By Zephyria 
Marianne rubbed her face a few times.
Still, the forlorn expression didn’t easily fade. It wasn’t the unsmiling lips and cheeks that were the problem, but the expression born from eyes that were darker and more subdued than usual.
“I don’t know right now. That’s why I’m not confident.”
“…”
“You don’t need to think of comforting words. Mikael, just listening quietly is helpful.”
“…”
“I’m sure it’s the same for Mikael, but Benjamin is a friend I don’t want to lose. But is it right for me to just pretend I don’t know about this… On the other hand, acting differently from usual all of a sudden feels a bit… strange.”
“…”
“Whatever I do, it feels like I’m hurting him. I really hate that.”
“…”
“There might be more important things in the world, but for me… my feelings are quite important. Wizards deal with the Immaterial Plane Dimension… you can’t lose yourself. So I… ”
“…”
“I just wanted to cling to Mikael and whine.”
I understood why Marianne had deliberately sent Benjamin out of the room. We were both silent for a long time.
Then, I got up and pulled the table over there closer. I took out the Kettle Artifact and teacups from the table and spread them out, making Marianne burst into laughter.
“Are you telling me to cool my head with cold water?”
“Would you prefer warm tea?”
“No, thank you. I don’t want to enjoy a sweet tea time with Mikael next to a sick Prince.”
“…”
Marianne, who had deliberately spoken cheerfully, stood up abruptly.
As the child moved the chair I had been sitting on back to its original place, I also returned the table to its spot.
Marianne took out her staff and swung it a couple of times. The Magic Formula she muttered was familiar to my ears. It was Clean Magic. I briefly glanced at Ruben, who was now dry.
Marianne smiled brightly, as always.
“I’ve said everything I wanted to say. When the Prince wakes up and seems a bit better, use Sylph to call me.”
“…Why is that?”
“We need to talk about that Black magician. And I want to ask how well the information department in Vivian knows the situation of the Vivian royal family. It would be more effective if it’s handled at the Prince’s level, wouldn’t it?”
“The situation of the Vivian royal family?”
“Yes. More precisely… I want to guess the location and form of the Magic Circle within the castle. Whether the Magic Circle is engraved on the floor or walls, whether a Scroll or Artifact was used, if Mana Stones were used, or if an offering was made, things like that.”
“Hmm.”
I understood. I nodded in agreement and was about to let Marianne go when something else suddenly came to mind.
“About… Lord Samantha Andrei.”
“Huh? Why about Samantha unnie?”
“She seemed like a good person.”
“That’s right, she’s a good person. She does her job well, is methodical, and has a clear sense of self.”
Marianne didn’t seem inclined to say more. The matter between Hugh Benson and Samantha Andrei was not my concern. They hadn’t given me any particular hints, so why pry? I had only been stirred up by the story of Affection Marianne told me.
“Why?”
“No, it’s nothing. I just thought so.”
“Heung.”
Why was she making that donkey-like sound again? Now Marianne seemed like Marianne.
“Why?”
“It’s nothing for me either! Then rest. I’m leaving.”
“Yes. Call me anytime if you need me.”
“Yeeees.”
I waved goodbye to the fellow who waved back with such casualness and returned to my seat. Sitting at the head of the bed where I could immediately see Ruben’s pale face, I quietly observed him.
Thanks to the magic Marianne had cast before leaving, his dry cheeks were incredibly cute.
The emotion I felt now was clearly Affection. Ruben probably felt the same.
…Someday, will Rubel also speak of his feelings for me in the past tense? I’m afraid of constantly sketching out a future that hasn’t arrived.
There was a time when all the love stories in the world felt like my own. It was like that now.
❖ ❖ ❖
The Hour of the Rabbit
It was a little past the Hour of the Rabbit.
At the slightest tremor of Ruben’s fingertips clutching the edge of the blanket, I snapped back to attention. His gasping breaths, as he writhed his head against the pillow unable to bear the pain, sent a chill down my spine. I, who had been watching over him without a moment’s sleep, was suddenly startled and at a loss.
“Ruben.”
“…Huk, ugh…”
I hastily reached for water and a painkiller, then put them down. He was told to take it after eating. Why hadn’t I considered that Ruben might wake up before mealtime?
Rubel gasped repeatedly, tilting his head back. Cold sweat beaded on the child’s neck.
“Kkuh, ugh… cough! Keuhk, ugh…!”
The child’s hands clawed at his chest. Watching him gasp with his mouth wide open, unable to breathe properly, was unbearable. I was terrified he might just pass out and die like this.
This wouldn’t do. I gently patted his shoulder and called out to him again.
“Ruben, it’s me. Huh? It’s okay now. I’m here, no, the doctor… ”
I didn’t even know what I was saying. I babbled, not knowing what to say first.
Ruben’s eyes fluttered open. His coughing stopped almost simultaneously.
“…Mika?”
“…Yes.”
His dark eyes were wet.
There was no need for a prologue. His pained, contorted face was undeniably handsome and beautiful. I wiped Ruben’s cheeks, now drenched in cold sweat, with a damp towel. He was truly unmatched in his ability to make people’s hearts ache.
Ruben, breathing slowly and regaining his composure, scanned the ceiling and walls. Then he turned his gaze back to me. Rubel’s hands, which had been frantically crumpling and tearing the sheets, gently gripped my forearm.
The child, looking up at me, slowly slid his hand down. Our fingertips touched. Ruben’s hand was cold again today.
“…What time is it now?”
“It’s still before dawn. Shall I give you some water?”
“…Yes.”
Ruben sat up and drank a cup of water in one go. His throat must have been very dry. How could he endure such a tearing cough? Still, it was a relief that he had recovered enough to sit up by himself, leaning on the bed.
As I watched him with great concern, the child, fussing, lay back down and buried his cheek in the pillow. He opened his languid eyes and glanced at me sideways. I monitored his breathing and gently tucked his sweat-soaked bangs behind his ear.
Now I could finally say what I had intended to say.
“The doctor visited. For now… he said there will be difficulty breathing and pressure for about two weeks. He also said it would be fine with consistent rehabilitation training.”
“What kind?”
“My back… and shoulders, waist…”
Then Ruben pulled my hand and buried his face in it, acting spoiled.
“…It hurts too much to move…”
“Then.”
I swallowed back the words I was about to blurt out. Ruben, after nuzzling my fingertips, asked,
“Then? What’s next…?”
“…That. No, it’s not.”
“Cough.”
…He wasn’t coughing so cutely just a moment ago.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. Ruben coughed a few times, feigning illness. The sight of the grown man acting so petulantly was so endearing that I was completely captivated. I racked my brain, but it was no use.
After opening and closing my mouth a few times, I finally managed to utter the words I had intended to say first.
“…Shall I… give you a massage?”
“…Huh?”
I had thought of this from the moment I heard the doctor’s words.
Although he had recovered, his tensed muscles would knot up and cause pain. Wouldn’t massaging his strained body gently help him heal faster?
I have good grip strength and know how to avoid acupoints. So, I wanted to soothe him gently before he started serious exercise.
Ruben closed his lips tightly. He waited patiently. He had never refused my touch before.
“…Yes. Please do.”
A calm permission was granted.
I pulled back the bedding and had Ruben lie on his stomach. I couldn’t bear to have his precious body on the floor, so I climbed onto the bed. As I sat behind Ruben’s thighs, I felt like I was doing something terribly wrong.
Only then did my hands hesitate. Ruben, who had been waiting patiently, rubbed his forehead against the pillow and breathed in shallowly. I neatly twisted his long hair to one side.
His neck, which should have been pale, was flushed red.
Ahem, I swallowed a cough. I gripped Ruben’s shoulder, which was tense with nervousness. Spreading my arms, I let them hang naturally, and his broad back came into full view.
It was a mistake to have taken off his vest so he could rest comfortably. Through the thin shirt, his prominent shoulder blades and bulging latissimus dorsi were clearly visible. I placed my hands on them.
Both his body and my hands were hot with fever.
“…Now, I will… begin.”
“Mmm…”
“Relax your body.”
“…”
I pressed down with my thumbs and index fingers along the line from the back of his head to his neck, applying gentle pressure.
I had always thought Ruben’s straight neck was manfully thick, but holding it like this, it was fully covered by my one hand. I gently massaged his stiff trapezius muscles with my palm, then reached further down.
“…Ugh.”
“…Does it hurt here?”
“Yes… Gently, please.”
“Yes.”
It was fortunate that Ruben was well-trained and had broad shoulders. Considering the width and thickness of the chains, if Ruben’s back had been even slightly narrower and weaker, he would have died instantly.
Thinking that, I felt pity and compassion, so I eased my grip. I proceeded more carefully.
“There, a little lower…”
“Here?”
Ruben’s voice began to carry a hint of spoiled pleading.
“Yes… There. Ah! It hurts, Mikaa…”
“S-Sorry…”
Because of the fog, it was dark outside even though the sun had risen. I didn’t know how much time had passed. I just assumed it was still dawn since no one had come to wake me. I warmed the child’s body with my hot hands until Ruben said it was enough.
Ruben moaned continuously, but he also laughed often. His smiling face was so lovely that my heart was constantly stirred.
When it hurt, he would stiffen his shoulders and swallow his moans, and when I eased my grip, he would stretch out his body with a pleasant groan. Ruben’s skin clung to my hands.
“Here too…”
“Yes.”
I massaged his arm when he told me to, and his waist when he told me to.
After a while, Ruben’s breathing subsided. Whenever the child panted and pushed away the pillow with his forehead, I stopped my hands, worried.
“…Is something wrong?”
“…No. It’s… done now. Just… hold my hand.”
I held his hand when he asked me to, and
“…I’m cold… Hold me.”
When he said he was cold, I held him in my arms.
Holding him like that, I lay on my side and examined him. Ruben was even redder than before. I worried that my strength might have made the already suffering child hurt even more, so I looked closely.
Then the child opened his eyes slightly and stared at me. My heart sank. I felt a sudden dryness in my throat. A chilling heat gathered in my spine.
“This time…”
“Yes.”
I gently wiped Ruben’s forehead, still beaded with sweat, with my fingertips. I gazed at his face, his beautiful eyelashes lowered, as if entranced. I took a breath, waiting for his next words.
Hadn’t I resolved myself right after I almost lost the child? I had decided to do whatever Ruben wanted, if only he wished it. So, anything. If only the child would want it…
Just then, Ruben whispered in a small voice.
“Kiss… me, Mika. Just once…”
The permission I had been waiting for was finally granted.