Chapter 22

The carriage left the village and ran down the night road under the starry sky.

I was entrusted with the task of driving until morning. For such long-distance carriage rides, the basic approach is to leave it to the horses, with the driver holding the reins and keeping watch for any abnormalities. Although I don’t have much experience handling horses, I raised my hand boldly.

In case of emergencies, the carriage and harness are equipped with various safety mechanisms, perhaps even some mysterious magic.

I was determined to guard the sleep of everyone who had been moving around all day to complete the carriage. However...

"Gilbert, you can rest too, you know."

Gilbert had been cutting wood all day today and also taking care of the children. He, the main character heading to the battlefield, needed to conserve his strength.

"No, it’s dangerous to leave the driver’s seat to a woman alone at night."

After saying this with a very serious face, Gilbert suddenly became suspicious. He rolled his eyes, slapped his face with both hands, and then sat back down at the edge of the driver’s seat.

"Ah, well, don’t worry, I don’t have any ulterior motives, okay...!"

"Of course I understand that!"

Somehow understanding the meaning, I also moved to the opposite corner of the seat. The driver’s seat is a two-seater, but it’s surprisingly narrow, and sitting side by side brings us quite close. Spending so much time in close proximity in the middle of the night, when we’re not a married couple or lovers, might cause various problems. My face feels hot.

While I was thinking about this, a small window on the back of the driver’s seat opened. The driver’s seat is connected to the upper bunk inside through a wall and a small window. The light from inside cut through the night a little.

"What are you doing? Sitting at the edge like that is dangerous, you know."

Barbara leaned out of the window, resting her cheek on the frame, and looked at us alternately.

"I’m trying to reassure Flora...”

“I, I thought it might be disrespectful to get too close to Gilbert, who is so important...”

When we both started making excuses, Barbara laughed merrily.

"Important...?"

"Isn’t Gilbert single? I’ve known him for a long time, but I’ve never heard any romantic stories about him."

"Ah...”

Gilbert smiled wryly and then covered his face with both hands.

"It’s a bit strange that someone who looks and acts so well has been single for so long, don’t you think, Flora?"

Barbara, still resting her cheek on the frame, smiled meaningfully, and Gilbert looked up with a troubled smile. Then he turned to me.

"There’s a deep reason for that... I was born... well, let’s say, in a complicated situation. You know, the illegitimate child of a noble family."

"What! You can’t be... a royal bastard!?"

Dorf also poked his head out of the window next to Barbara.

"No... no way! The old man knows, right? ...Well, it’s a noble family with a good name. I’ve heard similar stories before. Whether it was because of alcohol or senility, the old head of the family did something and I was the result."

Then Gilbert started telling his story.

"My lady was a kind person. She believed that the fault was with the head of the family, not with me or my mother, and she took care of us. My half-brother, who is much older, also took a lot of care of me. Thanks to him, I had a relatively privileged childhood despite my birth."

Saying this, Gilbert looked up at the stars with a gentle expression, as if reminiscing about precious memories.

"But, being from a well-known noble family, there are people who try to use someone like me for their own purposes."

This time, he sighed deeply, as if it was a troublesome matter.

"But I didn’t want to cause trouble for my half-brother. So I tried to avoid any romantic entanglements... and before I knew it... I’m this old..."

Gilbert spoke in a very serious tone and clutched his head.

"Here, eat this to cheer up..."

"…How about a sip of my secret wine?"

Barbara, trying to encourage him, offered a small jar of candy she had taken from somewhere, and Dorf showed a wine bottle. Gilbert looked uncomfortable.

"By the way, Gilbert, if you can talk about this to someone you’ve only known for a short time, why don’t you call your brother by his name?"

Dorf smiled slyly, and Gilbert’s eyes darted around.

"Lionel has been complaining to me for a long time. Maybe because of the age difference or some other reason, he’s upset that you don’t call him brother."

Hearing this, the dots connected in my mind, and I stared at Gilbert.

The man himself was acting suspicious again. Gilbert’s troubled smile didn’t have any shadows, but his ears were red, as if he was trying to hide his embarrassment.

Just as I was feeling warm, the carriage suddenly jolted, and I almost fell off the seat.

"Flora! Be careful...”

Gilbert quickly grabbed my arm and held me, preventing me from falling. But as soon as I regained my composure, my body temperature rose again due to the situation.

"Sorry...”

"No, thank you."

We quickly separated and straightened our postures. I had become quite suspicious myself.

"See, I told you, you need to sit properly or it’s dangerous."

"Maybe we hit a rock or something. ...Maybe I should have put on a seatbelt."

With those words, Dorf and Barbara went to sleep.

With the noisy duo now asleep, it suddenly became quiet. The sound of the carriage wheels and the horses’ hooves, and the distant calls of birds and insects. The night breeze felt pleasant against my flushed cheeks.

"Got talked into telling my life story by that old woman..."

Gilbert muttered, looking a bit awkward.

"I’m glad to know the reason why you’re willing to go to such lengths to help."

When I said this, Gilbert smiled again, looking