Chapter 37
Translator: MIssme
Editor: Aru
“What exactly do you mean…”
The voice spewing those words shook on its own. I had no idea what was going on here.
‘Is this some sort of confession? No way.’
If that were a confession, I’d rank Lord Vessel up there with Herschel Themis as the “worst fluttering guy of the year.”
“Didn’t I previously request that Lady show me how to handle paperwork?”
“Yo-you did.”
What on earth does it have to do with this?
“And Lady told me that I should make you like me.”
“Ah.”
I realized I had completely misunderstood him.
In an instant, my face became heated.
I thought ‘Confession? No way, but I was embarrassed to admit that I had believed so for a time.
“I tried everything I could think of, but I couldn’t figure it out, so I asked. How can I persuade Lady to like me?”
Lord Vessel’s expression was solemn. At the same time, I got serious about him.
I can’t believe he had considered it. That’s how much he wanted to fix his complex. And it must have been difficult for him to bow his head and beg me so many times.
That might be the reason. His sincerity shook me to my heart.
“I will teach you, Lord.”
“What?”
“I’ll show you how to work with paperwork.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but starting today would be a surprise for me, so let’s start tomorrow. And I’ll warn you ahead of time that it might be different from what you expect…”
“Thank you!”
Lord Vessel shouted loudly.
Thanks to this, what I was going to say “maybe different” was swallowed up.
“Thank you, Lady. I’ll do my best.”
He was smiling broadly.
With a very happy face.
And he thanked me.
Over and over again.
* * * * *
Have you ever heard anything like this?
That when people undertake something they’ve never done before, they become sick.
And I had a gut feeling that the phrase was accurate.
The incident began with a backache on the way home.
I was standing the entire time I was in the theatre, practising vocalization and acting.
I didn’t have much time to sit around for an extended period of time.
However, after becoming the Royal Knights’ deputy, I frequently sat down and used my brain.
The first week went well, but after two weeks of unfamiliar work, my back began to ache.
As a result, I automatically concluded that I needed to exercise, and I also considered learning swordsmanship.
Because kendo was the only sport I had done for a long time that I could do on my own.
On the way home, I boarded the carriage and went shopping for a wooden sword and comfy clothes and pants.
Even though it has only been a few months, it is not difficult for me to practice alone because I have been learning kendo for almost ten years.
If there was one thing I neglected, it was the physical state of the original Lena.
I’ve never wielded a sword, even after I really became Lena.
‘I had to go through the basic exercises step by step……’
I took a rest after that, but it was already too late because my muscles had been shocked and tightened by the sudden exercise.
As a result, I’ve had muscle pain since the next morning, and, ugh, I’m going to get some muscle pain medicine on my way home.
Although holy water would be beneficial given the impact, it was prohibitively expensive.
Of course, using costly holy water on muscular pains that will go away if left alone for a few days is a waste.
I had walked past the main gate of the Knight’s quarter with this in mind.
“Lady Oreu!”
When I turned around, Lord Vessel was rushing toward me, a broad smile on his face.
He seemed like a huge dog who was looking forward to going for a stroll after a long period, so I pondered why he was so delighted.
Oh, I told him yesterday that I would teach him how to process the paperwork.
Lord Vessel rushed all the way to where I was as I was belatedly remembering about yesterday.
“Hello, good morning!”
“That’s right. It’s been such a good morning.”
Of course, given my physical condition, it was not a good morning.
“Did you use the bird I gave you yesterday to send a letter?”
“Oh, yes. I wrote one down and sent this through the bird-like you demonstrated… but I’m not sure whether it went through properly.”
I remembered the letter I had written to Vivian the day before.
I wrote a letter before exercising since I figured it would be too late if I did it afterwards.
[How about meeting at a location where Lady feels at ease over the weekend?]…was what I was writing to her.
It was obviously a better option, given that I had gone straight to work on the other days.
“When I come home, Lady, I’ll check Vivian has gotten your letter.”
“Really? I’d appreciate it, but…”
“You don’t have to be troubled. Rather, did your arm hurt?”
“How did you find out?”
“I asked since you’d been stroking it for a while.”
Lord Vessel’s attention shifted to my forearm, and I immediately realized that I was, as he stated, caressing my arm.
Whoa, since when have I been like this?
“I just started to work out yesterday. I’m a little fatigued because I haven’t worked out in a while.”
“It’s got to be muscle pain. You don’t appear to be feeling well, so please take a break this week and start teaching me next week.”
“Really? Can I do that, Lord?”
I looked up at him, taken aback by his sudden statement.
I can’t believe he was such a man who could say such sensible and considerate things!
Lord Vessel stated this when he observed my touched countenance.
“I’m quite good-natured, aren’t I?”
Of course, I couldn’t agree with that remark.
In any case, I gratefully accepted Lord Vessel’s favor.
* * * * *
I truly appreciated Lord Vessel’s thoughtfulness hours afterwards.
This was due to the fact that as time passed, the muscle pain worsened rather than lessening.
It would have been alright if my muscles had simply been stiff, but the shoes were uncomfortable and ached a lot since my feet were swollen.
‘There is no one here anyhow, so should I take it off? Will it be all right, though?’
After a long period of thought, I attempted to take off my shoes, my hands stroking the heels of my heels.
The door opened with a knock and the sound of a doorknob twisting.
“Elena?”
My whole body shook. Caleb was the only one who addressed me as Elena in this place.
As I peeked my head out from behind the desk, I spotted Caleb, as I had expected.
“May I inquire as to what you’re doing there?”
“I was going to take my shoes off for a bit since my feet were hurting.”
Of course, Caleb came in, and I had to abandon my hopes.
I lifted my upper body and smiled awkwardly as I gave up trying to take off my shoes.
Meanwhile, Caleb approached me and inquired.
“Did your feet hurt instead of your arms?”
“…Have I ever told you that my arm hurts?”
I asked in this manner, but I was perplexed as to how Caleb knew my arms were sore.
I never told Caleb about it, no matter how vividly I recalled it.
Did Caleb see when I grabbed my arm like Lord Vessel earlier?
“You never told me, but Lord Vessel informed me about it. He stated that you are experiencing muscle pain.”
“Oh.”
I was curious as to how he knew. Lord Vessel was found to be the cause of the issue.
“Is it really that bad?”
“I believe so.”
I did not attempt to conceal my pain.
He already knew that, so what’s the use of pretending that I don’t?
“Can I ask you specifically the part where you’re suffering?”
“Well, I’ve had full-body muscle pain… I believe my arm aches more than my leg.”
“May I have a look?”
“Are you going to use holy water again, Lord?”
“I’m not going to do that.”
What would he do if that was not the case?
Well, it doesn’t matter as long as he won’t use holy water.
“If so, may I ask you?”
“Of course.”
The response came quickly.
And, with a glance at Caleb, he removed his military jacket.
It happened in an instant, and I had no idea what was going on.
Naturally, my attention was drawn to Caleb’s upper body.
Perhaps it was because he had just returned from exercising and his wet clothing was clinging to his skin.
When he moved his arm, the sleeves tightened, showing a muscle split.
Despite the fact that he was dressed, I can envision a solid body beneath the clothing.
In an instant, my face became hot. My face was so heated that it was embarrassing, so I bowed my head.
Let’s take a deep breath and relax. Calm down, don’t get carried away, and get a grip on yourself…what nonsense!
My heart seemed to pound louder the more I tried not to think.
It was a moment when I tried to avoid looking at Caleb as much as possible.
“Elena.”
I stared at Caleb because I was taken aback by the voice from right next to me.
And I immediately regretted it.
Caleb was sitting next to me on the ground, one knee on the ground, staring up at me, so my attention was automatically drawn between the collars of his shirt, which had been unfastened by the three top buttons.
My body, already rigid from muscle pain, stiffened even more as a result of his collarbone and chest, which could be seen between the collars of his shirt.
Ugh, ahh…!
I thought I was having a good life, but I suppose I wasn’t.
Why is this happening to me!
Caleb said to me as I fought with my heart thumping so fiercely.
“Would you mind pushing back the chair and turning towards me?”
“Oh, yes!”
I hurriedly followed Caleb’s words, frustrated.
When I adjusted the chair, I moved so rapidly that a dragging sound could be heard, but Caleb didn’t seem to mind. Caleb, on the other hand, was unconcerned.
Instead, he speaks to me calmly.
“Roll up your sleeves and extend out to me.”
“I-is this good enough?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could pull it up to your shoulder.”
At that point, I lifted my sleeve to my shoulder and extended my arm.
A rough bare hand soon ran beneath my forearm.
Caleb inquired as I shivered at the strange touch.
“Is it hurt if I press here?”
The voice just in front of me was too close.
Caleb’s eyelashes were evident as I looked down to see my arm.
I didn’t say anything, surprised by the distance, and I could see his silver eyelashes lifting as if staring at me.
I hurried to add, quite belatedly.
“Oh! That’s true. It hurts there.”
Caleb returned his gaze to my arms as I spoke.
That’s a relief. If we looked face to face, I’d be so…
Caleb proceeded to stroke my arm softly while I felt relieved.
His hands, which were cooler than my body temperature, pushed down exactly on my muscles.
“Did you mean massage when you said you wouldn’t use holy water to treat a strained muscle?”
“That’s right.”
Even as the conversation went on, Caleb did not stop his hand.
But I was the one who was in trouble thanks to it.
The sensation of muscle loosening was pleasant.
The issue was that I kept feeling weird, and my heart was pounding abnormally fast.
Caleb’s touch had no personal meaning.
And I knew he was simply trying to help me with my muscle pain, but every time he moved his hand, I felt smothered.
I need to relax and breathe normally.
But, without any warning, I simply noticed that my body did not move as I would have liked.
“If it hurts, don’t be afraid of telling me. That way, I can keep my strength under control.”
“It didn’t hurt. It’s rather cool. But……”
… I’m constantly thinking about it and becoming conscious of you.
I swallowed the last of my words since there was no way I could say that.
Caleb lifted his head, maybe perplexed by my unexpected silence. The distance that was already close has been shortened.
Even if we didn’t feel each other’s breath, it was dangerous enough to be able to notice that his eyelashes were shaking.
Chapter 37
Translator: MIssme
Editor: Aru
“What exactly do you mean…”
The voice spewing those words shook on its own. I had no idea what was going on here.
‘Is this some sort of confession? No way.’
If that were a confession, I’d rank Lord Vessel up there with Herschel Themis as the “worst fluttering guy of the year.”
“Didn’t I previously request that Lady show me how to handle paperwork?”
“Yo-you did.”
What on earth does it have to do with this?
“And Lady told me that I should make you like me.”
“Ah.”
I realized I had completely misunderstood him.
In an instant, my face became heated.
I thought ‘Confession? No way, but I was embarrassed to admit that I had believed so for a time.
“I tried everything I could think of, but I couldn’t figure it out, so I asked. How can I persuade Lady to like me?”
Lord Vessel’s expression was solemn. At the same time, I got serious about him.
I can’t believe he had considered it. That’s how much he wanted to fix his complex. And it must have been difficult for him to bow his head and beg me so many times.
That might be the reason. His sincerity shook me to my heart.
“I will teach you, Lord.”
“What?”
“I’ll show you how to work with paperwork.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but starting today would be a surprise for me, so let’s start tomorrow. And I’ll warn you ahead of time that it might be different from what you expect…”
“Thank you!”
Lord Vessel shouted loudly.
Thanks to this, what I was going to say “maybe different” was swallowed up.
“Thank you, Lady. I’ll do my best.”
He was smiling broadly.
With a very happy face.
And he thanked me.
Over and over again.
* * * * *
Have you ever heard anything like this?
That when people undertake something they’ve never done before, they become sick.
And I had a gut feeling that the phrase was accurate.
The incident began with a backache on the way home.
I was standing the entire time I was in the theatre, practising vocalization and acting.
I didn’t have much time to sit around for an extended period of time.
However, after becoming the Royal Knights’ deputy, I frequently sat down and used my brain.
The first week went well, but after two weeks of unfamiliar work, my back began to ache.
As a result, I automatically concluded that I needed to exercise, and I also considered learning swordsmanship.
Because kendo was the only sport I had done for a long time that I could do on my own.
On the way home, I boarded the carriage and went shopping for a wooden sword and comfy clothes and pants.
Even though it has only been a few months, it is not difficult for me to practice alone because I have been learning kendo for almost ten years.
If there was one thing I neglected, it was the physical state of the original Lena.
I’ve never wielded a sword, even after I really became Lena.
‘I had to go through the basic exercises step by step……’
I took a rest after that, but it was already too late because my muscles had been shocked and tightened by the sudden exercise.
As a result, I’ve had muscle pain since the next morning, and, ugh, I’m going to get some muscle pain medicine on my way home.
Although holy water would be beneficial given the impact, it was prohibitively expensive.
Of course, using costly holy water on muscular pains that will go away if left alone for a few days is a waste.
I had walked past the main gate of the Knight’s quarter with this in mind.
“Lady Oreu!”
When I turned around, Lord Vessel was rushing toward me, a broad smile on his face.
He seemed like a huge dog who was looking forward to going for a stroll after a long period, so I pondered why he was so delighted.
Oh, I told him yesterday that I would teach him how to process the paperwork.
Lord Vessel rushed all the way to where I was as I was belatedly remembering about yesterday.
“Hello, good morning!”
“That’s right. It’s been such a good morning.”
Of course, given my physical condition, it was not a good morning.
“Did you use the bird I gave you yesterday to send a letter?”
“Oh, yes. I wrote one down and sent this through the bird-like you demonstrated… but I’m not sure whether it went through properly.”
I remembered the letter I had written to Vivian the day before.
I wrote a letter before exercising since I figured it would be too late if I did it afterwards.
[How about meeting at a location where Lady feels at ease over the weekend?]…was what I was writing to her.
It was obviously a better option, given that I had gone straight to work on the other days.
“When I come home, Lady, I’ll check Vivian has gotten your letter.”
“Really? I’d appreciate it, but…”
“You don’t have to be troubled. Rather, did your arm hurt?”
“How did you find out?”
“I asked since you’d been stroking it for a while.”
Lord Vessel’s attention shifted to my forearm, and I immediately realized that I was, as he stated, caressing my arm.
Whoa, since when have I been like this?
“I just started to work out yesterday. I’m a little fatigued because I haven’t worked out in a while.”
“It’s got to be muscle pain. You don’t appear to be feeling well, so please take a break this week and start teaching me next week.”
“Really? Can I do that, Lord?”
I looked up at him, taken aback by his sudden statement.
I can’t believe he was such a man who could say such sensible and considerate things!
Lord Vessel stated this when he observed my touched countenance.
“I’m quite good-natured, aren’t I?”
Of course, I couldn’t agree with that remark.
In any case, I gratefully accepted Lord Vessel’s favor.
* * * * *
I truly appreciated Lord Vessel’s thoughtfulness hours afterwards.
This was due to the fact that as time passed, the muscle pain worsened rather than lessening.
It would have been alright if my muscles had simply been stiff, but the shoes were uncomfortable and ached a lot since my feet were swollen.
‘There is no one here anyhow, so should I take it off? Will it be all right, though?’
After a long period of thought, I attempted to take off my shoes, my hands stroking the heels of my heels.
The door opened with a knock and the sound of a doorknob twisting.
“Elena?”
My whole body shook. Caleb was the only one who addressed me as Elena in this place.
As I peeked my head out from behind the desk, I spotted Caleb, as I had expected.
“May I inquire as to what you’re doing there?”
“I was going to take my shoes off for a bit since my feet were hurting.”
Of course, Caleb came in, and I had to abandon my hopes.
I lifted my upper body and smiled awkwardly as I gave up trying to take off my shoes.
Meanwhile, Caleb approached me and inquired.
“Did your feet hurt instead of your arms?”
“…Have I ever told you that my arm hurts?”
I asked in this manner, but I was perplexed as to how Caleb knew my arms were sore.
I never told Caleb about it, no matter how vividly I recalled it.
Did Caleb see when I grabbed my arm like Lord Vessel earlier?
“You never told me, but Lord Vessel informed me about it. He stated that you are experiencing muscle pain.”
“Oh.”
I was curious as to how he knew. Lord Vessel was found to be the cause of the issue.
“Is it really that bad?”
“I believe so.”
I did not attempt to conceal my pain.
He already knew that, so what’s the use of pretending that I don’t?
“Can I ask you specifically the part where you’re suffering?”
“Well, I’ve had full-body muscle pain… I believe my arm aches more than my leg.”
“May I have a look?”
“Are you going to use holy water again, Lord?”
“I’m not going to do that.”
What would he do if that was not the case?
Well, it doesn’t matter as long as he won’t use holy water.
“If so, may I ask you?”
“Of course.”
The response came quickly.
And, with a glance at Caleb, he removed his military jacket.
It happened in an instant, and I had no idea what was going on.
Naturally, my attention was drawn to Caleb’s upper body.
Perhaps it was because he had just returned from exercising and his wet clothing was clinging to his skin.
When he moved his arm, the sleeves tightened, showing a muscle split.
Despite the fact that he was dressed, I can envision a solid body beneath the clothing.
In an instant, my face became hot. My face was so heated that it was embarrassing, so I bowed my head.
Let’s take a deep breath and relax. Calm down, don’t get carried away, and get a grip on yourself…what nonsense!
My heart seemed to pound louder the more I tried not to think.
It was a moment when I tried to avoid looking at Caleb as much as possible.
“Elena.”
I stared at Caleb because I was taken aback by the voice from right next to me.
And I immediately regretted it.
Caleb was sitting next to me on the ground, one knee on the ground, staring up at me, so my attention was automatically drawn between the collars of his shirt, which had been unfastened by the three top buttons.
My body, already rigid from muscle pain, stiffened even more as a result of his collarbone and chest, which could be seen between the collars of his shirt.
Ugh, ahh…!
I thought I was having a good life, but I suppose I wasn’t.
Why is this happening to me!
Caleb said to me as I fought with my heart thumping so fiercely.
“Would you mind pushing back the chair and turning towards me?”
“Oh, yes!”
I hurriedly followed Caleb’s words, frustrated.
When I adjusted the chair, I moved so rapidly that a dragging sound could be heard, but Caleb didn’t seem to mind. Caleb, on the other hand, was unconcerned.
Instead, he speaks to me calmly.
“Roll up your sleeves and extend out to me.”
“I-is this good enough?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could pull it up to your shoulder.”
At that point, I lifted my sleeve to my shoulder and extended my arm.
A rough bare hand soon ran beneath my forearm.
Caleb inquired as I shivered at the strange touch.
“Is it hurt if I press here?”
The voice just in front of me was too close.
Caleb’s eyelashes were evident as I looked down to see my arm.
I didn’t say anything, surprised by the distance, and I could see his silver eyelashes lifting as if staring at me.
I hurried to add, quite belatedly.
“Oh! That’s true. It hurts there.”
Caleb returned his gaze to my arms as I spoke.
That’s a relief. If we looked face to face, I’d be so…
Caleb proceeded to stroke my arm softly while I felt relieved.
His hands, which were cooler than my body temperature, pushed down exactly on my muscles.
“Did you mean massage when you said you wouldn’t use holy water to treat a strained muscle?”
“That’s right.”
Even as the conversation went on, Caleb did not stop his hand.
But I was the one who was in trouble thanks to it.
The sensation of muscle loosening was pleasant.
The issue was that I kept feeling weird, and my heart was pounding abnormally fast.
Caleb’s touch had no personal meaning.
And I knew he was simply trying to help me with my muscle pain, but every time he moved his hand, I felt smothered.
I need to relax and breathe normally.
But, without any warning, I simply noticed that my body did not move as I would have liked.
“If it hurts, don’t be afraid of telling me. That way, I can keep my strength under control.”
“It didn’t hurt. It’s rather cool. But……”
… I’m constantly thinking about it and becoming conscious of you.
I swallowed the last of my words since there was no way I could say that.
Caleb lifted his head, maybe perplexed by my unexpected silence. The distance that was already close has been shortened.
Even if we didn’t feel each other’s breath, it was dangerous enough to be able to notice that his eyelashes were shaking.
