By Zephyria 
Rubel didn’t lift his head for a long time even after he stopped struggling.
I thought he might have fallen asleep like this, but that wasn’t the case. His tense breaths kept tickling my ears. Whenever the child’s breathing quickened, I would pause occasionally, stroking his broad back to soothe him.
The hallway of the Duke’s mansion, covered with thick carpets, made no sound of footsteps.
I acknowledged with my eyes the brief nods of greeting from a few people I happened to meet in the hallway. Then, Ruben’s hand, gripping my collar, tightened, wrinkling my shirt. Seeing him subtly pat my shoulder or back, indicating he was having a hard time, I hurried my steps towards the child’s room.
“How did you end up drinking so much?”
“…”
“Are you feeling sick?”
“…”
Instead of answering, Ruben shook his head very slightly. After all, it was embarrassing to be so drunk that he couldn’t stand properly. Thinking he must be shy, I didn’t press further.
I carefully laid the child on the bed in Ruben’s room and began to take off his shoes, but he waved his arm to stop me.
“I, I’ll do it, it’s fine, it’s fine.”
“Are you feeling a bit more sober?”
“…Uh, earlier…”
However, seeing him unable to sit up properly even while lying on his back, it was clear he wasn’t.
In the Central Plains, if I saw someone this drunk, I would have dunked them in a tavern pond to make them taste the water. It was absurd to find myself so diligently attending to a child.
After finishing taking off his shoes and laying him down properly on the bed, he found my wrist and grabbed it. I didn’t bother to suppress my smile. I wondered if he would even remember this time tomorrow.
I let him hold on and sat down on the edge of the bed. The child covered his face with his free hand and mumbled,
“I’m thirsty…”
“Then, water.”
“No, don’t go.”
He was so endearingly whiny that I ended up laughing out loud.
“Don’t go?”
“…Yes.”
“You need to drink water.”
“But still…”
However, Ruben wouldn’t allow me to even pull away to get a glass of water. His grip on my wrist was so tight, and he just shook his head back and forth, looking so pathetic and pitiable that it took my breath away.
I could easily break free if I exerted myself, but I hesitated, not wanting to upset the child. If only my realm were a little higher, I could use Telekinesis…
Ah.
Something suddenly came to mind.
As Douglas had taught me, I subtly gathered my aura and wove a bundle of Sword energy outside my body.
I had practiced it a few times in front of my master, but I never imagined I would use it for the first time to fetch a water pitcher. The blunt energy slowly gathered and approached, and I caught the water pitcher and cup in mid-air in order, placing them on the side table.
Even after filling the glass with just one hand, Ruben still couldn’t open his eyes, only parting his lips slightly. For some reason, my chest felt ticklish. Suppressing my laughter, I slipped my hand behind his shoulder and helped him sit up, leaning against the headboard.
As his swaying body leaned halfway into my embrace, it felt like I had the whole world.
“Ruben, drink water.”
“…Mmm.”
“Good boy.”
Carefully bringing the cup to his dry lips, I worried about spilling it on his clothes. The child drank readily without hesitation, gulping it down. His small, pecking sips like a baby bird made me laugh again and again. I paused for him to breathe a couple of times and managed to get him to drink a whole cup.
Hoo, his warm breath was so cute that I hugged him tightly once more before laying him back down on the bed.
Could there be anyone as beautiful and lovely as this?
I tried to raise the pillow to make him more comfortable, but Ruben fumbled for my hand and pulled it to his lips. I watched to see what he was trying to do, and then he bit down.
“…Hmm?”
“…”
Seeing him bite down without even opening his eyes was amusing.
It wasn’t the first time he had nipped at me. Even if he bit harder, it would only leave a slight mark. I just let him be and watched, then he gently stroked the spot he had bitten, pressed his nose against it, and pouted with a sad face.
Why so upset after biting me?
Everything he did was amusing and cute. Though he had grown tall, at times like this, he felt like a small, soft young bird that barely fit in my palm. Finding him so lovely, I chuckled softly, and he finally opened his eyes.
“…Mika.”
“Yes.”
“Mika…”
“Yes.”
He still recognized me, though.
I knew I had to go back to my room after tucking the child in. But feeling a pang of reluctance, I gently poked his nose and then his still-moist lips.
After a while, his expression crumpled.
“…I don’t like it, really…”
“…What? What is it…”
I was startled.
Could my name be linked with dislike?
Was he annoyed by my constant teasing, or had I unknowingly done something wrong? Or had my resolve to stop my mischievous behavior been discovered so quickly?
I couldn’t just dismiss any sound from a drunk person.
“What is it?”
“…”
“Ruben.”
“…”
“Senior.”
“…”
“Baby.”
No matter how I called him, the child didn’t answer. I repeatedly asked, shaking him as he buried his face in the pillow and groaned.
“What is it you dislike so much?”
“…”
“Be a good boy, okay? Ruben.”
After coaxing and cajoling him, I tickled his cheeks and gently massaged each of his limp fingers. Watching this with half-closed eyes, Ruben’s eyes began to droop again.
My heart ached with impatience, and I watched without being able to swallow properly.
The child let out a sigh, then suddenly poured out his sorrow.
“…That, what is that?”
“What is what?”
I blinked, not understanding immediately.
I have no connection with ships. What happened with the ship that set sail from Valentia? Sailing? As someone who intended to stay close to Ruben and climb mountains, what kind of sailing would I do?
I was puzzled and couldn’t answer, so Rubel lifted my hand and covered his own eyes. His face was hot, and his cheeks were bright red. The inside of my palm became damp.
…He’s crying? Because I’m going to sail? What an unfair thing.
The child mumbled again.
“…Young Master Rose, why is he your Navigator…?”
“…Huh? Ah. …Ah, why is that…”
“I told you I was jealous… You said you understood everything…”
Even after hearing the explanation, I was too dumbfounded to reply. The child continued to speak with a tearful voice.
“You always say it’s okay, no matter what I do… You said you were jealous. But it’s not true… You’re not… Only I, only I…”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
The tension that had risen to my head melted away, and my stiff shoulders relaxed. Hearing my laughter, the child exploded in anger, gripping my hands tightly and glaring at me fiercely.
Seeing his wet eyes open so sharply made my chest tingle with delight.
“I thought it was suspicious from the start, like you skipped a grade to follow a friend…”
His mumbling voice was still wet. I hadn’t skipped a grade to follow Shayden. I had just made up an excuse to pretend to be closer friends, thinking it would be good for him. How could I have known Ruben would take it so much to heart? But it felt awkward and silly to change my story now, so I changed the subject.
“Thanks to that, I met Ruben, didn’t I?”
“That! …I know. But still, I don’t like it…”
The child extended his hand to me again.
He presented the back of his hand, clearly expecting a kiss like a noble lady.
When I hesitated, he became angry again, so I gathered his fingertips and pressed my lips to the back of his hand. I kissed it a couple more times to cheer him up, acting playfully, but the child still looked upset.
To think he was so bothered by that.
The reason I showed him my letters without hiding them was that the correspondence between Shayden and me held no amorous meaning. It was common for close friends to exchange letters with a few nicknames. I never dreamed Ruben would be so upset about it.
The child’s face was still flushed red. Was it from the alcohol, or from embarrassment?
“You know he’s just a friend.”
“…But, still…”
I kissed the tips of his fingers again. He shyly withdrew his hand and turned his head away sharply. While I felt anxious about his averted gaze, seeing his bright red earlobes made me let out a hollow laugh.
“I only do this kind of thing for Ruben.”
“…You don’t!”
“Huh?”
“You don’t… After my birthday, you haven’t…”
What to do.
I couldn’t help but laugh, even though I tried not to. I was afraid he would get angry again, thinking I was teasing him, but the feelings he had managed to express under the influence of alcohol made me dizzy.
I tried to make an excuse with my breath catching, but the child immediately cut me off.
“That’s…”
“…I know. But I’m not ready yet, and Young Master Rose…”
“He really has nothing to do with it. Let’s talk again tomorrow after you’ve sobered up.”
“No…”
“Why?”
Ruben huddled up, pulling the blanket over himself. Worried he might suffocate while sleeping, I pulled the blanket down to his shoulders, and he began to mumble sadly again.
“…I can’t say it…”
“Why is that?”
“…I don’t want to, talk now.”
This won’t do. Sitting on Ruben’s bed, I wrapped him in the blanket and pulled him into a hug. He didn’t resist and nestled docilely in my arms. But it was clear he was still sulking. He covered his face with both hands, trying not to look at me.
I buried my nose in his temple and took a deep breath.
Ruben’s hair still smelled of dahlias. The soft, sweet scent of the petals was so intoxicating that my lips tingled. I whispered soothingly into his ear as he shook his head back and forth.
“I know that you won’t remember what I say when you’re drunk.”
“…No, it’s not…”
“I want to have this conversation with a clear mind. It would be better to talk about this again tomorrow.”
The child mumbled something in protest, but I couldn’t understand it right away.
Smiling, I brought the water cup closer again. Ruben pushed it away after drinking less than half a cup. Even that seemed adorable, which was quite something.
“There, there,” I soothed the child repeatedly until he finally finished the cup. “Now, sleep,” I said, and laid him down.
He was so exhausted that as soon as I covered him with the blanket and patted his chest a couple of times, he fell fast asleep. I tucked his hands securely inside the blanket.