NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
012.
“Kalen…?”
“Yes.”
“Kalen…”
The conversation didn’t continue.
Kalen suddenly remembered how sociable Sinat was.
An introverted personality, and an even more introverted one than that.
It had taken a considerable amount of time just to say a name.
Though Kalen, who was generally a man of few words, considered it a good thing, it was not a welcome situation given that he was supposed to be her escort.
Among the tasks assigned by Master Rusty, the one with the highest priority was “to become friends with Eliana.”
The journey to the North would surely not be an easy one.
Kalen, foreseeing the uncomfortable situation where not a single word would be exchanged during this time, scratched the back of his head and said,
“Is there anything you’re curious about?”
“…”
“…Like, why are you here?”
“…Why are you here…?”
It had ended up this way.
Repeating words without understanding was one issue, and the honorific attached in the middle made the sentence even stranger.
“Ah.”
“…?”
“Let’s drop the formalities.”
“Why…?”
“Because we’re the same age.”
Kalen was fifteen this year.
Eliana’s age was also known to Everchant, so the two were the same age.
Isn’t it strange for people of the same age to talk formally?
This was one of the few topics Kalen could lead the conversation with.
“Do you also use honorifics…”
“It’s due to my position. If I speak casually to Lady Lakatus, that would be even stranger.”
“…”
If only Blamia had introduced him as her disciple at the beginning, but now, he was just a common attendant, akin to a servant.
It was inevitable to avoid various troublesome situations.
“…Can we take it slowly?”
Kalen nodded his head as if to say “Do as you please.”
“Excuse me…”
“Ah. Sorry, you can be comfortable.”
It was an action that had forgotten the fact that Eliana’s eyesight wasn’t good.
He needed to get used to such considerations.
Guarding was not an easy task.
“Let’s finish what I was saying earlier, I have come to protect Lady Eliana.”
“Escort…?”
“The winter island in the North.”
At Kalen’s words, Eliana flinched.
Her delicate hand on the thin blanket trembled.
“You said you wanted to go, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“So, I am here to take you there.”
Soon after, her red lips trembled.
Kalen felt a question at her reaction.
She had called it her wish. A wish she had cherished for a very long time.
If she had heard that her wish could come true, wouldn’t it be normal to be happy?
However, Eliana’s reaction seemed more fearful than joyful.
“Don’t you like it?”
“A, no…”
“Then why-”
“Are you not in pain…?”
The one sentence that cut off his words.
Kalen didn’t know what it meant at first, but he soon realized.
“Are you not in pain even when you’re by my side…?”
Eliana was worrying.
About Kalen himself.
She was concerned about his well-being before even thinking about her long-cherished wish.
That was definitely not normal.
A person always puts themselves first.
Thinking about and caring for others is only possible when oneself comes first.
But Eliana was trembling, terrified not for herself, but for someone else’s suffering.
–A person is either mad or pretending to be mad.
Why did Blamia’s words come to mind at this moment?
Looking fragile and a little weak externally, this girl.
Through her, Kalen felt as if he had experienced how deeply corrupted her heart was.
It was different from the times he had risked his life for Sinat.
That was possible because he had received a life-saving grace and had two years of shared memories. This was their second meeting.
Kalen simultaneously realized instinctively.
Whatever it was, he needed to address Eliana’s distorted priorities somehow first.
“That’s an odd question.”
“Huh…?”
“If I were in pain, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Ah…”
“So, you don’t need to worry about me.”
It wasn’t completely pain-free, but it was bearable.
Especially compared to the heart pain that required medication to endure, this was far easier.
“Anyway, we will head to the winter island after I’ve completed my training…”
The quiet room.
The calm voice echoing in it was somewhat unfamiliar.
*
Head of Internal Management.
The old man who had advised Lakatus for several decades at least, knew everything about the mansion and the fief.
There was hardly anyone in the Lakatus family who didn’t trust him completely.
Lately, however, he had been mainly assigned a rather unusual task.
“Well?”
“Yes. Lord. The new pupil learns quickly, especially in terms of serving the lady; it’s almost over.”
“He’s fast.”
“It’s reportedly no big issue for him to drive the carriage either, and the carriage improvements as per your orders are in smooth progress.”
At first, there was considerable skepticism about the new boy who had recently joined the mansion.
There were precautions to be taken, and even Blamia couldn’t achieve what this mere young boy seemed capable of. What could he possibly do?
However, the doubts subsided rather quickly.
The turning point were his decades-long friend Eban and the epitome of a reliable person, Bruessel.
Eban praised the boy’s character, and Bruessel highly rated his battlefield skills.
The final evidence was his seamless interaction with the young lady without any issues.
Again, what no one else, including Blamia, could achieve.
The boy had been unaffected by the pain.
Seeing all this, Vern understood why his master and lord, Everchant, was so fervently engaged in this matter.
If he, too, could grant his terminally ill daughter’s last wish, he would sell his soul to the devil.
The exact cause of the incurable disease was unknown, its origin a mystery, long abandoned for treatment.
Now, they could only hope that the boy would safely fulfill the young lady’s wish.
“Would you like to see?”
“What is it?”
“It’s one of the books the boy is studying in his room. I heard he borrowed it from the bookseller a few days ago.”
Everchant took a thick book from Vern.
[How to Win a Woman’s Heart.]
“…”
“I heard Ms. Rusty gave him a task to become friends with the lady first. So he seems to be studying for it.”
Rust-
As pages turned, there were signs of diligent notes.
At the sight of this, Everchant recalled what he had sensed from Kalen.
Mature and calm beyond his years.
Was he reading this kind of book due to his lack of eloquence?
At least, it was reassuring that he wasn’t taking things lightly.
Nevertheless…
“The title…”
“Yes?”
“…It’s not appropriate.”
What was it then?
As long as the intent was right, that’s all that mattered.
Everchant quietly closed the book.
*
—
Third Meeting.
The two were still awkward, and most of their exchanges were initiated by Kalen.
The method was: Kalen would raise topics of interest and Eliana would answer.
Most responses were curt, but Kalen deliberately kept his gaze level while conversing.
The kind of talk that usually happens in the first few hours of meeting.
Their topics stretched to the third meeting – likes in food or hobbies. There was still a long way to go.
—
Fourth Meeting.
The curt interruptions were beginning to have some flesh, taking on the shape of sentences.
Her feeble, gentle voice remained, but her thoughts and emotions were gradually seeping through.
Kalen responded occasionally from the side.
He quietly listened to Eliana’s words.
While doing so, he made efforts so that Eliana, who was both difficult to see and hear, wouldn’t lose interest.
The topics of conversation still had to be initiated by Kalen, but that by itself counted as notable progress.
Eliana’s head was tilted slightly more toward Kalen than the last time.
—
Fifth meeting.
“Hello… Kalen…”
“Ah.”
By this time, Eliana began to gradually use informal language.
Judging by the honorifics that still occasionally slipped, she seemed to be trying hard.
Still, due to the loosened speech, Eliana’s answers grew longer and her own stories started to find a place.
Mostly based on early childhood memories, but her earnest effort to look Kalen in the eyes and speak was impressive.
—
Sixth meeting.
This was the first time Eliana asked something first.
What does Kalen do? What kind of education is he receiving? Is he feeling unwell? Is listening to her stories boring?
By that time, Kalen got excited a little and even indulged in self-praise, something he rarely did under normal circumstances.
Stories like being praised by Ms. Rusty for his aptitude for work or almost being hired as a coachman.
When talking about nearly falling off a horse, Kalen also saw Eliana’s smile for the first time.
By then, both Eliana’s body and head were considerably turned toward Kalen, away from the window.
—
Seventh meeting.
To the question “What is the most precious thing to you?”, Eliana showed a brooch.
The brooch was engraved with an elaborate and majestic pattern that was making Kalen’s head ache.
Eliana introduced it to Kalen as the family crest’s brooch.
It was a birthday gift from her mother when her illness wasn’t so severe.
She said that when she’s lying in her room and feeling alone, she often looks at this to remember she’s part of the Lakatus family.
As she said this, Eliana’s expression looked a bit forlorn.
*
Day by day.
It took a week for Kalen to be deemed through the education.
Even that was considered rather quick, so without a doubt, Kalen’s name was hot gossip within the Lakatus mansion.
The story of “a diligent and mature boy” was especially popular among the young trainee maids.
That’s because Kalen never skipped a single day of visiting Eliana’s room.
It was necessary to inform someone within the mansion, which made it even more prominent.
Moreover, instead of just going in and out quickly, he spent more time inside the room.
And that was even more noticeable on Eliana’s side.
At their first meeting, her head was fixed out the window without movement.
Now, it was turned toward the door even before Kalen entered.
Maintaining eye contact had become a very natural act.
At this pace, the homework could be considered as somewhat complete, Kalen thought while looking at Lord Everchant in front of him.
“Let’s depart tomorrow.”
“Isn’t it a bit early?”
“I’ve heard about your assessment. Especially, it seems you’re more skilled than an average trained maid.”
After four years of tending to Blamia and Sinat, that was to be expected, Kalen thought while quietly waiting for the next words.
“The carriage is all prepared. As for provisions… we’ve prepared the maximum possible but we can’t say much. We can’t load too much into the carriage, and they spoil quickly.”
“It’s fine.”
“Good, that’s settled then. How about the girl?”
“The lady seems… a little brighter.”
“Hmm.”
Good news.
Hearing Lord Everchant’s words, Kalen quietly nodded his head.
Finally, the incurable patient was setting off for her final wish.
The start of the journey where Lakatus’ youngest daughter steps outside the house for the first time in seven years.