You Said You'd Come
You said you'd come back.
"Mmnh..."
The sweet song of birdsong pulled me from sleep.
I sat up in a half-dreaming haze, and unlike all those dark days before, warm sunlight wrapped itself around me.
I could feel it like this only because something inside me had changed.
And that change was all because of Athena.
I had thought everyone in this place looked at me with nothing but pity and turned away. I had been wrong.
There was Athena, who had sworn to stand only on my side.
Growl—
Thanks to her, the loneliness and anxiety had eased enough that my stomach—after days of refusing food—finally started working again.
"...I'm hungry."
Of course I was. In less than a week I had lost so much weight it showed; I simply hadn't been eating properly.
If I went down to the dining hall right now, I could have a delicious meal at once.
But I didn't want to.
I looked around. The room was quiet.
I want to eat with Athena...
I didn't want to eat alone. I had already had more than my fill of loneliness.
The meals I had forced down by myself in the days she was gone had been nothing more than a way to silence a starving stomach.
I hadn't even managed that properly, and look at the state I was in...
I wanted a warm meal where affection passed between people.
For that, I needed Athena beside me.
Should I wait just a little longer...?
Yesterday she had clearly said she would come find me again before she left.
I checked the clock in the room. Half past eight.
She ought to be waking up around now. She would come looking for me soon enough.
Thinking that, I soothed my protesting stomach and slipped back under the covers.
Waiting only for her to arrive.
Growl—
"....."
My stomach was screaming for food this instant.
I looked at the clock.
Ten in the morning.
Long past the hour any ordinary person would have been up. And yet, cruelly, she still had not come to see me.
"You said you'd come..."
Had she gone and eaten breakfast without me? While I was waiting like this?
No.
Something must have happened.
She had promised to care for me with love. There had to be some reason she couldn't come.
I threw off the covers and got out of bed.
If she wouldn't come to me, then I would go to her.
I shoved the door open and headed for her office.
"...She's not here."
Her office stood empty and hollow.
Was she still in her room, then?
That would be a problem. There were only a handful of places in this mansion whose locations I had memorized.
I had never once gone to her bedroom, so of course I had no idea where it was.
In the end I would have to ask someone for help.
But I didn't want anyone else's help.
I knew how people looked at me. They would only find me a nuisance.
I didn't want to trouble anyone else anymore. I didn't want to see those pitying eyes on me again, either.
"...Do I have to eat alone?"
I was just thinking I might have to give up when—
"My lady."
Someone called my name.
My breath caught in my throat and my body gave a sharp little jolt.
I carefully turned my gaze and found a middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform standing there. Rosewen.
"Ah... h-hello..."
My voice came out small and shrunken before I could stop it.
Rosewen looked at me with something sad in her expression, then quickly offered a warm smile and stepped closer.
"What business brings you to the master's office?"
"W-well... I thought maybe we could eat together..."
"My goodness. Heehee. The master will be delighted."
"But she wasn't here... so I was going to eat alone..."
I forced my trembling hands to still.
Rosewen's gentle smile began to look like mockery aimed at me. Behind her kind words I thought I could feel contempt, as if she found me worthless.
It's all right.
I have Athena now.
I shook my head hard and looked straight into Rosewen's eyes.
"Do you happen to know where Athena is?"
She looked briefly startled by how clear my voice had become, then answered with a bright, crinkling smile.
"Come to think of it, the master didn't take breakfast this morning either. She's probably still in her room, don't you think?"
So she hadn't eaten without me after all.
I took a little comfort from that and asked her,
"...Could you tell me where her room is?"
"Heehee. Of course, my lady."
Rosewen accepted my request without the slightest hesitation and guided me all the way to Athena's door.
Once she had shown me the way, a door decorated in gold stood before my eyes.
Perhaps because it was Athena's door, it seemed to shine even more brightly than it should have.
When Rosewen withdrew, I opened the door with a faint flutter of nerves.
The moment it swung open, a thick, clinging scent struck my nose.
"...What is that smell...?"
I thought I ought to air the place out—and then my eyes took in the rest.
Her room was as large as mine. Jewels glittered all around it, making the space even brighter.
But more striking than any of those splendid gems was the cascade of radiant platinum-blonde hair spilling from the bed.
I found Athena at once, still asleep.
Unlike the commanding presence she always carried, the sight of her sleeping so soundly was like a painting.
...So she was sleeping.
A little surge of emotion rose in my chest.
...She was still asleep?
And all this time, without knowing, I had been waiting for hours with a starving stomach!
A petty, sulky urge to get even with her welled up.
I carefully lifted my hand, meaning to give her cheek a light pinch—
Her eyes flew open and in a flash she snatched my wrist.
"Eek?!!"
Those golden eyes locked onto me with fierce intensity—then, the moment they confirmed it was me, they softened at once.
"...Hera?"
"What's going on?"
She still hadn't let go of my hand.
I worked my mouth and answered timidly.
"W-well... breakfast... I thought we could... eat together..."
Athena's eyes went wide for a second. Then, with an expression almost overwhelmed, she yanked my hand hard toward her.
"Wha—"
"I never expected to wake up to a morning this happy."
In an instant my body was sprawled on top of hers.
Through the thin fabric of my nightclothes, her body heat sank into me.
She stared straight into my eyes, then caught the back of my head—
"W-wait—mmph..."
—and pulled my mouth to hers.
Kiss—smack—
"Nnh... mmph..."
After several light kisses, Athena moved her lips to part mine and slipped her tongue inside.
"Hyaah..."
Slurp—smack—
The sudden kiss. Her tongue moved quickly this way and that, exploring the inside of my mouth.
As the moments stretched on, both our breathing grew rougher and rougher.
The heated kiss went on and on, and her hand began to travel slowly down my body.
First it settled at my waist, then inched further inward...
Before I knew it, her wicked hand was cupping my backside.
It didn't stop there. It slid deeper still—
Tap—
"Hngk?!!"
The instant her finger brushed a place I couldn't name, a sharp jolt of electricity raced through me and my whole body jerked hard.
Startled by the strange, unfamiliar sensation, I shoved her away with all my strength.
But she was lying on the bed and I was on top of her—so I was the one who went flying.
Thud—
"Ow!"
I tumbled off the bed entirely.
"Ah... that hurts..."
I crouched on the floor clutching my head and groaning. Athena looked down at me and let out a short laugh.
"Heal."
At her incantation, golden mana wrapped around me. A warm feeling spread through my body, and the pain vanished in an instant.
"Making your master this happy first thing in the morning. Well done, Hera."
She stroked my hair gently as she spoke. Her touch felt so comforting.
I looked up at her slowly and made my request.
"I'm hungry... Let's go eat breakfast. Okay?"
I wasn't joking.
The stomach that had been raising such a racket earlier seemed to have fainted; it wasn't sending any signals at all anymore.
After days of barely eating, I didn't even have the strength to stand.
"...Hah."
When I looked up, she was watching me with her face twitching.
"......You're not going?"
Her playful expression left me a little cross, and a grumbling tone slipped out of me.
"Pfft. Fine, let's go. I've gotten hungry myself."
She held out her hand as she said it.
I took it and tried to stand—only for the strength to drain from my legs in a heartbeat, and I nearly toppled again.
"H-huh...?"
I really didn't have the strength to get up.
"Urgh..."
No matter how hard I tried, my legs refused to hold me straight.
Athena watched me struggle for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh and scooped me up into her arms.
"Hyeek?"
"You must be starving, Hera."
She supported my legs and back with both arms—the pose people call a princess carry.
A flush of embarrassment made me duck my head hard. Athena pressed a brief kiss to my forehead.
"Our Hera. Such a baby."
"Ugh."
Not something I particularly wanted to hear.
I shot her a sulky glare out of mild indignation—and then paused.
Her face looked a little different from usual.
Had she not slept well...?
Those brilliantly shining golden eyes were the same as ever, but fatigue lingered in their depths.
Looking closely, she might even have a bit of dark circles...
Was she unwell somehow?
"Athena... are you feeling sick...? You look tired..."
I asked out of genuine worry.
"....."
She stared at me with an expression of pure disbelief.
After studying me for a long while, she finally heaved a great sigh and said—
"It's because of you, Hera."
Words whose meaning I couldn't grasp at all.
Huh?
Because of me?
......Why?