Youngest 228
by Cristae228
The young lady gave an awkward laugh.
“Um, sorry once again. This may seem a bit much, but we’ve just barely come through a family crisis.”
“……”
“We’ll probably have to stay all bunched up for a while. Separation anxiety is at its peak…”
“Ah.”
Mariel’s eyes went dark.
The ducal house must be suffering from some dreadful plague.
It wasn’t exactly surprising.
After all… they were always that sort of people.
“Well, then, pardon us, Marquis.”
Mariel shook her head.
She didn’t know what kind of crisis the family had just gone through.
But seeing them all rolling along the entrance, still clinging to each other…
“Ruby, your father’s back feels cold. Stick closer, quickly.”
“Cling.”
‘…Honestly, they never cease to amaze.’
She couldn’t help but think so.
“We’ll talk about what to do next when Liam arrives. For now, you should rest.”
With that, my father finally managed to peel me from his back.
I received treatment from the physician the Marchioness of Weber had arranged, and was left alone in the large bedroom.
Maybe it was because this was the place we always stayed during our southern holidays—like visiting a grandmother’s house, even though the Marchioness was a bit young for that. It felt deeply familiar.
“The young lady is still recovering! If you keep bothering her like this, wounds that would heal today will only be healed tomorrow… Lord Balok! Did you really think your body could fit under the bed?”
Lady Mariel elegantly and gracefully chased out my overzealous family. Before leaving, she asked,
“Young lady, is there anything else you need?”
“Gosh, I already feel bad imposing on you with my sudden visit, let alone asking for anything else…”
“You’ve been my companion every summer since you were little. Think nothing of it and tell me what you need.”
“Well then, if you insist… Could I ask for clean bathwater and a meal, a physician specializing in scar treatment, the herbs listed below, a change of clothes, undergarments, and a soft bed and full set of cozy bedding to match?”
“…You wrote ‘scar specialist’, and then what next?”
I grinned and whispered in the Marchioness’s ear.
“Actually, I was joking. What I really want to know is the whereabouts of the Southern Outpost Mage.”
Lady Mariel eyed me narrowly, then said, “I’ll look into it,” and departed.
I lay quietly, counting the patterns on the ceiling.
But at length, unable to suppress myself any longer, I whipped my head around.
My gaze met that of a man sitting there, motionless as a statue, staring right at me.
“When are you finally going to talk to me?”
“Now.”
Sir Khalid, clearly in a foul mood, answered with a wrinkle of his brow.
That’s right. In truth, I wasn’t alone.
As always, Khal had claimed the spot left empty by my family.
‘He really is good at slipping into the gaps.’
Stretching with a groan, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my calf and curled up like a cocoon.
Khalid let out a low sigh, then came over and took my fingertips in his.
“Sorry, I’m still processing it. The fact that you’re the daughter of Duke Zevert, who was believed to have died in a carriage accident.”
Careful magic energy pressed in.
On the way here, riding on my father’s back, I’d explained to Khalid all that had happened. Of course, he’d been unable to hide his shock.
Suddenly, my grip on his hand tightened.
“I swear, the madman who dug up your grave and took your body—”
“Ow, ow.”
“I’ll kill him. I promise.”
At the dense magic throbbing through my veins, I winced; Khal briefly let go, then held my hand once more.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay. But there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yeah?”
“Where are the mage children?”
Khalid thought for a moment before adding,
“They’re hiding nearby. Sir Leon is bringing them this way.”
“I see. The plan is to let them rest here, then send them to the protection shelter?”
“Yes. But the children are still so shaken, no one can bring themselves to talk easily. It seems they’re still terrified of the Mage King.”
To go to the shelter was, in truth, to be told to flee the Mage King.
‘Hmm. So that’s how it is.’
I touched my lower back.
I’d definitely need to meet the children as soon as they arrived.
But before that…
“Is Liam coming along all right?”
Lately discovering a true talent for shaking down the nobility, Liam would be finishing up his business and coming south through the portal.
“I think someone should go meet him at the gate. Otherwise, we might not see him until next year.”
Just now, Mom and Grandfather had gone to explain everything to the Marchioness, Dad was by the harbor, and Void had gone to handle things near the cave…
I glanced around, then suddenly reached out my hand.
“Give me a hug.”
The large man visibly tensed.
“…What?”
“Well, you’re the only one here… and the doctor said I’m not to walk for a while—Yikes!”
I grabbed his sleeve in surprise as my view suddenly soared—Khalid had tightened his arms, holding me close.
“Like this?”
“I… I suppose so.”
Wait, isn’t this a bit too close?
I tried to shift away, but strong arms wrapped around me like vines, pulling me flush against his chest.
“Could you just give me a piggyback ride instead?”
“I don’t know how to carry someone.”
How could that be?
‘Still…’
Maybe it was just the thinness of my clothes, but I could feel the movements of his chest muscles too acutely as they flexed—a thought that shocked me.
‘What? What muscles?’
What was I even sensing?
I forced myself not to focus.
Of all times, Khalid had bathed and was wearing a light, open tunic from the Marchioness’s house—the black tunic, suited for the southern climate, was cut deeply at the front.
‘And why did he tie that ribbon so loosely?’
Through the parted fabric, glimpses of his flat chest came in and out of view. The well-developed muscles from several days of fighting stood out in sharp, shifting relief…
‘Dear me! Rubian! Are you a pervert?’
I must be going crazy!
I decided to simply block out my vision.
“Why did you suddenly close your eyes? Does me holding you… bother you?”
Yet the gentle voice in my ear, and—
“Ruby?”
The clean scent that tickled the tip of my nose—
‘All five senses satisfied.’
No, not that! Am I really going mad?
‘My senses are being overstimulated!’
“Hey. Just get me a wheeled chair, okay…”
“What? Didn’t catch that.”
Ah, the life of a pervert.
Torment and more torment!
The pervert’s iron rule: After five full renditions of the anthem, we arrived at the southern gate together.
Although Khalid worried about my condition and said he would meet them alone, I’d pretended not to hear.
In any case, Khalid was already waiting on me hand and foot, so I was in no danger of overexerting myself.
“Hold on carefully.”
“Mm…”
As he helped me dismount, the warmth of his arms left my heart pounding, impossible to control.
‘Yes, as I thought, I really…’
I shook my head violently as I gulped dizzyingly for breath. I couldn’t ignore the tender sprout of feeling growing slowly inside me any longer.
‘How did I ever get like this?’
My heart ached sweetly—a bittersweet emotion I could scarcely show.
At that moment, the great arched gate shimmered, and through the blue barrier stepped Liam Zevert.
“Brother!”
“My precious baby sister!”
We reunited in a tearful embrace.
After picking up Liam and returning to the mansion, the physician brought by the Marchioness applied ointment to my wounds.
When the bandages came off, Liam trembled, seeing how the skin of my leg had been torn.
“What kind of lunatic would do that to your leg…? It looks like you fought off the tentacles of a giant spider beast and took a nasty hit you couldn’t dodge!”
“That’s… exactly right.”
Had he been watching or something?
That evening,
Once everyone had finished what they needed to do, the family gathered in a circle again.
Now that Liam was safely in the south, the Zevert family’s emergency council began.
We sat in a circle in the conference room the Marchioness had provided.
“Let’s begin our family council.”
Today being Friday, Father presided.
“Me! I have something to say.”
“All right, Rubian.”
Rising awkwardly on one leg, I cleared my throat.
“Well, I do think crushing the Mage King is important, but it’s also important to figure out how I, the real daughter of Mother and Father, came back to life.”
“Haaaahhh.”
“Damn it.”
Groans of frustration rang out.
I purposefully smiled calmly and steeled my resolve.
“So here’s how I propose we get to the Mage Kingdom—”
In that moment, Grandfather absentmindedly scratched his chin and interrupted.
“Uh, I’m against it.”
“Excuse me, I wasn’t finished.”