After the morning meeting and report time was over, and after finishing lunch,
I went to see Eliya and Yuel.
As always, Yuel stays in the big barn.
Once the royal palace is completed, they decided to move Yuel to a much larger and grand barn than this one.
Because of that, the current barn caretaker, Bradley, is expected to get promoted.
He has been assigned as Yuel’s dedicated caretaker for the royal palace.
Hearing that news delivered casually by Eliya, Bradley, at that moment, knelt down and cried loudly.
He was truly grateful, saying that he could finally be a bit prouder as a father to his wife and children.
Seeing a grown man cry always feels odd, and I was reminded of that once again at that time.
I wondered if that feeling was considered the weight of being a head of a family.
‘…As someone who’s essentially living off Eliya, I might never feel that weight.’
Anyway, after that, Bradley became more enthusiastic about taking care of Yuel.
‘Well, he wasn’t slacking off to begin with.’
“Oh, you’ve been well! Yes, yes.”
Yuel greets me warmly every time I visit.
The excitement increases day by day.
Eliya and I have a small responsibility in this.
It’s been about 30 days since the wedding.
We were lost in our desires and didn’t come out from the mountain.
And naturally, during that time, Yuel didn’t get to see us.
Though Bradley and Maria took care of Yuel, I heard that occasionally it seemed Yuel was anxious and whined, looking for us.
‘Is this how it feels when you have children…? You can’t just leave them behind carelessly.’
Anyway, feeling guilty, I rubbed and petted Yuel even more passionately.
“Yeah, yeah, I missed you too. Yes, yes, oh my.”
Eliya also feels sorry but doesn’t pet Yuel as recklessly as I do.
Instead, she gives Yuel a long hug.
Unlike with me, Yuel responds to Eliya in a relatively calm manner.
Yuel doesn’t run over or push forward.
Instead, she approaches slowly and cautiously tries to touch Eliya’s face.
Not quite touching, just as much as Eliya can reach out to grab.
‘Is Yuel being smart or just knows how to pick her people? …Is that it?’
I asked Yuel while showing her the reins.
“Shall we go for a walk after a long time?”
Yuel, who had been petted by Eliya, slowly nodded.
In the meantime, I fitted the reins onto Yuel’s face and secured the saddle onto her back.
During that time, Eliya quietly gazed at Yuel while softly rubbing her face.
“Should I help you up?”
“Mm.”
One hand supporting Eliya’s bottom, the other wrapping around her waist to lift her up.
She rested her arms over my shoulders.
As a result, our faces got closer.
“…….”
An almost touchable distance.
It reminded me of a certain day.
Just like today, I had lifted Eliya to sit on Yuel back then.
Startled, Eliya had hugged me and came very close to my face.
Thanks to Yuel, I managed to diffuse the situation back then.
But now, it didn’t have to be that way.
Chuu.
I kissed her first.
Then Eliya pulled me in, burying her face in my lips and longing for a deep, passionate kiss.
It was deep and intense, but it didn’t last long.
We had no time as it was time to walk Yuel.
“Remember that time?”
Once lifted, Eliya asked.
I replied while settling her on the saddle, “Was it when we were returning after the last exam?”
“Mm. That’s right. It was similar to today.”
“Though the situation was similar, the results were probably very different. Back then, I was so tense and startled…”
“Were you not disappointed?”
Back then, I only imagined kissing but didn’t get to do it.
And naturally,
“I was disappointed.”
“…I felt the same.”
“Hmm?”
As far as I remember, Eliya was calm back then.
She seemed to stare directly at me without feeling embarrassed like I was.
“Somehow, I wanted to touch your lips. And thinking about it now, I wish I had done it. I hadn’t understood why I felt that impulse then…”
Her words trailed off as she looked at me.
Seated next to me like before, she was now trapped in my arms.
It’s a comfortably close position for her to pull my head for a kiss.
Chuu.
Eliya lightly kissed me before adding,
“I liked you back then, so that’s probably why.”
“Hmm… Then maybe I should have just done it back then.”
With my joke, Eliya grinned.
“I’m really curious how I would have reacted if you had done it then.”
“Hm…”
At that time, I wasn’t sure if she liked me back or not.
If I had taken the plunge and kissed her…
‘…Somehow, I don’t think it would have ended well.’
We passed the time when just getting close would fill my head with various thoughts and somehow turned into a relationship where we could kiss without care.
“Kyiiing, kyuuung…”
Yuel fidgeted in place.
Seemingly unhappy, she shook her head left and right.
Having said we were going for a walk, if we just chatted together, it seems she got bored.
Eliya softly laughed and patted Yuel’s head.
“Okay, okay, I won’t leave you out.”
As if soothed, Yuel quickly calmed down.
I gave Yuel’s horn a gentle pat.
Indicating we should walk, we stepped out of the barn, and Maria was waiting for us.
“Mom?”
“Here, take this.”
What she handed me was quite a large bundle.
“I packed cookies, jellies, chocolates, and other desserts. There’s some black tea to drink, too.”
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“I made sure to prepare more of what Judas likes, too.”
Eliya doesn’t have any particular food preferences.
She eats anything I feed her or that Maria prepares.
On the other hand, I am quite particular about my tastes.
Knowing that, Maria was thoughtful, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
“…Thank you for being considerate.”
“Be careful and have fun.”
There’s no reason for Eliya and me to be cautious.
She’s a wizard standing at the pinnacle of humanity, and I follow closely behind her.
Yet every time Eliya and I go out, Maria tells us to be careful.
Is that what being a parent feels like?
*
Though not as wide as the plains I saw during the final exam, there’s a field outside the mansion that Yuel can play in.
Yuel, excited for the long-awaited walk, dashed out of the mansion and charged over to the field.
The wind blows sharply.
Eliya, still feeling scared being atop Yuel, tightly wraps her arms around me and closes her eyes.
Since she doesn’t ride Yuel often like I do, it’s understandable that she’d have a hard time getting used to it.
‘…But isn’t flying in the sky just as dangerous?’
We quickly reached the field.
Before the view, the smell of the surrounding air changed.
The scent of green grass intensified.
And once we passed through a thick forest of trees standing like walls, the field finally appeared.
An open sky.
A green plain surrounded by lush trees.
Wildflowers bloomed everywhere.
Yuel slowed her pace a bit, and only then did Eliya open her eyes.
Her jewel-like red eyes reflected the field.
Although the place was different, the situation was similarly nostalgic in many ways.
The main difference from back then would be the relationship between Eliya and me.
While Yuel quickly dashed forward, I kissed Eliya on the cheek.
It was simply a spontaneous thought.
And since we wanted to do so, we could now act on it.
Eliya looked up at me and smiled.
As she slightly raised her chin, she closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
That’s one of Eliya’s habits.
She always closes her eyes before her lips touch.
I followed her lead and smiled before kissing her.
She probably wanted to kiss me first, but given we’re on Yuel, she didn’t dare approach.
‘That cuteness is just…’
I’m unsure if I can keep treating every little action as cute.
Honestly, sometimes I think I go overboard.
‘But well… it’s cute, so what can I do?’
That’s exactly it.
I know it but can’t stop myself, it’s a serious condition.
There’s really no pressing reason to stop.
As long as cuteness exists, it seems forgivable, so being a little obsessed is fine, right?
*
After getting off Yuel, we sat down on a flat patch of grass.
Eliya naturally claimed my lap.
Yuel was let loose to play freely.
Bounding across the field, she hopped and jumped.
With her bouncing around like that, it will be tough for me to hold on.
‘It’s not just running; she’s jumping too!’
Of course, neither Eliya nor Yuel intended to stay put, so it was a win-win for both.
“Ah~”
Eliya spoke, and I opened my mouth and not thinking about it, mirrored her.
I had been embarrassed in the past, but I’ve gotten used to it now.
…Though, I’m still shy in front of others.
“Is it good?”
“Mm. My mother-in-law knows exactly my taste.”
The aroma of rich, buttery cookies packed with pieces of chocolate.
They’re sweet and greasy.
Just to my liking.
“Mom’s very meticulous. She cares a lot about you.”
Eliya spoke with her mouth full of cookie.
Since I was supporting Eliya sitting on my lap, I had no hands free to feed her.
“Does your mother ever talk about me?”
“Mm. Not often, but sometimes.”
“Hmm… that makes me a bit anxious.”
“She only says good things. She mentioned that because of you, I found my stability. I tend to agree with that myself.”
“Hrmm. In that case, I suppose I can have some confidence.”
Pretending to be serious, Eliya erupted into a giggle.
“Of course.”
She fed me another cookie.
For a moment, we sat there silently.
In the distance, Yuel was chasing a brown rabbit.
The rabbit, startled, dashed off frantically.
Indeed, if Yuel tried her hardest, she could catch it, but she didn’t seem to.
A perfectly peaceful scene.
As Eliya brushed her hair back, she suddenly asked,
“Hey, remember that time?”
“Hmm?”
“You told me to keep my eyes open and look ahead. Why was that?”
It was not an accusatory question but rather a pure inquiry.
Looking back, it did seem a bit odd.
At that time, Eliya and I were merely in a contract relationship, a little ambiguous.
We hardly understood each other’s feelings back then.
So technically, there was no need to show her that view.
I could’ve just passed it by.
Or, I could have suggested teleporting back without looking back at anything.
Yet, I still wanted Eliya to see the view.
Not that it was an absolute must, but my reason for wanting it was…
“Because I liked you, even back then.”
“……”
“I wanted to show the view I loved to the person I liked.”
When you like someone, you want to share.
Whether it’s food, sights, or sounds—those sensory experiences.
Or simply the time spent together.
It’s not fundamentally different from that.
I liked Eliya, and I wanted to share my perspective with her.
“That landscape, filled with endless nature from where I used to live, isn’t easily accessible. That view was incredibly fresh and impressive to me, so I liked it. …Well, how Eliya took it, I’m not too clear on.”
But now that I think about it,
For Eliya, who was born and raised in this world, that view might not have been particularly new or sentimental.
‘Somehow makes me feel awkward.’
Staring at me, Eliya spoke.
“I had never seen such scenery before. But had I seen it alone, I think I would have ignored it.”
“……”
“But because I was there with you, I could imbue that view, which would have been meaningless alone, with significance.”
That’s quite a peculiar thing.
Whether alone or together with me, the view itself doesn’t change.
The objective observation shouldn’t alter because of me.
Nonetheless, Eliya says she appreciated that landscape and gave it meaning because I was present.
It suddenly comes to mind.
The memories of Eliya I saw in the afterlife.
In a warm picture drawn with crayons, there was the vast plain we had shared together.
That memory must have been a precious and warm recollection for her.
I feel the same.
Seeing the scenery alone was just a light change of mood for me.
A simple stroll that couldn’t carry special meaning.
However, that day spent walking in the field with Eliya remained a special memory for me as well.
As I was momentarily lost in thought, Eliya slowly approached me.
She caressed my cheek while coming closer.
I slowly closed my eyes.
A gentle kiss made silently.
Pulling away just enough for a gap equivalent to a finger, Eliya said,
“I love you.”
After answering with our foreheads together, this time, I swallowed her lips with mine.
“I love you too.”
I pulled her in deeply, wanting to savor her.
Eliya rolled over on top of me, and I found myself lying on the soft grass.
The moist and fresh scent of earth and grass wafted around.
As our lips lingered together, something touched my neck.
It was Eliya’s red scarf.
She’s still wearing that scarf I had given her long ago.
I’ve been curious about one thing.
“Aren’t you hot?”
Eliya never takes off that scarf even in summer.
She says she removes it when sleeping to avoid bothering us, but outside of that, she tends to wear it as much as she can.
Her answer was simple.
“Mm.”
“Well, in that case… I feel relieved. At least you’re not forcing yourself to wear it despite the heat.”
“That’s not true. It’s something incredibly precious to me.”
I just smiled and petted Eliya.
Lying side by side, we fiddled with each other until Yuel approached us.
“Have you played enough?”
“What did you bring?”
I received the item Yuel had in her mouth.
It was a flower.
A peculiar flower with pale yellow petals and a bright yellow stamen poking out from the center.
“Do you remember when I asked you to pick me some flowers before?”
As I muttered, Eliya gazed intently at the flower.
Yuel curled up beside us, having played hard.
I scratched behind her neck as a gesture to comfort her.
Her body was hot from sprinting around, and she felt warm.
“Oh, you’re all warm.”
Eliya suddenly asked,
“Hey, remember the time I asked you to bring me flowers?”
“Ah.”
That was back when I addressed the escort target in a lesson, wasn’t it?
Eliya had unexpectedly barged in, claimed to be the escort target, and suddenly asked for any wildflower.
“I remember. …By the way, what happened to you back then? Why did you suddenly vanish?”
It was a little performance where she pretended to have been abducted.
I still don’t know the reason behind it.
“Well, that’s….”
Rarely, Eliya stuttered.
“I wanted to be worried about by Judas…”
“……”
So then, she staged that charade to get my attention?
I had no idea she had such a cute reason.
I lightly pinched her blushing cheek.
Flustered, Eliya quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway! The name of the flower you brought me back then was Snowdrop.”
“Oh…. You seem to know a lot about flower names.”
“I learned them in the aristocratic culture class. Would you like to take the class, Judas?”
“…I’d like to pass, thank you.”
“That’s too bad. I’d have been able to teach you kindly.”
“…….”
“The Snowdrop has two meanings: Sad memories or Eternal happiness.”
Eliya looked down at me, smiling brightly.
“But it’s solidified as eternal happiness.”
It could have become a sad memory, but we escaped that flower’s meaning.
“The flower Yuel brought me this time is… Marigold?”
“Mm. The flower language is the sadness of parting.”
“Hmm…”
Thinking back on what happened since then,
It could have felt like a prophecy if things had gone a little differently.
“So, what about the flower Yuel brought this time?”
“It’s Hellebore.”
“Do you know its meaning?”
“Mm.”
“What is it?”
Eliya gazed down at me, placed the flower in her ear, and leaned closer,
Only to kiss me lightly before looking up and smiling brightly.
“Eternal love.”
I smiled contentedly and matched my lips to Eliya’s, gently scratching her head where the flower was tucked away.
“Yuel brought the right flower.”
“Right?”
Yuel, curled up beside us, nudged her head, asking for some scratches.
“Okay, okay. Good job, good job.”
While that was happening, Eliya squirmed on top of me.
It was a peaceful afternoon in the summer.
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