LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 33
Episode 33: I Can’t Help It, I Love You
A silvery white light poured down from the idyllic moon that was close to full.
…
Not feeling particularly inclined to head straight back to his room, Luke found himself wandering to the food storage area. The uneasy feeling in his chest was persistent, and he just wanted to keep his hands busy with something—anything, really.
Come to think of it, he had some leftover broth from his earlier attempt at cooking meat in apple wine. Instead of throwing it away, he intended to transform it into soup, so he might as well get started now.
Since the base was apple, it seemed like a good match for potatoes and onions. He peeled the potatoes, chopped them finely, and started frying them, while planning to combine them with the filtered broth.
Luke opened the storage room and grabbed a burlap sack filled with potatoes. Sitting on an empty wooden box, he took a knife in his right hand and a potato in his left.
As he focused on peeling the potatoes, clearing his mind in the process, he found himself lost in thought.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him from behind.
“Luke?”
Turning around, Luke didn’t even need to look to know who the voice belonged to.
It was the strong and dignified voice he loved most in the world.
“…Lady Alexia.”
“You don’t have to work this late, you know. Are you preparing for tomorrow’s breakfast? I’ll help!”
“Oh, no, it’s fine! I’ll do it!”
“If we work together, we can finish quickly.”
Alexia rolled up her sleeves and crouched down to join him. They sat on the empty wooden box, starting their potato peeling session together.
“Hmmm… Luke is better at this…”
Picking up a thin strip of potato skin, Alexia murmured with a hint of frustration.
Though her skill wasn’t bad, her aggressive blade work resulted in cuts that were sharper than necessary. Luke, on the other hand, managed to peel the potatoes cleanly without waste and was excellent at removing the buds.
Without pausing in his task, Luke stared intently at Alexia’s face.
(I love her…)
Even while he was worried about her, the clarity of his feelings flowed through him.
(I utterly love this person… helplessly…)
In the shadows of the night, Alexia’s figure seemed to float. Just seeing her face filled him with such a sense of fulfillment.
Even though he was all too aware that she was out of reach, the simple fact of her presence was enough to fill his heart with joy.
“I always think that you work too hard, Luke,” Alexia said, looking up at him in a caring manner.
“Make sure to take more breaks. You don’t need to worry about it.”
It brought her joy to see that Luke had chosen to remain in a place where many found it tough to settle down.
Alexia hoped he would settle in for the long haul, wanting him to avoid unnecessary strain.
“Lady Alexia, are you in a meeting until this late?”
“Yeah. We’ve been having an unseasonably long rainy season lately… The already fragile grounds have become even more unstable, and part of the road leading to the royal capital is starting to show significant wear.”
“Oh… now that I think about it, when I first arrived here, the road was blocked due to a landslide.”
“Right, that’s precisely the issue at hand.”
Operating the territory was not devoid of challenges, and one of Rietberg’s weaknesses was its vulnerable transportation network.
While there were stone-paved roads, they had been in place for over a century and showed signs of wear. Continuous rain led to reports of landslides, causing both people and horses to become stranded.
It wasn’t solely the distance from the capital that contributed to Rietberg’s remote reputation; the lack of reliable roadways intensified it.
“I think we should seize this opportunity for significant construction work—improve both the roads and bridges. But… we don’t exactly have the funds…”
The Rietberg territory wasn’t outright poor. It was large, and with increasing trade with neighboring nations, the population was on the rise.
With the lord’s approval, constructing new roads was entirely possible.
However, road construction was no small feat.
It required significant resources and manpower to clear land, chop down trees, level ground, and build a new thoroughfare stretching back to the royal capital.
If they were to allocate a significant budget for this, the consequences would ripple outwards—constricting other areas.
Taxes were not something they wanted to raise, so finding a solution became a major source of stress.
—In the end, it all boiled down to money. With enough money, most issues could be resolved… As she pondered this with some frustration, Alexia shook her head.
“Being the acting lord is tough, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. But I was born into this kind of family…”
Alexia enjoyed swords and bows and actually looked forward to practicing, but she thought it would be best if the opportunity to use them never arose.
It was preferable to not have to resort to violence for maintaining peace, let alone skirmishes outside the territory.
At least being able to fret over civil engineering projects was better than worrying about war or famine.
“The headaches never end, but that’s my role. I’ll just have to give it my all.”
As she spoke quietly, it was evident from her profile—just as Luke had felt on that festival day—that Alexia held her people and homeland in the highest regard.
(No… I love her…!)
Love swelled within him, causing his cheeks to soften and warm.
Luke quickly covered his blushing face with his hands.
“…Now that I mention it…”
Perhaps recalling the day of the festival made him reflect, or perhaps it was some shared thought, but Alexia seemed to recall that day as well and expressed her gratitude once more.
“Luke, thank you so much for what you did at the festival.”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Luke felt bashful, but Alexia had a sense that however often she expressed her appreciation, it would never feel sufficient.
Even without prior arrangement, Luke always seemed to understand Alexia’s intentions, acting perfectly in sync with her.
He remembered details about the culprit’s appearance and height, and he could deduce the criminal’s motives effectively.
It astounded her how Luke managed to grasp her desires so well; his ability to empathize made teamwork with him incredibly seamless.
One particularly striking moment had been when men from a neighboring country lit stolen fireworks inside the church.
The fire quickly leaped to the fuse, spreading dangerously.
Just on the verge of bursting at any second.
Without so much as a moment’s hesitation, Luke grabbed the knife’s blade and cut the line flawlessly, narrowly averting disaster.
In a situation that even a trained knight would have hesitated in, Luke made an immediate, optimal call—putting himself at risk with no thought for his own safety—and Alexia felt a deep, sincere respect for him.
Had those fireworks exploded, Alexia, who was nearby, surely wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.
Not only would the interior of the church have been damaged, but the surrounding area could have caught fire, escalating the situation drastically.
“Luke, you are not just hardworking and skilled; you’re also quite brave!”
“Not at all…”
Luke felt flustered at the praise.
—He wanted to shout that it wasn’t bravery on his part, it was Alexia’s courage that had inspired him.
Because you were there, I found my bravery.
I wanted to protect the people you love.
You always give me strength—I wanted to say that, but couldn’t find the words, making his face only redden further.