Chapter 23 - Fairy and a Bad Premonition
It was by chance.
Gilrem thought it would be most effective to gauge Louis's reaction, so he pulled Elenoa close, pressing their bodies together.
At that moment, Elenoa reacted to the sword.
It was only for an instant, but Gilrem did not miss it.
It was natural for an ordinary woman to fear a sword. But she was different in some way. Her atmosphere was one thing, but the sensation when he touched her felt somehow soft—yes, her body temperature felt just slightly low.
Since he was wearing armor and leather gloves on his hands, there was no way he could have felt her body temperature in that situation.
And yet, he felt no warmth. She lacked the scent and presence of a human.
—Human? No, she seemed like a doll.
He drew Elenoa close, and in the next instant after feeling that sense of incongruity, that murderous intent flew at them, and the matter was left ambiguous. But his doubts swelled up later, rising to the surface.
Then, turning his attention to the sword, he recalled a famous story.
It said that to catch a fairy, one must pluck its wings or lock it in a cage of silver.
—Silver.
Gilrem did not cut off his train of thought.
The rumors of monsters clinging to Louis Stylus. This was about her. A woman who had not aged in ten years. A doll-like woman. And the silver sword that had been there.
An ordinary person might laugh it off as a misunderstanding. But Gilrem was different. A woman involved with that Louis—that alone was motive enough.
So Gilrem proposed a certain evil scheme to his younger brother—the bespectacled court mage—with whom he had not even properly exchanged glances for several months.
Back at his home after a long absence, Gilrem rested his cheek on his hand at a desk he never usually used, staring intently at the bundle of silver threads in his hand. The flickering lamp outlined them in orange, making them shine.
The 'thing' his brother had brought was hair—from a female fairy of Rank A.
"...However, ...this is"
Gilrem muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes.
When he dug his nails into what he had been toying with at his fingertips, it snapped limply. When he let go of his fingers, the fairy hair fell onto the desk. The bundle had come slightly undone, but it did not scatter.
He found it easy to understand.
The fairy hair kept at the Research Institute. This was the same color as Elenoa's.
"Is she a fairy?"
If so, then several people at the Institute must have noticed. And they must be turning a blind eye. To the fact that a fairy had infiltrated human society.
Gilrem covered the bundle of hair with a handkerchief. He grabbed it, went straight to the waste basket, and threw it in, handkerchief and all.
He had touched something dirty. He should wash his hands immediately.
Without so much as a glance back at the glossy hair at the bottom of the waste basket, he left the room with quick steps.
＊
—What is it?
Even when Elenoa looked behind her, there was only Lumina's uniform hanging there.
—I felt cold, though.
She was wearing a cardigan properly over her navy blue one-piece dress. Besides, it was quite strange for her fairy self to feel the cold.
As she continued to stare at the room, a weak voice called out "Elenoa" from beside her.
In this world where the development of electrical appliances was slow, the standard light source at night was a lantern. Sometimes candles were used, or shallow dishes of burning water were lit, but these were rarely used in the House of Stylus.
Elenoa's shadow covered the bed where Lumina lay. The flickering flame of the lantern emphasized the moisture in Lumina's eyes.
"Your fever has gone up again."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Elenoa removed the hand she had placed on Lumina's forehead. Human body temperature was higher than that of fairies, but even so, it was a temperature that could not be ignored.
When she pressed the back of her hand against Lumina's cheek this time, Lumina narrowed her eyes pleasantly, saying, "Cold..."
"Where is Big Brother?"
"Not yet. It seems his work is running long. Besides, tomorrow is that day. He must be busy today."
"...If he's such a workaholic, what will he do if Elenoa loses interest in him..."
"I won't lose interest that easily, so it's fine."
Lumina pulled the bedding up to her mouth and looked at Elenoa anxiously.
Elenoa stood up and asked.
"Grated apple, or apple tea? Which would you prefer? You can have both."
"Tea. Something warm. Please put honey in it."
"Okay. I'll prepare it right away."
Lumina was feeling so unwell that she could not even eat dinner.
Elenoa had thought of liquid food, but if that was impossible too, there was nothing to be done.
Lumina had become stronger compared to her childhood, but once she caught a cold, it lingered. She had been complaining of feeling unwell for three days now.
When Elenoa went out into the hallway, Louis was just coming up the stairs after returning home. He had a light source floating beside him. When his eyes met Elenoa's, he smiled faintly and said, "I'm home."
"How is Lumina?"
"Her fever went up. It seems she has nausea and a headache too. I'm about to brew apple tea, but... should Louis eat before having tea?"
"Yes, please."
When Elenoa reached out, Louis took off his robe and handed it to her.
"I'll call you after warming up the food."
"Yes. Ah, here, have one."
Fuyon. With a soft, deflating sound, another orb of light appeared beside Elenoa.
"Isn't the light too strong?"
"No, this amount is just right."
Since this light source emitted light comparable to an LED bulb from her previous life, it was sufficient for lighting.
Elenoa thanked Louis and went down the stairs.
While warming the food, she mixed a spoonful of honey into the apple-scented tea, and Elenoa visited Lumina's room again. Putting her to sleep was part of her job.
She was called to Louis's room after he finished his meal—
"It has been several months since we became lovers. Will you permit me to touch places that were previously off-limits?"
"Eh?"
"Hmm? I have been holding back all this time."
"Um...?"
"I have been wanting to ask for a while, but today, I really wanted to ask."
Taken aback by such a suspicious remark out of the blue, Elenoa tried to retreat.
Immediately, the door behind her closed, and the lock clicked, sending a chill down her spine.
After hearing the details, her complexion worsened. Even so, she nodded with desperate resolve. Since their relationship had changed, Elenoa found it difficult to refuse requests she had previously rejected outright.
"Hey, don't touch too much."
"Just a little more."
"Geez. Ah, more gently..."
The white one-piece dress was the default outfit for fairies, and its back was cut wide open so as not to interfere with the wings. As for what he was doing in that state, he was simply measuring the size of her wings.
It was the same as lovers playfully allowing each other to touch sensitive parts of the body.
But she wished he would not touch the base of the wings too much.
"Height is one hundred and fifty-six centimeters, and wing length is one hundred and thirty-four centimeters... but in their original size, the body and wings are roughly the same length. Both wings are completely identical. Are all fairies like this? There must be individual differences, but how does it change if the rank or environment is different? Also, when flying, surely you can't rely on wing strength alone? I heard you can fly from birth, but are you instinctively casting wind magic or something—"
Elenoa, her wings released, quickly turned around and glared at him.
"I will answer all those questions in one word. 'I don't know.'"
"Why are you so indifferent even to your own species?"
"As long as I can survive, it's fine. Probably everyone feels the same. We don't have as much desire for exploration as humans do. I only just learned my height now, after all."
"Then you must have even less interest in humans."
"I don't."
"I see. ...However, I am mostly satisfied. I will stop the measurements here, so could you please come here quietly?"
When Elenoa looked closely at Louis, he seemed tired.
That was to be expected. He must have completed more work than usual just today.
Tomorrow was a day when the entire country would mourn.
It was the second anniversary of the Queen Consort's death. The King loved her so much that he publicly declared he would not take any concubines, and his grief when his beloved wife died was apparently considerable. That sorrow had not yet faded even now.
On this day, one was only allowed to do the minimum amount of work, such as preparing meals. Since shops would be closed, it was necessary to buy a lot of food.
Even at the Magic Research Institute, the accumulated work had to be finished by today.
Although tomorrow was a holiday, the fatigue could not be hidden.
Louis sat on the bed and placed Elenoa on his lap. Then he wrapped his arms around her chest and hugged her tightly. He buried his nose in her hair and collarbone, and it felt as though he was savoring the scent of her hair and neck, which was probably not just her imagination.
"Doesn't this make you tired instead?"
"No. Let's stay like this for a while."
According to Louis, this was healing.
Since their relationship had changed, they had started making contact like this often.
"I knew the date was coming, so I had planned my work in advance... but when suddenly asked to do something strange, I don't know how to respond... Why do you nominate me..."
"Ah, yes. It happens."
"I always think you should tell the Corps Commander. The Institute and magic do not exist for the selfishness of nobles, yet there are those who misunderstand, aren't there?"
But if they offered assistance, he could not reject it. He was even introduced to daughters of marriageable age, so he didn't know what to do.
Listening to such troubles was also the duty of a guardian.
However, while thinking that it was rare to see Louis so agitated, she nodded quietly, and his mood seemed to settle. The sigh after his complaints was born of self-loathing.
"I'm sorry for venting."
"It's fine. I can only listen, after all. There, there."
"...Haa."
When Louis lay down sideways, Elenoa, still caught in his embrace, fell onto the bed as well.
She turned her body and looked up at Louis, who had been behind her, with a puzzled expression. She leaned back with an "Oh" at the distance, which was closer than expected, but his arms did not leave Elenoa, remaining around her waist and shoulders.
A man and a woman lay on the bed at night.
The reason she did not feel wary even in this situation was because Elenoa had entered guardian mode.
Louis, too, had decided to be the "boy" Elenoa wanted, at least for now. He was very tired.
"You treated me like a child, but you're not angry?"
"At this point, it's fine. You can spoil me more."
"Oh, you're honest."
"I have always been honest. Please give me a reward while you're spoiling me."
"A reward?"
"Yes."
He had decided to be a boy—and yet, it was impossible after all.
He brought his face close, received his 'reward' in an instant, and closed his eyes as if to say he was done.
Elenoa, gradually understanding what had been done, blushed and immediately tried to escape from his arms. But she was held fast. It felt like the more she moved, the tighter he held her.
Eventually giving up, she fell asleep as she was.