Chapter 156: Chapter 156 Don’t come to Buttuwatt River in the summer (14)
Tulin, who had searched for some connection between John Piaf and Duke Engre at Lard’s order, briefly reported what he had discovered. He confirmed that John Piaf’s younger brother became an apprentice knight for the Engre family, adding that John met the duke several times and the duke paid him some money.
“The duke’s spy is here, too. Your boss will be beheaded soon, but you’re still making a lousy noise here. ”
“What, what are you talking…! ”
When Lard said that, looking at John, Eduval and their colleagues looked at John suspiciously.
“Eduval, do you know that guy’s brother became an apprentice knight for the Engre family?
Do you know that the guy constantly made provocative remarks to take advantage of you in the duke’s rebellion?” Lard shouted at Eduval with dignity.
“The duke’s revolt has failed. John Piaf, your plan fell flat. Your master, the mastermind of the rebellion will be beheaded and displayed to the public soon. If your neck is also hung next to it, it’s going to be a great attraction.”
Lard did not stop there and pulled out his sword. The farmers stepped back and prepared to attack. As they didn’t know much about the rebels, they could not easily understand what Lard just said. Eduval cast a suspicious gaze at John, but he couldn’t leave John at the mercy of Lard.
Their confrontation began again. The situation was bad, but Lard did not put away the sword. He could not hide his murderous intent at John Piaf, who worked as the duke’s stooge.
He was full of desire to destroy everything related to the duke. The farmers supporting John Piaf were also his targets.
Wendy Waltz.
They didn’t know that her eyes were dark green like the water of the river bearing the shadow of Raney Forest. They didn’t know that her hair was yellowish, like a frisian releasing its perfume in the sunshine. They didn’t know that her smile was as beautiful as a star rising through the clouds. They didn’t know anything about her.
Such memories of her were painful for him, which made him so angry. So, he could not withdraw his sword.
“Hey, look over there!”
Someone yelled, pointing at Buttuwat River. His shouting rang loudly amid silence, and everyone’s eyes turned toward the river. As if they promised, they looked at the river silently, with their mouths wide open.
Something light brown was floating down on the waters of the river. Its procession was longer than that of the peasants.
At first glance, it looked like water weeds floating on the river, but farmers knew immediately that they were not water weeds, but something else. How could they not know what they touched and grew by hand every day for decades?
The endless procession of the brown stuff was lifted up little by little by the nets from the boats floating on the river. There were a number of boats dragging nets through the water.
Someone cried when some of it reached the shore, “It’s Montrapi! Montrapi! ”
As soon as he shouted, the orderly procession of the peasants was in disarray. They dropped the ironware in their hands and ran wildly towards the river. Some jumped into the water and grabbed handfuls of Montrapi that drifted downstream, while others picked up and collected each one of them that reached land. They earnestly held Montrapi in their arms as if they rescued their children from the water. Each of the Montrapi had ripe ears.
At that moment, Lard, looking at them running to the riverside with trembling eyes, hurriedly drove Balos. The horse’s head was turning toward the upstream from which Montrapi drifted. During that short ride up the river, he prayed and prayed that she was alive.
When he reached the top of the river, his eyes trembled more than the waves bouncing off the rocks. He saw a woman dipping her hands in the river at a distance. It was Wendy!
Barely holding his breath and throbbing heart, he tried his best to calm down. Full of hot emotions, he was deeply touched to see her. He drove Balos at full speed not to lose her again.
After jumping off Balos, he ran to the rock by the river and stood behind her. Surprised, Pascal looked at him hastily, but Lard didn’t care.
He barely caught his breath and stared at her slender shoulders. He couldn’t even touch her as he was trembling so much. A flower was supposed to be easily blown away by the wind. Lard was afraid that she might be like that.
Without knowing he was behind her, she pulled her hands out of the water. After breathing out with difficulty, she stood up. She suddenly felt dizzy. It was because she had been exhausted from all the other distractions. She swayed dizzily.
“Oops!”
He held her shoulders from behind, as if he raised a pile of fallen flowers. Surprised, she turned her head.
“… Sir Schroder? ”
He could not answer. He managed to open his mouth, but couldn’t say as he was choked with emotions. Now, she tried to turn to see him, but he didn’t let her do it.
“Sir Schroder…”
“… I’m…” he said in a cracked voice. Surprised by that, she called him once again. “… I’m afraid when I think about you. ”
His trembling voice made her feel like crying. She put her hands on top of his.
“I thought I would never feel the warmth of your hands again… You did cruel things to me.”
Her warmth touched him more intensely than any words or scent. Her hands that he could immediately recognize without seeing them were now on his hands.
She held his hands carefully and turned to him. He no longer stopped her from turning around. She looked up at him without hiding his wistfulness. She felt very warm looking into his gray eyes, cool like a salt field at midnight.
His heartache hurt her equally, but the fact that it was reparable comforted them.
She smiled faintly while looking at him.
“Sorry… I will never scare you again. Forgive me if I did something cruel to you,” she said.
She asked for his forgiveness in an honest voice. Unbelievably, he was making an expression as if he was about to cry at any moment. They hugged each other.
The waves of Buttuwat River flowed smoothly. Raney Forest still glowed dark green, and the wind blew over them gently. The sky was covered with long, scattered clouds as if somebody cleaned up white sand with a broom.
And there were the two down there. It was a truly peaceful scene.
Rumors circulated across the capital that the rebels who raided the Imperial Palace were suppressed and their leader would be executed soon. However, there were rumors that drew people’s attention even more about Montrapi that flowed down Buttuwatt River.
According to the rumors, the revolted peasants all returned to their hometowns with a few carts of Montrapi. Some shook their heads, unable to believe their ears, and others stood aghast in surprise. The rumors were far from crap, given the continuing testimony of many people that they lent carts or saw the Montrapi in person.
But the people in the capital soon understood all the rumors because the rumors spread quickly that the empire had prepared Montrapi in advance. Some said Montrapi was brought in from the neighboring Sperman Principality, while others argued that the Montrapi was secretly grown within the Imperial Palace with the help of Jeddah Academy professors. Everybody was impressed with the emperor’s wisdom to spread Montrapi dramatically on the river in order to stop the procession of the rebellious peasants.
Everyone was harmed by the blight and insects, but this time the Montrapi plants were full of grains after its flowers withered. People expected that they would harvest an abundant crop this year, which helped the prices of Montrapi stabilize. Of course, the massive release of Montrapi to the market from the stores of the nobles by the imperial palace also helped stabilize the prices.
“Here you are. It’s clearly marked with the imperial seal. So, check it out. ”
Emperor Isaac said to Wendy, presenting her with a luxurious piece of parchment.
She looked at it and nodded satisfactorily.
“Yes, it’s certain. The deal between you and me was completely done with this.”
“Sure. It was a deal that satisfied both you and me.”
With a sly smile the emperor looked over the parchment she was holding.
“Would you like to celebrate this occasion and have a toast in the evening? Let me serve you a great dinner. ”
“Well, I think it’s more appropriate for you to have a toast with Sir Schroder.”
Wendy grabbed the parchment with a smile. Although the emperor tried to say more, she said goodbye without giving him a chance.
“I’ll see you at the trial soon.”
She stood up without any hesitation and left the meeting room of Kingsbray Palace.