I'm Going to Save You
Even if she left this place with Rudeum right now, Lefonya knew she would most likely end up back with House Craitan anyway. Until the Duke of Craitan officially dissolved her adoption, she remained the young lady of Craitan.
"Is it because you don't trust me? You think I can't get you out of here on my own?"
Rudeum asked, knitting his brow. His voice carried an edge of hurt, as if he felt his abilities were being questioned.
"Ponya. Just say the word, and I can tear this entire place to the ground right now."
"I know you can. You found me even before the people of House Craitan did, and they're Aura Masters."
Lefonya squeezed his hand tightly, gently bobbing it up and down as if to reassure him. Rudeum's gaze drifted down to their joined hands.
"Even if I leave this place, I'll just end up going back to House Craitan anyway. Won't I?"
"...Yeah."
"Rudeum. Do you know how it feels when you happen to find something you threw away or lost?"
Rudeum's face grew solemn as he tried to imagine the scenario.
"I don't really know. That's never happened to me."
"You feel happy. If you suddenly stumble upon it again by chance, you're thrilled, and until you get used to having it around again, you treat it like a treasure."
"Yeah."
"If those three are truly looking for me like you said, then I want them to be the ones who pick me back up."
If Havelian had genuinely chased after her, if Duke Craitan had flown into a rage as if the world were ending because she went missing, and if Pelens had struck Havelian... then at the very least, it was certain they had no intention of casting her aside just yet.
In that case, Lefonya intended to become the lost possession they miraculously recovered. That way, for as long as she stayed with House Craitan, she would be treated as someone precious.
So that something like this would never happen again.
"There's no point if I go back holding your hand. Those three need to find me themselves."
"..."
"If they think they lost me, only to find me by sheer luck, they'll think, 'We got lucky this time. We must never lose her again.' That's why I need you to help those three notice this place, to guide them here."
"And what if I say no?"
"Huh?"
"While I'm off bringing them here, you'd have to stay all alone in a place like this."
Rudeum's brow furrowed deep. He clearly despised the thought of leaving Lefonya by herself in a miserable hole like this.
Lefonya's mind worked rapidly.
There was no helping it. It was time to deploy the magic words that always worked in moments like this.
"Is it too hard for you?"
At the question of whether it was too difficult, Rudeum's eyebrow twitched.
"I guess it really is too much to ask, isn't it? Getting those three to notice this place... They're Aura Masters, after all, so it must be far too tough for you."
"Ha. Don't try to bait me. When I say no, I mean no."
He didn't take the bait.
"I have no intention of leaving you here alone, Ponya."
"If I return with you, they won't feel that overwhelming sense of relief and joy. If I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again, I have to ensure they treat me as someone precious."
That was how she could stay safe. Abandonment was a habit, but so was the reluctance to discard something once kept. Once people picked something back up, the thought of throwing it away rarely crossed their minds again.
"Besides, wouldn't it be better for you too if I become the 'Lady of Craitan' again?"
"That's... haah. No, forget it."
Rudeum let out a weary sigh, wiping a hand down his face.
Come to think of it, he's already solidifying his own footing so well—does he even need me?
He was undoubtedly at the center of fierce controversy even now.
If the two of us meet frequently, it seems like my position would be strengthened far more than his.
Though, of course, none of that mattered since Lefonya wasn't the Duke's real daughter anyway.
"In any case, there's hardly any danger to me. The director is being cautious and keeping me locked in solitary confinement."
"Hoo..."
Rudeum exhaled softly, and then, as if melting into the shadows, he vanished. But before Lefonya's surprise could fully settle, he reappeared right before her eyes.
Is this the power of the Dark Spirit he mentioned earlier?
His hands were laden with an assortment of things, looking very much like luggage packed for a journey.
"Fine, I get it. Just eat this first."
"Huh?"
Where he had procured it was a mystery, but Rudeum thrust a neatly wrapped sandwich toward her.
"...Did you steal that?"
"There was no owner around. I'll pay them back several times over later."
"You sound awfully proud for someone admitting to theft."
Rudeum peeled back the paper wrapping and fed the sandwich directly to Lefonya's lips.
"So will you do what I asked?"
"Yeah. Fine, I will. All I have to do is get them to come here, right?"
"Mm-hmm, that's right. If it's too difficult..."
"Drop it. I'll handle the how. Just eat that."
Only after securing his promise did Lefonya take a hearty bite of the sandwich.
While she chewed, Rudeum produced a jar of ointment from his bundle. He gently smeared it over her knees, her calves, and her wrists. She had been so consumed with plotting her escape that she hadn't even realized she was hurt—scrapes she had likely gotten from thrashing about on her way here.
After smoothing on a generous layer, he screwed the lid back on and pressed the jar into Lefonya's hand.
"Keep this."
Lefonya nodded, steadily chewing on the sandwich he had given her. Perhaps because she hadn't had a proper meal in days, it tasted incredible.
Unlike the food at the Craitan estate, the bread was dry and crumbly, and the fillings amounted to nothing more than mashed egg and tomatoes so past their prime they had been drenched in sauce to mask the flavor—yet it was delicious.
Her small mouth worked tirelessly, her cheeks puffing out with every bite.
Crouched before Lefonya with one arm resting across his knee and his chin propped in his palm, a faint smirk tugged at Rudeum's lips.
"Good?"
"Mhm."
"Eat slowly. I'll stay with you until you finish."
Lefonya nodded, chewing as she studied Rudeum watching over her.
He had told her before that even when injured, he wasn't given so much as basic treatment back at his residence. There was no way a boy in his position was eating proper meals there either.
He must be hungry.
Lefonya snapped the sandwich in two. She held out the larger half—the side untouched by her lips.
"Rudeum. Let's share."
"Huh?"
"Eat with me."
"I'm not hungry."
"Eat it anyway."
Lefonya took Rudeum's hand and firmly pressed the sandwich into his palm.
"We have to eat it together so it can become a memory for both of us later."
"A memory... for the two of us?"
"Yeah. Sit here."
Lefonya patted the cold floor beside her.
After a brief hesitation, Rudeum sat down. Looking awkward, as though he had never experienced anything like this in his life, he stole a glance at her before taking a dazed bite of the sandwich.
To be honest, it's my first time sharing food like this, too.
Back when the Duke of Craitan had first gifted her that wooden horse, she had thought she would never understand something like the joy of sharing.
Yet right now...
"Is it good?"
Right now, she felt like she might understand it just a little.
"...Yeah."
Lefonya smiled.
Sitting side by side, the two children contentedly shared the dry, crumbly sandwich.
"Remember how we agreed that whenever we met, we'd exchange one question and one answer?"
At Lefonya's question, Rudeum—who had finished his share down to the last crumb—nodded.
That was the very agreement she had held onto every time she clutched the jewel and summoned him.
"Rudeum."
"Yeah."
"Are you going to kill me?"
Sweeping aside the countless questions she could have asked, that was the one Lefonya chose.
"The first time you saw me, you said you were glad I was alive. And the second time, you told me to stay alive."
"..."
"Even so, I keep finding you suspicious, and I can't stop doubting you. I keep searching for reasons, staying on guard, wondering why you're doing all this."
Rudeum remained as still and tranquil as a waveless sea.
"So setting everything else aside, I want to ask. Do you intend to kill me? Are you going to kill me?"
"I—"
Rudeum slowly parted his lips.
"I'm going to save you."
To the question of whether he would kill her, he answered that he would save her.
"I want you to live, Ponya."
A gentle wave seemed to surge over her, cleanly washing away the vigilance and anxiety that had weighed so heavily on Lefonya's heart.
"Then that's enough."
Lefonya pressed down the smile tugging at the corners of her lips and took another bite of her sandwich.
"I won't ask you any more questions."
"Why?"
"Because questioning you every time we meet just means I'm still doubting you. I don't want to do that to someone who wants me to live."
"..."
"So that's enough."
She hadn't understood why she felt so unusually at ease around Rudeum, or why she kept calling for him, but now she finally knew.
Rudeum was the very first bond she had formed that had nothing to do with her mission.
She didn't need to act like an obedient, innocent daughter as she did with the Duke of Craitan, nor did she need to tremble in fear as she had with the Pope and her peers.
He was completely detached from any assignment, making him the only person in the world before whom she never needed to wear a mask.
"Rudeum."
"Yeah."
"Then from now on, I'll be your friend."
Rudeum drew in a sharp, quiet breath. Seeing his reaction, Lefonya broke into a radiant smile.
"Let's be friends."
A friend—the very first for him, and the very first for her.