A warm afternoon with the sun shining brightly.
Haaam…
Looking out the carriage window at the sweeping landscapes of the wide prairie, Rudell stretched.
“Did you not get enough sleep again?”
“Well, not exactly, but I guess I’ve been pretty tired lately.”
Shaking his head at Leje’s question, Rudell replied. He had rested well yesterday, but that didn’t mean all the fatigue from the past few days could just vanish in an instant, right?
“If it’s that hard, do you want to take a break from the Student Council’s Discipline Corps for a few days?”
“Nah, it’s not that bad.”
Managing the church’s lackeys in the back alleys, compared to that, the work for the Discipline Corps felt like a simple stroll in the park for him.
“It’s good to work hard, but take a break. You’ll wear yourself out.”
“Thanks for worrying.”
“Worry? Nah, I’m just bored without you during patrol.”
“Of course you would be.”
Seeing her turn her head away with a haughty expression, Rudell let out a low chuckle.
“Ah… It feels nice to be outside after a long time, right?”
“Totally. We’ve been really busy lately.”
Nodding at her words, Rudell gazed out the window. Fluffy white clouds floated across the blue sky, and the sunlight sparkled dazzlingly. The sight of the prairie, filled with the breath of spring, felt like it was clearing out the stuffy feelings in his chest.
Meanwhile, the carriage began to slow down, and before long, they arrived at a certain place.
“Miss! We have arrived!”
“Let’s get off quickly!”
With the coachman’s shout, Leje jumped out of the carriage, and Rudell followed suit.
“How is it? Not bad, right?”
“Well, what can I say…”
As Rudell trailed off while looking around, all he saw were the expansive prairie and some gentle hills.
“There’s nothing here!”
“Ha ha, I knew you’d say that.”
With a triumphant face, Leje raised her nose at Rudell’s question.
“Come on! This way!”
“Wait, hold on!”
Then she grabbed Rudell’s hand and started walking. Naturally, Rudell didn’t have the option to resist and was pulled up the hill by her unexpected strength.
So, after a short climb with Leje…
“Tada!”
“Whoa…”
Upon reaching the top of the hill, Rudell let out a low gasp while gazing at the enormous tree beside Leje as she shouted with confidence. A magnificent tree so vast that no one could guess how long it had lived. The densely grown leaves rustled softly in the breeze, creating a serene sound.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“Yep! Honestly, I wanted to show it to you earlier, but there just wasn’t time.”
Nodding at Rudell’s question, Leje approached the tree. Afterward, she took out a small blanket from her bag and set it down under the tree, lightly patting the ground as if to invite Rudell to sit beside her.
Once Rudell sat down next to her…
“You really managed to find a place like this.”
Considering it wasn’t far from the Royal Road, there wasn’t anyone around, and the hill’s height provided a spacious view. It was truly the perfect place to spend some quiet time.
“How do you like it? Do you enjoy it?”
“Yep, a ton.”
“Hehe…”
With her genuine smile in response to Rudell’s answer, Leje giggled softly. Seeing her, Rudell also wore a gentle smile.
At that moment…
Grrrrr.
A sound from Leje’s stomach that was hard to describe made her pause, and her face turned red as she shouted.
“N-no, it’s not that I’m hungry, it’s just… how should I put it…?”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m actually hungry too.”
Responding to Leje’s reaction, Rudell unfastened the small pouch at his waist. Appearing ordinary, it was actually an item enchanted with space expansion magic. In simpler terms, a magic item.
“Let’s see… where did I put that.”
Rudell muttered as he rummaged through the pouch. Before long, he felt something touch his fingertips and pulled it out.
“What’s that?”
What came out was a large square container.
“You’ll see.”
As Leje opened her eyes wide, Rudell confidently opened the lid. And…
“What is this…?”
Leje squinted as she asked, examining what was inside: fried foods, salads, bread, and various other dishes. All of them were made by Rudell himself.
“Long time no see! What do you think?”
“Oh my… You made all of this yourself?!”
“Of course.”
Nodding with a subtle smile at Leje’s question, Rudell felt proud. In his first life, he had years of cooking experience, but since he never learned properly, most of his cooking was a bit haphazard—yet he was confident in his dishes.
“Here. Don’t just look, try some!”
“Uh, um…!! Then I won’t hold back…”
Clearing her throat at Rudell’s encouragement, Leje took a piece of fried food and brought it to her mouth.
Crispy.
“Surprisingly good…? No, it’s delicious!?”
“Right? I had quite the struggle gathering ingredients early this morning.”
Watching Leje’s shocked expression, Rudell chuckled softly. He firmly believed that 90% of cooking was about the quality of the ingredients, while the remaining 10% was the chef’s skill.
“You made this yourself?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh wow…”
Nodding at her follow-up question, Rudell saw her eyes widen as she picked up another fried piece.
“Now that I think about it, you’re quite unique. An aristocrat who cooks…”
For most nobles, cooking and cleaning were tasks for those below them. Just looking at the Duke’s House of Weinstein, they had a handmaid to take care of basic chores. In a world where that was common sense, Leje saw Rudell as a bit quirky.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Sure, sure. If I keep talking, it’ll just hurt my mouth.”
With a giggling laugh in response, Leje busily continued to eat.
After their short meal time ended…
Haaam… I’m so full, I’m getting sleepy.
Rudell stuffed the now-empty lunchbox back into the pouch, stretching his arms towards the sky as he let out a short sigh. Having gotten up early to cook had worn him out, and the fullness of his belly only added to the heaviness of his eyelids.
“Then how about a quick nap?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’ve had enough sleep at night.”
Rudell shook his head at Leje’s suggestion as she gazed at him. The whole reason he came outside for the first time in ages was to spend time with Leje. If he fell asleep, that reason would lose its significance.
But…
“Come on, just come over here!”
“Huh? Waaaah!?”
At Leje’s sudden pull, a scream escaped Rudell’s lips. He then felt something warm and soft touching the back of his head.
“Le, Leje…!?”
“Hehe. How’s this? A knee pillow from the Duchess of the Duke’s House herself?”
As Rudell stared at her in shock, Leje giggled while looking at him.
“I-I’ll get up, so move a bit!”
“No way in hell.”
At that moment, as Rudell tried to get up again, Leje simply held him down with one finger. Once Leje made up her mind, there was no way to escape from her knee.
“I don’t know what you’ve been doing lately, but you look super tired. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“Well, that’s…”
“Forget about it, just relax, you’ve already helped me rest a lot.”
Leje placed her finger over Rudell’s lips who was about to say something and winked at him.
“…”
At that moment, Rudell felt his heart racing. Seeing Leje from this angle for the first time invoked an indescribable feeling within him.
However, it didn’t last long. The pleasant spring breeze and the sunlight filtering through the tree shade, along with the soft rustling of leaves, gradually guided him into the realm of sleep.
’I shouldn’t fall asleep…’
With that thought, Rudell resisted the encroaching drowsiness, but it was futile. Slowly, the strength left his body, and as his eyelids closed, he fell into a deep slumber.
Soft winds began to blow from somewhere…
“…”
Looking at Rudell who fell asleep in an instant, Leje lightly stroked his cheek with a gentle smile. On the hill topped with the gigantic tree, a peaceful moment was passing by.
