You Must Help Me (3)
In Karalin’s schedule, this morning was a free period. Yohan’s declaration that he would fake his death had been genuinely bewildering, yet she had permitted it long ago. If her one and only star, her vassal, said he could do it, then it was possible. She had granted him full authority over how to carry it out. Therefore, until Yohan managed to lure Gremory or some other figure into the open, there was nothing in particular for Karalin to do.
She would rise at six as always for sword training, then enjoy a quiet tea time without him. Truly, that was all. And so, until Yohan arrived, Karalin began her slightly embarrassing hobby.
She took out her fountain pen and scrawled a stiff, elegant script across the luxurious paper.
On a certain day in March 696…
It was a warm, sunny day. The gift given to me by my one and only most beautiful person as a token of celebration. Though it was a summer flower received early, its fragrance was so lovely it felt as if I were standing inside a flower garden.
The feeling when I received it… a sense of relief like flying through the sky, and my heart raced because I could feel his warm heart.
─
Beside the paper lay a thoroughly dried peony. This was the flower Yohan had given her to celebrate her admission. As the only one who knew she loved flowers, he always presented her with such gifts on important occasions.
He had given her countless blossoms over the years—so many that she could no longer remember them all. Yet there had always been one problem: because they were fresh flowers, no matter how beautifully she arranged them in a vase, they would wither within days.
It was a little embarrassing to admit, but when she was still a child she had sobbed uncontrollably when the flowers Yohan gave her wilted. The memory remained vivid even now. Karalin found herself smiling softly as she recalled it. Of course, it wasn’t really something to smile about… yet whenever she thought of the things she had shared with him, the corners of her mouth lifted on their own.
‘Y-Yohan… the flower you gave me…’
When she had cried, Yohan comforted her with the same steady kindness he showed even today.
‘My lady, we will have plenty of time together. There will be that many more flowers that bloom for us.’
‘Wh-what do you mean…?’
‘As long as I am by your side, I will always bring you the most beautiful flowers I can find. This is not the last one, so please don’t cry.’
She had always considered herself rather mature for her age, yet Yohan had been far more so. His words had dried her tears and brought a smile to her face. But as time passed and she occasionally had to discard the withered blooms, it always felt as though she were throwing away his heart along with them. The thought left her aching.
That was why Karalin had chosen this method. She dried the flowers thoroughly in the sun, placed them inside small bottles, tied a slip of paper to each stopper, and recorded the season, the fragrance, and the exact feelings she had cherished at the time. This way she could always sense and remember the heart of her one and only vassal, couldn’t she?
“There. All finished.”
She had always enjoyed making things, so time passed quickly while she worked on her little project.
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
“My lady, it is Yohan. May I come in?”
“Eep—! Just a moment!”
She could not let him see any of this! At the Vitagarde estate she had strictly forbidden him from entering her private storeroom, but here she had simply disguised the collection as ordinary bottles. Karalin hurried to tidy everything away.
In the middle of her frantic cleaning, a thought struck her.
…Wait. Why am I hiding this from Yohan?
……
……
Is it because I’m embarrassed?
Why, though? Yohan and she were childhood friends, knight and lord, a relationship with nothing to hide between them… And yet Karalin had no close female friends of the same age to consult about such feelings. Normally she would have gone to Yohan, but he was the very subject of her thoughts. Besides, she herself did not fully understand where these emotions had come from, so the idea of asking anyone for advice had never occurred to her. She could only guess and reach her own conclusions.
No. It’s just… to be honest, it’s a rather sneaky little hobby of mine. Even if Yohan said it was fine, he might still be disappointed if he saw it.
Yet she knew that if it were Yohan, he would simply say, “So my lady has a hobby like this,” and let the matter pass. She could not resolve why she kept imagining he would be disappointed. The heart truly became more difficult the more one tried to understand it.
“Ahem… You may enter, Yohan.”
The door creaked open.
“It is done. Shall we go have a meal together, my lady?”
“You’re rather late, aren’t you?”
“I apologize. Many things came up.”
Yet all her tangled worries scattered at the familiar comfort of their usual exchange. Hehe. It was Yohan.
I thought I would never escape Casacos’s laboratory, but she released me just before lunch. That allowed me to reach the cafeteria—the place I had unilaterally ordered Cryan to meet me. Whether it would work or not, I had no idea. Still, Cryan was a rigid, upright soldier. If I had gone to him directly saying I wanted to meet, he would have looked at me with nothing but wariness and disgust. This was the only method I had.
Calling my lady here was insurance. The ever-suspicious Cryan might decide that someone like me approaching him out of nowhere was suspicious and bring his master Gremory along. And since what I needed to discuss was indeed strange, I planned to handle any complications through my lady if necessary. A counter-fire operation, so to speak.
Besides, lately my lady had been wanting to eat only with me. Even though I was a little late thanks to Casacos, I assumed she would wait, and sure enough, there she was.
“My lady…”
But… this was a problem.
Even when I called her, my lady gave no reply.
“My lady, please listen to what I have to say.”
“Eat. You must eat to live.”
At first glance it looked like the tender concern of someone nursing a freezing soldier back to life, but it was simply one of her habits. That wasn’t the issue. Actions like this needed to consider time and place…!
“This is the cafeteria. There are far too many eyes on us… Strange rumors about us have been circulating lately, so we must be especially careful.”
I had never given it much thought before, but after my encounter with Casacos my mind had snapped into focus.
“…What rumor?”
My lady had been lifting a spoonful of her usual strawberry ice cream to her lips, but she paused and looked at me with genuine puzzlement. Was she truly unaware? For someone so quick to read the political situation, this kind of obliviousness was troubling.
“Oh, Yohan. Your ears have gone red. If you’ve caught a cold, cold food would be bad for you. I was thoughtless.”
It was too embarrassing to say aloud, so my lips refused to move at first, but apparently the truth showed on my face. Since she seemed unaware, I had no choice but to tell her.
“No, my lady. There are many rumors claiming that the two of us are in a romantic relationship.”
“Eh.”
Clatter.
Startled, my lady dropped her spoon. We both stared at the utensil lying on the floor, then our eyes met naturally.
“Wh-who on earth is spreading such nonsense…”
“Indeed. It is complete nonsense.”
She had been sitting with perfect grace, but my words seemed to snap her to attention; she straightened her spine and sat properly upright.
“I, Yohan… I was simply… I only wanted to share something delicious with you?”
No. What she had been doing for me lately would have been considered the behavior of lovers even by the standards of my previous world. In this one, it was even more likely to cause problems.
“Rumors like that must not circulate about our relationship. The difference in our stations is far too great, and above all else we are master and servant…”
My lady frowned slightly, looking displeased. I understood. If I were a woman and rumors spread that I was involved with a hulking brute like myself, I would be uncomfortable too.
“I had no idea such rumors were going around…”
“Yes. I am sorry. It is not a pleasant subject.”
“…Hmm. Everyone was making such a fuss that I deliberately ignored it.”
“The Central region is completely different from the North. The affairs of those in power are not merely their own—they become fodder for every tongue that watches them.”
“When did those rumors begin?”
“Probably from the moment we caused a scene at the entrance ceremony. At that time, my lady…”
I stopped speaking and repeatedly clenched and unclenched my hand. It was a metaphor for the moment she had interlaced our fingers. Seeing the gesture, my lady swallowed hard.
“…As I always think, you really do have large hands.”
“Ah, yes. They have always been this way.”
“Ahem. Still, what does it matter if such rumors exist?”
“Did I mishear…?”
She continued in a relaxed, composed voice.
“No one can actually change the relationship between you and me with mere words.”
“Are you returning the words I once said to you?”
“As long as we do not actually become lovers, any such rumors are nothing more than the idle gossip of ruffians. There is no need to pay them any mind.”
Her words left me speechless. They were exactly the same as what I had told her at the entrance ceremony.
“That is true.”
It was then that a voice interrupted us.
“My two most respected individuals? You remain as close as ever, I see.”
A green-haired woman approached with graceful steps that rivaled even my lady’s. Her voice drew out elegantly, as though she had swallowed an entire measure of leisure. It was Gremory Aregore. Behind her, Cryan stared at me with eyes full of suspicion.
Since our conversation had just ended, I cheered inwardly.
They’re here.
They had even brought Gremory, exactly as I had anticipated. Truly, preparation was the key to life. However, my lady’s demeanor had suddenly become strange.