Lily (5)
Lily (5)
Lily, who had fainted last after putting up a barrier, opened her eyes as she felt warmth.
What was she doing again... It was a warmth like a bed.
...!
And she jumped up in a start from her spot.
No, she tried to get up. Her head bumped into something, forcing her to sit back down.
"Ugh!"
The something she bumped into let out a sound.
When Lily turned around, Stachys was waking up while rubbing his chin.
"Oh, you're awake, Lily-ssi?"
"Where is this?"
Lily looked around her surroundings.
From what she could see, it seemed to be inside a cave.
Looking towards the cave entrance, the outside world was much brighter than when she had lost consciousness.
It seemed to be dawn... or morning.
"It's a cave beneath the cliff. Lily-ssi, you're the one who found it."
And only then did she also realize where this place was.
The place Stachys had jumped down looked like a sheer cliff at a glance, but right below it was actually a ledge that prevented a fatal fall.
And right behind that protruding ledge was a cave where they could hide.
"Heaven must be helping us. To think a place like this exists."
"What about the Tiger Wolves?"
"I think they gave up. They probably thought we fell off? Given how dark it was."
Haa... Lily let out a sigh of relief. Hearing that they were safe made her tension melt away completely.
The world spun around.
"Whoops, be careful."
And Stachys caught her as she collapsed. Her back grew warm once again.
-Huh?
This warmth felt familiar. Lily racked her brain.
That warmth when she first woke up... and judging by how she smashed into his chin when getting up...
"By any chance, Stachys-ssi, have you been hugging me the whole time...?"
He scratched the back of his head.
"Well... Lily-ssi's body was so cold, and well... I was cold too... um. Sorry."
"Ah-ah! No, it's not that! It's not that I hated it or anything, I was just curious about how I'd been positioned, so I asked!"
She thought she had found some composure back when they were talking on horseback, but Lily grew impatient in an instant again. Petty worries like, What if he hates me because of what I say? flooded her mind.
Back then, she had at least tried to show some noona-like composure and focused on making her laughter sound mature, but what on earth was this now?
Despite Lily's excuse, Stachys still wore an apologetic expression.
She was actually grateful, so why did things keep turning out like this?
Just then, a cold draft blew in. Lily's body shivered.
-Ah. This is it.
"St..Stachys-ssi."
"Yes...?"
"Um.... I'm cold, so can we.... be like before again...?"
Her voice trailed off smaller and smaller. Lily couldn't even look at his face. Fidgeting nervously, all her senses shifted to whatever he was going to say next.
Pfft
And he laughed.
"Wh-why are you laughing!"
"Ahahaha, ha.. it's nothing. I'm cold too, so come over here. Let's stay like that until it gets a bit brighter."
Stachys opened his arms toward Lily.
Calming her pounding heart, Lily sat down this time pretending to be nonchalant, pressing her back against his chest.
Dugeun. Dugeun. Dugeun.
She could see Stachys's two arms that had protected her. She could see his strong legs. Stachys's scent drifted gently.
Her heart beat much louder than she expected, and it was far more awkward than she expected. Lily couldn't think of a single thing to say in a situation like this.
...?
As she chose to remain silent, not knowing what to say, she stood completely still on edge with all her nerves heightened, and then she felt something on her back.
-Kung-kung-kung
This tremor.
It was definitely Stachys's heartbeat.
Lily carefully and slowly raised her head to look at Stachys.
His face was also bright red.
-Pung
Lily felt her face grow so hot that she felt like it was about to burst into flames.
She had thought Stachys was completely unbothered and that only she was nervous, but Stachys was no different from her at all.
Feeling vividly that he was just a human like her made him feel much more approachable.
The contrast between his dependable self during the party's crisis and how he looked right now was fascinating.
Seeing him get nervous because of her even seemed cute.
Perhaps it was just because he was a younger brother-like figure.
Lily felt she could catch her breath again and act like she had some composure.
"Gheum...! Ahem!"
Lily tried to speak, but her voice came out trembling like a goat's.
Clearing her throat once or twice more, she spoke to him again.
"Stachys-ssi? Since we have some time... would you like to ask each other questions like we did before?"
"...Shall we?"
Lily praised herself inwardly.
She thought her choice of conversation topic was excellent.
It had been fun on horseback. She wanted to have a conversation like that once more.
Having crossed the line of death together once, she also had the desire to know more about him.
And since she was older age-wise, she even felt like showing a slightly more composed side of herself.
Talking about everyday things felt like a way to do that.
"I'll ask first, Stachys. Why do you use that weapon?"
"Um..."
She could feel Stachys pondering against the part of her body touching his.
"Why was it again? I frequently got caught up in fights when I was young, and maybe it's because I always fought holding a club back then? Later on, I found this kind of weapon to be the most comfortable."
Stachys pulled out the remaining tonfa from his waist to show her.
"And honestly, there's also a little bit of trying to copy my hyung."
"An older brother? You have a hyung? That aside, why is there only one side of your weapon left?"
Stachys's weapon, which originally came in a pair, only had one piece left.
"Ah. After Lily-ssi fainted, I threw away everything I was holding in my hands and ran. Oh, and thanks for back then. For saving me with the barrier."
"Th... th-that's only natural. Stachys-ssi saved me too, didn't you?"
That weapon, he seemed to cherish it quite a bit.
She thought she should buy him one later.
She felt sorry yet grateful to him, and at the same time, his words of gratitude made her feel so happy.
She tried her utmost not to blatantly show how thrilled she was.
Fearing she would be found out immediately, Lily changed the subject of conversation.
"Anyway. Why are you trying to follow your hyung's example?"
"Because he's my idol. Ah, you might know him if I mention my hyung. Do you know Steon, the leader of the A-rank party Ade?"
Lily shook her head from side to side.
"No. This is my first time hearing it. I'm not very interested in other parties. But your hyung-nim is an A-rank party leader?"
"Huh? My hyung is pretty famous... You don't know him..? Anyway, yes. He's my pride and joy."
"That's amazing. He's well worth being an idol."
Stachys rejoiced at the praise of his hyung as if he had received the compliment himself.
"Well, it's not like hyung is my idol just for that one reason, though.... Lily-ssi, do you have any siblings?"
Lily blinked. She hadn't anticipated such an obvious question that could naturally come up.
Had she known it would come to this, she shouldn't have steered the conversation topic toward family.
It was a slightly awkward topic to talk about.
Lily herself didn't mind.
However, if she brought this up, Stachys would feel uncomfortable.
She didn't want the current decent mood to turn solemn.
And on top of that, not answering would be weird too, so Lily decided to speak as if it was nothing.
"Um... I had a younger brother."
"Ah."
Not 'I have', but 'I had'.
She could feel Stachys's body stiffen up.
"No, it's fine. It's already been quite some time, too."
"I'm sorry. I feel like I needlessly dragged up a bad memory."
"I told you it's fine, Stachys. The sense of loss I felt when I lost my younger brother has dulled a lot, so now only good memories remain."
Even though she told him the truth that she wasn't uncomfortable, Stachys didn't know how to relax his tension.
"It wasn't a miserable death like being hunted by monsters or beaten to death by someone on the street. It was a farewell where he quietly left my side later on because his body was congenitally weak. We both prepared well for the parting. It's okay."
As Lily pondered how she should tell the story and how she could keep him from feeling uncomfortable, a brilliant idea flashed into her mind.
An idea that would make her proud of herself.
"Fuhust. Stachys, do you know that?"
"...Pardon?"
Right. There was a two-year age gap with her younger brother. Since her age now was twenty-four...
"If my younger brother were still alive, he'd be the exact same age as you, Stachys."
"Uh, pardon?"
Stachys's voice, which had sunken apologetically, came back to life.
Lily smiled.
"...That means.."
"Yes. That I'm older than you, Stachys. I asked your age while riding horses yesterday."
"Lily-ssi is older than me?"
"Later on, if you want, you can call me Lily-noona."
And she flashed him a composed, the most noona-like smile Lily could possibly muster.
Turning around slightly inside his arms, she covered her mouth with her hand and smiled with her eyes.
For now, this was Lily's best.
Worrying whether it looked unnatural or not.
The solemn atmosphere vanished, and a ticklish, fluttering atmosphere returned once again.
"You said you didn't want to tell me back then, what brought on a change of heart?"
"We crossed the line of death together. I should at least tell you this much."
Just then.
-...tachys..!! ...li!!!
Flash.
Stachys put his finger to his lips to signal a shh- and got up from his spot.
Lily also slipped out of his embrace because Stachys stood up.
-Stachys!!! Lily-ssi!!!
An intense voice. Their throats were hoarse from shouting so much.
-Stachys!! Lily!!!
-Over here!! The weapon is dropped here!!
-No...! No!! Chis-yah!!! Where did you go!!!
Aside from Rus and Vien's voices, an unfamiliar voice could be heard as well.
It was probably other personnel the two of them had brought along.
"Looks like the kids are here. Let's head out quickly before they misunderstand anything."
Stachys grinned slyly.
"Lily-noona."
At that smile and those words,
Lily's heart raced as if it were broken.
Even though she had admitted to liking him after that incident a few weeks ago, it thumped and pounded as if she had fallen in love for the very first time.
.
.
.
And a few days later, Vien and Rus came to find Lily and proposed writing up a treaty.
I couldn't hold back the yawn leaking out.
Haaam.
With my arms stretched out wide to both sides and without even covering my mouth, I let out an ungraceful yawn.
Lily-noona chuckled, finding my appearance amusing.
"Lily-noona. Do we really have to go this far?"
I had thought we'd just casually match some decent-looking clothes for top and bottom, but Lily-noona came prepared in full earnest.
After eating the breakfast she packed and wandering around here and there until the shops opened, when the time came,
she dragged me off to an expensive boutique, saying she'd get custom-tailored clothes made just for me.
It was a classy shop lined with dresses and tuxedos that looked like they'd only be worn at noble banquets.
Proving that looks weren't everything, an employee appeared and started taking measurements of my entire body.
Because of that, I couldn't move an inch right now.
"Of course we have to go this far. If Stachys gets a girlfriend, he needs to go out wearing clothes this nice so that I, as his noona, won't be embarrassed."
"Oh my, weren't you a couple? Well, look at that~. I totally thought you were lovers! Because you looked so good together!"
The female employee taking measurements chattered away to us.
Lily-noona covered her mouth and smiled at the employee's words.
"We certainly get along exceptionally well, after all."
The employee's eyes flashed at Lily-noona's reaction.
"I know right. You two match so well~"
She must have thought we weren't quite a couple yet, but rather in that ambiguous flirting stage.
She said things with the obvious intention of hooking me and noona up.
"Mister! I'm envious. Having a noona who takes such good care of you."
"Aha.... Ahahaha."
I gave an awkward smile. When I looked at Lily-noona, she was staring right through me.
"How long have you two known each other?"
"Well... I've known noona for a long time."
"And we'll know each other for a long time to come."
Lily-noona said it as if it were only natural.
At those words, the employee wore a sly smile.
"So which of you is going to confess, then? Shouldn't the guy do it?"
"Oh. No way. We're not that kind of relationship."
"Oh my. Is that so?"
Lily-noona drew a line, saying they weren't that kind of relationship.
Yet her expression looked pleased.
The employee asked back, surprised in the opposite direction.
Stopping her measurements, she patted and stroked my arm muscles.
Instinctively, I flexed.
"You've got a, um... manly appearance?! And oh my! Your body is so solid~ and cool, so I naturally thought-"
Feeling sorry for misunderstanding, she seemed to be praising me as a sort of apology on her part, but her words couldn't go all the way due to Lily-noona.
She had abruptly changed.
"-Employee?"
"...Yes?"
The employee tensed up at the instantly altered tone of voice.
It's only natural to be startled if you see it for the first time.
Even I flinch and cower.
Because a person changing on a dime depending on their mood isn't normal.
"Could you please stop sexually harassing my younger brother and just take his measurements?"
-Ah.
Along with that sound, the employee removed her hand from my forearm.
Wait, is this sexual harassment?
Sniffing my scent in the morning and even touching my bare skin wasn't sexual harassment, but why is this?
I really have no idea what the standard is.
The employee no longer had a smiling face.
Having been hit by a surprise blow that brought her to her senses, she silently measured the remaining dimensions while tense.
I felt needlessly sorry. It felt like this happened because of my companion.
Did Lily-noona feel bad because she thought I was sexually harassed? I didn't even care.
Whether it was because she wanted to finish quickly or because she could work without talking, the measurement process ended shortly after that.
Without even looking this way now, Lily-noona was indifferently browsing fabrics and pre-made sample clothing designs. Sneaking a look away, I whispered to the looking depressed employee.
"..Um-"
"Stachys? Are you done with all the measurements?"
"Whoops! Yes!!"
How did she know again, cutting me off with ghost-like timing? I was greatly startled as if I'd been caught doing something bad.
"Then would you come over here? Let's pick out the designs for what kind of clothes to make."
"Yes."
In the end, without even being able to comfort the employee, I went over to where Lily-noona was.
Come to think of it, before I knew it, I was prioritizing the moods of our three party members above all else.
There were many times when I couldn't even comfort others to cheer them up because I was walking on eggshells around the girls.
Since when did it become like this? I ponder for a brief moment.
Had I been tamed without even realizing it?
Hmm. No. In the end, if I don't walk on eggshells around them, things get annoying for me, so I make these choices.
My actions were decided by myself.
It must be so.
When I went over to Lily-noona, she had already picked out a few outfits.
"You've already picked out a few?"
"Since Stachys asked me to get them tailored, I picked out ones that look pretty. Would you like to try one on?"
Indeed, the clothes chosen had well-coordinated combinations.
I had felt a bit anxious that she might customize something like a tuxedo, but thankfully that wasn't the case.
No matter how poorly I dressed, I knew that you don't go on a date wearing something like that.
The ones Lily-noona picked out were pretty clothes that looked a bit expensive but could be worn as everyday clothes.
I took all the combinations that looked the prettiest among them, went to the partitioned changing area, and changed.
Undergarment, blouse, and next was a sleeveless leather jacket.
It was pretty, but maybe because it wasn't my size, it looked a bit slouchy.
To hear her evaluation, I pulled back the curtain and stood in front of Lily-noona.
"Hm.. Noona, how is it? It's pretty, but since it's not my size, it looks a bit sloppy. Will it be fine once I get it custom-made for me later?"
But Lily-noona gave no answer.
"..? Noona?"
When I raised my head to look at her, she was staring intently at me with her mouth slightly parted.
"...Is it weird?"
At my words, she opened her eyes wide and shook her head from side to side.
"...No, it's not. It's really... really pretty. The clothes! I mean the clothes. With this much, you won't be embarrassed. Yes."
It didn't seem like a lie. Personally, I liked it too.
Should I go with this?
"Stachys!! Don't stop, check out the other clothes too. I've already picked them out."
Sample clothes had increased as if she'd picked out more in the meantime. The number of them was no joke either.
Enough to make me wonder when I'd ever try all of these on.
Seeing endless tasks ahead of me just left me feeling overwhelmed.
Even to wear one, you have to layer and layer and layer, so when am I supposed to put them all on and take them all off to change?
"Noona. There are way too many of these. I can't try them all on. Even if I try them on, I can't buy them all."
"You don't have to buy them. Just try them on first. I want to see- ah, no, you should buy good ones when you buy them once."
I was already satisfied. Looking at the rest of the clothes at a glance, none of them were particularly prettier or more to my liking than this one.
And what is this?
"Noona, but what is this?"
"They say it's clothes brought over by someone from the East. Denim overalls... or something like that?"
"What about the top to wear with it?"
"There's no such thing."
Ew.
What on earth is this.
"Noona. Forget it. I did ask you to pick them out, but you said you wanted to see my boyfriend look, right? I probably wouldn't dress like this."
"Ah.. th... is that so? Even so, since I picked them out like this, just once..."
"I'm sorry to noona, but it's not my style."
She gazes steadily at me.
"....If you say it like that, I can't help it."
I thought she was going to change her expression again and throw a tantrum, but thankfully she let it slide this time.
I mean, since I'm saying this is my style, what can she say.
They say the clothes will be finished around next week. When that time comes, they'll make them to fit my body perfectly according to the designs we chose.
The price wasn't cheap, but Lily-noona made a fuss saying she'd definitely buy this for me, so I didn't refuse.
Seeing her want to buy it for me that badly, I couldn't help but wonder how worried she must have been about me to go to such lengths.
It's not like I always dress casually anyway, and if I got a girlfriend, I'd obviously dress up to go out.
Anyway.
If by any chance I lie later on and say I got a girlfriend, it'd probably be best to tell her I wore these clothes out, right?