episode_0030

After experiencing a very small incident, we returned to the mansion.

I asked if she wanted to take a walk, but Luna shook her head.

To be honest, I felt the same way as her.

I just couldn’t bring myself to take a walk with a sincere heart.

“Why did I do such a thing?”

It must have been because of the atmosphere.

They say emotions are heightened at night.

I was undoubtedly influenced by that as well.

However, even so, I had to hold back.

Even if we were engaged, weren’t we still in the process of getting to know each other?

Holding hands naturally leads to an embrace, so suddenly trying to kiss was definitely out of line.

Sigh.

Regret surged through me belatedly, and a sigh escaped involuntarily.

Yet, the sensation of her hand on my cheek remained vivid, causing me to absentmindedly look at my hand.

“It was soft.”

Surprisingly soft and tender.

Considering my hands are usually calloused, I was careful not to cause any harm.

As I pondered over these thoughts, the tightly closed door opened, and Luna, now dressed in pajamas, came out.

The two maids who helped Luna change into her pajamas followed suit.

Luna greeted me with the same expressionless face, while the two maids bowed their heads so low that their expressions couldn’t be discerned.

It seems they realized their mistake, which is truly fortunate.

“Melina, Ann.”

“Y-yes!”

“Yes?!”

They flinched when I called them.

Honestly, I didn’t particularly want to punish them.

They’ve been confined to a family without any entertainment since they were young.

I can imagine how interesting Luna and my relationship must have seemed.

Above all, Luna expressed that she didn’t want them punished.

Since she’s a party involved, it was right to accept her opinion.

Therefore, I ultimately decided not to punish the foolish maids.

However, even so, I couldn’t just let it slide.

Precedent is very important for preventing the same thing from happening again.

If we were to pass over this issue lightly, there is a possibility that the entire household staff will start following us around like a shadow.

Of course, I don’t think there are so many fools in the household.

Anyway, that’s why I wanted to at least address the problem.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Sorry… but there’s one thing I’d like to ask…”

Ann said with a desperate expression.

As if she absolutely had to be heard.

It was certainly not the position to make a request.

But it wasn’t a difficult thing to do, so I decided to listen.

There’s something called a final plea, isn’t there?

It felt similar to that.

“I’ll hear you out for now.”

“M-Melina hasn’t done anything wrong. I just dragged her here against her will.”

“Young master! That’s not tru—”

I looked down at Melina with a cold gaze.

She closed her mouth and bowed her head.

It was Ann who I allowed to speak.

Even if I didn’t punish them, it was time to show some respect.

“Ann, is that all you have to say?”

“S-So if possible, I’d like you to forgive Melina.”

“Denied.”

Melina flinched, and Ann’s expression turned to despair.

For now, this should be enough.

If I let them know that they won’t be punished, they might not reflect on their actions.

“Melina, do you have anything to say?”

“N-No, sir…”

Melina said, bowing deeply.

Her voice was filled with moisture.

“Your turn…”

As I was about to finish with one last word, I suddenly felt a tug at my clothes.

When I turned my head, Luna was tugging at my clothes and slowly shaking her head.

Was this her way of asking for forgiveness?

She was truly kind to a fault.

If it was Luna, then it was very much like her.

I whispered softly in her ear.

“I’ll say one last thing before sending you back.”

Luna nodded.

That must have meant she understood.

But it was hard to create a solemn atmosphere when she wouldn’t let go of my clothes.

And so, in the end, I spoke with an appropriate voice in an appropriate atmosphere.

If this was also her plan, I can only say it’s truly remarkable.

“You guys, never do that again. Luna is being lenient because she asked me not to punish you, but there won’t be a next time.”

“That means…”

“Yes, it’s late, so go back and rest. And Ann, make sure Luna isn’t uncomfortable.”

Not innocent, but no punishment.

As that verdict was given, they briefly faced each other before turning their heads towards us.

“Thank you very much.”

“Thank you.”

They bowed their heads, glanced around, and then walked away.

I watched them move away and then turned around.

It was meant to face Luna, but because she was holding onto my clothes tightly, the outcome changed.

Thud-.

She suddenly spread her arms and buried her face in my chest.

How light must her body be to be pulled like this.

What kind of adorable creature is she?

I held her hand and unexpectedly embraced her.

Then, what came next…

“How did my head end up like this?”

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I muttered quietly.

“Are you okay?”

I was worried that I might have bumped into her face too hard.

But Luna chose to run away instead of answering.

She turned and hurriedly ran towards the room.

Thud-!

The door closed firmly without even giving me a chance to speak.

Why did she hate it so much?

Well, it’s not like it happened in the garden just now.

It was a reasonable enough reaction.

Still…

“It’s a little disappointing.”

I sighed and walked away.

The empty corridor felt particularly lonely.

It was at that moment, as I passed by Luna’s room on my way to my own, that…

Creak-.

The sound of the door opening reached my ears.

When I turned my head, there was Luna, peering through the crack in the door, looking at me.

I grinned and asked.

Masking my disappointment as much as possible.

“Do you have any discomfort at all?”

Luna shook her head from side to side, then nodded slowly, bowed, and closed the door again.

In the place where she disappeared, it was written in small letters.

[Good night.]

With her actions, I could let go of all the regret I had felt until just before.

It seemed like a night when sleep would come really easily.

* * * * *

I woke up earlier than usual and got out of bed.

It’s better to say that I didn’t sleep well.

“Who cares about sleeping well…”

Is Luna sleeping against one wall?

I couldn’t calm down at all, so I couldn’t fall asleep.

We must have slept together at some point, but why am I so tense now?

To be fair, I couldn’t really sleep well back then either.

Anyway, just because I couldn’t sleep, I can’t postpone today’s tasks.

Especially not the inspection with Luna and the town.

“Young master, are you coughing?”

When the time came, Melina came into the room as usual.

She seemed a little deflated, but it wasn’t enough to worry about.

After that, it was no different from usual.

I went outside, stretched a bit, and ran along the outer wall of the castle.

I thought I had gained some stamina by now, but I still couldn’t catch up with the knights.

Maybe I’m similar to the youngest knight.

Well, if I could already catch up with those who trained their whole lives, that would be more surprising.

So I ran until my legs couldn’t move anymore.

Up to this point, it was the same as usual.

However, when I returned to the mansion, something quite different happened.

As always, dragging my tired legs and panting heavily, I was about to enter the mansion when someone was standing at the entrance.

“Luna…?”

Luna was standing at the entrance of the mansion, holding a neatly folded towel in her hand.

As I approached, she carefully handed me the towel.

I could only blink my eyes, unable to understand the situation.

Of course, I took the towel she handed me long ago.

At that moment, in a corner of my vision, wasn’t Melina smiling faintly with Ann?

Only then did I realize.

The foolish actions of these two maids.

What should I do with them…

“Should I give them a secret reward or something.”

I didn’t even steal a glance, I just gave Luna some advice at most.

There wasn’t really anything to take issue with.

Instead, I felt grateful for having had this experience.

Afterward, I quickly washed up and had breakfast.

The meal with my father, mother, and Luna was ordinary but special because all the precious people were gathered.

However, such sentiments were fleeting.

I was so hungry that I soon became absorbed in eating.

I tried to be as careful as possible while eating, fearing that I might look bad in front of Luna.

Then came the sword training with my father.

My father said to me,

“Albert, do you remember what you used yesterday?”

“Used…? What do you mean by that…?”

It seemed like I should know, and yet, it also seemed like I shouldn’t. Luna’s memory was too shocking, causing me to forget everything else.