Chapter 123
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Scene 123 Coward
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As the door opened, light seeped into Wendy's darkened room.
She had thought he would just leave once he confirmed she wasn't there, but Tristan did no such thing.
Thud.
Wendy held her breath as she heard the footsteps drawing steadily closer.
Thud.
At last, the footsteps stopped right in front of the wardrobe where she was hiding.
As if he had already known she was there.
Wendy squeezed her eyes shut.
But what reached her ears was neither a scolding nor a shout.
"Well done."
"...?"
That was all.
As if no other words were necessary, Tristan said nothing more.
He simply turned on his heel to leave the room, leaving those words behind.
The startled Wendy urgently opened her mouth.
"S-Sorry, Count..."
At her words, Tristan halted at the door.
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
"F-For disappointing you..."
Tristan closed the door and approached the wardrobe.
"I wasn't disappointed in you."
As Wendy pondered the meaning of those words, she soon shrank back.
He had never expected anything from her to begin with.
That must be why he could say it so calmly.
"R-Right?"
Tears welled up in Wendy's eyes once more.
"H-How could someone like me possibly get first place...? I-It doesn't make sense... Sorry. I'm so sorry. Sniff... I forgot my place..."
"That's not what I meant."
"Huh...?"
"Not a single thing you've shown me since enrolling has been disappointing. You've consistently acted like my exclusive maid."
It was his usual cold tone.
"You've worked hard to show me that, haven't you?"
"Y-Yes..."
"That's why I said you did well."
Wendy could sense a gentleness in that voice.
And she vaguely understood that he was comforting her right now.
"Sniff... R-Really?"
"Yes."
"...Did I really do well?"
"Yes. You did well."
"B-But I didn't get first...?"
"I heard you got second. That's doing well."
"...What if I had gotten last?"
"Even if you came in dead last, I would still tell you that you did well."
"R-Really? Really? Sniff."
"Of course. Though you might still get a punishment."
"Eek?! P-Punishment?!"
At those words, Wendy flinched, then suddenly realized something.
She had exchanged just a few words with Tristan, and her gloomy mood had lifted.
"...Anyway, I came here to tell you that."
The sound of Tristan grasping the wardrobe handle reached her.
"But you still have no intention of showing me your face?"
"I-It's just... My face isn't in any condition to be seen by you right now..."
Wendy tried to hold the door shut from inside, but it was already too late.
The wardrobe door swung open easily.
"Eek! D-Don't look! Please don't look...!"
Wendy hurriedly covered her face with some clothes.
She couldn't let him see her tear-streaked mess.
Seeing that, Tristan silently stepped inside the wardrobe and closed the door behind him.
"Now your face won't be visible."
It was a large wardrobe, big enough for two people.
But not so spacious that Tristan's voice didn't sound very close.
"Wendy. Lift your head."
"B-But..."
"How long do you plan to keep your master feeling neglected?"
"Ugh..."
As Wendy cautiously raised her head, Tristan's face emerged only as an outline in the darkness.
"...!"
At that moment, his hand touched her cheek.
"You're still such a crybaby."
"S-Sorry..."
Tristan's fingers wiped away the tears pooled at the corners of Wendy's eyes.
She had forgotten amid his androgynous features, but he was a man.
His hand was large and sturdy compared to hers.
As she entrusted her face to that hand, Wendy suddenly recalled how she had bitten his arm before.
"Um, Count..."
"What is it?"
"I-Is your arm okay...?"
"...Check it yourself."
Tristan's arm touched Wendy's hand. He had offered it to her.
As her fingertips caressed his forearm, she felt something.
"A scar...?"
She could tell immediately upon touching it.
The spot where she had bitten him with all her strength still bore the scar.
"It probably doesn't look good."
"W-Why didn't you heal it...? You could have removed a scar like that..."
"I forgot."
"Huh...?"
Tristan replied indifferently.
"I was busy and forgot to heal it."
"......"
"I'm not perfect at remembering everything."
"Pfft... What is that supposed to mean... Sniff."
Wendy's laughter bubbled up at Tristan's brazen attitude, only for it to turn into a sob.
She felt guilty and sorry all at once.
His kindness had ignited it.
"I really wanted to get first place... Sniff..."
In the darkness, Tristan quietly wiped her tears.
"I t-ried so hard... Sob... I really tried so hard..."
"I know."
"Sniff... I was scared you'd be disappointed in me."
"I might regret it, but I wasn't disappointed. It must be especially regrettable for you, though."
"Sob... Y-Yes. I regretted it. I regretted it so much... Sniff..."
It was a good thing the darkness hid her face.
Otherwise, she would have had to show Tristan her tear- and snot-smeared mess.
As Wendy cried her heart out and began to calm down a bit, Tristan spoke.
"Wendy."
"Y-Yes..."
"Back then, you were braver than anyone. What you did wasn't something just anyone could pull off."
Come to think of it, Liri had said something similar.
She had earned the right to the hero's trial thanks to that sacrificial display.
But that was probably due to her lineage too.
"Is it because the hero's blood flows in me...?"
Curiosity piqued, Wendy asked cautiously.
"That doesn't matter."
Tristan shook his head.
"It was simply because you, Wendy, were brave."
"......"
Thinking back, Tristan had treated her exactly the same even after learning she was the hero's descendant.
She felt grateful toward him for seeing her without preconceptions.
But...
"...Thank you for seeing me that way. But I'm not as brave as you say, Count. I-I'm a stutterer, a crybaby... a coward..."
"To be honest, I prefer you as a coward."
"Huh?"
The wardrobe was so dark that Tristan's face was hard to make out.
"I hope you stay a coward forever. No, I hope you're cowardly and vile. That way, you won't ever risk your life for someone else again..."
Wendy could sense the earnest truth in his eyessomething he rarely showed.
"If you're scared, run away. And make sure you come back to me."
"Count..."
"To me, you surviving and returning matters more than courage or hero's blood. Everything else is meaningless before that."
Hearing his fervent sincerity, Wendy's heart pounded.
"Why are you so kind to me, Count?"
Wendy clutched her racing heart, which felt like it might break.
If she didn't, all the words in her chest would pour out uncontrollably.
"Why are you always so gentle with me?"
"Didn't I tell you? Because you're precious to me."
Tristan quietly added,
"Without you, I have no reason to exist."
"M-Me too...!"
Before his words could finish, Wendy threw herself into Tristan's arms.
"You're... precious to me, Count...! Important! You're the most important person in the world to me...! Without you, I...!"
Wendy hugged his neck with all her strength as she spoke.
"I wouldn't have a reason to live either..."
"...You're a handful."
Suddenly, the wardrobe door slowly opened. Right after, Wendy's body floated up.
"Eek?! Count?!"
Held like a princess in Tristan's arms, Wendy was gently set down on the bed.
After placing her down, he dusted off his hands and said,
"Go to sleep early. Tomorrow, we're going somewhere together."
"Huh? With me?"
"Yes."
Wendy shut her mouth, about to ask where.
Tristan was hesitating in a way that was unlike him.
"Wendy. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"Huh? Y-Yes..."
"Back then, I don't know why you made that wish..."
Tristan trailed off and cleared his throat.
"I can grant anything else, but that particular wish of yours... I can't."
"W-Wish...?"
"Yes. Even if you didn't get first, I planned to grant your original wish from the start."
"...Eek?! N-No way?!"
Only then did Wendy realize what Tristan was talking about.
"Y-You heard that time after all...?!"
"...At least, I'll reconsider when you're an adult. So for now..."
In that instant, a soft sensation touched Wendy's forehead.
"Satisfy yourself with this."
"Huh...?"
Realizing it was the feel of lips, Wendy froze in shock.
As he left her there, Tristan tossed one last remark before closing the door.
"Good night, greedy princess.