Ch.102In Place (2)

“He said he would make me happy…”

A sudden bombshell.

Elise was still holding onto my arm, refusing to let go.

I could feel her warm body temperature through my fingertips.

Despite the statement being highly prone to misunderstanding, the girl’s expression showed not even the slightest hint of wavering.

Rather, she just blinked as if wondering what the problem was.

“Excuse me…?”

While I was momentarily flustered, our hands interlocked.

The distance between us narrowed.

The rose maintained that position as she asked.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

A composed question.

Left speechless, I had to seriously consider my response.

“……”

Where should I even begin to address this?

It wasn’t as if she had said anything untrue.

Whenever she asked about my reasons for helping her, I always answered that it was for her happiness.

In the simplest sense, it was the absolute truth without any embellishment.

The problem, however…

“W-w-what are you saying…?!”

“Hmm…?”

…was in the tone that invited misunderstanding.

The villainess and the protagonist.

The two people standing before us were looking in our direction with surprised expressions.

Their reactions soon followed.

“Making her happy… Did you really say such things?”

“Your hand is on Her Highness’s stomach……”

At that point, I could only pinch the bridge of my nose.

It was a prank with clear malicious intent.

At first, I thought she might have made a mistake, but I could tell from the corners of Elise’s smiling eyes that it was deliberate.

Was she trying to get revenge for all the times I had teased her?

‘I see.’

A rose covered in thorns.

Though she had become more docile recently, I had overlooked the fact that she originally had a prickly personality.

It was due to the scars left from her long battle with illness.

Her intention to get back at me by creating misunderstandings in front of others was clear.

With an awkward smile, I politely objected.

“Your Highness… this seems like a rather poor joke. Creating such misunderstandings only makes these innocent people unfortunate victims.”

“I only stated the truth, didn’t I?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Or are you saying you’ve already forgotten…?”

“……”

The rose stared at me with downcast eyes.

I was at a loss for words.

I almost got swept up in that atmosphere.

Whether she had taught herself acting during her illness or not, her skill at portraying sad eyes was truly impressive.

I looked down at her with an expression of disbelief.

“Your expression is quite something.”

Elise smiled softly.

Though her face was covered in melancholy, a single flower petal bloomed as if by magic.

It was a beautiful scene with a gentle breeze.

“……”

I stared blankly at the rose.

My desire to scold her had vanished.

Just a few days ago, this girl had been preparing for death, suffering from sadness, let alone playing pranks.

Elise clearly had a different look on her face now.

‘This is…’

A good sign, isn’t it?

It meant she had developed some peace of mind.

A sense of contentment gradually spread across my face.

I let out a faint laugh and gently stroked her red hair.

The rose seemed taken aback by my unexpected reaction.

“Hehe… I suppose it’s fine.”

“What?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re supposed to be more flustered.”

“Why should I fear sincerity? There was not a hint of deception in my wish for your happiness, so I realized there’s nothing to point out.”

“……”

“Your joy is, after all, my blessing.”

“…There you go again.”

The sharp thorns gradually softened, and she soon returned to her gentle demeanor.

Her lips still held a trace of sulkiness.

A warm sensation had settled on her pale cheeks.

She muttered quietly.

“How annoying…”

Come now.

You’re still ten years too early to fluster me with such antics.

“Still, please be careful in front of others. This directly affects Your Highness’s reputation.”

I wished she would remember that her status was the third highest in the Empire.

The same prank carries different weight depending on who makes it.

I don’t know what she’d do if truly unfavorable rumors started circulating.

I added a few words with a hint of concern.

‘Besides.’

This kind of teasing is my specialty.

I hoped she wouldn’t take away one of the few pleasures in my life.

“Hehe.”

Meanwhile.

The two people watching from the side were still lost in confusion.

Their delicate questions all trembled.

“Y-you… is everything Her Highness said true?”

“I had no idea…”

“I can’t believe it. First you went after the personal maid, and now the hidden star of the Empire…”

“The ring you gave me that time… I’ve been treasuring it.”

Emilia sending me a look of contempt.

Lezia somehow on the verge of tears.

It seemed I needed to clear up the misunderstanding before it deepened further.

“My… I’d like to say this is all a misunderstanding.”

I calmly explained the relevant details.

It was a briefly summarized account.

As the explanation continued, the girls regained their senses, and I successfully cleared myself of the false accusations.

The villainess and the protagonist finally seemed to understand the situation.

“So you became her attending physician… That’s why you’ve been by Her Highness’s side.”

“I-I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know and made such strange assumptions…!”

“It’s fine, Miss Lezia. Anyone listening would have misunderstood in that situation. You should consider yourself a victim caught up in a mischievous prank.”

“…Are you saying that for me to hear?”

“Of course not.”

The atmosphere naturally lightened.

Only then did I feel relieved.

Regarding the treatment, since I couldn’t mention the specific illness, I vaguely described it as an unknown incurable disease.

Of course, the news that I was in charge of such a disease was enough to raise suspicions.

What kind of connection did I have?

And what abilities did I possess?

To be appointed as the attending physician to a princess, no less.

Such questions would have been natural, but…

“I see… I’m not surprised it’s you.”

Emilia, who already knew about my abilities, seemed to accept it without much question.

“Y-you’re amazing, Young Master…!”

Lezia simply nodded her head repeatedly.

Perhaps she saw me as something extraordinary.

It seemed she was willing to overlook questionable aspects with the mindset of “It’s possible because it’s the Young Master!”

Thanks to that, I was able to skip over troublesome explanations.

The girls standing side by side.

I smiled at them.

“That was the situation. Since we’ll be spending time together from now on, I would be most grateful if you all got along.”

A simple request.

The girls responded in their own ways.

“Do you think I’m a child? I know that without being told.”

“I-if it’s okay for me to be here, I’ll do my best!”

“…I’m uncomfortable with strangers.”

The vain one.

The manipulator.

The rose.

There were complaints, but no refusals.

And so, the girls created their first memory of becoming acquainted with each other.

***

About 30 minutes later.

The rose and I were finally able to enter the dormitory.

The girl’s dormitory was located close to mine. It seemed they had considered my circumstances, as I would need to visit frequently for treatment.

I suspected Selena had a hand in this arrangement as well.

“…I’m tired.”

Elise was particularly exhausted.

Since she had difficulty moving her body, I had to transfer her from the wheelchair to the bed.

I laid her fragile body on the soft blanket.

Perhaps feeling a bit self-conscious, the girl added a word.

“Sorry.”

“It’s nothing. You must have had a tiring day.”

We had been out all day.

It must have been unfamiliar to her.

Having spent the last 10 years confined in a cage, every surrounding scenery must have felt like a new stimulus.

Even though she was in a wheelchair, it had been an exhausting day.

“What about Tanya and sister…?”

“They’ll be here shortly. Since the three of you will be using the same building from now on, they said they would move their belongings from their original dormitory.”

“I see… From now on…”

Elise murmured as if she still couldn’t believe it.

Her pupils shone differently than usual.

It was as if she were dreaming.

I quietly smiled at the sight.

To avoid disturbing her contemplation, I silently took a step back.

I was planning to leave now.

“I’ll be going.”

She must be tired.

Lingering would only disturb her rest.

And so.

As I was about to leave.

“…Are you going?”

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my sleeve.

The fabric wrinkled slightly.

Turning around in response, I saw green eyes looking up at me.

The inner self reflected through them was trembling.

“Your Highness?”

Did she have something to tell me?

I tilted my head.

What followed was an unexpected sentence.

The rose chewed on her fading resonance, then asked in a voice that had lost its confidence.

It was an especially shabby darkness.

“Can you… stay with me?”

A quiet question.

Perhaps she had been anxious.

Well.

Having been confined in a cage for so long, she must have been afraid when her environment suddenly changed.

I realized I had lacked consideration.

She wanted someone by her side.

If I disappeared now, she would truly be left alone in this world.

She disliked that loneliness.

“Of course.”

I didn’t leave.

Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll stay for a while.”

“Really…?”

“Until Your Highness falls asleep… No, even after you fall asleep, I will continue to stay by your side. So please close your eyes with peace of mind.”

“…Okay.”

“This is also a good opportunity to continue the treatment we couldn’t do today.”

Gently—

I lightly placed my hand on her stomach.

The warmth of her skin could be felt.

The girl reflexively let out a moan, but soon it subsided, and she regained a comfortable breath.

I gently caressed that warmth.

“Hehe.”

My touch was neither intense nor greedy like usual.

It was simply affectionate.

Like singing a lullaby.

“You’re… really strange.”

“Am I?”

“Usually you’re like garbage, like a pervert… why are you only gentle at times like this?”

“That’s part of my charm.”

“If you couldn’t speak, you wouldn’t be so hateful.”

“Do you hate me?”

“Yes.”

“Truly?”

“…No.”

The girl eventually avoids meeting my gaze.

I smile in response.

I draw circles on her abdomen with my fingertips.

It was a way of praising her correct answer.

This stimulation must have been ticklish, as a brief, pained breath escaped between her lips.

“Ugh…”

Eyes glaring at me.

I place my finger on those pouting lips.

As if imposing silence.

“Shh.”

A soft sensation touches my finger.

It was truly explicit moisture.

I moved my fingertip along the melancholic corner of her mouth, feeling the breathing heat beyond that soft flesh.

It was as if lips were overlapping with lips.

The division that splits into a pale red.

Through that gap.

I slightly insert my thumb that had been hovering around.

A stiffened tongue comes out to greet it, and simultaneously, wet and hot saliva moistens my finger.

The mouth, filled with sticky moisture, slowly accepts the foreign object.

“Mmm…”

The girl was looking up at me with dazed eyes.

I smile in response.

I slowly withdraw my finger that had been treading a precarious line.

When the slight heat that had touched her tongue disappeared, the girl blinked several times as if coming to her senses.

Of course, I didn’t wait for her consciousness to fully return.

“It’s time to sleep.”

I cover the girl’s eyes with my other hand.

Her eyelids close naturally.

The girl accepts my touch without resistance and gradually releases the tension in her body.

The heat on her cheeks was also subsiding.

“It’s been a difficult day.”

“……”

Fading breath.

And so.

I was waiting.

Until the unstable breathing repeated at a regular pace, and finally announced complete fantasy.

I was transmitting body heat to the girl until deep into the night.

“Sleep well.”

With an affectionate whisper.

***

The next day.

Although I had only been back at the academy for two days, I headed outside the academy once again, unable to wait any longer.

There was someone I needed to pick up personally.

After riding a bumpy carriage for several hours, I was able to arrive at the “City That Doesn’t Cry.”

‘Rukiye.’

It was the city where Astro’s headquarters was located.

It had been quite a while since I’d returned to this place.

I descend the stairs to find a hidden location.

And so, opening a tightly closed door and stepping into the headquarters.

Whoosh-!

There was a figure that attacked me as if it had been waiting.

I embraced the rushing form and fell backward with the momentum.

We fell softly.

“My.”

Two hands tightly holding my waist.

Lying on the floor as if tackled, I could see a girl who had climbed on top of me, burying her face in my neck.

Her distinctive appearance made her immediately recognizable.

A fluttering scarlet tail.

Ears that stood up pointedly on her head.

I calmly called her name.

“Miss Irene.”

The fox.

The girl buried her nose against me and took a few breaths, then whispered in my ear.

“…I’ve been waiting.”

It was a single phrase filled with a long wait.