Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Frequent Brotherly Visits
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Mayches visited me often.
Unlike the old days when the maid would go announce, "The young lady has awakened~," and always return alone, my daily routine had changed a bit.
Mayches was always one step ahead of the maid, opening the door to my room and coming in.
He acted like the time I was awake was incredibly precious, since who knew when I might faint again.
He would tightly grasp the hand of me lying in bed, breathing like a tuberculosis patient, and chatter on about everything that had happened in the meantime.
I wouldn't give much of a reaction (I didn't have the energy to), just listening and occasionally letting out a feeble "Heung...." at funny parts, but even that seemed to delight Mayches.
"So, a week ago, I..."
Mayches was a little different from the novel.
Because of that... somewhat embarrassing nickname and crimes that were hard to speak of, I'd assumed he was the type to fatally glare at people from birth, charming everyone he met.
But the Mayches I saw with my own eyes was nothing like the lustful mage from the novel... ahem, that character.
For one, taciturn my foot—he was a talkative kid who laughed a lot.
The only time he felt similar to the novel's image was back when we weren't close yet.
His laughs back then were just sly, smirklike things from an eleven-year-old boy, but now...
"Heh heh heh."
He'd become a kid who grinned like a fool like this. At first, I thought he had split personality...!
I chuckled inwardly at the sight, then belatedly swallowed tears of pity.
It was heartbreaking to see Mayches smiling so innocently, oblivious to what lay ahead.
What had this kind boy done wrong to deserve such a harsh fate?
Mayches... this world is dead set on smashing our lives. It's a devastation genre novel just for us....
And true to the setup of the frail extra in that devastation story, the moment I thought that, I fainted. This is driving me crazy....
Like the early days of Aiel's life, I regained consciousness sporadically.
And every time I opened my eyes, I had to adjust to the changed surroundings.
One day, the room's interior had been completely redone.
My room had been clean, scrubbed daily by the maids, but it always felt empty and stark, all white.
But one day, when I opened my eyes, a pastel pink ceiling filled my vision.
I thought I'd reincarnated again...!
If Mayches hadn't quickly soothed my startled, gasping self, I really might have.
"This is..."
"What is it?" Mayches replied instantly, understanding perfectly without me finishing.
"How is it? I wasn't sure, so I decorated it with stuff noble ladies your age supposedly like!"
I blinked and looked around. He was right.
The cream wallpaper matched the ceiling softly and warmly, and the new furniture dotted around was cute, white, and softly matte.
My gaze landed on the smooth white vanity's drawer handles.
A tiny, elegant red rose carving wrapped in vivid green leaves sat there.
Everything looked like a room fit for a pampered daughter of a wealthy house.
Come to think of it, the Holy Diagram and devices—practically my life support, if a bit unsightly—were all gone.
They'd been essential for channeling the periodic visits from the priests' holy power and blessing prayers to me.
"Is this... okay?"
Mayches understood and answered again.
"I've made some progress in my research. Now I can manage your body with my magic even without holy power. It's better for me to do it directly than leave it to others."
He said they weren't even using the holy water the maid would trickle over my body anymore to prevent bedsores and keep my functions working.
Mayches's claim of research progress was probably true.
After all, he was the genius mage who, four years from now, somehow squeezed me into the fringes of normalcy.
Still lying down, I rolled my eyes around the room again.
And asked once more.
"Is this... okay?"
This time, Mayches didn't get it.
"What?"
I awkwardly looked up at the sparkling chandelier adorned with gemstones.
As far as I knew, the Rudelriz Family was still a ways off from seriously making money.
Gasp, no way! Was he, true to the novel where the Rudelriz head was infamous for tormenting servants, skimming their wages?
"The people in this house... their pay... cough. Is it... proper?"
Sadly, I fainted before hearing the answer.
Probably used up my energy sooner from the mental shock.
But I learned the answer naturally when I opened my eyes next.
When I did, the entire mansion had changed....
I knew because the view from my usual window was different.
My room was definitely on the second floor, but that day, the vista beyond was somehow loftily high, with dense trees...
Our house garden isn't that big... I thought, when Mayches came in with a face like he was finally spilling something he'd been brewing over, explaining rapidly.
"My research is going well, so we have lots to sell. We're paying salaries properly, bonuses included, and it's not even denting our wealth—we've got tons of money."
"Mmm...."
"I'm not that sort of shady person, Aiel...."
"......"
"......"
"...Heung."
I ended up laughing. It wasn't funny; he was just so cute.
Mayches, who looked relieved now, gazed down at me and then chuckled along, "Heh heh heh."
"Anyway, don't worry about that stuff, Aiel."
I replied yes, but honestly, I did care. How could I not?
Everyone knew (it was mentioned briefly in two lines in the novel) that after the previous Count Rudelriz and his wife died, people swarmed to divvy up the house between themselves.
Mayches somehow read the worry on my pale face and gently brushed back my hair.
"Don't worry. Aiel... yeah, think about what flowers to plant. Later, when we stroll the garden together, tell me, and I'll make it all how you want."
His gray eyes were pure as he said it, and he'd grown a bit taller.
The hands tucking me in carefully, the shoulder leaning against the wall waiting for me to faint... sleep, they grew steadily more reliable day by day.
So I figured quite some time had passed.
Purely judging from Mayches's growth.
And on a certain summer day when sunlight poured down white-hot.
When I first left the bed, standing on the floor with both feet, I didn't doubt that four years had gone by.
But...
"How old am I now?"
I swallowed a few times, my throat stinging, and asked.
Mayches supported my arm firmly so I wouldn't fall, replying shortly in a choked voice holding back emotion.
"Nine years old...."
"Nine? Not eleven?"
"Yeah.... Our Aiel is nine now."
Mayches gently scooped me up so it wouldn't hurt.
I rested my chin on his shoulder as he bent to match my height, staring blankly at the pale mint silk wallpaper in my room (remodeled again).
For some reason, unlike the original, I'd become somewhat human in two years instead of four.
"Mayches...."
"Yeah, I'm listening."
I lightly pushed against his firm chest.
Even though I didn't use much strength, he immediately let me go from his embrace. I looked into his moist eyes.
I swear on my life, I couldn't find even a hint of madness in them.
"......"
In that moment, I felt a foolish hope sprouting inside me.
As I raised my hand to cover my mouth, Mayches quickly held a golden basin in front, thinking I was about to vomit, while easily cradling my trembling body with one arm.
Embarrassed, I gently pushed the basin away.
It was too shiny to dare vomit into, and besides, this wasn't the time for puking.
"Mayches...."
"Yeah, say it. I'm listening."
The story has changed.... I swallowed those words I couldn't voice.
The memory surfaced of the Rudelriz Count and lady dying in the end, as if telling me to snap out of it.
The original plot I'd known but couldn't stop.
But this situation wasn't a dream. I'd stepped out of bed on both feet after two years, not four.
This tiny change might be utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of the novel. It might be nothing....
"Aiel?"
Look, Mayches is so bright and pure.
Isn't this... a meaningful change?