novelraw Chapter 44 : Chapter 44
Chapter 44 : Chapter 44
Volume 2, Chapter 13. One-Sided Cooperation
“So, now you’re really free, huh.”
Ilo said, “My family has no fields, my father isn’t home, and it’s just me. So of course I’m left like this.”
“You don’t seem to like your father very much.”
“How could that be?!”
Ilo exclaimed in exaggerated fashion. “Why wouldn’t I respect him? He’s the one who brought me into this world, and he hasn’t abandoned me. And hasn’t the Church always taught us to be filial and obedient to our parents?”
“If you really liked him...”
Leticia spoke meaningfully. “Then your eyes should be a little brighter.”
“...”
There was a brief silence, but Ilo soon spoke again: “What do you know about me? Don’t act like you understand me. You’re just an outsider!”
An outsider, huh...
From any angle, there was nothing wrong with that label.
“Didn’t think she’d react so strongly.”
Stano, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up. “This girl kept that expression plastered on her face all along, looking sickening. Now she finally seems normal.”
“If you mean her smile, then I suggest you keep such comments to yourself when speaking with others. Otherwise, you’ll easily make enemies.”
Leticia said flatly. “Some lady might hold a grudge against you, and perhaps no one would even want to marry you. Politically, you might be isolated... Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“I can’t just pretend I didn’t hear that!”
Stano roared. “What do you mean no one would want to marry me?! I’ll end up single?! Bamboo Pole, let me tell you, I’m the eldest son of the Banson family. Countless people envy my position. Noble ladies throwing themselves at me are endless! And you dare say I’ll be alone?! Also, what do you mean keep quiet—what I said was straight from the heart!”
Completely ignoring this brat, who was supposed to have noble upbringing but showed none of it, Leticia turned to Ilo. “That’s right, I am an outsider. So sometimes, I’ll say things the people you know wouldn’t say. That’s also the flaw of being an outsider.”
“...”
Ilo showed clear surprise and hesitation. She stood by the brook for a long while, then picked up a stone and tossed it into the water.
Splash!
Water droplets sprayed onto the grass. A few tiny ants scurried away, bewildered by this sudden disaster.
“I really do dislike you.”
Ilo put on that mysterious smile again, like those charlatans who told fortunes at roadside stalls—never letting you see through them. “But not so much that I hate you.”
“So you’re the type who enjoys being mocked?”
Completely ignoring the monkey (Stano) howling in her head, Leticia tugged the corner of her mouth. “If you’re feeling better now, can I leave?”
“No, I don’t think you can.”
Ilo said with a grin. “Since you’re useful, I won’t tell anyone that you’re a bad kid sneaking around Uncle Nicola’s place to watch him make medicine.”
“Hey hey, is that really how you threaten people...”
So there really was something, huh...
Thinking this, Leticia weighed the situation for a moment, then said straightforwardly: “Fine. If there’s something, just say it. Don’t waste time.”
“Oh, I like dealing with people who get it!”
“You just said you disliked me.”
“Liking or disliking is one thing. Doing business is another.”
Ilo smiled. “My father once had a partner whose personality was awful—he couldn’t stand him. But working with him made money, and that man never went back on deals. So they worked together. Isn’t that the same idea?”
How do you know so much? Aren’t you supposed to be a village girl?!
“Heh, I suppose so. So what is it you want?”
Leticia glanced at the time. The medicine’s effects would wear off in a few hours. At least a small incident might help keep her awake. Otherwise, studying pharmacy while fighting drowsiness was really tiring.
Her arms were already bruised from pinching herself more than once.
“Hehehe, what I want? Simple!”
Ilo grabbed Leticia’s hand, smiling brightly. “Stano, since you’re an outsider, that must mean you’re staying in the town for now, right?”
“That’s true. And then?”
“Then it’s easy.”
Ilo grinned. “I want you to take me to the town. There are some places I want to see.”
“...Huh?”
Even with her mind working sharp under the medicine, Leticia couldn’t figure out Ilo’s meaning or logic. So she asked directly: “Look, the road between your village and the town is at most an hour. You could easily walk there yourself. Why do you need me to take you?!”
This wasn’t just illogical. This was... absurd. Anyone with normal thinking and mobility could manage that little distance, right?
Unless Ilo was some kind of heaven-sent oddity?
“Ah, um...”
For once, Ilo actually looked flustered. Blushing, she yelled, “Sh-shut up! Just take me! Or I’ll tell everyone what you’ve been up to!”
She could threaten with this too?!
And she hadn’t even explained why she couldn’t go alone!
Leticia felt dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Stano, still eavesdropping, muttered gloomily: “Hey, Bamboo Pole, why is this commoner calling my name?”
“You shut up too. She’s not talking to you.”
Leticia coldly shot him down.
Looking into Ilo’s eyes, Leticia sighed. For the first time, she felt that even under the medicine’s forced calm, emotions could still stir. “Fine, fine, I get it. I’ll take you, okay?”
“That’s better!”
Ilo picked up another stone and tossed it into the brook. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you do anything troublesome. Really, I just want you to take me to a few places. That’s all, truly.”
“Oh, I’m so reassured.”
Leticia’s smile was all sarcasm. “But one condition: you must be back here before sunset. Because I have to go back at night too.”
“Fine, fine, I know.”