CJRD CH 11

Chapter 11

It had already been over two weeks since Estelle started living with me.

But even now, she still calls me “Miss Morris” instead of “Reina.”

Yet she called Peter by his name right after meeting him! That was… a little shocking.

‘I feel kind of left out…’

When would she start calling me by name?

I sighed to myself quietly.

“I heard from Reina that you want to work on the farm to build your stamina?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s your goal, then you’ll definitely achieve it.”

Peter smiled strangely and shrugged his shoulders.

Then, pointing at me, he whispered to Estelle,

“Estelle, Reina’s forehead looks fine now, right? But it didn’t used to be. When we first met, she always had a wound on her forehead. She was always tripping and falling, even on flat ground.”

I forgot my sadness for a moment—his words shocked me back to attention.

“She only stopped falling after she started working here. Her stamina got better, so she didn’t trip anymore.”

“Peter! Why would you say that?!”

Flustered, I ran over to him and threw my hands up to cover his mouth.

Sadly, my desperate attempt failed.

Peter gently grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands away easily.

‘Ugh! So frustrating!’

When we were younger, I was taller and stronger, so this wouldn’t have happened.

But now Peter had grown—he was taller and sturdier than me. It wasn’t easy to stop him anymore.

“…You two must’ve known each other for a long time,” Estelle said, watching our back-and-forth.

“Oh yeah, Reina and I are childhood friends,” Peter replied.

“That’s right. We’ve known each other since we were little.”

“Really?”

“Yup. That’s why I even know Peter’s childhood dream was to be a farmer.”

“Ugh…!”

Ha! That was payback for bringing up my past.

I smirked and added,

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? You’ve basically achieved your dream. You’re the farm heir now—even if it’s a little different.”

“Heir?!”

“Why not? Your dad told me that himself, remember?”

I tugged the wrist Peter was holding and pulled him toward me with force.

He wasn’t expecting it, so he stumbled and leaned forward.

Suddenly, our faces were very close.

Peter blinked at me like a startled puppy.

I grinned teasingly and leaned in even closer.

“….”

But Peter’s face looked strange.

“Peter, have you been standing in the sun too long? Your face is really red.”

“W-What? No! Not at all!”

Peter panicked and quickly let go of my wrist.

He stepped back, cupping his red cheeks with his hands. He really did look hot and flustered—his face turned even redder.

I stared at him curiously.

“W-We don’t have time for this!”

Then he shouted and spun around to face away from me.

“Let’s go in! My dad is waiting!”

Peter hurried off into the farm.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Is it that hot today? He must’ve been waiting a while. Poor guy.”

I mumbled quietly and took Estelle’s hand, following behind him.

****

Inside the entrance, the farmland opened up wide.

The vast fields stretched along the northern lake’s river. Just looking at it made my chest feel open and free.

“Reina! Long time no see!”

A voice called out.

I turned to see a middle-aged man walking toward us with open arms.

It was Marcus, the farm owner and Peter’s father.

Unlike Peter’s puppy-like, gentle face, Marcus looked much tougher.

He had thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, and a rough beard that almost covered his mouth.

But when he smiled, the corners of his eyes drooped just like Peter’s—proof they were father and son.

Smiling brightly, I opened my arms wide to greet him.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Marcus! Have you been well?”

“Of course! It’s been so long since I last saw you. You should visit more often!”

We hugged happily.

But Marcus had been farming his whole life, and his “light” hug nearly squeezed the air out of me.

I accidentally let out a small gasp.

He quickly let go and scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, it’s been so long. I guess I didn’t know my own strength.”

Then, glancing at Peter, he whispered to me in a voice loud enough to hear.

“Peter’s been saying how much he missed seeing you, you know.”

“D-Dad!”

“What? I’m not wrong, am I?”

Marcus just shrugged like it was no big deal.

Peter opened and closed his mouth like a fish, blinking in disbelief.

He looked totally speechless, probably used to his father saying wild things like this.

Even when we were kids, Peter couldn’t say a word back when Marcus teased him. Looks like nothing has changed.

Seeing the two of them made me smile.

‘Still, I can’t forget why we came here.’

Ahem!

I cleared my throat loudly to get their attention.

“I’m really glad I got to see you both again. Oh! I haven’t introduced her yet. This is Estelle.”

“Oh, so you’re Estelle? Nice to meet you. I’m Marcus, the owner of this farm.”

I stepped aside to let Estelle come forward.

Marcus bent down to get a better look at her.

With his large frame and stern face, the shadow he cast made him look even scarier.

Any normal kid would’ve been trembling.

But not Estelle.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Marcus.”

“Oh?”

With calm green eyes—deep like a forest—she looked up and met Marcus’s gaze without fear.

Not even a flicker of nervousness showed on her face.

Marcus raised one eyebrow, intrigued.

It seemed like this was the first time a child hadn’t been scared of him.

He looked her up and down slowly.

Then, the amused look vanished, and he crossed his arms with a frown.

“Hmm. So you want to build stamina, huh? Look at those skinny arms and legs. I don’t see a single muscle. You look weak.”

She was wearing long sleeves since the weather was still cool, so you couldn’t really see her limbs.

But Marcus, being a lifelong farmer, seemed to see right through it.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Estelle looked down at her arms and legs, rubbed her arms with both hands, and furrowed her brow, clearly upset.

She even puffed up her cheeks a little in frustration.

“Hahaha! Are you mad? That small, delicate body of yours? I like your spirit!”

Marcus burst out laughing.

He gently patted Estelle’s shoulder with his large hand.

“Welcome. There’s no better place to quickly build stamina and muscle than here. Don’t worry!”

“Urgh…!”

Of course, for Estelle, even a light pat from him made her whole body shake.

“The work is simple, so it won’t be hard. The other workers and Peter will teach you.”

“If you’re unsure about anything, just ask me.”

“Actually, just ask Peter. He might look like that, but he’s the best farmer here—after me, of course.”

Marcus nodded toward Peter.

When I looked, Peter had a flustered look on his face.

Having three people stare at him seemed to overwhelm him.

He scratched his cheek awkwardly, but soon smiled proudly at Estelle as if saying, “You can count on me.”

“Alright. So Estelle will learn the work from Peter. Reina, are you heading back now?”

“Yes. It’s almost time for the kids to arrive.”

“Already? I wish we had more time to talk.”

“I’ll come visit again soon.”

Seeing them again after so long made time fly by.

Even though I came early to chat, it didn’t feel like enough.

I gave them both a light hug and promised to come again.

“Okay, I’ll get going. Estelle, good luck! I’ll come pick you up later!”

I gave Estelle a tight hug, waved goodbye, and headed back the way we came.