How to Tame That Gentle Hero - Chapter 8.13

Seeing Resena’s cheeks flush bright red, he smiled slightly. Then, taking hold of her hair, he inhaled the scent of its ends as his eyes narrowed. As his blue eyes focused clearly on Resena, her heart pounded so intensely that she felt her breath might stop.

“Yes…”

At that, Vernas smiled gently and lowered his lips onto Resena’s. After savoring the soft sensation of their lightly touching lips, he caressed Resena’s lips with his own once more.

Resena felt as if she might lose her mind. With each movement of his lips, from which warm breath flowed, she felt as if she were being toyed with by every small motion. If she closed her eyes and parted her lips, it seemed he would immediately invade and entangle like a vine.

“You’re sweet, Resena.”

As he whispered in a low, beautiful voice, Resena looked up at him dazedly. Finding her appearance so adorable, Vernas stole another kiss from her moist lips.

After the sound of a kiss escaped, Resena lowered her head, blushing. With his eyes half-closed, Vernas smiled faintly. Then, interlacing his fingers with the hand that had been holding his arm, he looked down at her with a gentle gaze.

“Today, I plan to take you to a store that you might like. I’ve already carved the obsidian for you, so please choose the rest there. Surely, there will be several things to your liking.”

“Thank you, Vernas. But I would prefer it if Vernas chose for me. After all, anything touched by your hands is bound to become beautiful.”

At that, Vernas chuckled.

“The store itself is practically my gift to you. Please consider whatever you choose as my selection. Everything there, regardless of what you pick, will be personally refined by me.”

“Vernas…”

He’s giving quite an expensive gift. He is.

‘Moreover, he’s saying he’ll personally carve it… I’m so happy.’

Since anything touched by his hands always became beautiful, Resena had been sending representatives to auctions to purchase any of Vernas’s sculptures.

Because of this, she had bought all of his follow-up works, “God’s Sculpture: The Second Story,” and displayed them in the hallway of the Arnasus residence. Thanks to this, the servants passing through that hallway, as well as her mother, always expressed admiration.

“Here we are, Resena.”

Resena marveled at the pretty teddy bears and beautiful music boxes displayed in the shop window. Though they couldn’t match what Vernas carved himself, they were items with their own dignity, so she felt she would like any of them.

Ding.

As they entered the store, a man in his 60s with a bushy beard looked at them with a kind expression. Upon seeing Vernas, his eyes curved affectionately.

“Vernas. You’ve come.”

Vernas turned to Resena and said softly.

“Resena. This is my master who taught me how to carve. Saras, this is Resena, my lover.”

At the word “lover,” Resena’s face flushed hot, and she gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt in a habitual greeting. From her greeting, beauty, and name, Saras seemed to guess that she was Lady Resena Arnasus, as he removed his hat and greeted her respectfully.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Arnasus. Thank you for visiting my humble shop. Vernas, this fellow. You should have told me earlier that the Lady would be coming. I would have paid more attention to cleaning.”

Fufu. Resena covered her mouth and laughed.

“The shop is plenty clean as it is. So, you’re Vernas’s master? I’m delighted to meet you. I really wanted to know from whom Vernas learned to carve, and it’s an honor to meet you like this.”

“Oh my. The honor is all mine. I’m just grateful that you’ve graced this humble place with your presence. Most items here are modest, but please take anything that catches your fancy. As for the price, that money-making disciple of mine will pay, so don’t worry.”

Pfft, Resena chuckled and curved her eyes prettily.

“It’s reassuring as his lover to hear that Vernas earns a lot of money. I’ve been wanting to cling to him and ask him to buy this and that… Since he really makes a lot of money, it seems I can lean on him without a guilty conscience, which sounds fun.”

At that, the old man’s eyes softened as he slapped Vernas on the back.

“You, boy. You heard what the Lady said, right? Provide her with anything she wants. If need be, she could choose everything in this store. This fellow will pay for it all.”

At those words, Vernas slightly raised the corner of his mouth.

“That’s right, Resena. Choose anything you like. It doesn’t matter if you choose everything. Giving gifts to you is always nothing but a joy for me.”

“Vernas…”

“If it’s difficult to choose, I can select items randomly for you, but I want to see what you choose yourself. And if there’s anything you’d like me to carve further, please tell me. I’ll refine it more meticulously, my Resena.”

‘My Resena…!’

Resena felt her ears burning hot. When she lightly pressed her flushed cheeks with both palms, the heated sensation seemed to flow down from her cheeks throughout her entire body. Finding her appearance so lovable, Vernas gazed at her with eyes full of affection.

“Then I’ll look around. It would be a shame to choose just one, so I’ll select several.”

“Of course, of course. Please take your time to look and choose. If you’re not satisfied with the carving, feel free to make full use of this disciple of mine.”

“Fufufu. Yes. I understand. Thank you.”

The old man showed his curved eye corners and returned to sit at the counter. Resena slowly looked around the store while holding onto Vernas’s arm.

‘I didn’t notice at first… but most of the carvings here are made of mahogany?’

There were many high-priced products. Except for the fluffy teddy bears, seeing the delicacy of the wooden carved items and brooches made from cut gemstone rough clearly demonstrated from whom Vernas had learned.

For quite some time, Resena explored the store, examining music boxes, wooden artificial flowers, and pins with processed gemstones. There were so many types of brooches that it was a pleasure to look at them, and the carved gemstone dolls also showed the touch of a top expert, making it really difficult to choose just one.

“Hmm… but if I had to choose…”

“Yes, Resena. If you had to choose?”

“This one, and this one.”

As Resena chose a pin with a large pearl placed on a flower decoration made of silver and a wall clock that made no ticking sound, Vernas watched with curious eyes. He gently asked while wiggling their interlocked fingers.

“Why did you choose only those two, Resena?”

“The others are excellent too, but these two are all I need right now?”

Vernas chuckled. Then, reaching out, he slowly stroked Resena’s hair.

“Your disposition of not allowing anything useless also suits me perfectly. Your success in Amarast was probably due to that trait coming into play.”

“I’m embarrassed by such praise…”

“Someday, I’d like to be under Resena’s command. I’m curious about that skill of yours that makes one occupy only the necessary places without excess.”

“…I-it wasn’t that outstanding.”

Resena barely endured her embarrassment as her lips quivered. That sight was truly a sweet kind that ignited his heart. Despite his master watching, Vernas suppressed the urge to move closer and kiss Resena.

But his eyes, unacquainted with self-restraint, blazed fiercely like blue lava.

“You were sufficiently outstanding, Resena. The ability to make subordinates function effectively in the right places is not something anyone can do. That’s why even Eldis expressed gratitude to you.”

‘Eldis? Come to think of it, Vernas has been unusually critical of Eldis… If he calls him by name, could they be quite close?’

Feeling slightly pricked, Resena kept her mouth shut. But suddenly a thought crossed her mind. Perhaps Eldis also knows that she is seeing Vernas.

[I have confidence to wait until your heart turns to me. So please don’t let any other man into your heart besides me. If you inevitably have to let another man in… leave the part I occupy to me. Even if I’m called your second man, I don’t want to give you up.]

Recalling Eldis’s words, it seemed that both men might know how she and the other were meeting privately. Yet, instead of pointing this out, they showed only kindness during dates… Resena momentarily became confused and stared at Vernas, but he was merely touching the carved part of the wall clock she had chosen, only talking about how and where it should be fixed.

Vernas and I are not yet in a deep relationship. But if she spoke honestly to Eldis, he might become jealous in some way.

And the jealousy of one who holds power can often be cruel. Because of this, Resena didn’t let any words escape from her mouth.