LRAB Chapter 150 Outside the Library
Chapter 150 Outside the Library
Chapter 150 Outside the Library
Cathy and Harriet were walking down the road.
The O'Brien Bay region is less than one-tenth the size of the Lines Plateau, but it is home to quite a few lords.
The bay area has a long coastline, a dense network of ports, and a thriving commercial sector. As a result, the local people do not engage in production and therefore do not require a large amount of land.
The lords here generally do not hold high ranks.
Even the O'Brien family, the rulers of the Bay Area, only inherited the title of Earl, and their vassals could only be Barons or Knights of the Estate.
That day, Cathy had a good, good cry.
That same night, Harriet quietly opened Cathy's door and claimed she was going to take Cathy away from the vineyard.
Without any hesitation, Casey immediately followed Harriet's lead.
He knew Harriet wouldn't hurt him, absolutely not.
They ran all night and finally arrived at the neighboring town.
Harriet then asked Cathy where they should escape to.
Cathy should have stayed at the manor to wait for Henry, to wait for his father.
Unfortunately, the manor was no longer safe, and he had to leave.
There was no place for Casey on the Lines Plateau; his home had long been destroyed, and he had to go somewhere Henry could find.
After much deliberation, Casey could only think of one place: a library in O'Brien Bay.
Bekas said that the caretaker there would definitely help him, and that it was also where his parents met.
If Henry were to return to the Blois peninsula and learn that Cayce had escaped, the first place he would think of would likely be that library.
"Henry will surely find me," Casey thought, "besides, I have nowhere else to go."
Harriet asked no questions and without hesitation spent her savings to hire a carriage and have the driver take them to O'Brien Bay.
On the carriage, to avoid exposing Cathy's true identity, Cathy and Harriet tacitly avoided mentioning anything about Cathy.
So they just talked about Harriet's past.
Although she had occasionally heard Harriet talk about herself before, for some reason, since that day, Cathy has become increasingly interested in Harriet's affairs.
Therefore, time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the carriage had arrived at O'Brien Bay.
After asking around in the bay area for a long time, they finally found a library located by the sea.
At this moment, the two had arrived in a nearby town and were heading to the library.
Harriet took Cathy's hand and walked ahead.
From this angle, Harriet appears even taller.
Cathy couldn't help but wonder if she was taller than her.
Her father was Henry, who was taller than Harriet.
But he had already met his mother, Natalie, who was of average height.
He seems to look more like his mother, so he is a little worried about his height.
Master Qiao said that a man's height will develop until he is eighteen years old.
Cathy is now fourteen years old, and there are only four years left. Will she be able to grow taller than Harriet?
Strange, Casey suddenly frowned. Why do I always compare myself to Harriet?
Kathy shook her head, trying to shake off her height anxiety.
But when he stopped looking up, his eyes still unconsciously drifted toward Harriet.
Harriet's hair was long and straight, and perhaps because she didn't have time to style it, it was simply tied back, so Cassie could see Harriet's slightly red ear tips.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but beneath the blush was fair skin as white as a tender snow pear.
Harriet's neck is slender, making her look like a swan. Oh, and she's quite tall!
However, the dress Harriet was wearing really wasn't very attractive.
The dress was dull in color, roughly made, and covered in signs of wear and stains that couldn't be washed off. You could imagine that she must have worn this old dress for a long time.
Since Harriet chose to wear this dress to escape with Cathy, it proves that it was her best outfit.
Kexi raised her eyebrows, and for some reason, she felt a pang of heartache.
He secretly vowed that if he fulfilled the expectations of Pegasus, Reggie, and the others, and became the true lord of the Lyons Plateau again, he would definitely hire the best tailor to make Harriet a fine dress.
Cathy wanted to dress Harriet up beautifully; she believed that if Harriet wore exquisite clothes and dressed up a little, she would look even better than she did now...
Just as Cathy was lost in thought, Harriet suddenly turned around and looked at Cathy warily.
Kathy tensed up and quickly looked away.
As a duke, he absolutely could not escape the gaze of others, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not make himself face Harriet.
"Were you spying on me?" Harriet asked.
Cathy feels a bit hot. Hmm, is it because winter is over?
"The weather is so nice today."
"You were definitely peeking!" Harriet's tone was quite amused.
It's getting hotter and hotter.
Harriet stopped talking, and after a long while, Cassie finally raised her head.
She had turned her head forward, took Cathy's hand, and continued walking.
Without realizing it, he started staring at Harriet again.
Kathy thought Harriet was really reliable.
Without Harriet, he might have been killed by the rioting grape growers long ago, and he would never have been able to get close to the library that Pegasus mentioned.
He will never forget what Harriet said to him that day.
But Cathy herself lacked confidence. Many people gave their all for him, but he always felt that he didn't deserve so much favor.
There was a question he'd wanted to ask Harriet for a long time, and now that they were getting closer to the library, he didn't want to leave it for the future:
Harriet
"Hmm?" Harriet turned to look at Cathy.
"Is that... really true?"
"What do you mean, real or fake?" Harriet asked in her icy voice.
"That day, you said 'from now on,'" Cathy said. "Will you really always be with me?"
Harriet's expression didn't change noticeably, but Cassie could tell that the light in Harriet's eyes had dimmed considerably.
She turned her head back and continued walking in silence.
Faced with this reaction, Kathy felt an overwhelming sense of panic.
He gripped Harriet's hand tightly and asked anxiously:
"Harriet, why aren't you saying anything? Did you lie to me that day?"
"Why would I lie to you, Master Casey?"
"Don't call me 'Young Master'!" Cathy shouted, frowning. "And since you didn't lie to me, why aren't you answering my questions!"
"Because I don't know."
"You don't know?" Cathy felt her mouth go dry. "Could it be—Harriet, you're going to go back on your word?"
"Yes! I just want to break my promise!" Harriet suddenly raised her voice as well.
Kathy's mind went blank, and he felt like crying.
Half a minute later, Casey finally asked in a low voice:
"Why—Harriet, why are you doing this to me?"
"It's all your fault!"
Kathy was taken aback by his words, then quickly asked:
"I?"
"yes!"
Harriet suddenly quickened her pace, seemingly quite angry, forcing Cassie to jog to avoid falling.
"If I had planned to lie to you from the beginning, why would I have risked everything to bring you out with me? Do you know how dangerous it is for a woman to wander around in the wild alone!"
"But what exactly did I do to make you unhappy?"
Harriet turned around and glared at Cathy:
"Do I even need to say that?!"
Kathy carefully recalled what she had done; she shouldn't have done anything to hold the team back.
"I have no idea--"
Harriet became even angrier after hearing this, released Cathy's hand, and strode forward.
Cassie quickly ran forward, grabbed Harriet's wrists with both hands, and tried her best to keep up with Harriet's pace:
"Harriet! Tell me! I'll change!"
"Who told you to keep bringing up your fiancée in front of me?"
"But it's true—"
"Then what I said is true!" Harriet roared angrily. "Since you're going to marry your fiancée sooner or later, what about me?"
"......"
Kathy couldn't answer, nor did she want to imagine it.
"Hmph, you see, even you don't know where I should go, so why should I bother trying to win your favor?"
"That's not it, Harriet," Cathy shook her head frantically, "I cherish you—and I need you."
"A woman cannot survive in this world alone, my esteemed Master Cathy," Harriet said with a hint of disappointment. "Sooner or later, I will inevitably marry a man, and at that time, I will have to leave you."
Please, Harriet, don't call me Master:
"Then what should I do?"
"You have your fiancée; you should ask her what will happen next."
At this point, Harriet sighed.
"After you get married, you won't need me anymore, young master. So now you understand, right? I have to break my promise. I can't be with you forever."
But you clearly promised me: "But she's not you—"
"Of course she isn't, and I'm not her either."
Kathy suddenly realized that even Harriet would one day leave him.
Why does everyone have to leave me? Cathy felt a little frustrated. Am I destined to be alone?
Kathy lowered her head and looked down at the ground.
Because it was early spring, the grass underfoot was growing strong and tender.
The grassland stretches forward, flanked by sea cliffs on both sides.
Kathy then realized that they had already walked onto the corner.
At the far end of the corner, there was a dark-colored and unassuming stone building, lying there quietly.
Kathy released one hand and pointed forward; her intuition told her:
"Harriet, we're here! That must be the library Pegasus was talking about!"
Harriet looked ahead for a moment, then turned and looked down at Cathy.
After a long pause, she let out a long breath, then pulled her wrist away from Cathy's hand and took Cathy's hand again.
She continued, as before, leading Cathy forward:
"But before that—"
Huh? Harriet is speaking?
"What?"
"I said, until then, until you marry your fiancée, I will be with you. Don't worry, Cathy, from now on you will definitely not be alone."
As Kai watched Harriet's retreating figure, the gloom in his heart vanished instantly.
Harriet is indeed very kind, Casey thought, and quite reliable.
The sea is very turbulent in spring, crashing against the cliffs at the corner with a "whoosh" sound.
The sea breeze was gentle, softly lifting Harriet's skirt without blowing her hair wildly.
Sometimes, Cathy thinks that although his journey has been difficult, he has also been quite lucky.
The people around him were far gentler than the sea breeze.
Upright Pegasus, stern Earl Reggie, kind Master Jode, honest Sir Robert, the sister in the tent, the cool Henry, and everyone on the Two Gold Coins.
Even Jarl the "Brown Braid" isn't entirely a bad guy. Kathy believes that Jarl also has a soft spot in his heart.
Except for that liar, but God has eyes and blinded the liar in one eye, but Cathy still felt unsatisfied.
Little Red died because of the liar, and Cathy prayed that at least the liar would lose another ear.
Harriet, who is holding his hand right now, is just as gentle.
She knew I was a timid and weak person; she was the one who understood me best, Cathy thought, but she didn't despise me because of that.
However, Cassie was also saddened because Harriet had broken her promise and couldn't stay with him forever.
But: "Maybe this is fine too."
"What's so good about it?"
Harriet seemed to hear her and turned to ask.
"You leaving me might be the right thing to do."
Harriet became much more serious: "Why do you say that?"
"Those around me have all met with bad luck. Some have died, some have been arrested, some have become disabled, and some are still missing. Perhaps I have been targeted by bad luck and calamity, which is why the people around me have become unfortunate."
"Shut up, Cassie!" Harriet suddenly snapped. "Do you think I'm leaving you because of this?!"
"No, no," Cathy quickly shook her head, "I just don't want you to suffer the same misfortune."
"I don't care about this baseless stuff!" Harriet said angrily. "Even if such a thing as bad luck really existed, I wouldn't be afraid!"
"I know, Harriet, I know," Cathy said, feeling wronged. "And I say this, I think this, just to comfort myself, because even you will leave me."
"I want to stay with you forever, Cathy," Harriet almost shouted, "but a woman can only follow one man for a lifetime, and that is her husband."
"Harriet, I want to marry you, and I mean, if you'd like—"
"When did I ever say I was unwilling?"
Kathy was startled, a surge of joy welling up inside him, but he quickly lowered his brow.
"But I can't do it—I have a fiancée, I have to marry her, and if I marry you, she'll be heartbroken—"
"So you'd rather see me heartbroken?"
"No, I absolutely, positively don't want to!" Cathy's voice became agitated. "Compared to a girl I've never met, I certainly don't want to see you sad!"
At this moment, they had arrived outside the wall of that building.
The heavy, old oak door leaned calmly against the front door frame.
Harriet stopped, facing Casey:
"Then why did you marry her?"
"Because I am engaged to her, and my family is engaged to her family," Cathy tried to explain. "Earl Reggie said that openly breaking off the engagement and marrying another woman would be an insult to his family and would inevitably create a rift between the two families, making it difficult to restore their friendship."
"Ha!" Harriet sneered. "Get back together? If I remember correctly, that girl's grandfather is the culprit who got you into this situation. You want to get back together with them?"
Upon hearing this, Kathy fell silent.
He couldn't ignore his own feelings; he didn't want to!
"Don't forget why your Pegasus died," Harriet reminded her. "Are you afraid of humiliating them?"
Kathy wasn't afraid. In fact, she longed to do it.
Since that's the case...—
He looked at Harriet.
She can accept his weaknesses, she can listen to his heart, and she can be his support.
More importantly, she could shed tears for him.
Now that things have come to this, what is there left to worry about?
There was only one thing he wanted to confirm with her.
He asked her, "If I marry you, will you stay by my side forever?"
She promised, "I will never leave."
He added, "And no one is allowed to die first!"
She demanded, "The same goes for you."
He finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh of relief.
But it wasn't over yet; he had to do something.
Only at times like these do you have to act like a man!
Kathy stared at Harriet: "Harriet!"
"Hmm," Harriet also stared at Cathy.
"Close your eyes."
"?" Harriet tilted her head.
"Just close it!"
Harriet didn't hesitate any longer and closed her eyes.
Benson once said that if you can satisfy any one of a woman's desires, she will be devoted to you.
So, Casey planned to kiss Harriet.
Harriet stood straight in front of Casey, who looked up and locked her gaze on the lips.
Then I went up to him, but couldn't get a kiss—
Harriet was too tall, so Cassie had to stand on her tiptoes.
It's still a little short of height.
What a blunder! I should have told her to squat down a little first.
But Harriet had already closed her eyes, so it would be too embarrassing to say anything now!
Kathy wondered if she should go find something nearby to stand on.
Suddenly, perhaps because his center of gravity was too far forward, his foot slipped and he fell forward.
Immediately afterwards, his face felt a touch softer than goose feathers.
A moment later, he realized what it was.
His muscles tensed instantly, and he quickly pulled back, straightened his back, and retreated repeatedly.
Only when his back was pressed against the cold, uneven wall did he stammer:
"I'm so sorry, Harriet! I...I didn't mean to! I just...I just—"
However, Harriet did not seem to be angry about it.
Harriet smiled, squinting at Cassie, her hands clasped behind her back:
"Were you just... trying to kiss me?"
She knew it all too well; Cathy felt her cheeks burning hot—it was incredibly embarrassing.
So Benson's method isn't suitable for women taller than him. Cathy was too embarrassed to answer. If he weren't wearing shoes right now, he could probably dig a Goringburg out of the ground with his toes.
But Harriet walked over and picked up Cathy without saying a word.
Then, using her supple body, she pressed Cathy's feet against the wall, leaving them dangling in the air.
At this moment, he was finally able to meet Harriet's gaze.
The two faces were only a fist's width apart; he felt their noses were almost touching.
Harriet seemed very nervous; Cassie could feel Harriet's rapid breathing on her skin.
But Casey has no right to judge Harriet, and neither does he.
He heard a loud, chaotic heartbeat, like the thumping of a deer, but he couldn't tell if it was coming from his own chest or Harriet's.
It's so hot. Is this summer on a fast-paced one?
Just as Casey had confirmed something with Harriet, Harriet seemed to have something she wanted to ask Casey as well.
After they stared at each other for a long time, Harriet asked:
Will you marry me?
"meeting."
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed Cathy's wrists, lifted them above his head, and slammed them against the wall.
Harriet's eyes slowly drew closer.
Kathy was unable to move.
He instinctively closed his eyes.
He tasted softness and warmth.