By Zephyria I lowered my gaze listlessly. The sweet melody that had sounded close now felt distant. My throat tickled, and my fingertips grew numb. Embarrassed that my flushed face might be noticed, I steadied my breathing. Ruben, sitting opposite me, breathed rapidly. Was the child feeling much the same as I was?
Ruben’s lips, slightly fuller than usual as if about to say something, parted slightly, but upon seeing my gaze fall to his lips, he swallowed his words and his breath. Our eyes barely met, only reaching as far as each other’s lower faces…
Ruben placed his hands on the table. Though I knew it was a trap, I couldn’t retreat. My hand, extended cautiously, gently covered his fingertips. Seeing the corner of his mouth slowly turn up, I raised my eyes. Even though his expression was one of feigned composure, the corners of his eyes were shyly red.
His dark eyes sparkled, filled with certainty.
“Did you wait long?”
“Yes.”
It was not something I could deny. The answer slipped out easily. I hadn’t wanted to act childish, but my tone was laden with a hint of sorrow.
It was a complaint about having to wait in the hall, unable to leave, thinking he would return soon after a short errand. If he had told me it would take a long time, I could have escaped anywhere—to the terrace or the lounge. No, that wasn’t it. I now understood that I was simply sad and disappointed at being left alone in any way.
Ruben squeezed my fingertips once, then bit his lower lip and fidgeted. Was he happy that I had waited for him? If the child was happy, there was nothing I could do. My own helpless fluttering joy surged into my chest like a high wave, washing away my sorrow.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, I know it’s my fault as well.”
Thinking back, there were times I hadn’t even touched the tray brought into the room, sending it back untouched. I had even thought it was troublesome and bothersome, assuming he was provided three meals a day. It was entirely my fault for losing track of time, completely captivated by Ruben. What was there for him to be sorry about, when he himself hadn’t eaten properly and had shed so many tears?
We were both too shy to continue the conversation. After some thought, I spoke first.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“…Mm.”
“Then shall I order something?”
“Ugh-hmm.”
His refusal, instead of a direct “no,” was accompanied by a coy, playful affection that I found incredibly endearing.
I drew our clasped hands closer and lightly kissed his fingertips. On Ruben’s well-shaped fingertips, there was ink. It made me smile again, thinking how hastily he must have returned. I softened my voice, coaxing him gently.
“But you haven’t been able to eat properly, have you?”
“That’s…”
“I heard you have to leave for a long journey tomorrow. You’ll naturally be eating simply on your travels, so today…”
“No, that’s… Right now… No. I don’t think I can eat.”
“Why?”
Ruben repeatedly bit his lower lip. When I urged him on by tugging our clasped hands, Ruben’s upper body was pulled closer. His warm breath touched my left cheek and ear, and a very quiet whisper followed.
“…It still feels like you’re inside me…”
“……!”
I immediately gripped Ruben’s wrist and stood up.
No matter how shameless a beast I was, I couldn’t take the child straight to the bedroom the moment I saw him. My hurried steps took us past the knights guarding the corridor, who offered a brief bow as we hurried downstairs.
We fled, avoiding the eyes and ears of others, and arrived at Ruben’s study.
When I first led him, Ruben’s strides were short and his pace slow, but by the time we reached the floor with the study, he was walking briskly, keeping pace with me. Ruben’s shoulders, where he buried his head, tickled my neck as he laughed heartily.
Thud. The sound of the heavy door closing.
Our foreheads touched silently. To punish the mischievous child, I gently bit his nose and let go. Seeing Ruben’s cheeks flushed red made my stomach churn again. I caressed his ripe cheeks and ears, chiding him playfully.
“…How could you say something like that with everyone around?”
“That’s why I did it secretly.”
“…That’s…”
“…It’s not a lie, though.”
Ruben, with a prim expression, tilted his chin up to look at me. Our fingertips intertwined again. I pondered, feeling the warmth, no, the heat radiating from Ruben’s fingertips, and asked again.
“So, is it uncomfortable? Can’t the trip be postponed?”
“I don’t want to change the schedule now… It’s not that.”
Poke. Ruben pouted and buried his head against my collarbone.
“Just… pat me.”
Pat me?
Ruben sat me on his chair and then hopped onto the desk, perching there. He placed my hand on his hip, somewhere between his pelvis and thighs, and squinted, smiling. I knew well how firm and lovely Ruben’s thighs felt through the thin fabric. My breathing naturally quickened.
I squeezed gently, then massaged softly, then rested my palm there, transferring my warmth.
Was this what he wanted? Ruben nodded at my silent question. We looked at each other for a moment and smiled faintly. My hands, moving from his knees down to his thighs, gradually created wrinkles on Ruben’s well-tailored trousers.
“What did you talk about with Baron Tennessee?”
“We talked about the honeymoon… mostly. About leaving tomorrow, and that he’s coming along…”
“And, what else?”
“And…”
As I waited for his answer, Ruben began to tickle the back of my hand. Even though he knew I wouldn’t be bothered by something so trivial.
Thinking his hands seemed bored, I pulled my chair closer. Ruben’s chair had a wide seat and no armrests. This allowed me to rest my forehead against his solar plexus without any obstruction.
Then, Ruben stopped teasing me and wrapped his arms around me. As his small kisses fell upon my head a few times, his heartbeat pounded close by.
“And… he didn’t say much else.”
“Did you hear the total number of people?”
“Ah. Yes. Ten… three of whom are mages.”
“That’s right. I wanted the trip to be a bit more comfortable, so I chose people you’re familiar with. Miss Philodendore, Mage Boulder, and Spiritus.”
“…What?”
I snapped my head up. Did I hear correctly?
Ruben wore a thoroughly mischievous expression, savoring my reaction. I now understood that he had deliberately kept this a secret to surprise me. Ruben gently traced my lips with his index finger, then pushed his finger straight into my mouth. Without knowing why, I quickly accepted it, nibbling and licking it.
While my mouth was thus occupied, Ruben continued speaking slowly.
“There’s no one who knows more about portals than Spiritus. He’s essential for establishing permanent, safe portals, so I thought he had to come along. Originally, I planned to ask you to come with me right after the wedding, but…”
The tip of his index finger slowly rubbed the center of my tongue. It resembled the elegant gesture of a scholar sharpening his inkstone, but that made it even more lewd. No, perhaps not. Perhaps the child had no such intentions, and it was only my own heart that was fluttering like this.
While I remained perfectly still, Ruben continued his explanation.
“Fortunately, my aides managed to track him down and keep him occupied. He seems to be staying at the Temple with the First Goddess right now, so he should join us when we leave tomorrow. For now, his identity has been established as belonging to the First Magic Tower.”
“…Boulder?”
Even with my tongue pressed and my pronunciation slightly slurred, Ruben understood me well.
“Mage Boulder is partly out of friendship. And partly because he’s a mage who won’t be intimidated even knowing Spiritus is a god. That’s why I brought him along. For the knights, only Sir Delphoi Haber and Sir Vincent Lancaster will be accompanying us.”
Delphoi Haber was one of the knights who had gone to the Magic Territory on the Goblin rescue mission; she was about a head shorter than Ruben. I remembered her with her tightly tied, curly red hair, jumping up and down, boasting about how many goblins she could carry at once.
Vincent Lancaster was a knight who wore his green hair tied back. He had accompanied me to Floyd’s, and today, he was the first to greet me familiarly. Remembering Vincent Lancaster, who had been so friendly, I let out a hollow laugh. I hoped that man wouldn’t say anything tactless while traveling with Ruben.
I bit his finger, which was still exploring my mouth, a couple of times before pushing it away and asking in a clear voice.
“Is Hyoo Senior busy?”
“Lord Benson and Sir Brooks are not Imperial Knights, so it was difficult to mobilize them this time. They are currently establishing a base near Duke Ernhardt’s Territory and assisting with its reconstruction. After this journey, you should personally commend them and formally admit them into Duke Ernhardt’s Territory’s Knights.”
“Yes.”
So that’s why he wasn’t at the ceremony.
I had been so moved throughout the wedding that I hadn’t even noticed his absence. He wasn’t elsewhere; he was already in Duke Ernhardt’s Territory, helping me. I would have to repay this kindness handsomely later. Would gold bars suffice? Even if I offered farmland, he wouldn’t seem like the type to farm himself, so perhaps building him a nice mansion…
I was lost in such thoughts.
“And as attendants, Baron Siegfried Burnold and Sir Benjamin Claudian will be accompanying us.”
I bit my tongue.
Among the palace attendants, I knew more strangers than acquaintances. However, there was only one Benjamin from the Claudian family. Stunned and bewildered, I stared at Ruben, and he stammered out an explanation.
“Um. Well… Sir Claudian isn’t an Imperial Knight, is he…? So, when he was refused entry as a knight, he sent thirty-eight letters requesting to be employed as a page or attendant…”
“……”
“Since it’s a journey with Miss Philodendore, it’s a good opportunity, you see.”