the face of Silvana the Escorter flashed through my mind and I instantly became calm.
Thank you, Silvana the Escorter.
Ardelheid looked disappointed but after a while …… she smiled.
""
“Please, be my friend.”
After that, I excused myself from her room, embarrassed, but Ramiro Rio was trying hard to hide his grin.
“My lord, you’re still very popular.”
“It’s no use for a married man to be so popular.”
When I returned to my office, Kiara came running up to me.
For some reason, she stopped in front of me for about three seconds.
A low, well-cleared voice echoed in the room.
“Brother ………… where is this other woman’s scent coming from?”
Oh, a déjà vu ……
When Ardelheid saw me, she seemed surprised.
“─ What can I do for you, Lord Alfred?”
I’ve come this far already, I’ve got to do it.
“Erm, can we talk alone?”
Ardelheid stiffened a little.
She nodded as if she had made up her mind and invited me into the other room.
The two of us faced each other and were silent for a while.
Ardelheid was staring down.
I guess I’ll have to start the conversation.
“Ms. Ardelheid. I heard from Mil. She told me that …… you were worried that I hate you.”
Ardelheid freaks out and looks at me timidly.
When a beautiful woman looks at me like that, I feel like I’ve become the bad guy.
“I don’t dislike you at all, Ms. Ardellheid.”
She was staring at me with an upturned gaze, but she was thinking about what to say.
In times like this, if I talk too much, she’ll start thinking about it.
I can’t blame her or look at her like I’m urging her to speak.
I try to keep my face as calm as possible and wait patiently.
After a moment, Ardelheid looked down and began to speak.
It wasn’t very logical, but I listened in silence. She let my emotions and memories guide me as I string the words together.
The conversation went back and forth. The chronological order of events had been skipped.
I silently sort out the story in my mind.
(T/N: Ardelheid starts thinking or talking from here.)
I was so shocked at the sight of the burning corpse that I secretly threw up all over myself.
I realized how naive my thinking had been.
""
I was so happy to be able to save my mother and child friend that I shed tears.
But I thought I was being self-centered when I made eye contact with a dead body that I couldn’t save in time.
It was very painful to see the people who offered to help me become more and more emaciated day by day.
My mind went blank when I saw that one of my helpers had died and was burned.
I felt that I had killed him.
Eventually, I realized that I no longer felt anything when people died, and I was overcome with self-loathing.
I was relieved to hear that the number of sick people had dwindled and that my father would ask me to return, but on the other hand, I was troubled by the fact that it would be very despicable.
When he told me he had brushed it off, I felt saved.
A proclamation was issued in the name of the dead dog tribesman, and I was devastated that I had forgotten about him.
With him dismissing me as his secretary, I thought he scorned me for seeing through the contents of such a heart.
I thought that my appointment as Minister of Public Health had given me an opportunity to atone for my sins.
When she finished speaking, Ardelheid was crying.
(T/N: She stops here.)
I have to have to do something about her before I can improve relations between the winged tribes ……
I waited until she calmed down a bit and I decided to start talking.
“I’ll tell you something first. I don’t despise you, and I didn’t give you the opportunity to atone for your sins.”
Ardelheid wanted to say something, but I stopped her with my hand.
“First of all, I can’t blame you for not knowing the harsh reality. It’s not wrong to take the lives of your friends so seriously and take others so lightly.”
Ardelheid looked surprised.
“Why is that?”
“If you prioritized your friend’s treatment and put others aside for later, I suppose you should take the blame. Did you do so, Ms. Ardelheid?”
Ardelheid shook her head.
“Then, you just didn’t get there in time. There’s nothing we can do about it. The Chief of the Cat Tribe made a bad decision and couldn’t save them …… It’s natural to feel the weight of the lives of those closest to you. It is unreasonable to consider the lives of your own children and those of others to be of equal weight. Of course, we shouldn’t insult or use other people’s lives as tools.”
Ardelheid was blaming herself so much, that she’s losing her mental balance ……
With that in mind, I’ll tell her what I think.
“It is human nature to become insensitive to death as it becomes more familiar. It’s impossible to ask people to continue while remaining sensitive. It is also human nature to be relieved at the thought of escaping from such a hell. I used Mr. Smythe’s name because I didn’t want everyone to forget his name.”
Ardelheid seemed to have calmed down a bit.
I hope this gets through to you …… I thought, opening my mouth again.
“I didn’t dismiss you of the secretary position because I scorn you. As long as there are dead people, we must at least settle the score.”
Ardelheid gave a small nod.
“Yes, I understand that.”
“As the Minister of Public Health, I thought that you, who have seen hell, would be the best person to deal with the situation.”
“Is that so?”
I scratched my head.
“Yes, although I have a personal hope that you will grow from your mistakes.”
Ardelheid began to cry aloud.
""
I know I’m right at this point, but I’m a married man.
However, I’m partly responsible for driving her away, too.
I sat down beside Ardelheid and gently patted her on the head.
After that, Ardelheid buried her face in my chest …… and continued to cry loudly for about 10 minutes.
It was so awkward.
When she stopped crying and looked up, Ardelheid had an expectant look in her eyes, but …… I can’t do that.
If I had been single, I would have been caught perfectly.
I scratched my head again.
“Well …… So why don’t you be my friend?”
With the word “friend,” the face of Silvana the Escorter flashed through my mind and I instantly became calm.
Thank you, Silvana the Escorter.
Ardelheid looked disappointed but after a while …… she smiled.
""
“Please, be my friend.”
After that, I excused myself from her room, embarrassed, but Ramiro Rio was trying hard to hide his grin.
“My lord, you’re still very popular.”
“It’s no use for a married man to be so popular.”
When I returned to my office, Kiara came running up to me.
For some reason, she stopped in front of me for about three seconds.
A low, well-cleared voice echoed in the room.
“Brother ………… where is this other woman’s scent coming from?”
Oh, a déjà vu ……
