episode_0009

Gerald Bertain, the second son of the Duke of Bertain.

Yesterday he suffered the most humiliating experience of his 15 years of life.

“No, well, yesterday Confucius… .”

“Really…? Did you eat something wrong?”

Wherever I go, I hear the maids talking about Gerald.

There’s nothing I can do.

The servant, who found Gerald strange for staying in the bathroom all day, reported it to his superiors.

They even summoned a member of parliament because they thought there was something wrong.

-… It’s just a normal stomachache. I think it’ll get better tomorrow.

-What? I feel like I’m going to die right now. What are you talking about? It’s clearly an assassination attempt!

-But Your Majesty… Other than the fact that your anus is slightly torn, no matter how much I look at it, there are no special symptoms… … .

The doctor gave me a brief consultation and some simple medicine, then left.

Gerald threw away the ointment the congressman had given him.

“It’s clear that that kid used trickery.”

What comes to mind is a white-haired man who looks like he could fall over if you hit him hard.

It was Ellen’s tutor, Luke Bucklin.

“I should have suspected it from the beginning…!”

Gerald had already determined that the culprit with the stomachache was Luke.

Well, my stomach suddenly got sick as soon as I ate the bread Luke gave me.

I was drunk on the powerful magic herb and drank it without thinking.

Just thinking about that makes my face flush so much that I need some fever reducer.

When I first picked up a sword.

I once challenged a knight to a duel without knowing what was going on and lost.

Even then, it wasn’t this embarrassing.

How dare you bring such shame upon the second son of the Duke’s family.

“Hoo… .”

dripping.

Gerald knocked on the door curiously.

“Mother, are you there?”

The place we arrived at was Natia’s room.

Even though he is comparable to a full-fledged knight, he is only 15 years old.

It’s a time when you worry about your own existence, touch the magic herb that you’re told not to smoke, and want to rebel against everything for no reason.

Eventually, I was at an age where I would come to my parents if I had a problem.

The answer came a moment later.

-Come in.

I opened the door quietly and went in.

“What’s wrong, son?”

Natia asked, handling the paperwork with ease.

I didn’t want to disturb my busy mother, so I spoke briefly.

“Kick out Luke Bucklin.”

The problem is that it was too short.

“What does that mean?”

Natia’s hand stops.

Her warm eyes turned towards Gerald.

“That, that kid fed me something weird.”

I started explaining the situation late.

The tutor took Elin and left the mansion without permission.

Instead of going to class, I spent the whole day slacking off.

Feeding Gerald some suspicious food.

Of course, I forgot to mention that I went to Elin to run an errand for her.

Luke ended up being the scum of the earth as he spoke while drunk on emotion.

“He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do that.”

Instead, doubts began to arise within Natia.

If Gerald’s words are true, isn’t that a very strange thing to do?

If it’s been like that since the first class, there must be a reason.

Or at least I wouldn’t have gotten caught.

If you have the intelligence to become the head of the academy.

“Really, Mother. Yesterday I… … .”

But Natia nodded for the time being because her son was speaking so unfairly.

“Go back for now. I’ll call the tutor later or something.”

“Yes! He’s a really weird guy, you have to kick him out!”

Gerald repeated his request several times and left the room.

Natia thought as she watched him leave the room.

To be honest, Gerald is not a very talented person, but he is a very good person.

But why didn’t he punish her directly and instead came to Natia?

“… You’ll know when you meet me in person.”

*****

“Your Majesty. What did I say?”

“… What?”

Elin blinks her eyes.

Water was dripping from the tip of his head.

“Are you washing only with soap again?”

Ellen averted her eyes.

“… … No?”

“Sigh.”

“That’s not true.”

Is there a lie more obvious than this in the world?

Luke squeezed Ellen’s cheeks and stretched them.

“The princess has no talent for lying.”

“… … ”

“I bought you all the toiletries, so why didn’t you use any of them?”

“… Write one.”

The words leak out from Ellin’s mouth, which is stretched out like cheese.

“It looks no different than yesterday. What on earth did you write?”

As I was looking at her with suspicious eyes, Elin went into the bathroom and came out.

“… This.”

What he was holding in his hand was a rabbit doll.

It was a bath toy that could float on water.

… Yeah. Where did you write that down?

“If you don’t understand, please call me and I’ll explain it to you at any time.”

“… Yeah.”

“Can I dry your hair for you?”

He showed off a mix of heat magic and wind magic on his hands.

Elin looks at Luke’s hand as if she’s thinking for a moment, and strokes her wet hair.

He closed his eyes tightly.

“… I’ll try to hold on.”

He spoke in a very determined voice.

It was a little embarrassing.

“You don’t have to force yourself.”

Trauma isn’t something that can be cured overnight.

Especially if you’ve been abused for a long time like Ellen.

Knowing that fact, I had no intention of forcing my hand on it.

“… No, stop it.”

But Ellen refused to give in and sat down in front of Luke.

Her small shoulders were trembling slightly.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“… … Yeah, because you’re a teacher.”

I don’t know what happened, but I think I gained a little bit of trust.

Ellen pressed her small head against mine as if telling me to hurry up.

“Then I will stop you. If it is difficult, please tell me.”

“… Yeah.”

Woof-

Heat rose from my hands.

I slowly brought it to my damp hair.

“… Ugh.”

Elin flinched slightly.

Luke quickly dried his hair before the tremors spread.

“All done.”

“Whoa… .”

Elin let out the breath she had been holding.

“… It’s hard.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I unconsciously tried to stroke his head, but then stopped.

I’m finally feeling better, but I’m afraid I’ll be scared if you touch me again.

I tried to put my hand away, thinking I was being careless.

“… Wait a minute.”

Ellen grabbed Luke’s wrist.

“… Why stop?”

“Yes?”

“I wasn’t going to comb your hair, was I?”

No, I was just trying to stroke it.

I nodded, thinking it was in a similar vein.

“Isn’t that inconvenient?”

“… … It’s okay.”

Then Ellen took Luke’s hand and placed it on the top of her head.

“… I wish you would comb my hair too.”

It was shocking.

Ellen was the first to say something like this.

I feel like my hard work has been recognized so far.

“What’s wrong? Did you feel sick after eating lunch today?”

“… What does it mean?”

Ellin glared at me as I spoke, acting all excited for no reason.

Then he turns his head again and mutters.

“… I like it when you comb my hair.”

“Yes?”

“They used to comb it a lot in the past.”

This is a word with the subject omitted.

But the people who should go in there were definitely not parents.

Because the Duke and Duchess never showed affection in the game.

Then, that means he is a character that does not appear in the game.

Is this the person I mentioned last time?

“I can comb it for you as much as you want.”

“Ah… Wait a minute before that.”

As if remembering something, Ellen suddenly got up and started walking quickly.

What I brought was a rabbit doll.

It was an old rabbit doll with one ear missing and the stuffing sticking out.

“… If you have this, it’s okay.”

Ellen sat back down with her back to Luke, hugging her stuffed rabbit tightly.

“I guess it’s a precious item.”

He asked, slowly combing Ellen’s hair.

When my hand touched it, he flinched for a moment, but soon calmed down.

Is it really okay if I have a rabbit doll with me?

“… Yeah, it’s precious. Maybe the most.”

“May I ask who you received this as a gift from?”

“I don’t know either.”

Elin hugged the doll tightly.

“We’ve been together since I can’t remember.”

A dry voice continued.

“Even when everyone else left, she was always by my side. That’s why she’s the most precious.”

Contrary to the dry tone of his voice, his words were full of affection.

Come to think of it, in the beginning of the game, I was always holding a rabbit doll.

It disappeared shortly after though.

… why did it disappear?

I don’t remember it because it disappeared so naturally.

“What is your name?”

“… Name?”

Ellen’s head tilted.

The hair that was in my hand slipped away.

“You didn’t give it a name, did you?”

“Need it?”

“Not necessarily, but… .”

When you ask me like that, I have nothing to say.

Don’t children originally give names to precious objects?

“Don’t you feel lonely when you’re alone?”

“… I was always alone?”

Hmm, that’s right.

It is said that those who are born in misfortune do not know that they are misfortune.

Elin, who had become so accustomed to loneliness, never even thought about making friends.

I had nothing to say so I started combing her hair, and before I knew it, it had become neat.

“You’ve become even cuter.”

I didn’t like the texture of my hair since I only washed it with soap.

Just having her hair done made her look much better.

“Then shall we start class now?”

“Have class?”

“Why do you speak in interrogative form?”

“I feel awkward because the teacher is teaching… .”

“Your Highness. I am your tutor.”

“… … That’s right.”

Why are you reacting as if you had forgotten?

Are you doubting that I am a tutor just because I played around with you for a bit?

If that’s the case, then prove it.

Swish-

I tried to open the subspace and take out the magic book.

dripping.

It was a small sound.

Just a regular knock.

That means it’s not Gerald.

Then, who would be the person to come to… … .

As soon as I thought about it, my body started moving first.

“Your Highness!”

As soon as he heard the sound, he grabbed Elin’s shoulder as she tried to run away.

“Haa… Haa… .”

The once calm face became dull in an instant.

Luke held Elin’s shoulder tightly and met her eyes.

“Calm down, my lady. Don’t be afraid. Look at me and take a deep breath.”

“Whew… Haa… .”

There is a possibility that your parents came to visit you.

Elin was causing the match because of a fear deeply ingrained in her instincts.

“… Teacher.”

“Please wait a moment. I will check.”

He took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from Elin’s forehead.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and opened the door.

“You were here after all. I came looking for you because you weren’t in your room.”

Fortunately or not.

The one at the door wasn’t the peacock Elin was afraid of.

“Are you Luke Bucklin?”

The one who came to find Luke was a maid with a freckled face.

After confirming her identity, Elin slid down and leaned against the bed.

“Yes, I’m Luke Bucklin. What’s up?”

A blunt voice came out.

I couldn’t speak kindly to Elin because I thought I scared her.

“Natiana is looking for you.”

The words that came out of the maid’s mouth were truly unexpected.

“The Duchess?”

Why are you looking for me all of a sudden?

The reason is completely unpredictable.

“Okay.”

But I couldn’t not go, so I nodded.

And then I turned my head to Elin.

“Ah… As expected.”

“… Your Majesty?”

Ellen’s complexion was not good.

A little too much.

“What’s wrong?”

“… Even the teacher will be kicked out.”

Elin crouched down and buried her head in her knees.

“That’s why I told you not to treat me well.”

Then he raises his head slightly and peeks out his eyes.

“… … Goodbye.”

Elin muttered weakly.

It was a voice that was dripping with regret.

“Huh.”

It was ridiculous.

Who are you sending away right now?

Is this all the trust we’ve built up so far?

If so, then it only proves it.

“I will never leave you, Princess.”

I left the room without saying much on purpose.

“Then I’ll be off.”

Because I will definitely return to Elin’s side.