I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Six hours into running away from home.

Once I got outside, I felt a little better.

I happily looked around the village.

Having a shopping district really is nice!

It’s fun!

And there’s so much to look at!

Would Bethel Village eventually have a shopping district too?

Just imagining it made my heart race.

Actually, I’d barely ever had the chance to walk around a shopping district like this.

Because after I went to House Klein, I had always stayed inside the ducal estate.

Of course, the Klein Ducal House was practically a little paradise, so I never lacked for anything.

Even so, I felt strangely suffocated and ran away from home……

Just like today.

Then I almost got into serious trouble in the capital’s shopping district, and while escaping that situation, I happened to meet the prince.

Come to think of it, I’ve been running away from home since my previous life?!

Gasp.

What if I keep this up and grow into a delinquent child?

I shook my head hard.

I should behave myself from now on. ……More importantly, I wonder if the prince in this life will run away from home again too.

Of course, right now he was probably eating well and living comfortably in the imperial palace.

I had met him when I was around nine, after all.

And in this life, I had fled to the North, so there was absolutely no chance we would ever meet.

Not our sleeves, not a strand of hair, not even our breaths or anything else tiny—

the chance of any of them ever brushing past each other was zero percent.

Actually, there was something I wanted to say if we ever met again.

I hadn’t been able to say it back then.

That I wanted to be friends.

You know, you look like you have about as few friends as I do…… Want to be friends with me? Then maybe we could meet again!

Back then, I had been pretty desperate.

Thinking about it now, maybe it wasn’t such a big deal after all.

We’re never going to meet again anyway!

Can’t be helped.

I’ll just……

forget about it!

“Hmm. That’s a fair price. Thank you for your trouble!”

“Oh, thank you very much!”

While I was lost in thought, Sir Brad finished negotiating with the western monster-material merchant.

We got back into the wagon.

Eventually, we arrived in front of a small public stable.

There, we met Duke Rowain’s aide, who was keeping his identity relatively discreet, and safely received the rye seed too.

“Hm? Why is there only this much?”

“Ah, our own reserves are a little short as well…… The rest will be sent separately. It won’t be too late, so please don’t worry.”

“Understood.”

The amount was a little small, but since they promised to send more—

we were safe!

Now we’re more or less ready for winter rye farming!

Thump, thump.

The large cargo wagon quickly filled with goods.

Sir Brad turned toward me with a satisfied expression.

“All right, shall we head back now?”

Huh?

“B-back already?”

I’m in the middle of running away from home!

But the sun was already slowly sinking behind the mountain ridge.

If you diligently return home before sunset……

does that even count as running away?

Obviously not……

Accepting my failure, I sat in the driver’s seat of the cargo wagon and let my shoulders slump.

“Sir Braaad…… can I sleep at the gate tonight too?”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t mind…… but why? Are you still angry with His Grace?”

I had already told Sir Brad roughly what had happened today.

Of course, I left out the part about purifying the pillar and only told him that His Grace had ordered me to stop interfering with the territory’s affairs.

“I’m not mad at him. His Grace is mad at me.”

I crumpled the bag of honey snacks Sir Brad had bought me.

“Why won’t His Grace let me do something I’m capable of doing?”

“Hmm.”

“Does he just not trust me anymore? Because I got sick and stuff……”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

The cargo wagon rolled along slowly.

“It’s probably because you’re precious to him, Haniel.”

“……”

“You’re precious and adorable, so he’s afraid something might happen to you.”

“Who cares about my pride?”

“Compared to my brat, I can sell off something that useless as many times as I want.”

Honestly—

I already knew, vaguely, that His Grace considered me precious.

“But……”

My lips moved hesitantly.

“If I don’t do anything, then I don’t become anything. So how can I be precious……?”

“Of course you’re precious!”

Sir Brad smiled broadly.

That was difficult for me to understand.

Seeing my gloomy face, he continued gently.

“Hmm. Haniel, you’ve been taking care of the chicks and baby pigs lately, right?”

“Yes!”

I answered immediately.

The chicks and little pig in the yard appeared in my mind.

“They’re suuuper cute! They follow me around! Peep, peep! Oink, oink!”

“Really? Then have you told the chicks to hurry up and lay eggs?”

“Huh? No!”

“Have you told the baby pig to hurry up and have piglets like its mother?”

“How could I say that?!”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re babies!”

Sir Brad grinned.

“Then why are they cute and precious? They don’t do anything except cry.”

“……”

I lowered my head slightly, fidgeted with my hands, then answered.

“……Just because.”

“……”

“They’re cute even if all they do is come over to me……”

“Right?”

“……”

“Children are supposed to be precious and adorable simply because they exist.”

Sir Brad laughed warmly, like a grandfather from a fairy tale.

But I’m different.

I regressed.

I have divine power.

To me, having an ability but refusing to use it felt completely different from not being able to do anything in the first place.

But……

……I think I might understand His Grace a little.

He must have been upset because I hid that I was sick.

To His Grace, I probably looked endlessly young and weak.

Maybe he had blamed himself a lot too.

And gotten anxious.

What if she hides being sick again?

If I switched places with him……

I thought I would feel the same way.

I bit the inside of my lip.

Maybe when I go back, I should try talking to him again.

Without getting angry.

Without talking back.

Slowly, step by step.

Maybe then things would work out somehow.

Rustle.

I looked down at the snack bag in my arms.

They were crispy fried sweet-potato clusters drizzled with honey.

I had nibbled away at them until only one piece remained.

“Sir Brad! Wait a second! Can I buy another bag of these before we go?”

“Of course, of course!”

Creeeak—

The cargo wagon stopped.

I hurriedly jumped down and ran back to the shop selling the snacks.

“Hello! One more bag of these, please!”

“Oh, little one, you came back! Did you like the snacks?”

“Yeees! I’m gonna use them as reconciliation food!”

“Oh my. You fought with a friend? How old are they?”

“Twenty-seven!”

“……”

For some reason, the shopkeeper scooped an enormous amount into the bag.

“Thank you!”

I hugged my reconciliation food and spun around.

That was when—

“—Commander! Commandeeeer!”

“……!”

I……

almost dropped the bag.

The blood in my body seemed to freeze.

Why……?

Did I hear that wrong?

Why?

That voice……

wasn’t something I should be hearing here.

Uncle Marc……?

Holy Knight Marc.

The hem of his robe swept right past me.

It happened in only an instant—

but to me, it seemed to move unbearably slowly.

And……

the place where he stopped was—

“There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere!”

In front of a general store selling yarn.

There stood—

a tall man.

“……”

He wore a long robe with the hood pulled low over his head.

Even so, there was something obviously noble about him.

People passing by kept glancing in his direction.

Riiiiing—

A sharp ringing filled my ears.

No.

I stumbled backward.

At the same time, almost entirely on instinct, I yanked off the red earmuffs on my head and hid them.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the street.

The man’s hood slipped back.

Long hair spilled free like a painting.

Beautiful silver hair.

Mysterious violet eyes.

The man immediately pulled his hood back into place.

His face had only been visible for a single moment.

But……

No……!

There was no way I could fail to recognize that face.

It was the face I had longed for even in my dreams—

……my father’s face.

To Be Continued…