CH 41

A Warm Place to Stay

In the evening, Cody brought her an early dinner.

It seemed that the lady at the diner prepared rice porridge for Sheila as a thank-you for the wild boar meat from last time.

Feeling grateful, she finished the meal and lay down. Her body warmed up to the core and she soon began to doze off.

When she woke up again, Cody, who had been with her all along, was gone. It was dinner time, so she wondered if he had gone to the dining room.

Before she knew it, she had slept for quite some time. The night was already falling outside the window.

The medicine seemed to have taken effect, and her fever had gone down considerably. Her body was sticky with sweat, and she felt a little uncomfortable, but her thoughts were becoming clearer.

As she stared up at the ceiling in a daze, her ears picked up a faint noise. Perhaps she was awakened by the presence of someone.

It was Leidyrune who quietly opened the door.

As she stared at him, unable to hide her surprise, he opened his mouth.

“You were awake.”

She thought it was a random thing to say after sneaking into her room, but Sheila accepted it anyway.

It was hard to tell with his arrogant behavior, but she thought she had gotten somewhat close to him. If she wasn’t mistaken, he must’ve come to visit her.

“…. I heard a rumor that there were hazardous materials in this room, so I came here out of curiosity.”

“Hazardous materials? Do you think I’m hiding something dangerous?”

At Leidyrune’s excuses, Sheila shrugged her shoulders as she got up. She was feeling better and this time she wasn’t dizzy.

She turned on the light of a magical tool and put it on the bedside table. The light was far from enough to illuminate the entire room, but if she were close enough, she could at least make out his expression.

Sheila offered a chair to Leidyrune, who was standing in the doorway. After some hesitation, he reluctantly sat down in a simple round chair.

“Well, it’s fine. I thought I’d stop by to visit you, so I brought you some fruit. Is the servant out?”

“I don’t have any servants. I am a commoner.”

Just now, Regress asked that too. It seemed that it was natural for nobles to have servants.

“Then, when you can get up, you should eat.”

Leidyrune lowered a rattan basket onto the bedside cabinet. Inside the basket were grapes, a rarity at this time of year. Looking at the fresh fruit, Sheila instantly felt thirsty.

How greedy did she look? Even Leidyrune flinched and opened his mouth.

“…. Do you want something to eat?”

“I want some of those grapes. I’m thirsty.”

“If you’re thirsty, why don’t you drink some water?”

“I want something sweet.”

“….. So, what do you want me to do?”

During the conversation, Sheila’s eyes were glued to the shiny grapes. Normally, she would be a little more attentive, but she was unaware that words were leaking out of her brain.

“I’m going to eat them, please bring them to me.”

“Do you think I can be so cold as to make someone who’s sick peel a piece of fruit?”

“Then, will you feed me?”

Leidyrune’s temples twitched.

The reason why he didn’t yell at her like Regress was probably because he was kind enough to take care of the sick.

She was selfish, but she didn’t really expect him to peel the grapes for her. It was just a strategy to get him to give them to Sheila.

So, when Leidyrune awkwardly started peeling the grapes, she thought the heat was driving her crazy.

In his hands, the grapes looked awfully small.

It seemed to be the first time for him to peel the fruit by himself, and he struggled with it. He was peeling them with the wrong amount of force, crushing them, and even scraping off the insides along with the skin. When the splattered juice stained his face, she didn’t know what to say.

Nevertheless, Leidyrune managed to finish peeling the fruit. His hands were completely sticky.

Sheila wondered why. There was no reason for him to go to such lengths.

“Here, open your mouth.”

Leidyrune, with his stoic face, picked a piece of grape. Sheila took a bite of the grape as it was offered to her.

The cold fruit soothed her throat. It was sweet and left her wanting more.

“More!”

At that moment, her eyes were drawn to Leidyrune’s fingertips. The clear juice was running down his fingers, about to drip off.

Sheila quickly licked off the sweet juice. She also licked Leidyrune’s finger, just to be on the safe side.

“….. It’s sweet. Delicious!”

She smiled gratefully at him.

For some reason, he remained frozen in the same position.

Leidyrune slowly buried his face in his knees and moaned in despair.

“…. Hazardous material, huh?”

She didn’t understand what he was so depressed about, but she soon had a hunch.

She licked it normally, but when she thought about it again, it was impolite. She had taken it for granted with Felix since we were children, so she didn’t notice.

He wasn’t depressed, he was angry. However, because she was sick, he wasn’t able to reprimand her.

Sheila hurriedly bowed her head.

“I’m sorry. That was incredibly rude….”

“It’s all right. As expected, you’re a wild monkey.”

“That’s right. To Leidyrune-senpai, I really think that I can only be seen as a wild monkey.”

When she easily affirmed it, Leidyrune looked up a little.

His pale purple eyes were like those of a wild animal, sparkling quietly in the dimly lit room. Like jewels, Sheila thought.

It reminded her of the purple juice she had just licked, and she felt as if she had sipped something special. Sacred, incomparable, exquisite.

Leidyrune was also staring at Sheila.

In the darkness, both her rose-colored hair and yellow-light eyes stood out in a special way. She seemed to radiate light itself.

Smooth cheeks that seemed to melt into the darkness, pale colored lips. His mouth moved of its own accord, feeling the inviolable danger of everything that formed Sheila.

“…. No. From the very beginning, you’ve been shining brilliantly―”

Leidyrune’s words were cut off. Someone had knocked on the door.

“Excuse me.”

A cold, stern voice rang out, and the room suddenly became bright.

The person who activated the magic tool lamp near the door was Clauschezade, whose eyes were shaded with disapproval.

He stopped his gaze on Leidyrune and sighed deeply.

“If there are visitors, you should turn on the lights. It’s rude to be so careless.”

“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Sheila quickly bowed her head, but Leidyrune didn’t seem to be listening. He stared at Claushezade standing in the doorway.

It was his usual tense appearance, the fact that he had seemed friendly earlier was probably due to the darkness.

Leidyrune stood up silently. Sheila immediately called out to him as he started to walk away.

“Um, thank you for coming to visit me.”

“…. Be well by tomorrow.”

“Yes, I will try my best.”

Leidyrune, who stood in the doorway as if replacing Claushezade, looked back over his shoulder. His sharp eyes softened slightly as he took one last look at Sheila before leaving.

When the door slammed shut, a heavy silence dominated the room.

Inwardly, Sheila was terrified.

Would she be scolded again for her lack of manners toward the nobles? There were probably a lot of things wrong with her manners, but she would definitely keep quiet about the fact that she had Leidyrune peel grapes for her.

The silence lasted so long that she looked up fearfully.

Surprisingly, Claushezade didn’t even look at Sheila. He was looking around the room.

“…. Why are you scrutinizing my room?”

It was the first time she’d gotten so much attention for her plain room. She had let everyone through before, but now she suddenly felt embarrassed.

However, he didn’t seem to be looking for fault. His expression showed pure curiosity.

Claushezade finally turned his attention to Sheila.

“No, I’m sorry. I just felt that it somehow resembled the atmosphere in my office.”

Sheila tilted her head in astonishment. Was that what he was really wondering about?

“That’s only natural. I brought in all the cushions and vases. I told you before that I was going to remodel them, didn’t I?”

Even the flowers on the windowsill were the same until a few minutes ago.

It was only natural that it would become Sheila’s hobby, since they had never been touched by Claushezade until now.

“Is that so…..? That’s right.”

“What are you surprised about?”

He looked bewildered, which was unusual for him, who was always calm. He sat down in the round chair by the bed, but looked strangely uncomfortable.

Did he suddenly become unhappy with the interior of his office after seeing Sheila’s room? If that was the case, Clauschezade should redecorate it as he liked.

“I’m not sure, but seeing that you seem fine now, I think you should go to the teacher’s office or the grocery store.”

“I don’t really understand. Why should I have to work or go out now?”

Claushezade, remembering his original purpose, took out a book while he was advising Sheila.

“Here, it’s a gift for you. Take it.”

“Eh….. Is there someone who would give such a thing to a sick person?”

The book he brought had the words “Nobleman’s Directory” printed in large letters. Frankly speaking, she wanted to refuse to accept it.

Claushezade insisted as if it were a given.

“This is a very comprehensive book on the nobility, covering everything from family trees to the current head of the family and the family crest that has been handed down in the family from generation to generation. It’s a good book to know, as you will have a lot of association with nobles from now on.”

“What a devil you are, to give this your sickly pupil.”

“I’m sure you’ll fall asleep while reading this book. If your head is tired and you can go to sleep quickly, it would be a good way to recover your strength.”

With that strategy, even if her physical strength recovered, she felt that her inner energy would be completely squeezed out. Seriously, it was a devilish act.

“The others brought me fruit-infused water, flowers, and other things…. Isn’t that the most thoughtful thing you could have done?”

“It’s just the most humane.”

She was clearly objecting, but a heavy book was placed on her lap. Apparently, there was no escape.

“Are you sure you’re okay to stay awake?”

Claushezade’s voice turned soft as he won the argument.

Sheila nodded.

“I’m feeling much better now. I think I’ll be better in the morning.”

“I see. I’m glad you don’t have to miss class.”

That might seem like a brutal remark to others, but she understood because Sheila was thinking similarly.

That was his way of saying that he didn’t want to leave any opening for those who were trying to harass her.

“Today I renewed my determination not to be defeated. With so many people cheering me on, I don’t have time to be depressed.”

“Even you get depressed at times?”

“Of course. I was quite depressed while I had a fever, but I’m fine now.”

“I see.”

Claushezade gently stroked Sheila’s head with a smile that he rarely showed. His hand felt good as they followed the flow of her hair.

That might be the best way to show his sympathy.

She slowly closed her eyelids while thinking deeply about it.