Ch.46Under the Flowing Stars (1)

The cool air tickles my cheeks. But it was different from winter.

This wind, not dry but gently embracing my cheeks with warmth, was a breeze that could only be felt in spring.

The season when soil buried under snow reveals itself, and animals who slept long rise and lift their heads above the earth.

The season when bare trees put on their clothes, and birds preen their feathers for a fresh appearance.

Whenever I saw birds returning after leaving for winter, I would finally feel the change of seasons.

Spring had come. Which also meant that it had been nearly a year since I came to this place.

It feels like just yesterday that I saw the trees lush with green foliage,

but seeing the yellow flowers blooming at the tips of branches made my heart flutter.

A year already—it seemed time had passed so quickly.

I still couldn’t quite believe that I was a knight of Yuris.

But many things had changed. The scenery around me,

the green life beginning to bloom as the frozen river melted and flowed.

Even my mindset had changed considerably.

Yet if I were to find one thing that hadn’t changed amidst all these transformations, it would be Rofena.

Crunch—

That girl, stuffing her cheeks full of cookies while grinning broadly.

It was amazing how she maintained her figure despite eating like that every day,

but what was more amazing was how freely she wandered around despite being a dedicated lady’s maid.

But since Airin didn’t say anything to Rofena, there was no need for me to comment either.

After watching Rofena eat cookies like a squirrel for a while,

I naturally pushed a cup of milk toward her when her small face began to redden.

“Huff, ah. Thank you.”

“Eat a bit slower. I’m not going to take them from you.”

“It’s become a habit, you know. I end up stuffing them in without realizing it.”

That’s not a necessary habit, I thought as I watched Rofena coughing and patting her chest.

Then I noticed the small necklace around her neck and smiled faintly.

I bought it for her last birthday, and she was still wearing it.

I had noticed her bare neck looked a bit empty. I could have bought her food, which she would have liked too… but food is only momentarily enjoyable.

Since my salary was more than enough, and I could get support from Airin if needed, I simply gave her a necklace as a gift.

As for her reaction, well, seeing her still wearing it now, she must have liked it quite a bit.

A pleased smile escaped me, and Rofena narrowed her eyes when she saw it.

“Why are you making that expression all of a sudden?”

“Nothing, just glad to see you wearing the necklace well.”

“Of course I am. It’s from you, Sir. I always wear it like this so I don’t lose it.”

After saying that, Rofena proudly puffed out her chest.

As the silver necklace around her neck jingled, she fingered it and grinned.

“I wear it even when I sleep. I might lose it otherwise, you know.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it.”

Actually, I had worried a lot when preparing the gift, but seeing her so happy put my mind at ease.

I wondered if I should have given her a gift even when it wasn’t her birthday.

Come to think of it, the word “birthday” reminded me of someone.

‘…Airin’s birthday is probably this month.’

My head throbbed. I had no idea what to prepare for her.

I didn’t even know what Airin liked.

Since she wasn’t the type to show her preferences, it was inevitably difficult to choose a gift for her.

I thought about asking Rofena, but somehow I was reluctant, feeling like I would be revealing my feelings.

And Sir Chris didn’t seem interested in such things.

The option of asking Airin herself was, of course, rejected as soon as it came to mind.

About a week from now, perhaps when those flowers hanging from the tree tips fully bloom, it would be Airin’s birthday.

It would be nice to go on an outing,

but since she hadn’t been going out much since the appearance of the Black Mage, Airin was always just in her office.

I had become aware of my feelings, but they were mine alone.

I realized that this feeling, this sensation that tickled my heart whenever I saw Airin, was love.

But there was a problem with showing it in the current situation.

There were too many unresolved issues. The Black Mage, the events that would unfold when the original story began.

And then there was her fiancé. If asked whether these feelings could reach her, I would have to firmly shake my head for now.

My mouth tasted bitter. But it wasn’t something I could do anything about right away,

so I just sighed faintly and picked up one of the cookies Rofena was eating.

“Ah, I thought you said you wouldn’t take them!”

“Just one.”

“No way!”

What little leisure time I had left, why did it feel so tedious?

#

For a moment, I stare blankly into space. Work always piled up like mountains after spring arrived.

This year was no exception, and occasionally I would frown at the sight of documents stacked high on my desk.

What were the vassals doing? Sometimes I wanted to complain, but knowing that even those vassals were handling more than this, I couldn’t say anything.

In such a situation, this kind of leisure was rare.

Just staring into space for a moment, but the remnants of spring visible through the window were perfect for loosening my stiffened body.

Spring, I laugh hollowly at the thought.

When exactly did time flow like this?

Until now, time had seemed to stand still, not flowing.

Realizing that winter, filled with snow, had passed and spring had come made my mood sink somehow.

As time passed, the situation was becoming more volatile.

The Black Mage, who first appeared in the duchy, was now appearing occasionally and being dealt with by the Imperial Knights.

…Something was off. Adel Roman, I heard he still hadn’t recovered after meeting the troll.

Whenever I heard news about him, I felt uneasy.

Is it normal to remain unconscious after being hit once by a troll?

It was just once, not multiple times, that Adel Roman was knocked unconscious.

Wasn’t it well known that the body of an Expert knight far exceeded human limits?

Yet even after months, he hadn’t regained consciousness, and the Roman family was also expressing bewilderment.

‘That’s not all.’

Kilrog and Mediv. The two families showed no signs of movement.

Whatever they were preparing, why weren’t they showing any movement now that the Black Mage had appeared?

Always assuming the worst situation, I could only laugh bitterly at the thought.

If all five major families except Yuris were in league with the Black Mage, how should Yuris respond?

There weren’t many means to deal with a Black Mage.

A mage who could overwhelm a Black Mage in magical combat, and knights. Or a knightly order with exceptional individual strength.

But apart from the Imperial family, which family possessed all of these?

Of course, there was a knight who could face a Black Mage, but…

…I didn’t want to consider that. I sighed faintly.

I still couldn’t forget what I had seen at Mount Verden, how could I easily send him?

Unless it was an absolutely unavoidable situation, Evan would not be sent out.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“…Just, there have been various things happening.”

As I muttered quietly, Sir Chris smiled and moved toward the window.

Did he also feel something in this season of spring? When a flash appeared in his brown eyes for a moment, he carefully opened his mouth.

“Recently, both you and Evan seem quite tired. Why not take a rest occasionally?”

“If I had the leisure, I would have done so long ago. But there’s no time. Neither Evan nor I have time to do anything.”

There was no time. I wasn’t foolish enough not to understand why Sir Chris was saying this,

but finding leisure was harder than anything else. Could he say such things even after seeing these mountains of documents?

After staring at the pile of documents for a moment, I turned my head at the voice that reached my ears again.

“It may be difficult right now, but your birthday is approaching. Why not rest a little then?”

“…Come to think of it, it’s not far off.”

About a week left? Glancing at the calendar, I noticed a date circled in one corner.

A date marked with a red flower, as if Rofena had marked it.

‘Miss’s birthday!’

I couldn’t help but laugh. What was it about a mere birthday that made her so excited to mark it?

If Sir Chris hadn’t mentioned it, I might have forgotten completely.

It was just the day one was born, a day when other nobles sent useless gifts that took time to deal with.

But lately, the word “birthday” seemed to take on a new meaning.

Was it because of experiencing Evan’s birthday? Or because of what I heard that day?

What was clear was that my feelings about birthdays had changed somewhat.

I didn’t expect anything. Having unnecessary emotions could lead to great disappointment.

But when one person came to mind, I couldn’t help but think “what if.”

Maybe it was just an illusion. Spring was a season that suited his green eyes well,

wasn’t Evan the one who held warmth even in that cold winter?

I shake off my thoughts. But still, ideas swirled in my head, making me frown and sigh faintly.

“I’ll think about it on my birthday. For now, my birthday is still quite far away.”

“It would be good to take things easy. Evan is always worried. Didn’t you collapse while working last time?”

“…Evan saying unnecessary things again.”

I didn’t want others to know about that. So that’s why Sir Chris was so concerned about me.

But thinking about that time, I felt my face heat up at the memory of the blanket that covered me.

The wind was so cool, yet my face was hot.

Finding the situation amusing, I laughed hollowly, and Sir Chris followed with a laugh and spoke.

“You seem to laugh more often these days.”

“…I wonder.”

“Especially when you’re with Evan. But, I’ve noticed you haven’t been talking much with Rofena lately. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened.”

Was it really nothing? Thinking about it, the memory made my mouth taste bitter.

Actually, it wasn’t much. It was just Rofena showing off the necklace I gave her on her birthday.

-Sir gave this to me. How is it?

So brightly. With a smile I couldn’t usually see, she showed off her necklace.

It was nothing. All I had to do was give her a compliment,

but I still couldn’t understand why my mood had soured.

Why did I act that way? I couldn’t bear the memory of Rofena’s face, intimidated by my cold gaze.

I apologized afterward, but it was difficult to recover the awkward relationship.

It was because my mood suddenly sank when she said Evan had given it to her.

I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t deny that my emotions had surged at just that one sentence.

Out of guilt, I gave Rofena various things separately… but it bothered me that she sometimes flinched when she saw me.

“Where is Evan?”

It was Evan’s fault. If he hadn’t given Rofena the necklace.

No, if I hadn’t discovered the pile of letters coming to Evan.

I wouldn’t have reacted that way to Rofena.

When I asked in a blunt voice, Sir Chris smiled and slowly opened his mouth.

“He’ll probably be here soon. It’s almost time for the shift change.”

Was it already that time? Looking out the window again, I could see the setting sun creating a twilight.

Time was truly fast. Though I hadn’t done anything properly, the mercilessly flowing time was slowly suffocating me.

Even so, could I really rest comfortably on my birthday?

It would probably be impossible. Even on my birthday, I would barely have time to receive gifts from other nobles.

It would be nice to go outside and see the blooming flowers, but.

The probability of that happening was probably slim. Perhaps due to my cold mood, silence flowed in the desolate atmosphere.

I used to live in this kind of atmosphere, but now it felt awkward.

I thought it might be one of the changes I experienced after meeting Evan.

Evan Fried.

After muttering that name to myself for a moment, I raised my head at the sound of knocking.

“Miss, it’s Evan.”

“Come in.”

As the door opened, a familiar face began to appear beyond it.

Still the snow-white face, warm green eyes. Whenever I saw that face with its gentle smile, my heart seemed to calm down.

I had just been annoyed thinking about Evan, yet for some reason my heart changed so easily.

But that was enough.

Just having him by my side, just the fact that the Yuris emblem was engraved on his chest, made my heart at ease.

After staring back at those green eyes looking at me, I smiled faintly.

Sir Chris’s words echoed in my ears.

He said I laughed more often these days. Perhaps that was true.

When I was with Evan, my heart would ease without me realizing, and the corners of my mouth would lighten.

The desolate atmosphere lightened, and the warmth of spring began to fill the room again.

The wind was no longer cold.

Now, with the occasional breeze bringing in flower petals, a pink-tinged wind blowing.

It was definitely spring.