The tea water, prepared in advance, had been repeatedly boiled and cooled, so the amount had decreased considerably from the beginning. Only after the Type 4 Heat Radiator for tea water automatically turned off did I realize this and refill the water.
When Rubel, that Child, was attending the academy, it wasn’t awkward to bring him to my room, but now I was fussing so much that I found it unbearable.
I should have refrained from replying to his letter, where he said not to wait outside, that he would find his way here. If I had been waiting for the Child outside, I could have at least looked at the scenery and dispelled my needless worries, but with nothing to see, I had been staring at the mirror all morning.
Since he said he would demonstrate swordsmanship, I couldn’t dress up, so I was wearing my usual training uniform with a sword slung across it. I picked up a comb for no reason, but not wanting to do something embarrassing, I put it back down.
From my dormitory window, I could see the garden.
The sound of Summer Birds chirping came in through the open window. I had taken it for granted for many years, but now I felt it was lacking that I couldn’t see the road leading to the dormitory from the window.
Knock, knock. I lifted my head from the sofa at the cautious sound of two knocks on the door.
Soon, the door opened cautiously. Through the gap, I saw a familiar black head peeking in, tilting slightly.
…Ah.
Unable to greet the Child, I covered my lower face with one hand. How could that well-grown fellow not come in right away and only peek his head in first? He knows how cute he is and is making a fuss to be even cuter. I had no time to think about hardening my expression or not.
A sound of suppressed laughter escaped from my barely opened lips.
“Why are you doing that? Come in.”
“…Well, there was no answer. Nice to see you, Mika.”
“Yes.”
I gestured for him to come and sit here. The Child, who closed the door behind him and approached, had grown even more in the meantime. I saw the dark eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and neat lips filled with affection. My heart swelled with pride, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Rubel, who sat down carefully in the seat opposite me without a sound, looked around.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
“Indeed. It’s the first time since you graduated, senior.”
After replying, I suddenly realized that it hadn’t been many months since he had graduated. It felt like half a century had passed in half a year. I didn’t know if it was because I cherished this Child so much, or because we had been together so often.
“…Are you back to being a senior?”
“Pardon?”
“No, …never mind.”
“What are you talking about…? Ah.”
He was complaining that I had called him ‘senior’ instead of his name just now.
I remembered again how he would always feel hurt in places I never expected, and I laughed again. I transferred the appropriately heated water to the teapot containing the tea leaves and let it steep for a moment. Ruben. I rolled the name around in my mouth a few times.
My tongue felt sweet even without putting sweets in my mouth.
“Ruben is still the same.”
“…In what way?”
“Well…”
I couldn’t open my mouth easily because I felt embarrassed no matter what I said.
I felt like he would find out that I had harbored harsh feelings for him no matter what I said. Knowing that enough time had passed for steeping, I finished filling the teacups and handed one over.
I changed the subject, feigning disinterest.
“I don’t know if I chose the right tea leaves to go with the snacks you said you would bring today.”
“Ah, that’s right. Here…”
I laughed again at the sight of the bundle he was carefully taking out. Looking at the pretty tarts and round cookies studded with chocolate chips, I couldn’t help but wonder what the Child had been thinking while choosing these.
I sat quietly and gazed at the Child’s face.
Was it because it had been a long time since I had seen him, or did he seem more manly…? As I looked at the reddish tinge around his eyes, I felt strangely thirsty. I put two spoons of sugar in my teacup, stirred it, and added a thank you, a little slowly.
The Child held the teacup with both hands and smiled bashfully.
“I bought them this morning. Since Mika likes strawberries and chocolate, I thought you would like these too. I heard that this cookie has strawberry jam inside.”
“Is that so.”
I took the one he offered first. The Child’s bright face was more welcome than the snacks, and I kept letting out silly laughs. I looked down at the Child’s hand holding a cookie for no reason. His fingers were white and straight, but thicker than before. It was clear that he had been training hard even while I hadn’t seen him.
Looking again, I understood. It wasn’t that the Child liked me, but that I was so anxious to hold the Child in my heart. All the times I had shaken my head, saying no, that’s not it, while listening to Marianne and Shayden tease me, had all been in vain.
The thought of hiding my feelings remained, but it was easier to admit it.
I calmly enjoyed the sound of my heart beating a little faster than usual. So, this kind of thing happens in my life too. Still, when the Child was still childish, guilt came first, and I couldn’t come to my senses, but now, even if I harbored feelings of affection alone, it wasn’t as painful as before.
Yes, not as much as before…
I heard various stories about how the Child had been doing.
Unsurprisingly, the story of the First Prince Richard came up a lot. The story that Richard was closely linked with Floyd to pressure Felix and Biban was not interesting at all, but I enjoyed listening to it because Rubel’s expression while saying it was amusing.
Only after emptying my teacup once could I bring up the story of the Summer Hunting Festival.
I knew that the Summer Hunting Festival was held outdoors, so I asked why he was trying to get me a room, and then I heard a detailed explanation. It was common for the imperial family to provide tents for the number of participants in the Hunting Festival, and he said that he would arrange my seat next to Rubel’s seat.
The more I heard, the better it seemed, so I allowed it. Rubel smiled brightly and showed his joy, which was so cute that I laughed along with him. I nodded to everything he said, like lighting a fire together and roasting marshmallows, or melting chocolate to eat.
Rubel, who had been hearing that I was practicing archery these days, suddenly asked.
“That’s right, what does it mean to give you what I hunted…? What are you talking about?”
“Ah. That’s… I heard that Claudian won the championship both the year before last and last year.”
“Uh-huh, he did…?”
“And he said that he was in trouble because he couldn’t offer what he caught to anyone. He said that he didn’t have a lord he deeply served, nor did he have a lover, so he hesitated without giving it to anyone.”
“…Oh, oh, was that so…?”
Rubel didn’t seem to understand right away. The Child blinked his black eyes and hesitated.
I smiled as I quietly looked at his face. I decided to hide only half of my leaking heart. It wasn’t like I had only started finding the Child cute today or yesterday, so I thought this much was okay.
“If you were uncomfortable with such worries, I told him that you could just not win, but he joked that it wasn’t easy to lose on purpose either. I joked that I would beat you, and somehow, I ended up betting money among my friends. They were divided into two sides, me and Benjamin.”
“…Uh-huh. …And?”
“One of my friends asked if I had someone to offer what I hunted to, so I said I would give it to Ruben, and he told me to get permission in advance. He said that there was such etiquette that the giver and receiver shouldn’t overlap.”
“…Ah, so that’s why.”
Perhaps my answer was insufficient, Rubel still had a curious look on his face, and occasionally tilted his head like a curious puppy, but couldn’t ask any further.
I had expected him to ask whether I was giving it as a lord he served or as a lover he had in mind, and I had firmly prepared myself to treat him as a lord.
But what Rubel asked was something else.
“…If, this is really, just in case…”
“Yes.”
“If I don’t allow it… are you thinking of giving it to someone else…?”
“Pardon?”
I was greatly surprised.
Indeed, how many people would offer loyalty and affection to Rubel? It seemed that he had believed that I regarded him as the closest and favored him, so he thought I wouldn’t refuse. I was embarrassed and closed my mouth tightly.
Rubel, seeing me like that, quickly showed a surprised expression and shook his hand, saying no.
“No, no…! That’s not what I mean. I want to receive it. I want to receive it, but…”
“Yes.”
“…If this is also a ‘Token of Faith,’ I don’t think I can receive it…”
I couldn’t reply and just looked at the Child.
Until just now, Rubel had been smiling brightly no matter what I said. As I watched the Child sitting anxiously and fidgeting, my vision blurred with worry. Whether it was worry or passion, my insides were boiling.
I calmly fabricated a smiling face. It was a great relief that I had practiced my expression in advance while looking at Donggyeong.
“…I don’t understand. Please explain.”
“…Well, I thought it would be like that… Mika. All social events before the age of twenty are all… for finding your partner… close to courtship… events.”
“Yes.”
“Offering the game at the Summer Hunting Festival is… that… an action close to a proposal, Mika.”
“Pardon?”
What was this nonsense again?
None of my friends had told me this fact. I was flustered and my face flushed. In a hurry, I put down the cup, and a few drops of tea splashed on the saucer. Rubel, seeing my appearance, covered his face with both hands and lowered his head.
I blankly watched Rubel’s broad shoulders tremble slightly. I focused my gaze on the fact that the Child’s earlobes were flushed red.
Rubel’s voice, crushed by his palms, trembled thinly and leaked out.
“In front of others… it’s to publicly acknowledge the relationship between the two, so to avoid scandal, it has become customary to get permission in advance…”
“What, no… I didn’t know at all.”
“Uh-huh… I thought you wouldn’t…”
Even though I had opened the window, the reception room was hot.
I wondered if my friends had been teasing me, but I wasn’t angry. They must have seen me being anxious and pushed me to help me.
With Rubel’s face flushed and anxious in front of me, it was just funny.
“Heh…”
“…”
As I let out a hot breath, Rubel was quiet and obedient. I pressed my cheeks with the back of my hand to cool my flushed face, and then my eyes met Rubel’s, who was peeking at me through his fingers.
I read the shy heart that permeated his black eyes.
Indeed, no matter how embarrassed I was, it couldn’t be as much as this Child. I didn’t stop the laughter that was flowing out and spoke in a gentle voice. Soothing the surprised Child was the priority.
“I’m sorry. I asked without knowing. You must have been very surprised.”
“Uh-huh, no… It’s okay. Really… I just, so, to avoid misunderstandings… I wanted to talk to you face to face. It’s not because I really hate it… but if you offer me the arrow at the first Hunting Festival… you might not be able to marry another family in the future…”
“Is there no case of offering game to a lord?”
“…Not entirely, but… I heard there was one about seventy years ago…”
I pondered for a moment. I didn’t want to take back what I had said I would give. I tried to say something but closed my mouth, and then hesitated once more. As I looked at Rubel, who was still covering his face and fidgeting, I made up my mind.
“Then, I still hope Ruben will accept it.”