Chapter 28

Despite having served on the front lines of the war, the military pension was far from generous. All Adrian received was a lump sum payment about the size of a “lizard’s tail” and a few years of tax exemptions.

Consequently, the townspeople, unaware of his true circumstances, concluded that Adrian was essentially a freeloader living off Ramona. Since his appearance was quite aristocratic, rumors even circulated that Ramona was supporting him simply for his handsome face.

When Adrian happened to catch wind of these rumors, he was utterly flabbergasted. He wanted to shout that he was absolutely not such a shameless man, but he feared that protesting too much would only make him look guilty—as if he were “screaming because his own feet were numb.”

Yet, he couldn’t exactly reveal his true identity either. Frustrated and feeling stifled, he was thumping his chest in annoyance when he spotted a notice on the public bulletin board. It was a call for labor to repair the city walls. Without a second thought, Adrian filled out the application.

“Mr. Adrian, Raon’s dad! Are you in your right mind?” Ramona asked, stunned.

“Yes, I am perfectly sane.”

“How can a sane person apply for this kind of work? You come from a family where money literally breeds money just by sitting still.”

“That is that, and this is this. I want to provide labor and receive fair compensation. I want to buy something delicious for our Raon. And for you, Ms. Ramona.”

Despite Ramona’s attempts to dissuade him, Adrian stubbornly submitted his application. Watching him commit to the task, Ramona thought he looked even more headstrong than six-year-old Raon.

“Tomorrow is a school holiday, and Raon said he wanted to play with his dad,” she sighed.

“I can play with him once I return.”

“I don’t know if you’ll have the stamina for that.”

As a knight, he had likely never performed manual labor like wall fortification. While knighthood was physically demanding, this was a completely different kind of exhaustion. She suspected the officials might recognize him and try to stop him, but Adrian was determined.

“Well, it’s your decision, so I’ll respect it. But you must play with the child when you finish.”

Ever since Adrian moved in, Raon had been counting down the days until school holidays. While the boy might be disappointed to hear his father was working, he wasn’t the type to throw a tantrum over it.

***

After school, Raon chattered away as he walked with Adrian to meet Freire. Seeing the boy so vibrant—a stark contrast to the stifled child he had been at the Duke’s estate—Adrian affectionately patted his head.

“My teacher kept asking about you, Dad.”

“I see. Was she asking if I’m a freeloader living at your house?” Adrian asked, prepared for anything given the local gossip.

“No, not that. She asked how old you are and what your ‘ideal type’ is.”

“Ah… I see. This town is small, so people must be very curious.”

The memory of Marina, Raon’s teacher, flashed through his mind. He had brushed her off before, but he hadn’t expected her to use the child to pry for information.

“But really, Dad, what is your ideal type?”

“Hmm, well… I haven’t really thought about it.”

Adrian tried to recall the women he had met in the past. None had ever made his heart race. Even his former fiancée, Aria, was simply the daughter of his father’s friend; he had only considered marriage because she had been accepting of his physical “flaw.”

As he shook his head, Ramona’s image suddenly flickered into his mind—the way her short white hair brushed against her slender neck, usually hidden by her clothes. Her deep red eyes, which felt warm enough to heat his very soul just by looking at them.

A faint blush crept onto Adrian’s face. Perhaps because he wasn’t used to such imaginings, his heart began to beat erratically.

“Ahem… if the teacher asks again, why don’t you tell her my ideal type is Raon’s mom?”

“Okay! I will!”

Satisfied with the answer, Raon beamed. Adrian then explained about his work the next day and promised to play once he returned. Though Raon looked pensive for a moment, he quickly nodded.

“You have to play with me. I’ve been bragging to my friends that I play and take baths with my dad lately.”

In this era, most fathers worked until late and only came home to sleep. Child-rearing was naturally left to mothers or grandparents, making a father who played with his child a rare and brag-worthy thing.

“Of course. I promise.”

***

The next morning, Adrian prepared to leave at dawn. Since the days were getting shorter, the wall repairs began in the early hours.

“Here is a lunch box. Eat this there,” Ramona said, handing him a small basket as he reached the door.

“What? A lunch box?”

“Did you honestly think they would provide meals at a construction site?”

“A-Ah… they don’t?”

“No. So make sure you take this.”

It was news to him. Adrian, who had only ever signed off on paperwork and never realized that laborers weren’t even fed on-site, felt his face flush with embarrassment.

“T-Thank you. I’ll see you later then.”

Clutching the basket made for him in the early hours, Adrian arrived at the site and was immediately assigned a task.

“You, over here. Move these stones.”

Loading large stones onto a wheeled cart wasn’t an issue. The problem was that while moving them on flat ground was easy, lifting them up high was grueling. One slip could seriously injure those below.

By lunchtime, Adrian understood exactly what Ramona had meant. He was a knight, but the muscles used for swinging a sword were entirely different from those used for hauling boulders. His whole body felt stiff.

“So you’re Raon’s dad? Rumor spread fast that you went to pick him up at school. The boy really is a spitting image of you.”

As a weary Adrian began to uncover the basket, a middle-aged man covered in dust sat down beside him.

“I heard you’re living with Ms. Ramona. You should hold onto her. A woman who is both beautiful and a great cook is rare. She runs such a tight ship that half the men in town are drooling over her.”

“I see. Raon’s mother is quite popular.”

“Oh, absolutely. Before you showed up, there were several wealthy men who said they’d take her in if she just left the kid behind. So, if you’re not planning on marrying her, I’d suggest you move out with Raon so she can have a fresh start while she’s still young.”

The man bit into a boiled potato he pulled from his pocket. Adrian, meanwhile, pulled back the cloth of his basket to reveal several round balls of rice.

“Oh! Those are Southern-style rice balls! I haven’t seen those in a while. If Ramona made them, I bet they’re delicious.”

Adrian took a large bite. Inside was a generous filling of the seasoned meat he had eaten the other day. Since she knew he couldn’t handle heat, she had seasoned the meat mildly, and the flavors blended perfectly with the rice.

“Would you like one?”

“Oh! I won’t say no to that! Hahaha, thank you.”

The man, who had been staring hungrily at the food, accepted one with delight.

“As expected, Ms. Ramona’s skill is unchanging. Hahaha. That was a fine meal.”

Having made a workplace friend through the rice balls, Adrian returned to hauling stones until the shift ended. He stood in line to receive his wages for the hard labor.

“What’s your name?”

“Adrian.”

“Hmm, Adrian… Ah, luckily no one else has that name. Put your thumbprint here and I’ll give you your daily pay. Or you can sign if you don’t want to get ink on your hands.”

Adrian took the pen and signed the blank space as he usually did. The official, about to hand over the money, froze. His eyes widened until they looked ready to pop. The signature was an exact match for the one on the official documents regarding the wall repairs.

The official looked up, recognizing the dusty face he had seen a few times from a distance. He scrambled to his feet.

“Y-Young Du—”

“I will go buy some beef. Have a good day,” Adrian interrupted sharply, his eyes flashing a warning.

The official, realizing that continuing would be a very bad idea, deflated like a punctured ball and stayed silent as Adrian snatched the money and vanished.