In My Eyes, You Are Beautiful -4-
The Young Lady clutched at my collar, snorting in frustration. "Take it off!"
Take it off? Did she even know what that meant? Having heard my share of sexual harassment from high nobles, I let out a hollow chuckle and asked her, "Are you sexually harassing me right now?"
"No!"
"Can I report this to the Butlers' Rights Committee?"
"There is no such thing."
"I'll create one starting today."
"Eek! Just take it off!"
Her eyes burned with utter sincerity. Like she was ready to crawl on the ground and strip me herself if I didn't comply right that instant.
She's scary.
"..."
"What!"
"No, let's think about this rationally. I'm a man, and you're..."
"A noble."
"...?"
"I'm fine with it. I have a big heart—I can understand."
"My heart isn't fine with it."
"I'm fine."
After her relentless tyranny put me in such an awkward spot time and again, I let out a deep sigh and wondered if I really had to do it. With her personality, she wouldn't back down until I stripped.
And running away wasn't an option either.
This isn't easy...
I appreciated her concern, but reason made it hard to go along. Especially since if she saw my sculpted body, she might fall for me.
"Hmngh."
Watching her pick her nose, I figured that wasn't likely. Embarrassed by my own grand delusion, I tilted my head back once, then headed toward the cave entrance where rain poured down.
I gently gripped my rain-soaked shirt and glanced at her. "You really want me to take it off?"
"Take it off!"
"For real, for real—I'm taking it off."
"Eeeek! I said take it off! Who's gonna take responsibility if you catch a cold!"
"That's... fair, I guess..."
I stole glances at her snorting face while slowly unbuttoning my shirt, one by one. As my pale skin peeked out, she let out a ridiculous "Hoooong."
"Seriously, you can't say anything."
"Mm. I'm not interested anyway, so it's fine."
"That kinda hurts."
"I'm fine."
"..."
The buttons were all undone now—what next? I gazed at the pouring rain, taking a moment for quiet meditation. Yanking it off entirely felt too embarrassing. But covering myself with the wet shirt wouldn't be very manly.
Especially since...
"..."
Through the open shirt, my body still bore scars from the black magic aftermath, refusing to fade. The black stains were gone, but the gashes across my flesh hadn't said goodbye.
I feared she'd hate them. I wasn't some barbarian covered in scars. Showing them off or pretending they didn't bother me both felt wrong. These bark-like marks.
After hesitating forever, I sighed deeply and carefully shrugged off the shirt.
"Taking it off."
"Mm."
"Don't fall for my body if you see it."
"Eeeek..."
"If you hate it that much, it hurts me."
"Eeeeeek!"
"There."
She let out a small gasp of admiration at my silhouette against the dark cave.
"Hoooong! Ricardo..."
"Yes."
"Your body's amazing."
"Right?"
"Like a sculpture. Like a demon lives in your back."
"Pfft, what kind of lewd talk is that."
"For real...! All rugged and huge and..."
The tension melted away at her words. I'd been so worked up that a hollow laugh escaped me. I wrung out the water from my soaked shirt outside the cave, then carefully returned to sit facing her.
"Ugh...!"
An awkward smile formed.
"...Still, taking it off does feel refreshing."
"..."
"Young Lady...?"
"Hic...!"
"Y-Young Lady?"
"H-Hic...!"
Sitting by the firelight, she hung her head. Suddenly hiccuping, her shoulders shaking.
"Sniff."
She was emitting a silence too heavy to bear alone. Flustered, I flailed my hands, not knowing what to do. This was uncharted territory.
Just moments ago, she'd been teasing about my "impressive muscles" and how she "better not fall for me." Her sudden tearful face threw me off completely. Even for her unpredictable self, crying out of nowhere was hard to process.
I waved my hands helplessly as her eyes grew wetter. No clue where to put them.
"Wh-What's wrong?"
"Sniff..."
"Hungry?"
She shook her head vigorously, wiping tears with her sleeve. "N-No... Ricardo's body..."
"Ah."
"It still looks hurt..."
The scars. I glanced down at them in the firelight and awkwardly covered them with my hand. My fears had come true.
Grotesque. Ugly scars. When she first learned their secret, she'd said it was fine, but I knew seeing them up close would trigger this reaction.
It didn't hurt much. These hideous marks were just too much for her, after all.
"Kinda weird, right...?"
"..."
"I'll cover up quick."
I fumbled to spread the wet shirt. It squelched in protest, refusing to go back on, but now wasn't the time to be picky about hot or cold rice. I shook off the water and slid my hands into the sleeves.
Just as the soggy cuffs wrapped my wrists—
"Nngh...!"
She shook her head and snatched the wet shirt. With her tear-streaked face buried toward the ground, she gripped it tight, refusing to let go. "Don't... put it on..."
"Young Lady."
"Hic..."
Her voice, thick with moisture, reached me. "Don't put on clothes..."
"Still, that's a bit much."
"What's so much...?"
"Well..."
"Shut up, Ricardo—you're cold..."
"But... aren't they hideous?"
She shook her head. Then, carefully, she said exactly what I most wanted to hear.
"They're not hideous."
"Pardon?"
"Not... sniff... hideous at all."
Her words left me speechless for a moment. Even if flattery, it sounded good.
"I'm not okay with it. I want to show you only pretty things—these scars embarrass me."
"No shame!"
-Gom?
Gomtang lifted his head at her sudden shout, sighed at her, and flopped back down. Ignoring him, she pressed on.
"Even if you feel ashamed, they're not to my eyes..."
"..."
"So manly, pretty like flowers, and... and..."
Folding her fingers as she racked her brain for compliments, her innocent look brought a smile to my face. In a soft voice, I asked, "Then why are you crying?"
"Because...!"
She clenched her fists. "You got hurt because of me..."
"No. I just pushed my body too hard..."
"Don't lie!!"
"..."
"We promised no more lies! I know everything now...! No more hiding..."
Clumsy droplets, heavy with moisture, plopped onto the firelit ground.
"I... I like you no matter what you look like..."
"..."
"No shame, I'm proud, I want to show you off."
"You won't even say I look good even in death."
"Eeeek! Don't joke!"
"Puhaha...! Just hearing that makes me happy."
A smile overflowed. I couldn't hide the one blooming at her clumsy complaints. I'd worried she'd hate them, grimace in disgust.
"Sniff...! Hic...!"
But seeing her smile through tears melted those fears away.
Even if it was a lie. Carefully, greedy to hear it again, I asked, "Really?"
-...Nod.
"You really feel proud and want to show me off?"
-...Sniff. Nod nod.
"And that I'm handsome too."
-Shake shake.
"That's not true."
"Pfft...!"
Unable to lie even then, her words drew a chuckle from me. Carefully, I returned her kindness. "Me too."
"Huh?"
"I'm proud of you too, Young Lady. I want to show you off."
"I'm always like that."
"..."
By the fire's glow, I gently grasped her limp ankle. At my touch, her shoulders trembled, and she flinched to hide her legs under the blanket.
"Don't touch..."
I ignored her protest, stroking the rough instep tenderly. "You know, Young Lady."
"..."
"Just like you to me, you're beautiful and radiant to me."
"...No. My legs are ugly and hideous."
"Who said that? Ruin? Academy students?"
-Shake shake.
"No one."
"See?"
"Still ugly."
She grabbed my wrist, straining to push my hand away, but I wanted to be stubborn now. I kept stroking her instep, denying her wish.
"To me, you're the most beautiful being in the world."
"Liar."
"Even if you drank an uglifying potion and your face turned like Gomtang's. -Gom?"
"Even if your face changed so much your family wouldn't recognize you."
"..."
"To me, you're beautiful. And beautiful again."
I smiled faintly, stroking her hair. "In my eyes—"
-Gulp.
"You're beautiful."
I beamed at her. "Very much so."
Tears in her eyes, she smiled back and nodded. "Mm...!"
And—
-Gom.
Gomtang bit her hair.
"Eeeeeek!!! Why bite me!"
-Gom...!
"Eeeeeek!!! Ricardo! Make clothes out of this thing!"
Laughter burst out. Just because this moment felt so happy.