Ran reached out and pulled Eustaf's cheek.
"?!"
Eustaf's eyes widened at an unexpected action. Ran spoke low with an angry face.
"Then don't scare me like that! I'm scared."
Then she stretched her palms out, her hands off his cheeks, and Ran whispered as she looked at his eyes.
"You said you were worried about me. I was happy about that."
And now you're threatening to kill me again?
His blue eyes were slightly distorted when she saw Eustaf with such a face. He murmured lamentably,
"Really, you."
And he said after a moment of silence.
"Then you didn't say anything to him."
"Yes."
"Then I'll ask you one more question."
"Yes"
"Did you know him in the past, or did you know him like that?"
Ran's eyes grew bigger. Thinking that the emerald-like eyes would roll, Eustaf waited for an answer.
Facial expression is the answer, but I still wanted to hear it.
"No, not at all....not at all."
"Alright."
His voice softened, and Ran finally solved the misunderstanding.
"Really. The patriarchal position is yours, Eus. The Lazia family is all yours. Yours."
"Yes, it's mine."
Without any hesitation, Eustaf answered smoothly.
"Lazia is all mine."
That's what he said, and he lowered his head and kissed her hair.
Facing the blue eyes head-on, Ran felt her heart tightened for some reason.
Cough, cough, cough.
For no reason, Ran turned her head with a cough. Then Eustaf untied his Cravat and put it around her neck.
"You'd better wrap your neck."
"Oh, yeah. Thanks."
Ran fiddled with smooth Cravat and he asked.
"Would you like to walk?"
"Huh? Yes, yes, yes."
Ran nodded. I think it would be better to walk. Ran moved quickly because she seemed to be the only one who felt awkward.
********
Lumiere saw the sight from afar.
'You guys look good together.'
They're friendly on the outside, but they're trying to kill each other on the back?
'It's common.'
For one moment, Eustaf's life turned to Ran, and Lumiere flinched. As soon as she did that, he was even more surprised when she pulled Eustaf's cheek.
"Oppa?"
Pulling on the hem of his clothes, his sister talked to Lumiere and lowered her eyes.
"Yes, did the Duchess treat you well?"
"Yes, and she gave me snacks, too, and it was delicious."
Then Lily held out a bag of meringue cookies to Lumiere. Lumiere ate a beautiful-shaped snack.
Crushed and broken in the mouth, the meringue cookie quickly melted, leaving only sweetness.
"Sweet."
He murmured quietly, and Lily laughed, "Delicious?"
"That's true."
He patted his sister on the head. His younger sister's complexion has improved beyond recognition. I even thought that she might get better like this.
However, seizures happened occasionally, and Lumiere was heartbroken every time.
At that time, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, so Lumiere raised his head. When he saw his opponent, Lumiere jumped out of his seat and bowed his head. He did not forget his unique cute smile.
"Master."
"No, no, don't call me that."
Ran shook her hand.
"Then what should I call you?"
"Uh-I think you can call me Ran..······?"
"Then, Ms. Lan."
'Eua-'
Ran admired. You can call me that way even when you call my name. It was a tone that made me tickle something.
The bar owner snorted, "Oppaaa!" Bring me more alcohol!' was a much higher skill than making me spend money.
Ran looked around.
I was going to take a walk with Eustaf, but the knight called him over for something else, so I quickly came to see Lumiere.
"Is it worth following? Are you okay? Don't push yourself too hard. You can stay in the carriage."
"Thanks to you, I'm getting enough rest."
"I'm glad then."
Ran smiled lightly.
Lumiere felt strange. Indeed, if this is acting, this woman is not normal.
Ran's eyes were the same when she saw Lily, herself, a maid named Soda, Kara, or other articles.
'Eyes that see people.'
Lumiere knows what it is. If you wait at the bottom, you can quickly see how people's eyes change.
The eyes of a person as an equal person, not as a tool or as a maid or a servant. It's been so long that Lumiere sometimes thought he wanted to keep looking into her eyes.
'But all of this is acting.'
Lumiere thought so and looked at Ran, and Ran smiled again.
"I asked Eus a while ago, and he said he'll be there in about four or five more days, so cheer up a little bit more. And think about what you'll do if you go."
"What should I do?"
"You have to do anything to make ends meet...."
Ran looked left and right and whispered with her hand near her mouth.
"I can give you a basic settlement, but I still need Lumiere to do it."
My sugar bill has swelled up a lot. Like fermented bread!
Ran was pleased just by looking at the balance. This seemed to mean that I was full even if I didn't eat. Lumiere was confused by Ran's words. You didn't mean to make me do something?
Or are you saying this, but you want me to know quickly and make a choice? But I couldn't figure out what to do.
"I'll do what you want. You're the master."
He said so, bending one knee and kissing the back of her hand like a dog. The eyes I encountered were still glowing, so Ran almost pushed his face without realizing it, but I held it in.
Instead, she crouched in front of him.
As the gaze height became similar, Lumiere seemed embarrassed, but still smiled, and Ran said with a sigh.
"Your master is yourself, Lumiere. I don't really want anything from you. Besides, don't do this in front of Lily."
As the last word whispered small, Lumiere turned to Lily without realizing it, and then lowered it down again.
"As you wish."
"No-"
Ran said 'Ahhhhhh' and held back what she wanted to beat her chest.
'Yes, it's very suspicious, if you think about it. I know, I understand.'
It is a life that has been deceived and used all its life. He may be determined not to be deceived this time. It's useless to say this. We have no choice but to show them with our actions.
Ran took a deep breath and said.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to do anything right now. Take your time."
Ran said so and got up from her seat. Ran smiled at Lily with a dark expression.
"It's okay, it's nothing."
After gently stroking her hair, Ran returned to the carriage. Lumiere looked at her back with confused eyes.
*******
"We're finally here!"
Ran threw herself all over her bed.
"Lord, you have to change first."
"That's right."
Soda and Dimodia seized Ran. Ran, lying on her stomach on the bed, said, "Ugh!" and raised herself up. The trip was definitely a luxury trip. I slept in the tent, stretched out my legs, slept in a portable bed, and ate well.
She visited the village from time to time.
'But home is the best.'
But you can't help being tired, so your body must have been tamed by luxury in the meantime.
The sky castle in August was not as hot as the capital. Even so, in summer, the mountains and gardens were covered with greenery, and water like crystal sprouted from the colorful fountain.
The water coming down from the mountain was as cold as ice, so when it was free time, the maids went to the valley in the middle of the day.
"Next time, I'm going to have a brighter summer uniform."
Ran muttered so much that she changed her clothes. My cough hasn't finished yet, so Soda put a thin scarf around her neck.
Then there was a knock on the door, and Ran looked at Ross, who opened the door. The butler came inside and said, "Lord, the guests are here."
"Guest?"
With such a good timing?
"They're the Dwarfs."
"Oh, really?"
Ran sprang up from her seat.
"Yes, I've taken them to the drawing room."
"I'll be right there."
Ran said so and quickly left the room. When I entered the drawing room, I could see two Dwarfs looking through the drawing room.
"Look, there's a regular cornerstone here. We don't have a joint."
"I see. Is it true that it was built by magic? But look. By comparison, this stove wall is very crude."
"Didn't you make this later? It looks like it's been about 50 years."
"So you've only magically turned the frame into a magic? What about the window?"
Crusty hands knock on the window. Ran said hello, holding back her laughter somehow.
"Welcome, welcome to the Sky castle."
Only then did the two Dwarfs take care of Ran. Is the key to Ran's heart? It was stout but had a solid body like a barrel.
However, both of them were new faces.
'You're not the one I've seen before.'
Although it may be hard to recognize the hair and beard, Dwarf had different whiskers, hair decorations, and tattoos, so it was easy to distinguish them.
"I'm Ran Romia De Lazia."
"My name is Pasen."
"I'm Jetura."
"You have to speak nicely."
"No, she's a hundred years younger than us."
"But you're a human representative, aren't you?"
At Pasen's words, Jetura touched the ball and his mustache and changed his tone.
"My name is Jetura. That's a slip of the tongue." Ran shook her head with a smile.
"No. Make yourselves comfortable."
"Look!"
"Oh, we're the only ones who can make it comfortably. Then make yourself at home."
When Pasen pointed at Ran, Ran laughed again.
"Okay. okay. Then both of you should sit down."
Ran recommended a seat, so the two sat on the sofa. Ran made her servant bring a good liquor. It is a Dwarf-style hospitality. Giving Dwarf a tea was more of a hospitality than giving him a water supply.
Lazia was in the north, and the people in the north were good at making wine. Lazia's honey alcohol quickly made the Dwarfs excited.
"Human beings are good at making drinks. It's perfect for a drink."
"Jetura, you're the only one drinking this. But is there anything more severe?"
Ran grinned and said.
"It's not that I don't have strong alcohol, but I'd like to hear why you're here."
Pasen shrugged his shoulders.
"I've brought the armor that you've been ordered, but I'm going to adjust it by looking at it myself. I can't just make it out of what Jetura said."
"And I'd love to see a mine if I could. I didn't like the shape after it was mined."
Ran was pleased.
Needless to say, it would be grateful to pass on Dwarf's mining technology.
"And I'm sorry to say this, but ····."
Pasen twisted his beard awkwardly.
"Because I am unable to make the goods ordered by you ······".
Ran looked suspicious. The Dwarfs were full of confidence in their goods and were suspicious at first of their long-time commercial transactions with humans, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. The craftsman wants a place to get rid of my skills.
So, when the water opened, the transaction proceeded faster than expected.
The Dwarfs are ruled by 14 families and each clan lives in a city. Ran's trading clan was a Black Mountain clan ruled by the Lund and Pehyde families.
It's a less closed clan?
"Is there a problem?"
Jetura waved at Ran's question.
"Black Mountain is strange."
"Black Mountain?"
"Yeah, you know we're expanding the city, right?"
Ran nodded. Dwarf's underground city was famous for its splendor. Such cities and the king's boulevard connecting them were the pride of the Dwarves.
"But the mountain isn't what it used to be. Everyone thinks something happens in the mountains. That's why they stopped digging."
"Black mountains···············."
I can't remember anything. Ran went public and finally gave up. I'll think of it later.
"Okay. Can you watch the armor first? The Knights are really looking forward to it."
At Ran's words, Dwarf looked at each other face to face and laughed out loud.
"That's good."
"Don't forget to serve good liquor when we're done."