Chapter 35 Noble Heart

The lord’s chamber boasted a spacious fireplace enough that they could fit a small cauldron, which now was bubbling and steaming over a wood fire. The aroma of simmering pottage mingled with the sweet scent of burning wood and the cool, crisp winter air that wafted in through a small, narrow window.

Audrey carefully stirred the pottage with a wooden spoon while Lansius took in the delightful aroma.

“It smells delicious,” he commented.

Audrey brought a bowl of the pottage and placed it on the small table by the fire, topping it with slightly charred bread. “Let me taste it first,” she said as she sat across from Lansius and slowly blew on the porridge-like mixture.

Lansius cut the bread in half, revealing a soft and warm interior beneath a crispy crust. Audrey took a spoonful of the pottage and murmured something incoherent, but Lansius understood from her gesture that he should try it too. He scooped up a spoonful of the savory concoction.

Gah~ it’s still hot!

As the taste of the pottage hit him, memories flooded back, but then something hit him squarely on the tongue. “Audrey, why is it so salty?”

“I... err... it’s a superior version, yeah, that’s it!” she seemed nervous.

“A what?” Lansius suspected that Audrey had put too much salted meat into the pottage.

This isn’t a mistake, this is gluttony.

“Need more peas,” Audrey exclaimed, grabbing the bowl and spoon from Lansius. She scooped another mouthful as she ran to the fireplace. There, she added more water and stirred the pot vigorously.

“You know, girl, sometimes you confuse me,” said Lansius.

“Eh, why?”

“Not long ago, you refused to share a cup, but you didn’t mind sharing a spoon just now.”

Audrey clicked her tongue before answering. “What can I do? The kitchen only has metal ladles and your wares were all silver. Pottage wouldn’t taste right without wooden utensils, and I only have mine.”

“R-right... Sorry for complaining then.” Lansius felt that he should just be happy that they had returned to normal. All these lordship things had put a wedge in their relationship.

Their relationship was akin to a castle with walls that stood strong between them. Despite their closeness, an invisible barrier always kept them apart. Audrey had intentionally constructed it, with a mission to protect Lansius’ future. No matter how hard he tried to scale the walls, he always fell back down.

“Anyway, Lans, is there any mention of your family?” she asked after leaving the pot to boil. Pottage needed time to cook.

Lansius’ face turned somber. “The letter didn’t say anything specific, but I believe smuggling people from Arvena isn’t easy.”

“I trust him,” Audrey replied as she sat down.

“Really?” Lansius was surprised by Audrey’s confidence.

“Lord Bengrieve isn’t the type to speak cheaply. If he says that he’ll even employ the Hunter Guild to get your family out of Averna, then he’ll do so.”

Lansius paused for a moment, contemplating Audrey’s certainty. “How can you be so sure? You’ve only met Bengrieve a few times.”

“It’s in the eyes,” she explained bluntly. “When he said that, he meant business.” Audrey’s directness made Lansius feel somewhat irresponsible for not trusting the man.

“I hope so... It’s been years since I last saw my family...” Lansius stood up and approached the narrow window, peering out at the vast open plains below, now covered in a white sheet of ice. The reflective surface made for a beautiful display of sunlight.

Korelia’s winter was colder than Arvena’s, but it had less snow. The snow was only ankle-deep, but the chill penetrated deeper.

Suddenly, Audrey mumbled an apology.

“Huh? Did you say something?” Lansius asked.

“I said I’m sorry,” she replied with a frown and a bitter expression.

Lansius was surprised. “Sorry for what?”

“If I hadn’t messed up back then, you could have returned to your family and escaped Arvena. Instead, I made you wait for nothing.”

“That’s not true. It was chaotic back then. Even if we had met, I still wouldn’t have been able to escape west and reach my family,” Lansius reassured her.

Despite Lansius' reassurance, Audrey remained consumed by guilt. She couldn’t shake the belief that she had willingly chosen to join Riverstead’s defense instead of fleeing away with him. All that, only to wake up in a hospice after the city surrendered.

It pained Lansius to see Audrey carrying this weight of guilt that wasn’t hers to bear. He took her by the hand, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Audrey, it is I who abandoned you. You did me no wrong.”

She averted her gaze, but her face softened. Lansius noticed how her head injury was now covered by thick, healthy hazelnut-brown hair. The big scars that made her wear a veil last year were now fully covered.

This is such a mood wrecker for such a beautiful day.

So he thought of something and shouted, “Stefi Stephania!”

“Lans!” Audrey was taken aback and immediately charged at him, delivering a punishing barrage of punches. The first punch was painful, but the rest were playful.

Lansius laughed at her reaction, defending himself from her attacks. “Alright-alright, I’m sorry.”

“Humph! Don’t ever call me that again,” she threatened with a pout.

Lansius nodded, trying to hold back his laughter, but then Audrey turned away. He knew the reaction was justified, since she had almost been sold into slavery. Being sold into slavery was such a shameful experience that people changed their names after they were freed.

Audrey’s case was even more complicated because of the Sabina Rustica incident. While the slavers were illegal, the fighting by Arvenians in Midlandia was considered a serious crime.

Furthermore, Lord Arte’s involvement increased the risk, so they deemed it necessary to sever all traceable connections. As a result, despite not being present in Sabina Rustica during the incident, Sir Stan’s father felt compelled to formally adopt Audrey into his family.

That was the official reason for her adoption, but Lansius and even Audrey herself were doubtful. However, one thing was sure, Audrey’s origins as a citizen of western Centuria made her adoption an easy fix.

Thinking about all that moved something within Lansius. “Come here, girl.”

Despite what Lansius said, it was he who approached her.

“Eh, what are you,-“ she protested as Lansius hugged her from behind.

“I can’t stand it. You look so cute today.”

“Stop it, Lans,” Audrey protested, blushing. “If you want to succeed, you need to marry a noblewoman- Uwaa~ don’t sniff my hair, it’s dirty and sweaty!”

Ignoring her protests, Lansius pressed his face against her hazelnut brown hair. Audrey quickly wrestled his arms, but Lansius held on tight. “But it’s winter, you hardly sweat- uff, okay, just a little,” he teased.

Audrey grasped his arms and wrestled them out, displaying her strength. “I’m practicing daily, that’s why it’s sweaty,” she said while staring at Lansius with a hint of killing intent.

Euh, no, it’s just her usual gaze.

“Your eyes, Audrey... they’re a bit unnerving,” Lansius remarked.

“Not, sorry,” she glared.

“Ah, right, I’m sorry,” Lansius apologized, though he felt the hug was worth it.

He recalled their meeting with a Hunter Guild member that explained about Carnivore Sight a few months ago. The person was certain that Audrey possessed a similar ability. Audrey confirmed this when she mentioned that she rarely had trouble with wild animals. It also worked well on humans, as Lansius experienced daily in their sparring sessions. It was nearly impossible to fight her while maintaining eye contact.

“I need to go,” Audrey announced, grabbing her golden fur coat.

“Where to?” Lansius asked.

“To practice. I need to teach Carla and Sterling.”

“Why don’t you stay a bit longer? Like you used to...”

Audrey looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“Drey, I feel like you’ve been avoiding me more. Are you hiding something?”

She clicked her tongue. “I keep no secrets.”

“Then why?”

Audrey hesitated for a moment before responding. “It’s not you. It’s me. If I stay by your side, no noble will offer you their daughter.”

Lansius drew a deep breath. “I already told you, I don’t want that.”

“Lans, you’re the smart one,” she pleaded. “You should know that marrying someone like me is a dead end. Worse, I’m oath-bound to-”

“I know about your vendetta. I can help you with that,” Lansius interrupted, trying to comfort her.

The sound of the cooking pot boiling filled the room. Audrey looked down, deep in thought. “I don’t think I can accept that. I’m sure you’ll find someone better. A proper lady…”

Lansius grabbed her hand, feeling the warmth of her palm and fingers. “Remember Ceresia?”

Audrey looked away. “What about it?”

“Just us and horsie in a barn, and a roaring fireplace.”

She smiled softly as she remembered those simpler times. "There were also two old men and a couple of boys in there."

Lansius chuckled, but his laughter faded quickly. A thought came to mind. "Hey, what if I weren't a noble?"

Audrey furrowed her brow, caught off guard by his question. "What do you mean? Are you thinking of giving up?"

"No, no, I mean, just imagine for a moment, what if I were just a clerk from Riverstead?"

"If that's the case," her words trailed off as memories from the past resurfaced. Suddenly, her expression changed, as if she had figured out the answer to a long-standing riddle. Acting on impulse, she rose on her tiptoes and gently pulled Lansius' head toward her, pressing her lips against his in a tender, unexpected kiss.

Their lips locked together, and time stood still. Lansius was surprised at first but quickly melted into the kiss, his heart beating wildly. They parted too soon, and Lansius wished it had lasted longer.

Audrey took a step back, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red as she covered her mouth with her hand. Lansius couldn‘t help but stare at her, grinning happily.

I always thought she had issues with me.

Audrey dashed to grab her fur coat and left the room in a hurry. Lansius chased her and called out to her shamelessly, “Mwah!“

“Nuoo!“ Audrey pressed her hands into her ears while running at full speed down the corridor. The guards and attendants looked at each other, probably thinking the two were out of their minds.

Later, Lansius heard that Carla, and especially Sterling received the sparring of their lives. Lansius felt bad for them, but he couldn‘t apologize since that would require explanations.

In the following days, Audrey avoided him as much as possible, which was difficult since they shared a castle. They only met at dinner when she sat near Lansius, where the best food was served. However, she intentionally kept her mouth full at all times and wasn’t involved in the conversation.

The staff smelled something fishy and tried to pry information out of Lansius, but he wouldn’t give them anything, fearing they might try to stage something.

After all, the Korelians had a vested interest in this. They would benefit greatly if Lansius married another Lowlandian noble‘s daughter.

That situation made Lansius realize that it boiled down to just Audrey and him against everyone else. But for once, he was content. For months, he had struggled to define their relationship, and only now he was sure that Audrey loved him back. For Lansius, that was all that mattered.

He had made a mistake in the past, but he wouldn’t let it happen again. His past mistake had taught him not to negotiate with his happiness. Even if people who depended on him would hate him for it, he would gladly shoulder the blame.

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PS: Sorry if this chapter comes off a bit cheesy. I was debating whether or not to cut it, but I ultimately decided to keep it because I feel like it's important for the development of our characters. So, let me know what you think! 😅

And as always, thank you for your amazing support! It's truly an honor to write for all of you. 💗