The Master of the Brave - Chapter 137
The Master of the Brave
Chapter 137. Hidden feelings
Fat dripped from the pig’s guts as they roasted over the fire, and a sizzling sound was accompanied by the fragrant aroma of smoke. When it was fully cooked, they bit into it, and the juices gushing from the hot meat filled their mouths with the sweetness and flavor of the fat.
It was only the first day of the trip.
Tomorrow they would eat dried meat and bread, portable food that had been dried to last longer, but for now, they could still eat fresh food. A cold malt liquor or wine would have been the perfect combination, but, unfortunately, the only liquor available was a cheap, slightly warm wine. So, instead of drinking the wine, he quenched his thirst with cold water from the stream.
As he listened, he could hear the sound of the water flowing from the stream, mixed with the crackling sound of the fire. Looking up at the sky, thanks to the fact that they had just cut down the trees in the forest, a starry sky could be seen. A great place for a good meal.
And yet, what is this atmosphere…? As he bit into his bread, Wynn looked at his friends. Wedge and Lino were sitting together on a rock a short distance from the others, eating. Locke beside him, animatedly said “Oh, this looks well cooked and delicious!” and “Ah, the cold water is just perfect!”. And Cornelia next to him would reply, “You’re absolutely right…” and “Thank you,” but she seemed distracted. Occasionally she would glance at Wynn and the others, but would return to her original position after a short while. The only one who seemed to be amused was Kelvin, who was poking at the fire. When Wynn, feeling uncomfortable, looked at Leticia, who was sitting next to him, she also looked back at him quizzically. I wonder what’s going on with everyone. It doesn’t look like they’ve been fighting, though…
“Oh, that’s right, Onii-chan. What we did earlier should be almost ready.”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ll go check it out.”
“That’s fine, I’ll go. Even if it’s not ready, I can use magic.”
“Okay. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes.” Leticia got up and walked back into the forest.
“What’s going on?” Locke, who had been watching the exchange between the two, asked Wynn.
“Well, we were gathering firewood earlier, and we found something like a pond.”
“Eh… and were there fish or shrimps? Did you set a trap or something?
“Not so much, but… something like that.”
“What?”
“We weren’t sure we were doing it right. Then Letty just went to check it out, so she’ll let us know if it worked.”
“What is it? It must be something good.”
What Wynn and Leticia had created was something everyone would be happy with if it was successful. But they wanted to tell everyone only after it had worked, because they were afraid of discouraging them if it failed. Locke asks persistently, but Wynn just smiled and left it at that.
“I’m going over there to get some air.” At that moment, Cornelia stood up, dusting off her knees. She turned away from the fire and walked toward the stream. Her walk was lonely, and Wynn watched her indecipherable expression and decided to ask Locke what was wrong when she finally turned away.
“Did something happen with Cornelia-san while Letty and I were gone? You’ve been acting as if you don’t know what’s going on.”
“No… well, there was something, but how do I put this…” Locke mumbled uncomfortably and looked at Wynn’s face with discomfort.
Hmm… it’s probably because of what the vice-captain told her. His Highness Alfred wants Cornelia-sama and Wynn to be united for the future of the empire. And there’s no doubt that Cornelia-sama has feelings for Wynn as well. But she can’t tell Wynn, who after going through so much is standing by Leticia-sama, so she’s holding back. Locke’s shoulders slumped and he let out a deep sigh.
“Why are you sighing? I’ve been thinking lately that when you behave like this, it’s usually when I’m the cause of the problem. Is it possible that something happened because of me again?”
“Well… something like that.” Locke narrowed his eyes and stared into Wynn’s face.
As a result of instigating Wynn in Peshlika, the atmosphere between him and Leticia-sama became even better. I’m the one who gave Wynn a push, so maybe I should think of something that will help Cornelia-sama? And this is where I should tell Wynn to make a decision. At that thought, Locke began to laugh dryly. Funny, this is a strange situation. One is the Brave and the daughter of a Duke, and the other is a princess of the Imperial family. Now he will have to choose one…
“What’s wrong with you, Locke? You’re scaring me.”
Ignoring Wynn’s reluctance, Locke lifted the pot from the fire. He’d had water simmering. He poured tea in two ceramic cups of hot water and offered them to Wynn.
“It looks like Cornelia-sama went to get some air in the stream. Here, take this to her. And while you’re at it, why don’t you ask her yourself what’s bothering her?”
After saying she was going to get some air, Cornelia arrived at the stream where the horses had just been watered. The stream was small and narrow, and the sound of the water was soothing to the ears. The branches and leaves of the trees had just been cut on the bank of the stream, and the sky loomed overhead. It wasn’t raining, but it was cloudy and he couldn’t see any stars. But Cornelia kept looking up at the dark night sky. She had to think of her brother Alfred and the people of Erz, of the Lyon army that had come to support her, of the imperial capital she was heading for, and of Prince Neumann, whom she would have to face there. As the imperial princess, there were many things she had to think about. However, the more she tried to think about it, the more the image of Wynn and Leticia in Count Schlihaden’s mansion in Peshlika came to her mind. She didn’t know what they talked about when Wynn took Leticia out of the mansion, when she was surrounded by her brother Rails’ noble friends. She only knew that it must have been something that affected their relationship. Cornelia knew that feelings of love existed between Wynn and Leticia and she was sincerely glad for it, even wanting to congratulate them. Somewhere in her heart, however, she was sure that also created loneliness for her. Although she still had a lot of other things to think about first, all she could think about was Wynn.
I knew it… there’s no room for me between Wynn-kun and Leticia-sama. But… She put her hands to her chest and lowered her gaze. Still… Just at that moment, she heard footsteps behind her and turned around, she hurried to put on a more unclouded expression.
“Did I interrupt you when you were alone, Cornelia-san?”
“Ah…” It was just the person she was thinking of just a moment ago. Cornelia couldn’t help but choke on her words as she looked at Wynn.
“I thought you might like a hot drink or something, so I brought you some tea.”
“Thank you. Did you make it, Wynn-kun?”
“I didn’t, Locke did.” Handing over one of the steaming ceramic cups, Wynn scratched his head and smiled. “Mary taught me how to make tea after I became a squire, but I’m still not very good at it.”
“Hehehe, I see.”
When Wynn was assigned as a squadron squire, Cornelia had watched him being taught to make tea by Mary and her other servants. The two looked at each other and laughed as they remembered Wynn’s difficulties at the time.
“So, Wynn-kun, would you join me for tea?”
“Sure.”
Wynn lifted his cup slightly. The two sat down and drank the tea together. For a while, they both drank the hot tea in silence. Only the sound of running water and each other’s breathing could be heard. A quiet moment passed.
As she drank her tea, Cornelia glanced at Wynn’s face from time to time. As she looked at his face, she remembered what Kelvin had told her earlier. The first time she had met Wynn was at the knight school. In mock combat training, Wynn had a reputation as a commoner and a failure, while Cornelia couldn’t find a partner to train with due to her status as an imperial princess, so they were paired as leftovers. At that point, Cornelia became interested in Wynn, who was trying to become a knight by improving his swordsmanship to overcome his weakness of not being able to use magic, and this interest eventually turned into love.
But there’s always Leticia-sama by your side, Wynn…
Even before meeting Cornelia, Leticia had always been by Wynn’s side. She came to think that their meeting was predestined. The bond that linked Wynn and Leticia was so strong that even Cornelia felt it as something sacred and precious. It was hard to believe that she could come between the two. Besides, Cornelia had the title of imperial princess. She could not express her growing feelings as if it were nothing.
“…Cornelia-san? What’s wrong?”
So, when the young squire asked Cornelia, who was staring at him, she remembered the inexplicable sadness she felt when Wynn took Leticia out of the circle of young nobles in Peshlika, in the midst of her feelings of happiness for the two of them, she felt unbearable heartache and loneliness. Her vision distorted and tears threatened to spill over.
“It’s nothing. Erm… Wynn-kun, I’m sorry. Could you close your eyes for a moment, please?”
“Huh? Okay, I guess…”
She asked Wynn to close his eyes to hide her own wet eyes. Then, she stood up and walked behind Wynn.
“What?! Cornelia-san?”
“I’m sorry. But just for a moment…, please let me be like this.” She put her arms around Wynn’s neck, so he became nervous. The women of the imperial family only allowed their bodies to be touched by those with whom they were to share their lives. Cornelia’s act of hugging Wynn’s head tightly against her chest had the same meaning as a marriage proposal.
The place you should be, Wynn-kun, is next to Leticia-sama. I know painfully that your feelings are for her. I’m sure, if I said so, you would have a worried look on your face. But… With her arm still around him, Cornelia whispered in Wynn’s ear.
“Cornelia-san…”
“I know you care a lot about Leticia-sama. So, you don’t have to answer. What I’m about to say is selfish because I don’t want to keep regretting for the rest of my life. So, I’m not asking you to give me an answer. But still… will you listen to me?” Cornelia gently withdrew her arms around his neck, turned in front of him, took Wynn’s hand and pulled it to her chest, looked him in the eyes and said, “I like you.”
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