The Desmond Family's Pride
The Desmond family stood in the living room of the peaceful young lady's mansion, fists clenched tight as they stared at Olivia seated in Fe*ri Unit 1.
"Ooh..."
"Gulp..."
"That's it..."
Darbav's eyes were red-rimmed as he fought back tears.
"Sniff... Olivia, don't push yourself too hard."
Kyle kept lowering his head, unable to watch any longer.
"Haa... I can't bear to look. What if she falls...?"
Rosanna wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, her gaze fixed on Olivia just the same.
"Hic... You can do it, our daughter."
Seated in Fe*ri Unit 1, Olivia clenched her fists and looked at me. I nodded in encouragement, my own heart ready for whatever came next.
"Huu...!"
Fe*ri Unit 1 trembled. Olivia's hands shook as she shifted her weight onto the wheelchair. Sweat beaded on her furrowed brow and fell, and the smile on my lips faded. I was tense—not because I feared her failure. If her condition was poor, she might succeed or she might not. What I feared was her disappointment if she fell. I worried that stumbling in front of her family, who believed in her, would break her spirit.
"Eeeek...!"
She's cheering herself on.
"Eeeeeeeek!!!!"
With everyone's eyes on her, Olivia summoned her strength and moved. The Desmond family gasped in awe as they watched her hips slowly lift from the wheelchair seat.
"Olivia!!!"
"Well done, my sister."
"Huu... It's a miracle."
I felt proud. It wasn't my accomplishment, yet seeing Olivia receive such warm reception filled me with pride. Slowly, ever so slowly, the moment arrived when Olivia—who had only ever shown us the sight of her sitting—began to walk. It wasn't a grand stride, but...
"Huuuuuuu!!!"
Someone might mock her steps, comparing them to a newborn calf's, but everyone present watched her walk with deeper meaning than anyone else could understand.
"Huaa!"
Standing now, Olivia drew a deep breath before the teary-eyed family. She placed a hand on her chest, steadied her breathing, glanced at me, and broke into a bright smile with a little "Heehee."
"Haha."
Her clear smile brought one to my own lips. The tension in my heart melted into joy. She was the young lady I served, yet she seemed so admirable. Then again, perhaps that was just my bias talking.
So—
"It's not over yet!"
Show them something wonderful, young lady.
Olivia held out a hand to stop Darbav, who looked ready to rush in and embrace her. She added a meaningful remark that she still had more to show.
"Huh..."
Darbav froze like ice, staring at her outstretched palm before nodding. As he watched her begin to take slow steps, his eyes widened.
"This is..."
One step.
"Olivia..."
Two steps.
Olivia's expression as she concentrated wasn't exactly beautiful. Her lips pursed, she walked with nothing but focus on each step. I added narration from the side, guessing she would want to say it herself.
"The young lady's record is two steps."
"No way...!"
"Ricardo, don't provoke Olivia."
"...Mother believes in Olivia."
"Right now, in this very moment, the young lady is setting a new record!"
Olivia's lips twitched upward. As if hearing the words she had longed for, her mouth quivered. I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. I believed she could do it. So—
"Eeeeeeeek!!!"
Thud!
I prayed she would show us something splendid.
*
-Drip. Drip. Drip.
That evening, after the day Olivia's "first-steps celebration?" had ended amid everyone's warm reception, I entered the bathhouse to find familiar backs already waiting. I smiled at the sight. The men had sturdy muscles that didn't quite match the image of mages.
Darbav and Kyle sat in the tub, earnestly discussing the day's events.
"It was remarkable."
"Indeed."
"Not one step, but three. We ought to hire a painter and have this moment immortalized."
"A fine idea. I'll consider it positively."
"How about the title 'The First Step for the World'?"
"Splendid."
They were a pair of doting fathers. Smiling faintly, I walked toward them and tossed out a question.
"Did it please you?"
The moment they arrived, Darbav had shouted, "Olivia...! I must see Olivia!" and parked the carriage in the yard in such a panic. It was fortunate the cleaning had already been finished. If they had come while I was still cleaning, it would have been troublesome in more ways than one.
Having finished the successful celebration, I approached slowly and spoke.
"Did today meet your expectations?"
"Hm?!"
"Mm."
"Hahaha..."
"Ricardo."
"That's right, it's Ricardo."
The two nodded, then glanced toward the area veiled in steam and nodded once more.
"It's still a fearsome thing no matter how many times I see it."
"...The finest in the Empire. No, I daresay the finest in the world."
"Ah... Um. Thank you."
Darbav nodded in reply.
"Take pride in it. It's the highest praise a man can give."
Darbav's serious delivery of such an embarrassing jest made my face burn. They weren't exactly ordinary themselves.
"May I sit beside you?"
"Of course."
"Sit."
I dipped my toes into the water and settled between Darbav and Kyle, letting out a deep breath. The warm water loosened the tension in my body. A brief silence followed. Darbav, Kyle, and I all kept quiet. Then—
"...Your body."
Darbav broke the silence.
"Is it all right?"
He spoke while gazing at the bath wall, asking after my condition. Kyle pressed his lips together, stared into the air, and slowly closed his eyes. I was puzzled. Why ask about my body when Olivia had been the star today? Before I could voice the question, Darbav seemed to read my thoughts and continued.
"I heard you and Kyle talking."
"..."
"About how you're ruining your body."
Ah...
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It was by chance."
"..."
"That you're destroying your body to heal Olivia's legs."
"That's not true."
Darbav ignored my denial and pressed on, as though a clumsy lie wouldn't work on him.
"The price must be your lifespan."
"..."
"If it weren't your lifespan, such a miracle wouldn't have happened."
"It's not black magic."
"Whether it is or isn't, I don't care. What angers me is that you chose to sacrifice yourself for Olivia."
"...That's..."
Darbav let out a long sigh, his voice heavy.
"When you first came to this mansion, I wasn't particularly welcoming."
"..."
"When Olivia brought home some strange child and said she'd make him her butler, I honestly wasn't pleased. There were plenty of clever fellows, and many nobles who wanted to work for the Desmonds. Why a boy from the slums, of all people? The thought crossed my mind..."
"..."
"I even wondered if you were a spy sent by another house. As you know, the Desmonds have many enemies."
"I see..."
"But Olivia liked you. She was attached to you, so I thought it would be fine. I also thought you'd run away soon because of her personality."
"..."
"Yet you endured. You learned what Olivia liked and disliked and made her happy. To be honest, her personality isn't exactly pleasant."
"You knew, then."
"Hahaha! Of course. If we weren't the Desmonds, the family would have been wiped out long ago."
Darbav laughed heartily and continued, his words carrying relief that I had colored Olivia with my own hue.
"You're a blessing."
"..."
"When the family was faltering, the information you provided was a great help."
"..."
"The days when I suspected you for knowing far too much are long past. Now I simply think of you with pride."
Darbav exhaled deeply.
"I'm glad Olivia is growing to resemble you. So..."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Stop this reckless behavior here."
"..."
"I no longer want to neglect you out of my own greed."
"..."
"When I heard you and Kyle talking, I turned away as a father would. But not anymore."
"..."
"We must stay together, mustn't we?"
Tears welled in Darbav's eyes.
"You've had enough good dreams."
*
At the same time, in the women's bath, Rosanna was washing Olivia's hair. Mother and daughter, both concealing their formidable chests with towels, chatted idly.
"Hwee..."
"Stay still."
"Uuuu..."
As Rosanna lathered Olivia's hair, she spoke softly.
"Olivia."
"Hm?"
"What do you think of Ricardo?"
Olivia turned her head and looked at Rosanna.
"...Yeah?"