Ch.76Rael’s Plan (5)

Click, click.

With each step Lael took, her heels echoed through the hallway.

On the second floor of the Duchy of Gideon’s villa.

At the end of the corridor, Lael turned to face a wooden door.

I stopped momentarily as I followed her.

She opened the door without hesitation and I followed behind her.

Upon entering the room, Lael nodded and said, “Crow, you can use this room. It’s the best among the guest rooms.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

I said that and walked past her to examine the room.

Table, sofa, coat rack, bed…

Everything exuded an air of luxury at first glance.

Yet it was far from feeling extravagant. There were no flashy decorations, and everything seemed to faithfully serve its purpose.

The room had a strong sense of being luxurious without being extravagant, sophisticated yet classic.

And this wasn’t limited to just this room.

The corridor was like that, the stairs were like that, and even the frame of what she had pointed out as her father’s portrait was the same.

Perhaps that’s why I didn’t feel uncomfortable despite being in a duke’s villa.

If someone asked if I felt comfortable, well, maybe not exactly…

But at least I felt much more at ease than when I first set foot in the dazzling Academy building.

All those luxury items can be intimidating to a commoner just by their mere presence.

As I was looking around the room, my attention was drawn to the view outside the window.

The endless blue sea sparkled in the sunlight, and golden sand formed the beach on the shore.

Seeing this scenery for the first time in my life, an exclamation naturally escaped my lips.

“Wow…”

“Amazing, right? I really love the view from here too.”

Lael said as she approached me and opened the window.

Whoosh—

A slightly strong breeze entered through the window and brushed against my cheek.

The wind felt somewhat sticky and carried a slightly fishy smell.

Even the same wind feels different from inland.

While I was thinking about this.

Bang—

Lael suddenly closed the window.

Her action raised questions, and I turned my head toward her to ask.

“Lael, what’s wrong…”

I let my words trail off.

There was no need to finish the sentence as I found the answer.

Her neatly arranged hair had been blown in all directions by the strong wind.

With her red hair covering most of her face, she looked quite comical.

Seeing this, I chuckled, and Lael hurriedly began to fix her hair.

I helped her too.

I swept her hair back with my fingers, leaving just a few strands on her face, which I tucked away using my fingers like tweezers.

Her hair was quickly put back in order.

Of course, without brushing, it wasn’t exactly like before, but at least her face was visible now, which was definitely better than moments ago.

The problem was that her face had turned quite pouty.

Was it because I laughed?

As that worry crossed my mind.

Click, click.

Lael turned and left the room, saying, “Crow, wait a moment. I’ll prepare some tea and come back.”

After she completely disappeared through the doorway, I gazed at the scenery outside again and muttered to myself.

“I could have just gone with her…”

Well, this isn’t bad either.

* * * * *

Click—

The sound of shoes echoed from the corridor.

Sitting on the sofa, I looked toward the door and saw a cart (the kind maids would use) before I saw her.

Naturally, there was a teapot and teacups on it, and when she finally appeared, she had returned to her usual state.

Instead of the flowing, elegant dress, she wore pants, a shirt, and a blazer.

To be precise, rather than saying it was her usual state, it would be more accurate to say it was her comfortable attire.

Given that she found even the knee-length skirt of the Academy uniform uncomfortable, this was entirely possible.

Tap—

She placed a saucer in front of me and then a teacup on top of it.

Pour—

The teacup filled with a red liquid.

Even though her attire had changed, the person hadn’t changed, as evidenced by the simple act of pouring tea, which felt elegant and dignified.

After completing this series of actions, Lael gave me a bright smile and sat across from me, repeating the same actions.

With both teacups filled, we began our tea time.

As if by agreement, we both chose to enjoy the tea first before starting any conversation.

In silence, I picked up the teacup and first savored its aroma.

Beyond the rich scent of black tea, there was a hint of tangy fruit.

It seemed this wasn’t ordinary black tea.

This was confirmed once more when I tasted the tea.

As I sipped the steaming tea, I first tasted the deep flavor of black tea, and instead of a bitter aftertaste, there was a refreshing tanginess.

It was a taste that naturally brought a smile to my face.

Satisfied with the taste, I put the teacup back down and broke the silence.

“So, what’s the plan for today?”

The report she had submitted to me had the first day’s plan completely empty.

Of course, I had asked about it, but her answer was that she would tell me later.

So it was natural for me to be curious.

Lael put down her teacup and said, “There isn’t one.”

Lael answered confidently.

Even with a smile.

That’s probably why.

Even after hearing the surprising answer that there was no plan, I found myself accepting it.

I even thought, “So that’s how it is…”

She took another sip of tea before continuing.

“If there’s something you want to do, we can do that together. For me, what’s important is that we’re together. It doesn’t matter what we do.”

Hearing her words, I fell into contemplation.

What I want to do…

First, I’m curious about the sea.

Having never seen it before in my life, I want to run right over and taste the supposedly salty seawater.

But I’m planning to postpone that until tomorrow.

While Derin and Elin might have seen it before, Riano, like me, would be seeing the sea for the first time.

It’s not a big deal, but I just want to experience that first time together with everyone.

So what else is there?

“Hmm…”

As I continued to ponder with my hand on my chin, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Do we really need to do anything specific during a vacation?

We’re already busy and living hard lives normally, so maybe we should just rest.

I feel a bit lazy thinking this, but beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be anything else I need.

However, I shook my head to clear away those thoughts.

Coming all this way just to lounge around? I could do that plenty at the workshop.

Instead, I came up with another idea and voiced it.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

“If that’s what you want, by all means.”

Lael answered as if it was the most natural thing and stood up first. I took one more sip of tea before joining her.

We left the room, walked down the corridor, descended the stairs, and passed through the door.

The scenery outside, though I had seen it once before, felt quite different now.

When I first arrived here, my attention was on Lael’s actions and appearance, but now I could truly see the landscape.

Not because she had returned to her usual self, but because I had gained some composure.

We walked side by side through the villa’s garden, filled with green grass and flowers.

* * * * *

The day passed by incredibly quickly.

Maybe it felt that way because we didn’t do anything special, so there weren’t many memorable moments.

Still, it was a satisfying day.

Just walking with her, having many conversations, and spending an ordinary day together made me feel fulfilled.

After finishing the somewhat unique dinner she prepared, I returned to my room first.

She had told me to go up ahead while she cleaned up the dishes.

Of course, I felt bad about being treated so well and offered to do it myself, but she scolded me instead.

I never thought the day would come when I’d be scolded by Lael…

It was an incredibly fresh feeling.

She scolded me for trying to hold back laughter while putting my hands on my waist and frowning.

As I continued these thoughts while admiring the view outside the window, I lay down on the bed.

‘I’m tired…’

Perhaps because we had traveled by carriage for quite a while today, or because I was full, fatigue suddenly washed over me.

“Yawn…”

My mouth opened wide in a yawn, and tears slightly leaked from my tightly closed eyes.

It seems I should go to sleep soon.

‘After sleeping tonight, tomorrow…’

Tomorrow, the three who are coming later will arrive, and all five of us will stay together.

It’s a period of 2 nights and 3 days, which is both long and short, but I can’t even begin to predict what will happen during that time.

I wonder if Riano, who usually acts strong, will become shy and submissive.

Imagining that, a chuckle escapes me.

If that happens, I’ll have to take care of her secretly from behind. With that thought, I gently closed my eyes.

I should sleep until Lael comes up. She would surely wake me up.

That thought was surprisingly accurate.

She really did wake me up.

The problem is…

This isn’t a normal situation.

“Crow…”

Strangely, I’m seeing a lot of apricot-colored skin.