The Way of Love -1-
I harbor the emotion called love. A difficult feeling I cannot speak of carelessly to just anyone. Some might describe this emotion as a warm, heart-fluttering sensation, while others facing the cooling of love might call it the fear of parting. I keep this feeling tucked away quietly in my chest.
Beneath the shade where the blue Milky Way stretched across the night sky, I gazed down at the young lady sleeping soundly in her bed.
"Mmmnya..."
White hair. Sharp eyes. When asleep, she looked like an angel. She clutched the bracelet I had given her tightly to her chest.
"Hmmnya... bracelet... food..."
A faint smile tugged at my lips at her sleepy muttering. She looked every bit the elite noble lady, yet her sleep-talking was so endearing.
"Hmm... nyam nyam..."
"Hair is not for chewing, my lady."
"Ugh... the chocolate's gone bad..."
"...Pfft! Ah, I must stay quiet."
I gently brushed her hair behind her ear as she chewed on it, whispering softly. I couldn't risk waking her. Though she would sleep through being carried off, a butler must always remain cautious.
"I'm glad you like it."
Perhaps she heard my whisper. She pulled the bracelet closer and smiled contentedly.
"Heeheehee..."
"It suits you."
Maybe it was the moonlight. Tonight, I felt more sentimental than usual. I wondered what love truly meant to me. Was it the mermaid princess's tears that vanished into foam, or the sleeping forest princess's heart after receiving the prince's kiss?
"..."
Having never experienced love, I struggled to put it into words. I had never dreamed of the grand romances found in fairy tales, nor had the luxury to do so. Everyone wishes to be the dashing protagonist of a story at least once, but... well. A life that had never received love made both giving and receiving it feel awkward and clumsy. How to describe it? A fairy tale that has begun but cannot reach its ending. My unrequited love is still ongoing, after all.
"...It's difficult."
"Krrrrrgh...!"
"I wish there were an answer sheet, though that would probably ruin the fun."
"Hmmnya... smack smack..."
Watching the young lady bathed in moonlight, I let out a small smile. She was lost in a deep sleep, completely unaware of the world around her.
"My lady really does seem like a villainess."
"Hmmnya... eek? Ugh... smack smack."
She reacted even in her sleep to the word "villainess." Her sleeping face always brought a smile to my lips. She truly was an amusing person.
"..."
My love seems fraught with hardship. Caring for someone who is ill. Being unable to take their pain in their place. This love, where I can do nothing at all, feels like a rather grueling journey. How unfortunate.
When did I first become aware of these feelings? It certainly wasn't love at first sight.
-What are you looking at!
-...?
-Eeeek!
-???
"Pfft...!"
It wasn't the heart-pounding encounter straight out of a drama, so I never thought I had fallen for her at first meeting. She was an unusual person, and I had known that from the start.
'I really don't understand.'
I thought I would never grow close to the feeling of love, yet now I find myself smiling just from seeing her face. This is troublesome. The young lady who moved into my heart out of curiosity has now grown so large that I cannot do without her. Even if I asked her to leave, she would no longer be able to.
At first, I thought she was a villainess I wanted nothing to do with. I had been reluctant to even speak with her. Now, just her smile is enough to make me abandon all my careful calculations with a satisfying "click." How ridiculous.
-Uwah...! Beggar...!
-Beggar...?
-Hand!
-Hand...?
-Hand...! I'll give you a snack!
-Do you think I'm a dog...
Even looking back, our relationship hadn't developed like this. Yet to outsiders, the picture looked perfectly dramatic. A beggar from the slums and a noble from a prestigious house. Though the Desmond family had a poor reputation, their influence was so immense that even the emperor could not easily challenge it. A noble lady saves a slum child, who awakens as a Sword Master and dreams of love...
'...It's like a drama.'
If I removed the title of "transmigrator," it could easily become a grand romance youth story. But because these were such extraordinary people, the sense of disconnect wasn't as strong as one might expect.
"Krrrrrgh."
The noble lady was peculiar in many ways, after all.
"..."
Well, the person in question probably had no idea.
"Krrrrrrrrgh!"
"My lady... my eardrums are going to burst."
"Hmmnya... smack... smack..."
So, when did I fall in love?
"..."
'I don't know.'
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find a reason for falling for her. She hadn't treated me particularly well, nor had she shown me any special favor. How to describe this feeling? Perhaps it was simply that I had soaked in her presence over time.
-Bite it!
-I'm a person, you know.
-Eeeek! Then I'll bite it.
-...?
-Fetch!
Just seeing her face made me feel good. I suppose it was the feeling of not knowing exactly when that had started. Even picking her nose looked cute, and her sulking looked cute. I had caught a severe case of butler-itis and shook my head with a soft sigh.
"Koooooo..."
I looked at her peacefully sleeping face and let out a hollow laugh.
"No, that's not it..."
I had been mistaken from the beginning. Searching for a reason to fall for her was wrong in the first place. The lady I serve is the most beautiful person in the world. No matter what anyone says, falling for her is only natural.
Over thirteen years. There had been times when nobles picked fights with her.
-Hey, Olivia! Why are you always dragging that commoner around? Aren't you embarrassed?
-Embarrassed...!
-Please endure it. I am perfectly—
-Where did you go?
-Die!!!
-...?
There had also been times when she was kidnapped by robbers after money.
-Hieeeek! Why are you so late!
-I got lost, you see.
-I was scared!
-Haha... I'm sorry.
-Eek...
-From now on, don't follow strangers even if they offer you chocolate.
-...Eek.
-I'll give you more chocolate instead.
-Ung...
At the academy, she had received unforgettable wounds.
-Olivia, aren't you embarrassed walking around with that commoner? He smells weird too.
-Ah, Ricardo? He's my dog who does everything I tell him to. A dog.
"Puhahaha...! What the hell is that!"
-...R-really? Is that funny?
-Yeah! Puhahaha! You're really funny.
-Thud.
-Ow! What the—... Huh? Were you... listening?
-Ah... No, I wasn't. Let's go eat.
Not all memories were good. Sometimes her casual remarks wounded me, and there were moments when talking to her felt like speaking to a wall, making me sigh. That was why I had no choice but to distance myself at the academy. I wondered what this was. Even knowing she was a villainess, I felt hurt, and at the same time experienced a sense of deprivation, as if none of it mattered.
Even so.
-Sniffle...
-...?
-I have no friends...
-...
-I need to apologize to Ricardo too...
Seeing her looking dejected with her notebook open, those feelings would easily melt away. To the point where even the transmigrator's desire to stand beside the protagonist disappeared. She worked hard but kept going in circles, and if the one waiting for her at that same spot was me, that alone was enough.
'Well, it is a foolish thing to do.'
What was certain was that she was not a good person. She was not like the heroines in novels or doves singing of peace. She moved according to her instincts. When hungry, she ate. When sleepy, she slept. When angry, she cursed. Even so, the young lady was—
-Why... is everyone avoiding only me...!
—a tender-hearted person. She was not honest, yet more honest than anyone. The worst villainess in the world, yet the kindest villainess of all. That was why I liked her. That was why I served her. To me, she was both my master and the most precious person in the world. Sometimes she drove countless blades into my heart. But because we had spent thirteen years together, I could endure it. Now I could even tell whether the blades she casually threw were lies or not. Of course, things had been difficult at the academy because of Mikhail, but even that I could now look back on as fond memories, and for that I was grateful. Twisting the novel. Honestly, if I had been afraid of that, I would never have approached her in the first place. So perhaps that was why I liked her. She was cuter than anyone.
"Hmmnyari..."
She snored louder than any princess in the world.
"Krrrrrrrrgh!"
She was more beautiful than any princess in fairy tales.
-I'm pretty!
I liked it when the young lady, who hated relying on anyone, leaned on me. Today as well, I reached out my hand. Toward her legs. I was not afraid of shortening my lifespan. If a better future, moments where we could laugh together, could remain as good memories for her, that alone was enough. Now her lifespan had increased. With nothing left to fear, I decided not to hesitate. I wanted to play again. Not on the Fe*ri Unit 1, but running together with her. It was not a grand wish, but I placed my hand on her leg while hoping my dream would come true.
"Have a good dream..."
Limit Break is testing the limits of Rehabilitation Hand.
Enhanced Rehabilitation Hand is being applied to Olivia's legs.
A small tremor accompanied my smile. Even if she could not walk right away, I hoped this stubbornness would one day reach her. I closed my eyes peacefully. This was my foolish way of loving.