Chapter 3, Part 2 – Beyond Affection
Tard Region, Kingdom of Calmonde. This continent, which spread out on the other side of the sea east of Velcant, was up of many small countries. Calmonde, rich in nature and surrounded by mountains on all sidse, was also one of these small countries. Due to the difference between hot and cold seasons being much more severe in this continent than in Velcant, along with the fact that the most of the area was covered in mountains and forests, the population here was rather low, in great contrast with the vastness of the land. Most of the residents were farmers, the civilization here was not very developed, and there were even villagers that were entirely self-sufficient. Not many came from Velcant to spend the rest of their lives in this small country.
Len’s house was a little ways east of the capital of Calmonde. It was an old mansion in the middle of a beautiful forest. The mansion itself wasn’t nearly as s.p.a.cious as the Cyrinpt mansion, but it was well-kept by its few servants, and its design made it easy to live in no matter what season; it was both beautiful and functional. I had already grown quite accustomed to living here.
Half a year had pa.s.sed since the day I had taken Len’s hand and run away from the wedding. Every day, I heard various news that had travelled across the sea from the newspapers in the neighboring Velcant. The daughter of the prestigious Cyrinpt family had mysteriously disappeared. There were a wide variety of articles, some claiming it to have been a kidnapping, others elopement, and others even saying it was a spiriting away. But as I stared at those flat, printed words, it was if they were about someone completely unrelated to me. As I thought about what mother might be doing right now, about everyone back at the mansion, about Mr, Iceburg and all those who had come to the wedding, my chest hurt. My betrayal still weighed down heavily on me, and continued to cause my heart pain. Surely, if they were to learn of my current situation, they would be both angry, and saddened.
Even so, I was no longer even capable of regretting that the choice I’d made on that day may have been a mistake. Something gained from something lost. It wasn’t simply something placed on the balance of my heart to keep it steady, but something that had become very precious to me.
“Hey, Miku~ I finished peeling the apples.”
“Alright. Then, please prepare the b.u.t.ter next…… huh?”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
The thing that Len was holding in his hand….. had to be an apple. I glanced over at the scattered apple skin on the kitchen counter. No matter which way you looked at them, they were strange. To think that the peeled apple would become smaller… As I gathered up the thick skins, I said to Len, who was smiling cheerfully.
“……. The apple skins are going to be the main focus now.”
“Eh? We’re using the skins, too?”
“We’re not, so that’s why I asked you to peel them off. And yet…. you shaved off so much of the fruit, too.”
It probably wouldn’t be possible to make the apple pie he wanted with only this amount…… If I remembered, there should still be a few more ripe apples growing in the garden.
“I’ll take care of this part, so please bring me two or three more apples.”
“What!? But I want to help too!”
“…… It’s alright. The thought alone makes me very happy,”
I said with a smile, and after making a slightly embarra.s.sed face, he cheerfully went to go pick the apples. Although he was able to do most other things so skillfully, for some reason, he was only particularly clumsy when it came to housework like cooking and cleaning. Just like how he’d peeled the apple skins so thickly, when he’d helped with washing the dishes left by the maids who were on vacation, he had ended up breaking most of them. While he’d said that he had never done housework before, there were many other things about his daily routine that were unusual. I felt that this wasn’t simply because of the cultural difference between Velcant and Tard. He had told me that he’d always lived alone, without any parents and siblings, so perhaps he was just a little out of the ordinary.
“Miku~ Is this enough?”
Len returned with a smile, holding an armful of apples.
“You picked so many. Just a few would have been enough.”
“If we have a lot, then we can make a big pie with them!”
“You really love eating, don’t you, Len?”
“It’s because the apple pies you make are so delicious, Miku,”
He said, and hugged me from behind. The weight of his chin on my shoulder felt nice. However….. I wouldn’t be able to continue cooking like this.
“Len!”
“…… You smell nice, Miku.”
“…. I can’t keep cooking if you hold me like this….”
“Yeah….. I know.”
“If you know, then…..!”
“Ahh….. I’m so happy~……”
Happy. Len’s charming, high-toned voice seemed to melt into my heart. His arms around me were gentle. Ever since I’d come here, every moment was filled with these warm emotions.
“I’m happy too,”
I turned to face him, and met with kind, sympathetic eyes. I caught a glimpse of curiosity in them, and smiled softly. He lifted up his left hand to stroke my cheek. The taste of apples lingered in our kiss.
After finishing with the late brunch, I read the newspaper while drinking coffee. When I had been an angel, coffee had been too bitter for my liking, but after reincarnating into the male human, Len, it seemed that my tastes had changed considerably. And it wasn’t only my tastes which had changed. I had become interested in knowing the major trends in society all the time, and although I hadn’t had any interest in them before, I now checked the current events every morning, without fail. Today, it was written in the headline, “Mysterious ma.s.sacre at the church! Unable to find a single lead, the police force struggles!” Church, ma.s.sacre, not a single clue—the first thing that came to mind was that incident. It was the demon faith that I had investigated when I had once been an angel. There was no “proof” in the dispute between angels and demons that could be understood by humans. Even with the involvement of the police, it was useless. Although in reality, the ones that suffered damage were neither the angels or the demons, but the humans. As I thought about these indescribably ironic things, I finished the rest of my coffee in one gulp.
Last night, Miku had said that a new maid would be arriving, and therefore, the servants in the mansion were all excited since this morning. I didn’t know the details, but when I had gone into town the other day, I had heard that a female maid had come from Velcant in search of employment. Seeing as how she was also from Velcant, and furthermore, already had experience as a maid, it seemed that the offer had been accepted after only two correspondences with the mediator. Occasionally, I saw Miku behave as if she were homesick, so if she had someone from the same country close by, perhaps she wouldn’t feel as lonely anymore. Also, it was a woman around her age, so they would have things in common to talk about. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of person they were.
It was right then that one of the maids came to call me, seeming panicked. It was still a bit early for it to be the arranged time, but perhaps they had already arrived. As the master of the mansion, I checked to see that my outfit was in order, and hurried down the staircase that led to the entrance hall. On the small, reception sofa in the hall sat a sleek, slender woman with long, beautiful blonde hair. The shape of her eyes was sharp and slanted upward slightly, and the blue color shone with certain defiance. All in all, she gave off an air of confidence.
…… I couldn’t help but feel like we’d met somewhere before. No, it had to just be my imagination. Looking at her from a distance, I felt a sudden pain in my head. I walked up closer to her, and our eyes met.
It would seem that it hadn’t just been my imagination.
“Lily!”
Miku came running in from the rear. And with that momentum, she ran up and hugged the woman named Lily.
“Lily……! I missed you……!”
“Lady Miku,”
The two of them stared at each other with misty eyes, overcome with emotions. For the while, the silence went on. The other maids put away their premature, welcoming mood for now, and returned to their respective duties. In reality, they were women that knew how to read the atmosphere.
“I was worried about you, Lady Miku. However, I am glad to see that you’re doing welling.”
“…… I’m so sorry!”
“Oh, my. You never used to let me see your crying face back at the mansion. It seems….. that you’ve become much more honest with yourself.”
“……!”
“Ufufu. I’m sure there is much to talk about, so why don’t we have tea? Together with the master, as well,”
She smiled in my direction as she spoke. This was our first time meeting. Right now, I was a young, freewheeling n.o.bleman with a small amount of land in Calmonde. I had to act my part. Smiling in nostalgia, I welcomed my guest, who I was meeting for the first time, to the hall.
“Ah…… Then, Lily, did you leave the mansion right after I disappeared?”
“Yes. Well, to be exact, it was a month afterwards.”
“…… But, won’t that look suspicious? For the ones at the mansion to disappear as soon as I had…… Lily, what if you’re suspected as being my kidnapper…..?”
“It’s alright, you needn’t worry about me. Despite my looks, I have quite a bit of confidence in my strength!”
Saying this, she proudly flexed the biceps on her right arm and turned around.
“Certainly….. There doesn’t seem to be much to worry about,”
As I looked at her strong arms, I muttered this out loud.
“Oh, my my, but I am still but a frail maiden~ It was really quite troublesome making my way here! After carefully investigating any sighting of Lady Miku in Alphine, I crossed the ocean, traversed fields and mountains, and at last, I made it to the depths of this forest! Other people would have never been able to find their way here!”
I had escaped into the depths of this forest where I would never be found, in accordance with the intricate contract that I had formed with the demons. And yet, just what part of her information network and vigor was “frail,” to have been able to find this place, hidden from even angels’ eyes, in only half a year? If someone knew, then I’d sure love to hear it.
“Len! Lily isn’t so strong that she could defeat the great threats that dwell in this forest, you know? That was a terrible thing to say just now.”
And then, Miku said something to me that I didn’t quite follow. Before two women, a man’s opinion is equivalent to a small boat in a storm. I continued to speak, in a way that wouldn’t anger them, if possible.
“I-I apologize. Um, Miss Lily,”
“Just Lily is fine, Master Len. You are the master of this house, after all.”
I often would forget that I was the master of this mansion. Despite the fact that I had already been living here as a human for half a year, I still wasn’t quite used to it.
“Lily, then. I’ll be counting on you, starting today. Since you’ve worked as a maid before, I think you’ll get used to working here before long. Ah, I’ll be counting on you to look after Miku, too.”
“….. Understood. I look forward to working here, Master Len,”
Lily simply said this, and immediately went to extend her greetings to the maids from earlier. It seemed that she had come all this way in search of Miku out of concern. And although she had now found her, she showed no intention of bringing her back to Alphine. On the contrary, her behavior seemed to suggest excitement in starting a new life in this distant, foreign country. I felt some of the weight lighten from my chest after seeing her positive att.i.tude. Even if she weren’t about to start working at this mansion from now on, she showed absolutely no accusation towards me for deceiving Miku and kidnapping her from the wedding to live here in secret.
“Lily! I’ll show you around. First, I’ll show you where your room is……”
I had already long thrown away my ident.i.ty as Rin. From now on, I wanted to get along with her, who respected Miku so much, as “Len.” Even if it was to be a deceitful relationship.
“Oh, my! To think that Master Len himself would be giving me a tour! …… Could it that that you have been charmed by my good looks…..?”
“No, that’s not it at all.”
It would seem that, starting today, my life would be much livelier than it had ever been thus far.
“Well, we’ll be going now.”
“We’ll be waiting here for you to return with souvenirs~! Oh, and also, have a safe journey.”
“…… Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“““Have a safe trip—!!”””
After being sent off by the lively maids, we left through the front door. It seemed like our skin would quickly become flushed in this scorching hot sunlight. Carrying a large trunk, we got into the carriage. There was no coachman. Starting today, it would be just the two of us for about a week. We would be going to a lake in the neighboring country for the summer. In the small carriage made for only two people, called a cabriolet, we sat next to each other. Miku had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. Just seeing her face, filled with antic.i.p.ation, was enough to make me smile.
“We’re here.”
Pa.s.sing through the forest, descending the mountain trail, and taking several breaks, we arrived at a small villa on the banks of a beautiful lake after about half a day. Since I had begun living here in Tard, I was soon able to occasionally travel to neighboring countries for leisure trips, thanks to the relationships that I had slowly built up with other n.o.bles. In fact, this villa had been lent to me by a good friend I had met two months prior at a small dinner banquet I had held. He had suggested that here was a nice place to take a trip to once it became summer.
I stored the carriage away into the shed, and took out the luggage. When I opened the door, I saw that the interior was very well-kept; the servants must come to take care of it frequently. It was a simple, wooden-structured home, and well-furnished in each room. It was neither too gorgeous, nor very rustic at all; a house of very good taste.
“Len! Are there fish in the lake?”
“Hm……? Fish….. He did say that he goes fishing often, so I think there should be.”
“Fishing? Oh, that sounds like fun! I’d love to try it!”
“Sure. After I put away the luggage, we’ll go fishing.”
“Yes, let’s have a compet.i.tion to see who can catch the most fish! The loser will have to fulfill one wish of the winner.”
“Oh…. Sounds good! I accept your challenge, young miss.”
“Wish” ….. The ring of that word stirred my heart. Already thinking about what I would ask for after winning, I excitedly set off in search of my friend’s fishing equipment.
“……”
“Ohh—!”
“……….”
“Woah!”
“……………”
“Caught another one! Aaand, there we go—”
At my feet, the bucket that I had prepared was already overflowing with many fish. I had never eaten river fish very much, but just from the look of it, I imagined it would be refreshing and delicious. After I had learned of “dining” upon becoming a human, I felt that I had become quite the gourmet. Especially when you get so hungry that anything you eat tastes wonderful; that time in particular is pure bliss. Just thinking about dinner made me hungry now. It was nearly evening, so it seemed a good time to dine soon.
“Hey, Miku……”
“…… Not yet.”
Miku said this while glaring so hard at the water’s surface that it was terrifying. It seemed that she still wanted to fish. However, the sun would be setting soon, and the results of the compet.i.tion were clear.
“Ah~ …… Um, you know…”
“Not yet, I said……. I still haven’t caught a single one……!”
“……”
Her eyes were glistening just a bit. Were those tears of frustration? I would have never thought that she’d take this compet.i.tion so seriously. With earnest eyes, she stared at the end of the fishing line. I found her face to be very cute, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Wh…… What’s so funny!”
“B-because…… aha….. You’re staring so hard at the water but….. Not a single one……”
“Stop laughing~!”
“……ahahaha!”
“……. Y-you’re so mean, laughing at me like that! Stupid Len—I hate you……!”
“Sorry……! Haha—”
I must have teased her too much. Miku’s face gradually lost its composure, and she looked like she might burst out crying at any moment. Even as she made this face, I wanted to monopolize her even more. I found myself thinking these inappropriate thoughts.
“I’m sorry,”
I pulled her into an embrace. She started squirming like a child, so I pressed my hand against the back of her head and forced our gazes to meet. With a wrinkle at her brow, she glared at me from point-blank range, but there was no strength in it at all.
“You look cute when you’re angry, too.”
“……”
“Come on, cheer up. Please?”
“……”
“Remember? The loser has to grant one wish of the winner—is that still not enough to make you do it?”
“No! I won’t really be happy even if I do so……”
She turned her head away again. Her entire upper body was twisted away from me.
“That’s bothersome……”
“….. You hardly look bothered at all!”
“But I am?”
“…. See? You’re laughing!”
“Am I? I always look like this.”
“No you don’t! You usually look much more handsome…”
“…… Eh?”
“……!”
She seemed to be embarra.s.sed by what she’d said and tried to stand up, but I strengthened my grip to stop her.
“Let go of me, please!”
“No way. I won’t let go.”
“Len, please……! Huh……?”
I’d been seen. Surely, my own face was as red as the sunset right now. She seldom complimented me by saying I that was handsome, or anything of the sort. My heart was pounding noisily.
“…… Come now, it really is going to get dark soon, so let’s go back.”
I pretended like it was nothing, and stood up.
“Len…… your face—”
“If you say any more…. I’ll make you have the same face as me,”
As soon as I said this, she seemed to imagine something, and became tongue-tied, her face pink. She stared at me with eyes that seemed to expect something, and my heart sprang forward a bit in mischief.
“Come to think of if, the winner of the compet.i.tion is me, so…. About my wish…..”
I whispered this softly in her ear. Her face quickly reddened.
“~~~!”
As she stood still, unable to say a word, I took her hand, the bucket in my other free hand, and started to walk. She glared at me again, looking slightly rueful, but as before, there wasn’t any strength in the expression.
“Ah~ I’m so hungry…… I’m looking to dinner.”
“……. Right.”
Contrary to the now-heavy bucket, my gait was much lighter on the way back than when we’d come.
When it became night, we decided to make a simple meal with the fish that we…… well, the fish that I had caught. I excitedly pulled out the cooking utensils, but after being told by Miku, “Len, you don’t have to help out, so just relax,” with a no-questions-asked-smile, I was suddenly left with nothing to do. Each time I tried to help the maids with some kind of household ch.o.r.e, too, they nervously told me that I didn’t have to since I was the master. I was hardly making any progress.
To kill time, I walked aimlessly around the garden by myself. The heat from the afternoon had subsided a bit, and the night air felt nice. As I continued walking like this for a while, I noticed that the area around my feet had suddenly gotten brighter. Wondering what it was, I crouched down and saw that it was a bug. I didn’t remember seeing this kind of bug during the day. Leaning in to have a closer look, they seemed to be flying while emitting a soft light from their body.
I felt a sense of affinity towards creatures with wings. Perhaps it was because I had once been an angel, but I felt that these bugs also shared the hardships and troubles as others that had wings. As I stared listlessly at this beautiful, flickering bug, I heard her calling for me from within the mansion. I’d have to tell her about this unusual bug. With quick steps, I followed the delicious scent of food that had drifted into the garden.
“Hey, Miku. Earlier, I saw this strange bug in the garden.”
“A strange bug……?”
After we finished dinner, and I was rejected again when offering to help clean up, I relaxed by myself on the sofa. I suddenly remembered about the bug that I had found earlier, and started to tell her about it. She told me that she’d like to see them for herself, so we went outside again. The garden was glowing brightly. Many of those glowing bugs, many more than earlier, had gathered.
“Woah…. There’s more than before……!”
“Fireflies! So pretty……”
“Fireflies?”
“Yes, they’re called fireflies. They live where there’s clean water. Lately, there aren’t too many in Velcant anymore, but…… It must be because there’s so much nature around here.”
“I see……”
Clean water, huh. Until I had come to live in the human world, I had never really realized that there were so many different lands and cultures. Heaven was the origin of everything. I remembered once telling her this. Although she probably didn’t remember that now…… Velcant and Tard differed greatly in its people, culture, climate, and practically everything else. Now that I was a human, I was very happy that I was able to see these large differences.
“Wow…… The fireflies are pretty, but so are the stars.”
“You’re right…… Ah! Miku, watch out!”
“? ……kyahh—”
As she walked slowly, looking up at the night sky, her foot stumbled into something. I embraced her body suddenly to prevent her from falling, but I also lost my balance, and we both tumbled to the ground.
“…… L-Len, are you alright?”
“…… I’m fine. Are you?”
“Y-yes, since you protected me…… I’m sorry. …… Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I was glad that she wasn’t injured. I decided that I would clean up this garden a bit, first thing tomorrow. I was sure that she must have stumbled on some trash or something. Rolling over, we remained lying there on the gra.s.s, and looked up at the sky.
“It’s so pretty…… Both above and below, everything’s glowing.”
Before we noticed, there were fireflies floating around where we were lying down, as well.
“……. Both the stars and the fireflies are pretty, but Miku’s the one that glows the brightest.”
“Ah……! Y-you always say things like that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“…… Don’t say those kinds of things to other people.”
“…… Are you jealous……? That makes me happy. But you know, I’ve never said them to anyone besides you, Miku~”
“I-I mean from now on……!”
“…… Alright. I promise.”
“It’s a promise, alright?”
“If you’ll stay by my side forever, that’s enough. I don’t need anything else.”
“Mm…… Me too. If you’re by my side, that’s enough.”
“……”
“…… Ah! It’s a shooting star!”
“Eh?”
For a split-second, a star streaked across the sky with a sparkle.
“Oh, another one! Hey, Len, did you know that if you make a wish on a shooting star before it disappears, your wish will come true?”
“Really? …… Alright, here I go! Ah…… It disappears a lot faster than I thought it would.”
“It’s rather difficult. A long time ago, my father also made a wish on a shooting star, and it came true.”
“Oh? …… What kind of wish was it?”
“He wished that his love with my mother would grow stronger, and right after that, they really did grow closer and became lovers.”
“Oh…? Your father sounds like he was an interesting man.”
“Doesn’t he? It’s so romantic……”
“…… I’ll make a wish too, then. But… I don’t have too much faith towards the stars, so is it alright if I make the wish directly to myself?”
I gazed up at the starry sky, staring at nowhere in particular. Getting into fights over trivial things, and then making up and laughing it off. I felt so much happiness from that kind of frivolous play. I simply wished that these peaceful days would continue forever.