The Name I Had to Forget, The Name I Had Forgotten #13
Exhausted from crying, perhaps, the owl's hooting had faded away, leaving the room shrouded in an eerie silence. Isel bit her lower lip anxiously at the sight of Rosel, his face set in an expression she'd never seen before. Her nail-biting habit had mostly improved, but she still couldn't shake the tendency to nibble the inside of her lip. Unable to bear the tension any longer, Isel spoke first.
"M-Master... is something wrong?"
"...No. Not yet."
"Ah... Your expression looks so grim."
"...Does it? I must have unintentionally made you feel that way. Forgive me."
Rosel managed an awkward smile with just his lips. But the obviously forced expression made it impossible for Isel to smile back.
"N-No, I wouldn't dare ask for forgiveness..."
"...Isel, look at me."
"Y-Yes?"
At Rosel's sudden command, Isel lifted her head. His light blue hair was disheveled, and his complexion looked somewhat gaunt. For some reason, she sensed the same 'anxiety' in him that she felt herself.
"Wh-Why... Master...?"
"...I've come because I have something important to discuss today."
Rosel spoke with a rigid expression and stiff tone, a hint of grim resolve as if heading into a final battle. Isel tensed up in response.
"Yes...? What is it...?"
"Tomorrow, Silia's birthday celebration will begin and last three days. One day for the party itself, and two days of banquets afterward."
"...Yes."
"I see you've heard."
"Lady Silia told me..."
"You haven't heard anything else?"
Isel shook her head vigorously, her face taut with tension. The atmosphere radiating from Rosel was heavier than anything she'd ever felt from him before.
"...King Brikal will be attending."
At Rosel's curt words, Isel felt as if her heart plummeted into an abyss. Her wide emerald eyes trembled pitifully, losing focus once more. Her breath caught, and the terror she'd momentarily forgotten surged deep into her lungs.
"..."
Rosel gazed at the frozen Isel with sorrowful eyes. It was lamentable that someone in her position had to endure such extreme fear because of another, but there was no helping it. Every year, he'd held grand banquets for Silia's and his own birthdays, always inviting the king and major nobles. But after taking in a slave convicted of treason, any change in that established pattern might give sycophants an opening to whisper poison into Brikal's ear. The world of nobility was like walking on thin ice, and with factions that viewed him unfavorably, he couldn't afford to show weakness.
Thus, all he could do was comfort the terrified Isel.
"...Don't be so afraid. This is Rosel Territory, and even the king won't be able to treat you carelessly here."
It was a sadly false reassurance. King Brikal's womanizing, arrogance, and perverse nature made it obvious he'd try to trample her again. The rumors would have already spread through the capital by now. Brikal would be curious why a favored subordinate like Rosel had bought a traitor slave, and to gauge that, he'd surely humiliate Isel. But Rosel didn't want to stir up trouble by mentioning a potential crisis that might, with luck, be avoided.
Instead, he placed something on the table and slid it toward her—a small, thin vial the size of a finger, filled with green liquid.
"Take this."
"...."
Isel's hand trembled so violently from the mere mention of 'Brikal' that she couldn't grasp it. Rosel reached out with both hands, holding the green potion in one and taking her hand with the other, placing it directly into her grasp.
"M-Master..."
The sudden warmth from Rosel eased her tremors somewhat. A faint blush colored her cheeks at the unexpected touch, and her shivering body, as if chilled, strangely began to calm.
"If you're ever summoned to the banquet hall, make sure to drink this."
"...Pardon? This?"
"It numbs pain for about an hour immediately after consumption. Of course... that doesn't mean pain is certain. It's just... preparation for the worst."
"Master..."
Isel clutched the green vial to her chest. She was grateful. What master would go to such lengths for a lowly slave's suffering? Yet the fear already creeping in was unavoidable.
With a moved expression, Isel bowed her head deeply.
"Th-Thank you..."
"Good. I want you to know that I'm watching out for you like this."
"I know. You're a good person, Master."
Rosel smiled faintly. He felt proud. That he was carving a place in Isel's heart. That his efforts were bearing fruit.
"Alright then, rest well. I'll be going."
Rosel rose from his seat. In a few hours, the procession of noble carriages would arrive. He couldn't greet them looking haggard, so he planned to catch a short nap. But Isel's grip on his hand stopped him.
"What's wrong?"
"It'll be tough starting tomorrow... won't it?"
"...."
Isel looked up at him with a serene gaze, as if resigned to the fear. Rosel ground his teeth, swallowing his sorrow. He didn't show it outwardly. He had to be a sturdy haven for her, who had endured harsh storms; he couldn't appear weak.
"...I don't know. I can only hope the storm doesn't come."
"It's okay..."
"What is?"
"If you're by my side... I think I can endure it. I'm... not alone anymore, right...?"
At Isel's earnest confession, Rosel's heart ached. The reality that all he could offer the girl who trusted and leaned on him was a mere 'pain-numbing potion' crushed him viciously. But he spoke calmly. To be her shield, he had to be steadfast.
"...Yes, you're not alone anymore. And I'll stand by your side no matter what, so don't fear. You can endure it."
"Instead."
Rosel looked down at Isel as she spoke. And at her bright smile, his heart throbbed with pain. It was a smile knowing the terror ahead, carrying an indescribable sadness.
"Tell me now. Why you bought me."
A thread of hope glimmered at the edge of Isel's beaming smile.
"Then... I think I can endure it, Master."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"It's really all gone."
"Yes..."
Rosel said flatly, confirming the scars on Isel's body had vanished cleanly. He hadn't checked her chest, of course, but saw no need to mention it.
"Tell me, Master."
"...."
Standing face-to-face by the table, Isel and Rosel met each other's eyes. Rosel gazed into her large eyes with a complex, subtle look. Isel no longer averted her gaze.
"If I tell you, will you promise to endure any storm that comes, for my sake?"
Isel nodded. The sincerity Rosel had shown had more than moved her heart. His un-noble-like kindness had been a fresh, warm breeze to her, who harbored absolute distrust of nobles. She felt she could trust and follow him completely. His integrity, uprightness, and strength seemed trustworthy enough to dominate an era, and she felt she could rest peacefully in his shadow.
Thus, Isel didn't hesitate.
"Yes. Tell me. Why you bought me."
Yet Rosel's eyes were strange. No sadness or joy showed. Just a flicker of fear.
"I've been counting the days to this moment... but now that it's here, I'm afraid."
"...Afraid of what?"
Rosel smiled awkwardly. The smile itself was genuine, just awkwardly expressed.
"A pleasant fear, perhaps..."
Rosel murmured somewhat dazedly. To him, this moment was one he'd always only imagined, born of deep longing and desire. Now that the imagination was becoming reality, it scared him, in a way. But he didn't waver. It was the moment he'd so desperately wanted, the one he'd lived for, eyes forward. Couldn't he pause just a little?
Resolved, Rosel suddenly spread his arms wide.
"...Wh-Why...?"
"This is my answer. The reason I bought you."
"Pardon...?"
"Come here. I'll tell you why I bought you."
Isel hesitated at Rosel's sudden embrace pose, but not for long. If he'd intended to take her from day one, she would have despised him as a perverted noble. But now she knew. Rosel, her master, was not that kind of man. He was sincere and pure, wanting to 'hold' her, not 'take' her.
Thus, with an innocent smile, her golden hair swaying, Isel ran to him and nestled softly into his broad chest.
Rosel buried his face between her shoulder and neck, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. How much hardship had this small, fragile body endured? How much pain had this delicate heart suffered? Emotions welled up fiercely.
Feeling it too, Isel buried her face in Rosel's broad chest. Her fragrant scent tickled his nose, and with his long-cherished dream held in his arms, gentle waves rippled in Rosel's eyes. His arms around her trembled faintly, his breath shaky. The days he'd lived for her felt rewarding, the days he'd endured for her felt happy. Her warm embrace and sweet scent seemed to soothe his own arduous past.
Overwhelmed, Rosel moved his right hand from her waist to stroke and pat her back gently. He knew well that the hardships weren't his alone. No, his own were trivial compared to hers.
As he warmly stroked her small back, Rosel spoke.
"You suffered so much... really, you did well enduring. Thank you, Isel. I'm so grateful you held on."
"...M-Master..."
Perhaps sensing his heart, Isel seemed to understand why Rosel had bought her. She rubbed her cheek against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was cozy. Warm. Vast. As if all her past harsh trials had been for this moment, Rosel's embrace was endlessly merciful—a lighthouse for her who needed a place to lean.
Holding her tightly, Rosel whispered lowly.
"I have so many stories I want to tell you... but I'll share them when the time comes. Can you wait by my side?"
Isel smiled brightly and rubbed her cheek against him in his arms.
"Yes... I'll wait."
He wanted to tell her everything right then, but she wasn't ready for those stories yet. Perhaps she'd never understand them. So Rosel simply held her, whispering into her heart that he'd be her sturdy shield amid fierce storms.
"Please, rest by my side now. Even if you fall into a pit of hellfire, I'll follow and save you myself. Emilia."
"M-Master..."
The name she had forgotten. The name she had to forget. At 'Emilia', Isel shed hot tears in Rosel's arms.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
And that morning, the three-day grand birthday party and noble banquet began. The first carriage to enter the mansion's garden belonged to none other than Resilus del Delmaron, lord of the mage tower in the east and west of Elond Kingdom. And with him was his daughter, Resilus de Biela.