Chapter 7: 7

Chapter 7

I took the basket from him and placed it next to me, but his persistent gaze was still on my legs. Seeing that, my cheeks were burning.

“Why are you looking so intently…”

“It’s a little swollen than the usual. Did you trip?”

“…Ah, no. It’s not like that. I overworked myself yesterday.”

How did he know what someone else’s legs usually looked like?

I felt goosebumps running up my spine at his casual tone. Still, I replied as calmly as I could.

Let’s think positively. Positively. He’s just… like that. Maybe he’s just observant.

I had nothing more to say, so I averted my gaze and motioned to put on my stockings again. I wanted him to leave already, but Endymion, whose thoughts I couldn’t comprehend, smiled gently and fell on one knee, as though he was about to confess.

Then, he patted his thigh.

“Put it up here.”

“Pardon…?”

“I thought it would be more comfortable if I do it instead of Miss Lily.”

“Oh, no, no! No, really, it’s okay! It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

Oh my god, what nonsense was this guy saying?

I was so surprised that I shook my hands and raised my voice. This… My mind really went blank. Whether he really didn’t know what I was thinking or whether he pretended not to know.

Endymion spoke softly.

“If it’s not massaged properly, it could hurt more tomorrow. Please don’t say no.”

“I’m really all right, really, I really am…”

“You’ll have to stay standing all afternoon. Please endure for just a second. I won’t hurt you.”

“It’s not about getting hurt…”

“Is it because your legs are exposed?”

“….”

If you already know, then don’t even ask.

Now, my face was bright red—I really can’t do this. I was already dizzy from embarrassment.

“Just think of this as first aid. And, there’s no one watching. I’m just worried that Miss Lily is having a hard time.”

“I-I’m fine…”

“No, you’re not. I won’t do anything weird, so please put it here quickly.”

“I don’t want t—ah!”

I stood up in a hurry because I didn’t want to be entangled with Sir Endymion any more than this, though as I placed my weight over my ankle, pain shot up. If this situation wasn’t so unnatural, I would have cursed.

Sir Endymion got on his feet quickly as well and helped me as I stumbled, setting me back down on the bench. Then, he kneeled once more and then shuffled closer to my ankle.

As he gazed up at me from a low place, my ears flared up.

“Are you all right, Miss Lily?”

“Ah, um, I-I’m fine. More than that, please stand up…”

Whether I was feeling hot or Endymion’s body temperature was cold, his cool palm swept over my ankle. For some reason, my lower abdomen started to tingle, so I tried to retract my leg, however, his hold on me was strong enough that I couldn’t pull away.

“You shouldn’t strain your muscles because you can get cramps if you put pressure on them. Relax, Lily.”

At the sweet voice that called out my name, I froze for a moment.

What do you mean relax? In this situation…?!

I was flabbergasted as his big hands rubbed against my legs, pressing on my ankle, calf, and the inside of my knee. It was a distinctly different mood from what went on at night, although this posture was still too provocative.

Unexpectedly, however, my body did relax a little at his light touch.

“How is it, Miss Lily?”

“…It’s better than before. You’re good at this, Sir.”

“When I train, either my ligaments often get strained or my muscles get stiff because I put too much pressure on them as well. Please stand up for a moment.”

Sir Endymion placed my leg down. It was an embarrassingly simple procedure, and I worried all on my own.

Shyly putting on my shoes, I stood up. All except for the red handprints on the fair skin, my leg was fine now. My ankle didn’t hurt anymore, and it wasn’t numb like before.

“Are you all right now?”

“It’s much better. Thank you.”

“That’s a relief. Then, I’ll be on my way. Don’t forget to eat what I gave you earlier.”

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“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

His voice was so close as he was still on one knee, but he soon stood up. I stepped back and thanked him.

Looking at Endymion, who had a good-natured smile on his face as he walked away, I don’t think I can imagine him chasing after me as I assumed before. I stood still and watched him walk further and further away, then I sat back down to put on my stockings again.

From now on, no matter how uncomfortable they were, I decided not to remove them ever again while I’m outside.

When Lucy returned from lunch, Lily was left flustered when she asked.

“So, where’s the Commander?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Commander Lucen brought a basket of food for you, and I could practically see honey dripping from his gaze.”

“It’s not what you think!”

Lily could only sigh when she saw Lucy’s smile, not knowing how flushed she was herself.

In the afternoon, I finished my work without any problems and handed in my report. On my way back, I hesitated as I returned to my room carrying with me the basket that Sir Endymion gave me.

As I ate some dried fruits, I felt a bit of frustration, realizing that everything in the basket was all to my taste.

He was, indeed, quite a burdensome man.

I finally had a day off after a long while, so I went out for a stroll. But then, I happened to run into Regulus.

“Sister, Sister!* I sparred with Commander Ares! He was amazing! He whooshed in and blew me away in an instant, but I endured it this time! Five seconds!”

“That’s great, Regulus. You’re very strong.”

“That’s right! I admire him the most after Commander Endymion! But, I couldn’t tell him because I’m shy, so please keep it a secret. Of course, I respect Commander Odil, too! Though Commander Damian… I don’t hate him, but I don’t want to respect him either.”

Patting the excited Regulus’ head, I recalled how Regulus earlier mentioned that he was worried about Commander Ares and how he must have gotten back from a difficult mission, but he looked fine now.

Maybe, it wasn’t because the mission was difficult but… because his energy had been taken as soon as he got back. I couldn’t raise my head in shame when I heard this.

Still, thanks to Regulus, I was able to calm down a little. When I heard his cheerful voice, I somehow felt as though I had returned to my daily life.

When I first met Regulus, I had just been wandering around with my mind adrift. About a month after I entered the castle, Regulus, who had become a newly appointed commander of a chivalric order, was burdened with the many expectations on him.

As a commoner hailing from the east end of the country, he was a man that the Emperor himself brought back. Regulus was worried that he might not be able to meet the expectations of those around him, especially since he’d been labeled as a prodigy and the youngest commander.

Although our experiences were different, I related to him a little after I found out about the truth about me being a succubus. Even if I couldn’t offer any real advice, I could at least listen to him every time we met.

The comfort I gave him was just surface level, but Regulus quickly regained his spirit and even started calling me affectionately as ‘Sister.’ From then on, I felt a little more inclined to treat him as a younger brother.

Well, he’s cute, after all.

“Do you hate Commander Inferno?”

“No, it’s not that I hate him. That’s not true… Though, um, Sister… This is a secret from Damian. He’s a jerk, but he’s stronger than I am even when he doesn’t train.”

I agree that Damian’s a jerk, although I can’t let Regulus find out that I knew enough about his character to agree so readily, so I decided to steer him away from the subject gently.

“This is a bit of a generalization, but I think people with good personalities are often regarded as weak, while strong people often have nasty personalities.”

“Oh? That’s right, yeah. I don’t know about the other commanders, but they all act like they’re nice. Commander Damian’s a jerk either way. Commander Endymion was no joke back when I was still in the Hundred Knights’ Order. Still, I think he’s gotten a little softer lately.”

Regulus smiled as though he was telling me a huge secret.

Those words reminded me of how much Damian seemed to care when he was in front of me. He had been sent on an extended mission before Sir Ares had yet to return. In fact, people might have already given up on the good news of his return. Even so, I was still waiting for him to return.

After talking like that for a long time, Regulus stopped and looked around, then swept me into a huge embrace. He slipped his arm behind me and snuggled my neck.

“Sister, you smell really good today. I want your scent around me every day.”

“Regulus, you’re busy, right? Come to the library again whenever you’re free.”

“If I can share a room with you, I’ll hold you like this when we sleep together.”

He became an adult this year, yet Regulus was still so pure and naïve. He couldn’t possibly know how that sounded just now.

Regulus always hugged me like this before we said our goodbyes, snuggled my neck to smell my scent, then left. He said I smelled like flowers, even though I didn’t use any perfume. It might just be a residual scent from somewhere. Nonetheless, Regulus mentioned that it relaxed him a lot and didn’t care about much else.

With his nose still against my nape, Regulus sighed while I thought about trivial things. Looking at his sad expression, he must have realized that it was time for him to go. He pulled away and stood up, then weakly waved his hand as he walked back.

Only gone a few steps, he already turned behind him and staring at me with eyes full of yearning. When he finally left, I sat back down on the bench.

The Palace was landscaped very well, so I liked spending time outside during my days off. Because crowded places weren’t my cup of tea so I didn’t go out often. Nevertheless, sitting here and enjoying the breeze was still better than going out on the streets.

After watching water flow seamlessly in the fountain that was beautifully decorated with sculptures, I looked down at my hand. That day, my ring was under a collapsed fountain.

Why didn’t I take my ring right away when I saw the knight pick it up?

Even though it’s no use regretting the past, I couldn’t help thinking back and berating myself over it.

——

tl/n:

* Regulus calls Lily ‘Sister’ as a term of endearment between friends who are a younger man and a woman who’s older than him. They’re not blood related at all.

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