Chapter 74
Young lady! We came to visit! Wow, this house is huge.
Elodie burst cheerfully into Renoa’s bedroom.
Helena and Aither were there too. They had come to check on Renoa because they were worried about her.
Elodie, you shouldn’t be running around like that in front of a patient.
Ah, sorry. But I’ve never seen such a huge house before in my life, you know? Can’t I go look around?
Just be patient a little longer. You haven’t even greeted the young lady yet.
Okay.
At Helena’s gentle reminder, Elodie obediently complied.
She trotted up to Renoa, who was sitting on the bed.
Young lady, how are you feeling?
Already tired.
Huh? It’s still noon, and you’re already tired? You have to eat properly. There’s nothing more important than health in this world, you know.
......
Renoa looked at Elodie with narrowed eyes. Catching the thoughts hidden in that gaze, Helena quickly cut in.
Y-young lady. We brought flowers as a get-well gift—would you like to see them?
I’ll look at them later. Tell the maid to put them in a vase.
Understood. Elodie, could you take the flowers to the maid outside?
Yes!
Elodie, who had been about to leave the room, suddenly hesitated.
Can I look around the house?
Go ahead...
Wow!
Having received Renoa’s permission, Elodie happily left the room.
Helena let out a sigh as if she’d shaken off a heavy burden.
I’m sorry. I did tell her very firmly not to be noisy, but...
It’s fine. I already knew that’s the kind of kid she is.
Haha. Still, isn’t her cheerfulness nice to see? In a group, you need at least one person to liven things up.
Aither laughed heartily.
It feels like it’s been a while, young lady.
Welcome, Your Highness. I apologize for greeting you while I’m in bed. Please forgive my rudeness.
I’m not so uptight that I’d make a patient get up, so relax.
Aither waved a hand lightly.
How are you feeling?
According to the doctor, I still need a bit more rest. But I think I’ll be able to get up soon.
That’s a relief. I was so surprised when I heard from Leon that the young lady had gone on a hunger strike.
That was such a pointless stunt...
Renoa bit her lip hard in embarrassment.
Hahaha. Looks like you’ll be back on your feet soon enough. Right, how are your eyes?
They’re much better than before. They’re not fully back yet, but I can distinguish objects now.
Renoa wasn’t completely blind. The mana circuits leading to her optic nerves had just hardened.
As long as she didn’t use magic, her vision would gradually return.
More importantly, where’s Leon? We have a guest, and he hasn’t even come out to greet them.
He’s...
Oh? You’re already here. I thought it would take a little longer.
Just then, the door opened at the perfect time and Leon came in.
You’ve got a guest waiting, and you’re still taking your time. What were you doing?
I was peeling fruit. Hello, Helena.
Hello. What’s that apple? Did Leon carve it?
Yeah. You should eat some too.
Leon set a plate on the table. On it was a rabbit-shaped apple.
Leon picked up the other plate and sat in the chair beside the bed.
Using a fork, he picked up a piece of apple and brought it to Renoa’s lips.
Say ah.
Renoa opened her mouth and bit into the apple.
The motion was as smooth as flowing water.
Huh?
The one who let out that dazed sound was Helena.
Her eyes were twice as wide as usual, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just seen.
That Renoa would quietly accept food from someone else’s hand without a word?
The people involved themselves didn’t seem to think anything was strange.
You two were that close?
Helena wasn’t the only one wondering about the scene before her. Aither had his arms crossed, looking intrigued.
Only then did Renoa realize her mistake. A late embarrassment flashed across her green eyes.
W-well... since I collapsed, my body has weakened, so it’s difficult to eat by myself...
So Leon fed you.
......
Leon only shrugged as if it were nothing.
If you’re sick, it’s only natural for someone else to feed you. Now, ah.
She’d already eaten without thinking just now, but she couldn’t do it anymore.
Renoa wasn’t shameless enough to accept food in front of everyone while fully conscious.
Take it away.
Tch.
So Leon ate the half of the apple he had been about to feed Renoa instead.
That made Helena flinch again.
***
Then, young lady! We’re heading out now! We’ll come again tomorrow!
Renoa’s bedside visit began with Elodie and ended with Elodie.
The group left the mansion, wishing Renoa a speedy recovery.
As soon as they were gone, Renoa let out a long sigh.
Haa... Tell them not to come anymore.
Renoa pressed hard at her throbbing temples.
Elodie’s voice was still echoing in her ears. It felt like a child was running wild through her head.
Still, thanks to them, it finally feels like a house where people live. Before they came, it felt like a house where corpses lived.
Could that corpse possibly be me?
Not the young lady. You’re alive. Well, it almost happened.
For a moment Renoa almost lashed out, unable to hold back her temper, but she only moved her lips.
Back then, Renoa had her own reasons and had been resolute, but looking back, there was nothing more humiliating than that.
Even worse, Leon had seen that scene from right beside her.
Just thinking about it makes her want to tear the blankets apart every night.
-knock, knock.
A knock sounded in the room after the guests had left.
Young lady. I’ve warmed the bathwater. Would you like to bathe?
Yes. I’ll do that.
Please wash in comfort. I’ll be in the next room, so...
Leon had been about to step away for a brief rest.
Leon.
Yes.
Come here.
Yes?
Come here.
A pun on his name.
He’d been on the receiving end of that countless times back in school, and now he was being hit with it again in another world.
Leon stood beside Renoa, who was sitting on the bed.
Renoa stared at Leon with bright, wide eyes.
Carry me to the bathroom.
Huh?
I’ve been sitting for too long, so my legs have no strength. I can’t walk there by myself.
That’s a little...
Leon hesitated, but Renoa didn’t care. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and shot him a look.
You said you’d be my hands and feet.
I did say that, but...
Renoa let out a sigh.
Right, your loyalty was only worth that much after all. I should’ve expected as much.
......
Bibi would have done it.
Understood. I’ll do it for you, then.
Even so, comparing him to the one who poisoned her master was too much. Leon reluctantly moved closer to the bed.
His purpose was not support but transport. There were three basic ways to move someone who couldn’t move.
Carry them on your back, in your arms, or over your shoulder.
Anyone could see option 3 was out.
If it were Elodie, she’d probably laugh with delight if he hoisted her over his shoulder, but that was absolutely not the case with Renoa.
‘1 or 2...’
Renoa waited in silence, as if to see which one he’d choose.
After a long moment of thought, Leon turned his back and lowered himself.
Get on my back.
Leon had chosen to give her a piggyback ride.
No matter how you looked at it, carrying her in his arms was far too close. Both physically and psychologically.
A piggyback was much better.
Renoa stared at Leon’s back, speechless.
It wasn’t to her liking, but she’d let it slide. If he’d tried to carry her over his shoulder, she might have unleashed a torrent of curses.
Renoa slowly gathered herself and leaned onto Leon’s back.
She didn’t fully press against him. She lifted her upper body slightly. A small gap remained between them.
She hooked her arms around his shoulders. Even then, she didn’t have the courage to hold on tightly, so her grip was loose.
Let’s go.
Once Leon confirmed Renoa was on his back, he straightened his knees and stood up.
Ah.
A short gasp escaped her at the same time.
This was the first time in Renoa’s life she’d ever been carried on someone’s back.
Was that why?
Startled by the sudden feeling of weightlessness, she tensed up and clutched Leon tightly with her arms.
Even the slight gap between them vanished as they pressed against each other.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a big deal, and Renoa quickly regained her composure.
But.
......
Renoa didn’t relax at all.
It had been an accident.
It hadn’t been her own will.
Rationalizing it that way, she completely entrusted herself to Leon’s back.
Leon started walking.
A rhythmic sway reached her. Leon’s back, touching her through the thin indoor clothes, was firmer than Renoa had imagined.
The traces of the boy who had once been smaller than her were nowhere to be found.
The broad frame of the man he’d become supported Renoa’s small body without a single gap. It was incredibly reassuring.
And there was always one thing she felt whenever she was close to Leon.
‘A nice scent...’
Leon always had a pleasant smell that was hard to describe.
She had never once seen him use perfume. If that was the case, then the scent lingering at the tip of her nose had to be entirely his body scent.
Because her sense of smell had sharpened as her eyesight weakened, it felt even more vivid.
She remembered reading a line like that in a book once.
That the body scent of the opposite sex you’re attracted to feels pleasant. An instinctive pull toward a mate your genes are drawn to.
Renoa had snorted when she read that line.
She’d thought it was a shallow phrase that reduced complicated human emotions to nothing more than animal instinct.
Or so she would have thought.
Sniff...
Without even realizing it, Renoa had buried her nose near Leon’s nape and was breathing in deeply, as if savoring his scent.
His warmth filling the depths of her lungs.
An indescribable sense of relief.
Her world was so cold and terrible, so why was this slave’s embrace so warm and comforting?
No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn’t understand.
The distance from the bedroom to the bathroom was only a few dozen steps—a very short distance.
During that brief time, countless sensations were wildly scrambling Renoa’s mind.
A desire she couldn’t even understand herself—the wish that time would stop forever like this—had taken root in her thoughts.
Young lady.
......
Young lady?
......Huh?
We’ve arrived.
Renoa flinched and hurriedly pulled her head away from Leon’s nape.
Already?
It hadn’t been a long distance to begin with, but today it felt especially short.
A trace of regret flickered in Renoa’s eyes as her lips unconsciously moved.
But before she could even gather herself, Leon bent his knees and lowered himself.
The warmth receded, and Renoa’s bare feet touched the cold floor.
A sense of loss, as if something precious had been taken from her, washed over her.
Can you stand on your own?
...Yeah.
Then I’ll head out, so please take your time and relax. I’ll leave the young lady in your care.
Yes.
Leon, having handed Renoa over to the maid, was finally free of her grasp.
No, he should have been freed.
Wait.
Renoa called Leon to a stop.
Do you need anything else?
You come in too.
......Huh?
Leon asked again, thinking he might have heard wrong.
Renoa repeated herself once more, her expression unchanged.
You come in too.