Chapter 16

Plip.

“Eh?”

Before his eyes could even round in surprise, thicker drops followed, pouring down in a rush.

Patter, patter.

It was a sudden shower.

“This way.”

As Elwin stood flustered, Leon grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. They dashed through the torrential rain, their clothes soaked to the bone in mere moments, until they reached the sheltering eaves of a nearby mill.

“It started raining out of nowhere.”

“Indeed. Are you all right?”

Elwin fumbled helplessly with his wet clothes, glancing to the side to see Leon drenched just as thoroughly. Leon’s black hair shimmered with rainwater. His shirt, clinging to his torso and rendered translucent by the downpour, revealed the firm lines of his shoulders and arms far too clearly.

At that moment, Elwin realized his own shirt must be soaked through as well, exposing his skin. He hunched in on himself, desperately trying to cover his open front.

“Are you all right? You look very cold,” Leon asked with concern.

Leon reached out toward Elwin’s cheek. If those fingers touched him now, Elwin was certain his face would turn crimson.

Why does this rake touch people so casually?

Though he screamed inwardly, not a single word of protest left his lips. Elwin froze. Reflected in Leon’s eyes, he looked foolish—as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

“Ah…”

Had Leon belatedly read his expression? Looking flustered and a little embarrassed, he quietly withdrew his hand. His fingertips had not quite brushed Elwin’s skin, but for some reason, even the place where they had almost touched felt ticklish. Or perhaps it was not that patch of skin at all, but somewhere deep inside his chest.

“Hm, hm. The wind has grown much colder.” Leon cleared his throat. “I would offer you my jacket, but as you can see, I am in no state to do so.”

Drawing a firm line, Elwin shook water from the ends of his sleeves and straightened himself. “It is all right. It is only a passing shower.”

For a while, the two of them looked forward without speaking. Beyond the eaves, the rural scene buzzed with frantic activity. The sudden rain had sent the farmers moving quickly. Some dragged large cloths to cover the harvest, while others hauled whatever crops they could grab into storage. Yet, the faces of the people working so hard were filled less with weariness or irritation than with joy and satisfaction.

“This is a beautiful village.”

Watching the scene, Leon spoke softly. Though the words came from an infuriating man, Elwin agreed completely. To Elwin, who had been born and raised here, this was an overwhelmingly precious and beautiful sight. The fact that Leon, a man said to wander from place to place like the wind, had recognized its beauty made him even happier.

When Elwin nodded with a smile, Leon, who had been facing forward for some time, turned back to face him. That wicked mischief had returned to his eyes.

“By the way, was I your friend, Sir Elwin?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you not introduce me that way to the village chief a moment ago?”

Ah.

As Elwin looked sheepish, Leon grinned, deliberately provoking him. “What an honor.”

“You were the one who said so first, Mr. Leon. I merely followed your lead.”

“Is that so?”

“Verba tua tibi reddo, amice.”

Elwin countered with the Latin phrase meaning I return your words to you, using the same word Leon had used in the garden. 

Amice. 

My friend.

At that, the corner of Leon’s mouth twitched faintly. He was still smiling, but the air of teasing had vanished, replaced by a surprising warmth.

How long did they stand like that amid the sound of rain? Just as Elwin was about to sink once again into that ambiguous feeling, the village chief came running toward them. Seeing Elwin soaked to the bone, the man became instantly distraught.

“Oh dear, young master! What are we to do, with you caught in the rain like this? Even if our home is shabby, we should have invited you inside.”

“It is all right. The people working are still being rained on.”

“We are people who live by being rained on when it rains and getting soil on our hands, but how could we let the young master do the same?” The chief thrust out an object. “Here, please use this at least. I am ashamed to offer it to you, since it is so old.”

The village chief handed Elwin an old umbrella, its wooden ribs covered with oil-treated canvas. It was worn and stained from long use, but Elwin knew well that even such items were precious in a farming household. He hesitated, unable to readily accept it.

“I am all right. I was just about to return.”

“Please take it! What if you fall ill after going back through the rain?”

At the repeated urging, Elwin searched himself for something he could give in return. He had come out dressed for greenhouse work, so his clothes were not particularly neat, but fortunately, a silver cufflink remained at one wrist. Elwin snapped it off and pressed it into the village chief’s hand.

“Then please accept this in exchange.”

“No, such a precious thing…”

“The matching cufflink had already fallen off, so it has no pair anyway. It is not especially valuable, but you should receive a fair price if you sell it at the market. I will use the umbrella well. Next time I come, I will…”

Elwin had been about to say he would return it next time, but the thought that he might never come here again made his words trail off.

The village chief, overcome with emotion from the moment he received the silver piece, spoke cautiously, his voice thick with unshed tears. “Young master, is there truly no way for you to continue managing the estate? Everyone in the village is longing for it so desperately…”

Elwin blinked slowly, unsure what to say. The village chief forced himself to calm down and bowed deeply.

“Ah, I have burdened you with useless words when you must already have so much to deal with.” The chief straightened, wiping his face. “Young master, please take care of your health. I hope we will see you again.”

The village chief vanished into the rain, his back bowed under a bitter, helpless sorrow. Once the lord of the estate changed, their lives would change, too. First Eleanor, and now the people of the estate as well. The lives of countless people depended on Elwin’s position.

I have no choice but to do what I decided from the beginning.

As he returned to the carriage, Elwin hardened his heart. He wanted to remain on the estate, and in the end, the only answer was marriage.

The relationship between Selena and Dwight bothered him, but if marriage talks between them were possible, they would surely have happened long ago. Elwin still felt more unease than attraction toward Dwight, but that did not matter either.

The important question now was what Dwight thought of him. Unless Elwin won his heart, every other worry was nothing more than a meaningless complaint.

For now, focus only on that. Making a good impression on Mr. Dwight.

Toby’s suggested eye signals had been useless, and Elwin’s attempts to discover what Dwight liked had also failed, so he had to forge a new path.

Judging by the fact that Dwight had wanted someone to lose to him at cards, he likely favored people who openly catered to his mood. Elwin was the type farthest from flattery, but he was good at learning. If he tried, he could learn to please another person too. Effort was Elwin’s specialty.

When they had nearly reached the carriage, Elwin turned his head and looked at the master of pleasing others. But for some reason, unlike Elwin, who had mostly dried by then, Leon was even more soaked than he had been when first caught in the rain. This was especially true of his shoulder on the side opposite Elwin.

Did he keep tilting the umbrella toward me?

Before they left, after accepting the umbrella from the village chief, Leon had volunteered to hold it. Lost in thought the entire way back, Elwin had not even noticed how the man had held it.

Elwin was unable to speak for quite some time, and when he finally did, his guilt made his tone brusque. “Why did you get so rained on? You should have held the umbrella properly.”

Leon, toweling his hair with a cloth handed to him by the stableman, wore a shamelessly innocent expression. Even so, his eyes subtly moved to check whether Elwin’s clothes were wet, and then he grinned.

“How strange. The rain and wind must have blown only toward me.” Leon’s smile widened. “It seems even the wind here likes the young master of the count’s house.”

Elwin pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say.

“Please get in. I only hope the rain stops while we are on our way.”

Elwin felt strange. Had the water soaking Leon’s shoulder spread all the way into his own heart? His chest fluttered, and question marks circled in his mind.

Was that also just empty flattery, the sort Leon used with Dwight? Or had there been a deeper kindness in the gesture?

Amid the confusion, Elwin thought once again what he had thought so many times before. He really is a strange person.

Elwin had not met many people, but of the ones he had, he was certain Leon was the strangest. Still, perhaps he was not such a bad person. As for whether he was a good person or someone Elwin disliked…

None of that matters. Not at all.

Whether he liked a passing uninvited guest or not did not matter. After all, he was in a situation where he could not even concern himself with whether he liked or disliked the man he had unilaterally chosen as a marriage partner.

On the way back to the manor, Elwin deliberately looked away, avoiding Leon’s gaze. He had a feeling that if their eyes met, the resolve he had so firmly built would dull. He tried to focus only on his operation, hoping only that when they returned home, Dwight would no longer be upset over yesterday’s card game.

But when they actually arrived, the count’s household was abuzz with a wholly unexpected incident.

Why is the atmosphere like this?