Don't Remember Me - Chapter 76

Chapter 76

For a brief moment, her gaze wandered down. With her eyes cast downwards, Rosé tightly gripped the innocent hem of her skirt.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

At that moment, Haven, sitting across from her, asked. Rosé was startled, jerking her body and lifting her eyes. Her tense posture resembled that of a wary cat, full of caution.

“Ah, no. It’s not like that, Your Grace.”

Her words came out quickly, as if she were about to flee at any moment, yet she was denying it. Somehow, Haven almost smiled at the contradiction. He watched her shake her head in denial before letting out a quiet chuckle.

“Then relax. Lean back a bit.”

“… Yes.”

Only then did Rosé realize she had been sitting uncomfortably upright, and she forced herself to loosen her stiff posture. Just as she was about to lean back against the seat, the carriage suddenly jolted and swayed violently.

“Ah!”

The sudden movement caused Rosé to lose her balance and almost tumble forward. She instinctively reached out with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. In that instant, she felt a hand catch her.

“Are you alright?”

As Rosé was about to fall towards him, Haven quickly extended his hand to steady her. At the same time, Rosé’s body leaned toward him, and the neatly braided strands of her hair brushed against his neck. A soft, delicate fragrance emanated from her, brushing against his nostrils.

It was the subtle scent carried by the wind, like wildflowers on a country road.

“…!”

For a moment, Haven instinctively reacted to the fragrance. A warmth rose within him, starting deep in his abdomen. Without realizing it, he tightened his grip on her. But before he could control himself, Rosé instinctively pulled back.

“I’m s-sorry, Your Highness.”

“No… It’s fine. Are you hurt?”

Haven, feeling a surge of disappointment mixed with confusion, asked as he tried to regain his composure. Rosé, unable to hide her flustered expression, straightened her clothes and nodded in response.

He still held onto her hand tightly. The hand that had rested on her shoulder was warm, and not just his hand—his entire body seemed to be engulfed in the heat rising from his lower abdomen.

Haven, struggling to deal with the heat that wouldn’t subside, took a deep breath before opening the small window of the carriage. The cool air rushed in, as if it had been waiting.

“Whoa, whoa.”

Through the open window, the sound of the coachman calming the horses was heard. As some time passed, Haven waited for the horses to settle before calling out to the coachman.

“What happened?”

“Apologies, Your Highness. A stray cat suddenly darted across the road in front of the carriage, startling the horses…”

The coachman, likely realizing how close he came to injuring the Duke, turned pale and lowered his head in apology. Haven, attempting to reassure him, waved his hand dismissively before asking another question.

“Is the cat alright?”

“Eh? Ah, yes! It quickly ran away between the horses.”

“… That’s good. Let’s continue.”

After hearing the coachman’s response, Haven issued the command and closed the window. Following his orders, the coachman urged the horses forward, and the carriage began moving again.

Rosé swayed slightly with the rhythm of the carriage, then glanced at Haven. He had turned his head away, gazing out of the window. This allowed Rosé to look at him without needing to lower her gaze. For the first time in a while, she felt a bit at ease as she observed him.

He appeared cold yet still carried the same kindness he had shown in the past. Even when they lived together in the countryside, he had been like that. He never got angry when a thieving cat stole the carefully dried meat he’d prepared, instead making a joke about it.

「”Look, Rosé. Even the cat acknowledged my jerky-making skills. It took everything! Ha-ha!”」

She remembered the sound of his cheerful laughter, and a soft affection filled Rosé’s gaze as she looked at him. At that moment, Haven, still looking out the window, casually asked.

“Is there something on my face?”

“… Oh?”

Rosé, who had been staring at him without worry since he was looking out the window, startled at his sudden question and flinched. Haven turned his gaze toward her.

“You’ve been staring so much, I thought you were going to bore a hole through me.”

Their eyes met directly. Rosé’s face flushed with embarrassment, realizing that Haven had noticed her gaze.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward—at least, she felt it was. She couldn’t help but recall how he had caught her earlier when she almost fell, his hand on her shoulder, the warmth of his touch…

Feeling her face growing hot, Rosé fanned herself with her hand. She glanced out the window and quickly spoke up.

“I’ll get off here, Your Highness.”

Haven looked out the window, then lightly knocked on the wall near the coachman’s seat. The carriage immediately stopped.

“Thank you for the ride.”

Rosé quickly thanked Haven as the coachman opened the door, then hurriedly got out of the carriage. She was relieved that he hadn’t tried to escort her, worried that he might extend his hand like a gentleman.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen this time. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, however, Haven, who had remained seated, suddenly got out of the carriage and followed her.

“…?”

Rosé, startled, widened her eyes as she saw Haven stepping down and looking around before asking her.

“Where are you going? I don’t see any shops around here that would interest ladies.”

“Eh? Oh, well… just.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Rosé stumbled over her words. Of course, there were no shops like that in this area; it was just an ordinary street. But to her, the fact that there was a healer here was what mattered.

It was something she could never tell Haven—or anyone, for that matter.

“Ah, I’ve been rude. I shouldn’t have asked where a lady is going.”

Once again, he called her ‘lady’. Hearing those words again, which he had said playfully when he had extended his hand to her when they got on the carriage, made Rosé’s face turn red. She glanced at him, wondering if he was teasing her, but his expression remained completely indifferent.

‘… He wouldn’t joke like that with me.’

Rosé felt embarrassed by her own thoughts and, without realizing it, gently wiped her cheek. Just then, Haven spoke to her again.

“When do you think you’ll be finished?”

“Ah… It shouldn’t take too long. Maybe about an hour.”

It seemed like he was asking because he was concerned about leaving Flitta behind. Rosé answered his question sincerely, thinking that the time for treatment and preparing medicine would likely take that long.

“Hmm, I see.”

“I’ll return as soon as I can, so you don’t need to worry about Lady Flitta…”

“Hmm?”

Haven, nodding at her answer, suddenly gave her a puzzled look. It was as if he didn’t understand what she had just said. Rosé blinked in confusion, mirroring his expression.

“Aren’t you worried about Lady Flitta, Your Grace..?”

“Why would I be concerned about Flitta all of a sudden? Is there something wrong with her?”

He furrowed his brow as if he couldn’t make sense of Rosé’s words. She, in turn, tilted her head in confusion and asked cautiously.

“Didn’t you ask when I would return because you were worried about Lady Flitta?”

“… What?”

“Because I’m not with Lady Flitta and I went out…”

“Ah, I see now.”

Haven chuckled, hearing Rosé’s explanation, and then looked at her with a still perplexed expression.

“If you were that worried about her, I wouldn’t have given you a week’s leave in the first place, would I?”

“Well, that’s true…”

“I just asked if you wanted to go back together, that’s all.”

Haven chuckled softly, and Rosé’s eyes widened a bit as she stared at him. He looked back at her and, with a slight grin, spoke again.

“We’ll meet here in an hour. Let’s go back together.”

“Oh, no! Your Highness, I can go back by myself.”

Realizing what Haven had meant with his question, Rosé quickly shook her head in panic.

“I know. Rosé, you’re not a child. Of course, you can go back by yourself.”

Haven chuckled again, watching her fluster. He continued speaking.

“Anyway, I’ll probably be done by then, so why not go together on the way back?”

“Ha, but…”

“We’ll see each other here later.”

Haven spoke firmly, making it clear that Rosé wouldn’t be able to refuse, then stepped back into the carriage. Rosé, unsure of what to do, tried to speak, but the carriage had already started moving.

As she watched the carriage drive away, a slight blush spread across her face.

***

“You’ve been checking the time quite often today, Your Grace.”

“Ah… I’m sorry, my lady. I’ve been rude.”

Haven, who had absentmindedly glanced at his watch, quickly apologized after hearing the elderly lady’s remark. She smiled and shook her head before looking to the side.

The maid serving tea, noticing the elderly lady’s gaze, quickly understood and poured more tea.

“I heard that Lady Flitta fortunately recovered. It seems heaven and the gods have been watching over her.”

The elderly lady, watching the maid pour the tea, suddenly changed the subject as if remembering something. Haven smiled and nodded.

“Indeed. I also received the medicinal herbs you sent for the child. I’m truly grateful for your consideration.”

“It’s too much of a compliment. I haven’t even been able to visit her in person.”

The elderly lady waved her hand modestly. Haven smiled at her and spoke again.

“Even if you had come, you wouldn’t have been able to see her. It was a contagious illness, and she was isolated in the annex.”