Even If You Tear Me Apart - Chapter 33
The chapters are split like this so that the TL can update more consistently over time (✿ ＞◡❛)
The Quilluxia estate was a place where there wasn’t much to do.
Even the knights who had been staying for several days seemed to be getting bored. One day, while wandering through the nearby forest in the drizzling rain, they returned having discovered a large beehive.
Thanks to that, a few knights were stung by bees and their faces were quite the sight. But on the bright side, everyone got to taste something sweet for the first time in a while.
The beehive was so large that even after everyone received a chunk of honey-dripping comb, there was still an entire slab left.
“We could make mead with this!”
Iris smiled as she placed the beehive into the mead jar. At the mention of alcohol, Étienne was the first to perk up.
“Mead? Doesn’t it take a long time to brew alcohol?”
“No, mead is actually very simple to make.”
Just as Iris said, brewing mead wasn’t particularly difficult. There was little trouble—except for the chaos caused when Henri, who had been enjoying snacking on bits of the comb, tripped while carrying in one of the rainwater barrels and fell.
They filled a clean jar with honey and poured in warm rainwater. Normally, they would’ve used river water, but due to the rain, it had turned into muddy water and couldn’t be used.
Iris asked Ezekiel to put his hands into the honey jar and crush the honeycomb in the water to dissolve it.
“Did you know? The flavor of mead changes depending on who makes it.”
“Hmph, well of course it does! The ingredients are mixed differently, and people have different skills!”
Felicia cut in sharply. Iris smiled bashfully.
“That’s true, but we also call it the ‘taste of one’s hands’. The flavor changes slightly depending on whose hands knead the honey.”
“This one tastes like His Highness!”
Henri chimed in. Ezekiel looked down at his hands, slightly embarrassed, and everyone around him burst into laughter.
The sensation of crushing the honeycomb underwater was truly odd. A soft, sticky texture bloomed in his hands the moment it crumbled—
As Ezekiel carefully, awkwardly pressed the honey into the water, Iris suddenly said, “Goodness,” and reached in to grasp his hand tightly.
“You can squeeze and release it like this.”
Her warm hand wrapped around Ezekiel’s, then let go. Before he could even flinch, Iris withdrew her hand, rinsed it in the water, and said,
“I’ll go slice up the herbs, so please finish mashing it by then!”
Only Étienne noticed Ezekiel’s face flush red, all the way to his ears.
It didn’t take long to add the sliced herbs. Iris smiled brightly as she closed the mead jar.
“Mead ferments really quickly, so you’ll be able to drink it in four days!”
“Well, shouldn’t you be hoping we’re out of here in four days?”
Felicia retorted. But when Étienne asked, “Aren’t you curious what His Highness’s mead tastes like?” she quickly changed her tone. “Would you like to try making some too, Lord Étienne?”
Iris looked slightly flustered, then locked eyes with Ezekiel. Without anyone needing to speak, both of them let out a quiet laugh.
***
“She’s really cute, don’t you think?”
As they walked down the corridor, Étienne suddenly tossed out the comment. Ezekiel had a feeling who he meant, but feigned ignorance.
“Do you mean Lady Felicia?”
“Ez. Seriously? I’m talking about Lady Iris.”
“Ah…”
Ezekiel trailed off. Étienne shrugged and looked out the window.
In the rain-soaked courtyard, Iris was playing in the water with Henri. A pregnant dog dragged her belly along the ground and barked at the two of them with a woof-woof! Watching the scene, Étienne looked pleased.
“She’s just so adorable, darting about here and there like that.”
Ezekiel stayed silent, unused to agreeing with such remarks.
“Whoever ends up marrying someone like her… I’d be jealous. You’d never be bored, not for a single moment.”
That comment had clearly crossed the line. Ezekiel’s expression turned serious.
“Brother. If someone heard that, they’d get the wrong idea.”
Only then did Étienne turn to Ezekiel with a grin.
“I was just imagining, that’s all.”
“……”
But Ezekiel didn’t look away, continuing to stare at Étienne. Eventually, Étienne sighed, shook his head, and reassured him.
“You know Felicia’s the only one I’d have by my side. Don’t get any strange ideas.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Still, Étienne’s teasing didn’t end there. He shot a question back at Ezekiel.
“What about you? Don’t you think Lady Iris is cute?”
