“Huh.”
As I came to my senses and opened my eyes, the sun was already up.
Turning my gaze to the clock, the hour hand was pointing to 10.
“Damn it…”
I definitely planned to wake up early and get ready, but I ended up oversleeping because I worked too hard to prepare yesterday.
But I couldn’t just lie in bed like this.
“First, I need to wash up…”
Right, I had to wash up and change my clothes first.
I had been working as Kyle’s servant since yesterday.
I couldn’t roam around in loose clothing like this.
I shouldn’t be working while wearing pajamas that unnecessarily showed off my cleavage and belly button.
I usually wore normal clothes after washing up in the morning, but today was even more so.
It wasn’t even the time to be dressed like this in my room.
Anyway, I couldn’t go to the bathroom in full pajama mode, so I grabbed a top.
I could just button it as I went.
I took the suit I hung on the coat rack and opened the door right away.
“Mmm.”
“Oh.”
I opened the door only to be suddenly blocked by something.
Something very solid.
“Huh.”
“Hello?”
Then, I heard a voice above my head.
It was a voice I knew too well.
Though it was from after puberty and sounded completely different than when he was a child, it was still a familiar voice.
“Younger Master?”
For a moment, I couldn’t understand why he was here.
I was a bit late getting up compared to usual, but it was still morning.
I thought the other people would come back around noon.
But why was he here so early…?
“I came early because I wanted to see Sophia.”
Kyle said this with a smile.
Kyle had arrived quicker than I expected, but we still had the same tasks to do.
I pulled my body back, away from Kyle, and bowed slightly.
“Welcome.”
“… Sophia.”
“Yes?”
I looked up at Kyle while still bowing.
“Um… your cleavage is completely visible.”
“Huh?!”
Now that I thought about it, I was only wearing a top over my pajamas.
The hem of the top was long enough to cover me, but… I still hadn’t buttoned it.
I was just in pajamas underneath.
Not to mention, I wasn’t even wearing a bra.
“Wait a minute!”
-Bang!
I slammed the door shut.
Maybe it was because it was morning, or perhaps I hadn’t fully woken up yet, but I felt embarrassed.
I had shown almost my naked body to Kyle when he was washing me, but it was still embarrassing.
“First, I need to get dressed…”
Whatever the case, I quickly started buttoning up the top I was wearing.
After all, I couldn’t be exposing my skin while being Kyle’s servant.
“Are you going to wash up?”
Kyle’s voice came from outside the door.
It sounded nice since I hadn’t heard it in a long time.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll just rest in the room for a moment. Please wash up.”
“Thank you.”
Kyle said this and returned to his room.
As soon as he disappeared from the hallway, I headed straight to the bathroom.
*
-Knock Knock.
“Younger Master, I’m coming in.”
I opened Kyle’s door, now properly dressed in a suit and not pajamas.
“S… S… S…”
As I stepped inside, I saw Kyle sleeping.
Did he really mean he was going to rest?
But I understood.
Even if he slept in a tent, it wouldn’t be a comfortable place like here.
Even if one was strong against the cold, those kinds of places aren’t good for sleeping.
Besides, Kyle’s bed was extremely comfortable.
“Um…”
I didn’t want to wake Kyle.
It made sense, considering he must have been really tired after the last 15 days.
So I turned off the light in the room to help him sleep more comfortably, even if it was daytime.
“Sleep well.”
I sat beside Sleeping Kyle and said that.
By the way, I was curious why he came back so quickly.
I expected his friends to arrive a little after noon.
Did he wake up early from sleeping on the snowy mountains, or something?
Whatever, it felt good seeing him again.
It wasn’t like I had any other reasons to be separated from someone I saw daily, except for my parents.
Well, I hadn’t visited my parents yet.
“Still… It’s nice to see you after a long time.”
I was surprised when I first saw him at the door, but it felt good nonetheless.
I gently placed my hand on Kyle’s head.
And I stroked it.
There was no reason for it.
I only did it because I thought it was cute.
“You’ve grown up now.”
It was impressive that the little boy I first saw had grown up so well, and I felt that in many ways, he had matured.
I probably wouldn’t be needed anymore.
Kyle was already an adult now.
“Sigh…”
I had thought about quitting many times.
Even with all that thinking, just seeing this kid’s face made those feelings lessen.
But I couldn’t quit.
Kyle needed a truly useful servant by his side, not me.
After all, this whole thing started as a temporary arrangement.
I never imagined I would work this long.
I bet Kyle didn’t think so either.
What kind of tutor would moonlight as a servant for eight years?
I couldn’t even remember how I started doing housekeeping-like things anyway.
“Huh…”
It’s absurd.
I came to make some quick cash, only to unexpectedly become Kyle, the Duke’s eldest son’s private tutor and direct servant.
Even I find it bizarre.
I hadn’t put much thought into it when I first met Kyle.
Although the story was sad, I thought of him as just a child I would encounter while working.
But as time passed, my thoughts changed drastically.
“S… S…”
I spent some time stroking Sleeping Kyle’s head.
Maybe it was because he had been so tired, Kyle continued to sleep with a very comfortable expression even while I was stroking his hair.
“Oh, younger master, you’re awake.”
“Yes.”
About two hours later, Kyle woke up.
“It’s been a while, younger master.”
“Yeah. It feels like ages.”
It was the time it took us to meet again—nearly a fortnight.
It wasn’t an extremely long time, but it felt long to us.
It couldn’t be helped.
After all, we had spent almost eight years seeing each other every day.
“What will you do? Are you going to wash up? Or should we go eat? Or maybe sleep some more?”
“Since I’ve already washed up once, let’s go eat.”
“Yes.”
I had already prepared to welcome Kyle back.
That’s why I ended up sleeping in.
By now, there would definitely be a lot of people gathered in the dining hall.
Of course, the Duke and Adela, Louise, and Elin would be there as well.
It was a celebration, not just a regular meal, for Kyle.
“Young Master, today you should open the door and go in.”
If I went in first, it would look weird since everyone would be there to congratulate him.
Following my suggestion, Kyle opened the door.
As he opened it, the hair of Louise and Adela peeked through the gap.
“Onii-chan!”
As soon as Kyle opened the door, Adela rushed towards him.
“Welcome back~!”
“Yeah.”
Kyle accepted Adela’s embrace without any hesitation.
It was a lovely sight.
But I wondered, isn’t it a bit too carefree for Adela to hug a guy like that, considering she would turn into an adult next year?
Even if they were family, isn’t it a bit too lax?
Even if it was her brother who had returned after two weeks…
“Adela, let’s go inside and sit down for now.”
“Okay.”
Anyway, we celebrated Kyle’s return by having a party in the dining hall.
Although it wasn’t a party with much spectacle, we called it a party regardless.
As long as everyone was having fun, that was all that mattered.
By the way, Kyle drank some alcohol too.
It seemed like the Duke had promised him something, intending to let him drink on his coming-of-age day.
“Ha ha ha!! That’s my son! You’re drinking well for the first time!”
“Um… Yes…”
Come to think of it, today was the first time for Kyle.
He hadn’t touched alcohol when we were in the capital, nor had he drunk any in the castle before.
But if he kept drinking like that…
“Here! One more drink!”
He would obviously get drunk soon.
“Young Master, are you okay…?”
“Cough… No…”
After the party ended, I asked Kyle while he was face-first on the table.
Given that the Duke liked to drink, how could he be fine?
Besides, this was Kyle’s first time drinking alcohol.
“I’ll take you to your room.”
Even if there was a significant size difference between Kyle and me, it was unavoidable.
If he was going to sleep, at least he should do it in his room, not at the table.
“Phew… Finally done.”
Kyle didn’t say a word, possibly due to being intoxicated.
Is he sleeping?
Anyway, I laid Kyle down on his bed.
*sigh…*
If I had known this would happen, I should have stopped the Duke from feeding him alcohol in the first place.
I made it more difficult by leaving him to it.
“I need to get up…?!”
Having laid Kyle down, I was about to get up from the chair I was sitting in to return to my room.
But suddenly, Kyle grabbed my hand.
“Um… Younger Master? Why are you holding my hand? Do you have something to say?”
“Sophia…”
“Yes?”
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Kyle was speaking informally.
Should I get him some water?
“Don’t go.”
“Wait..?!”
Kyle suddenly pulled me towards his bed.
What strength does he have while being drunk?
“Huh?”
Anyway, I suddenly found myself lying on Kyle’s bed.
I didn’t know what was happening, but I took off my shoes first.
“Um… Younger Master? What is this…”
“Don’t go; stay here.”
“…”
For some reason, Kyle suddenly began to cuddle me after I lay on the bed.
I wasn’t resisting.
I had heard that some people hug anyone around them when drunk.
Could Kyle be like that?
“Uh…”
I didn’t know the reason, but one thing was clear.
It was extremely warm.
Kyle’s body temperature was higher than mine.
That was obvious.
He had grown up in the North.
So perhaps, it felt so warm because Kyle was hugging me.
“Sophia…”
I didn’t know if he was mumbling in his sleep or drunkenly slurring his words, but he kept calling me.
“Yes, Younger Master.”
“Sophia…”
I didn’t know what he wanted, but I kept answering.
Anyway, I couldn’t escape while lying like this.
All I could do was stay cuddled up to Kyle.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Sophia…….”
Kyle kept calling me with a sense of urgency.
Did he need to say something important?
“I love you…”
“What?!”
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