Look who was talking.
—That's what I say. I learned it from you, Mr. Rue.
His face was still tinged with deep bewilderment, so I had no choice but to reassure him.
—I know there's no way Mr. Rue likes me.
—I feel like I've heard that phrase several times.
—That's why I sometimes wonder: Why do you treat me in a special way when you don't even like me?
Rue, as if he had stumbled upon a peculiar sentence while reading a book, repeated my words.
—Miss Daisy is special to me.
—Are you going to deny it?
—No.
What was the "no" for? Was he denying that I was special to him? Or was he denying the question of whether it was true or not?
—Daisy Fager is very special to me. Oh, yes. Of course. You are the most special presence in my life, Daisy. Maybe I was born only to meet you. No, it must have been that, right? Maybe I was conceived in my mother's womb to meet you, had a rough childhood and went through everything just for this. You are my light, my salt, my beginning and my end. Even in death, your face will not leave my mind. If I could die looking at your face, I would have no more desires...
—I'm sorry. Please stop mocking me.
—But can't I like you?
Instead of just testing the waters, his expression showed genuine curiosity, so I answered with sincerity.
—If you mean that you like me as a comrade, then I will answer that you should like me as much as you want.
—Then I will like you too. What about Miss Daisy? You like me, don't you? Oh, sure, as a comrade.
I answered with clenched teeth.
—Me too, a little bit, yes.
Rue smiled as ecstatically as the sunlight coming in after a rain.
—Is that so? Well, well, I'm very moved. This is how it feels to live camaraderie. I could almost cry.
He rubbed his perfectly dry eyes and turned back to the book.
That day, while staring at Rue's face as he read in the carriage, I discovered a new fact.
Rue's eyes weren't following the letters.
Rue wasn't reading a book. He was thinking of something else while keeping the book open. And so on.
"What are you thinking about?"
If something bothered Rue enough to absorb him in his thoughts, I wondered how serious the problem would be.
The whistle blew for a long time.
I got off the train with my body barely awake.
While walking I bumped into at least three people.
Normally, I would have avoided even a speck of dust, but now it was inevitable. Because I was sleepy.
—Haha.
It was strange.
"When I'm with Rue, I sleep strangely deep."
I didn't sleep much and I wasn't the type to sleep deeply either. In particular, during the first week of work at the Weatherwoods mansion, I rarely slept more than five hours. I slept well the night of the first day when I achieved a step of complete physical and mental unity, the first day at the Noble Council meeting, and the night at the Iregiel villa.
In short, most of those days I had spent with Rue.
—Straight ahead.
Rue, who was walking ahead of me, turned, came to my side and touched my left shoulder.
—Yes.
—You respond well.
—Yes.
My inability to sleep soundly was probably a consequence of the war. In the past I wouldn't have related the two concepts, but now it was different.
"Thanks to Rue for telling me to know myself..."
I realized that the magic war might have ended, but my inner self had not.
—Miss Daisy.
Basically, I had trouble sleeping due to anxiety. I had to lie down with my back against the wall to be able to fall asleep faster. This was due to the habit I had acquired while preparing for the demon army attacks at dawn...
—Miss Daisy.
—Yes.
—You're out of it.
From a certain point, Rue began to walk with a hand on my shoulder. Even though I was aware of his good looks and he wore a tacky straw hat on his head, every person passing by seemed to glance sideways at Rue's face. Rue must consider his beauty a nuisance.
—To this address. How long does it take?
Rue handed a note with an address to a coachman.
—Ten minutes are enough to get there.
Let's continue with what we were thinking.
After returning to the female body, I originally tried to drop the sword completely. It was because I didn't want to repeat my life as a swordsman. The reason I trained every night was precisely because of my insomnia. It was a waste of time to do nothing, so I thought I should at least train. Thanks to this, my promise to leave the sword went to nothing. Although I wasn't training to exhaustion like before, so there it was.
—You two look young. Are you married?
—There was a time when we were.
—Oh… I see, haha!
Not too intense, but not too light either. Short sessions of an hour or longer ones of two hours. In the end, it was a good thing. I could quickly get used to handling a sword with my unfamiliar body.
That's why I felt even more curious.
"Why is it Rue?"
Why could I sleep more comfortably by Rue's side?
"As expected, because Rue is strong?"
Since he was a strong ally, I wondered if his presence reduced my anxiety and relieved my tension unconsciously, making it easier for me to fall asleep.
—We've arrived, sir.
But if that were the case, what about Raphael? Raphael was the second strongest swordsman, surpassed only by the sword master. There was no obstacle we couldn't overcome together. No way, was Rue secretly using a sleeping spell on me...?
—Miss Daisy.
A cold hand touched the back of my neck. At that moment I regained my common sense. My blurred vision seemed to clear. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of an old mansion.
A withered garden. Dusty windows that hadn't been cleaned properly. Neglected and overgrown ivy vines on the walls. It was a ruinous mansion, as gloomy as the Weatherwoods Manor two months ago.
—Is this the place?
—Miss Daisy, how many days has it been since you last slept?
—Three… days?
Was it three days? What is certain is that I hadn't slept in at least two days. Rue, arching, looked me in the eye.
—Usually you don't sleep well, but you seem to hold up well. Is three days the limit?
It seems so. I stayed thinking for a moment, but seeing that we had arrived at our destination, I set off. Rue didn't mock my distracted face as he usually did. Instead, he straightened his sloping back and gave me some advice.
—You'd better go to sleep early today. I'll be by your side.
With the naturalness with which he said it, I almost nodded and said I would. I asked him blankly.
—I thought I should ask. Have you ever cast a sleeping spell on me?
Rue raised an eyebrow as if to say, "What nonsense," and then let out a brief sigh, accompanied by a mysterious smile.
—Not exactly. However, I helped you relax and forget your worries by patting your back before you fell asleep. But I think I haven't sung you a lullaby yet.
—Are you joking? I can't tell if you're serious or not because right now my head is dazed.
—It's okay. I also like the quiet Miss Daisy.
Well then there was no problem.
"What... did I just ask him?"
While trying to recall my memories, Rue rang the bell. After the creak of the wooden door, a young maid ran out of the mansion. With bright blonde hair and distinctive freckles, the girl looked at us with a puzzled expression.
—W-who are you...?
—Weatherwoods.
—Oh! Are you servants sent by the head maid of the Weatherwoods mansion?
I nodded.
—P-Please come in. The master is waiting for you. I'm Lenya, a servant of this mansion. I heard there were two... So, the taller one by your side, with the key, is the cook and gardener of the Weatherwoods...
She paused. When the maid, Lenya, looked at Rue's face, her mouth hung open in amazement.
—My goodness! The... the blue hair and golden eyes! Could it be? My goodness...!
Then she fell to the ground with a thump.
What was this? For as much as I waited, Lenya didn't wake up.
—She really fainted.
The situation was so absurd that it finally brought me back to reality. I knew it probably wasn't him, but I looked at Rue just in case.
—Did you just do something?
Rue shrugged in denial. Then why? Did she faint just at the sight of a handsome guy?
I carried Lenya on my shoulder and entered the mansion. The master Lenya mentioned must be the "elder who helps the Weatherwoods family" we were visiting. With the idea of leaving our luggage first, we headed towards the reception room on the first floor.
When I entered, a short old man who was sitting by the sunny window turned to look at me.
—Oh, God... —He pushed his chair back and stood up, with his white hair disheveled, and exclaimed in wonder—. T-That blue hair and those golden eyes...! No way!
He too was acting strangely. Would he faint like Lenya too?
—Wait, wait.
After gently lowering Lenya to the floor, I approached the old man to calm him down while preparing for any unforeseen circumstances. At his age, a fall to the floor could be fatal. The old man had a look of disbelief on his face. With trembling fingers, he pointed to Rue's face, which had no comparison in its exquisite beauty.
—T-That face, so beautiful it could make the goddess of beauty jealous!
—Quiet. He's just a handsome guy with no manners.
—Could you be... you...?
To be honest, I thought the old man, at best, would erroneously refer to him as "Viscount Weatherwoods" or "God of Beauty."
But...
—Calepa!
Of all the words he could have said, I didn't expect that one.