The tent that Rubel had given me was large and magnificent, easily accommodating fifteen people.
A large, tall pillar stood in the center, and twelve pillars, each the height of a person, were erected around it, creating straight and upright walls. The rug that meticulously covered the bare ground was thick and soft, enough to walk on barefoot.
As was common when decorating a room in the Sierran Empire, beautiful and ornate tapestries were hung on all sides. Perhaps to serve as both a bedroom and a reception room, a large, fine bed was placed on one side, and a wide table and several sofas were placed on the other.
Artifacts engraved with warming Formulas were decorated with bronze reliefs and gold, standing tall in the four cardinal directions. I noticed a fresh scent and saw several pots with elaborate decorations placed at the foot of the bed.
When I stepped out of the tent, I was surrounded by grass, and I couldn’t help but laugh, wondering why they had brought flowerpots to a place like this.
The Children, who had come to see my room with me, looked around here and there before sitting down. Even in the midst of all this, Ivan, who had come laden with food, placed drinks and snacks on the table.
Marianne, who had been peeking around the room, holding Jenny’s hand tightly and examining the furniture, suddenly picked something up.
“Wow, there are books here too. It’s even a book written by Barton.”
“Do you know the author?”
“The application of magic in everyday life. Mage Barton is a master of practical magic.”
“…”
“Mika, are you going to read it?”
“Do you think I would?”
I laughed again, dumbfounded.
Thinking that Ruben had prepared this as well, I reached out, curious. The book in my hand was small, light, and filled with illustrations, making it easy for a beginner to read.
I thought I might even develop an interest, so I closed the book and placed it back on the table.
“There really is everything here. There are even three swords.”
“…Seriously, why would they bring something like this…”
“Seriously… Do they already think you’re dating? With this much effort.”
“Ha, but then again, because it’s Michael… It also feels like special treatment for a close aide.”
“I told you to stop talking about that.”
I waved my hand and beckoned them closer.
The Children, huddled in their chairs, soon began to chatter about what to do tomorrow, what to do the day after, and what was in the vicinity. They promised to see the stream together, explore the edge of the forest, go horseback riding, and make flower rings.
I spent time with them until the tired Children returned to their respective tents.
As the last one to leave the room, Shayden lightly hugged my shoulder and let go.
“Mika.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t be pushed around, just do what you want to do.”
“…Yeah, thanks.”
Only after everything was quiet did my heart race wildly. I was anxious and thirsty, so I drank a glass of water before lying down on the bed.
I wanted to see Rubel soon. I wondered if he would answer me kindly this time, just as he had always done when I had questions.
❖ ❖ ❖
The third week of June. Bill Brown arrived in the same carriage as his classmates.
Bill introduced me to two boys and three girls, saying they were his close friends. However, it was difficult to get to know people after only seeing them once, and they would soon graduate, making it unlikely that we would meet again. I just said good things and didn’t say much more.
Bill stuck close to me and told me news from the Ernhardt family.
It was funny to see him whispering as if it were a great secret, telling me that Baroness Brown had been living almost permanently at Count Ernhardt’s residence lately, and that they were close. Since my Mother, Seiren Ernhardt, didn’t have many friends of a similar age, it was something to be grateful for.
He also told me that he had successfully removed the piece of Contaminated Mana that had been embedded in his body. He also told me that the Magic Tower had set out to see if there were any other children with symptoms like Bill Brown.
These were stories that I both wanted to know and never wanted to know. Next semester, I would be able to properly give him Jin Gi Do In as well.
More than that, I was worried about Rubel’s delayed schedule.
Not only I, but also Ruben was very much looking forward to the Hunting Festival, so he would come, wouldn’t he?
He was a prince, so he wouldn’t be riding in a public carriage. Since there was no set date for his arrival, it became a daily routine to go out to the open space where carriages stopped at the appropriate time and take a look around.
Some days, I just wanted to see his face,
And on other days, I was so eager to hold him in my arms and comfort him.
I knew that I was harboring unnecessary feelings. However, as many people in Sierran said, it was a feeling that could not be controlled by human power. When I saw something good, I thought of him, and when I saw something bad, I worried about him.
On the last day of June, I was the first to spot the carriage with the Imperial seal clearly marked on it.
It was only natural, since I had been waiting eagerly every day.
Hoping against hope, I stood there waiting for him. The carriage door opened, and my heart leaped as I saw Rubel’s pale face and neatly combed black hair. I laughed when I saw him stiffen, unable to breathe properly, when he saw me.
What was with that expression, when he was wearing what I had told him to wear?
I received Rubel’s gaze as he stood there, unable to even greet me. I was still wearing the three obsidian buttons. Rubel’s gaze slowly scanned my outfit, then stopped at my face. He had a dazed, dreamy expression.
Was he dreaming while standing? I could almost grasp the vivid joy in his face.
A white wind tickled my back. I walked forward as the wind pushed me. Rubel stood there, watching me. Even though he had grown so much, he was still a little taller than me. When I got within three steps of him, he greeted me.
“…Mika. I, …it’s nice to see you.”
“Yes.”
“…That, no, that. The clothes…suit you well.”
“Isn’t it what Ruben had in mind?”
“…No, it is.”
Rubel opened his mouth, blushed, and lowered his head. I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked at his face. Seeing this expression once was enough. It was as if the anxiety and impatience had been a thing of the past.
I was sorry that he was covering his lower face with one hand and avoiding my gaze, as if trying to hide his face from me.
I wanted to see more.
“…Why, were you out here? At this time…”
“I had a feeling you would come today, so I thought I would greet you and have a chat.”
He swallowed his words again. My eyes were drawn to the sight of his prominent Adam’s apple rising and falling as he swallowed. Not wanting to keep him standing anxiously on the street, I walked ahead.
He wasn’t wearing his formal attire. As with me and my friends, it was customary to wear comfortable clothes during a long carriage ride.
…It was ridiculous to be curious about his formal attire. It was unlike me. I tried to calm myself. Thanks to my practice, I was able to create a composed expression.
I spoke first for Rubel, who couldn’t open his mouth.
“Have you been well?”
“…Yeah. I’ve been well… How about Mika?”
“The tent is bigger than I thought. I’ve been comfortable.”
“…I see. Have you been, that is, wearing this all the time?”
“Yes.”
I had been rotating through four or five outfits with Clean Magic cast on them, but they all had similar gemstone buttons. There was no mention in the letters that Rubel and I had written together about preparing several outfits like this, so it seemed that Mother had deliberately taken care of it.
It was obvious what he was looking at and asking about, so I answered easily.
“I also heard a proper explanation from my friends. I was worried that I might have embarrassed Ruben.”
“No, no, it’s not like that.”
“Yes. Now that I see it, I’m relieved.”
“…Ah. Is that so…?”
“I didn’t know you would like it this much.”
I wanted to tease him. I didn’t know that seeing a grown man flustered could be so cute. He made a cute hiccup sound.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. His earlobes turned red again. They were a beautiful color, like well-ripened fruit, like newly bloomed petals.
I quickly stopped laughing. I could now easily control my expression. He was easily fooled by my calm face.
We didn’t talk about much, but somehow it was very fun. He told me four times that the clothes suited me well.
Thanks to the fact that Ruben’s tent and my tent were next to each other, I could easily take him to the front of his tent. While we walked side by side on a path that we didn’t necessarily have to walk together, Rubel never looked directly at me.
The inside of my hand tingled. There were many things I wanted to say, but when I actually saw him, I just laughed.
The timing was also right. Here, cooks would prepare the food in advance at the appropriate times for each meal. The Children would take the food and eat it in their tents, on the grass, or at a large wooden table.
Thinking about that, I nodded to let him know that I would be leaving.
“First… If you change your clothes, I’ll get the meal.”
“…Ah, okay. Then…”
“In Ruben’s tent?”
“…Yeah.”
I wanted to touch his blushing cheeks as he nodded shyly.
While I wasn’t looking at Rubel, I thought I could bear it, but after facing him like this, I realized that I had been longing for him with all my heart.
I met Jenny, who was packing a picnic basket near the cooks, and told her that I would be having lunch and dinner with Rubel today, so don’t wait for me.
Jenny smiled brightly and was so happy, so I asked her if she had bet on me again, and she said yes. She said that if she received 2 silver from Marianne, she would share some of the crumbs with me, so I declined.