Mess 173

173.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Seraphie denied it with a serious expression.

Still, fully understanding the room for misunderstanding in what she’d said, she let out an embarrassed cough and corrected herself.

“Even without a confession, sometimes things just naturally progress.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be clear about it, though?”

“If you want to get technical, we did say it once when we were pretending to date…”

“Is that the same thing as this?”

This time, Luni let out a deep sigh. For someone who was usually so quick-witted, she sometimes acted foolish in the strangest moments.

‘Well, as long as they’re happy…’

So long as they were happy, it wasn’t for a third party like her to interfere. Luni decided that was all there was to consider.

Besides, hadn’t Seraphie herself recognized with her own lips that this was a serious relationship? That alone was enough.

‘Still, I’m glad.’

Luni sincerely hoped Orkis would be able to support Seraphie.

‘I’ve got my limits, after all.’

Luni had never let it show, but she was always worried about Seraphie.

It pained her to see how Seraphie always seemed to shoulder unjust realities all by herself.

There were many times she wanted to shout at her, demanding to know why she felt the need to go that far, or why she couldn’t put her own comfort first for once.

But in the end, she always chose to quietly help instead of lecturing.

It was because Seraphie was that kind of person that she became a precious friend, helped Luni realize her own dreams, and freed her from her hellish family.

‘I’m one of those who was saved by Sera, after all.’

If Seraphie chose to take the hard road, Luni was prepared to walk right beside her.

‘Sir Felicia must know as well.’

That’s why, through the whole vacation, she kept sticking close—so Seraphie had no choice but to rest.

‘Both of them have gotten mixed up with someone exhausting.’

What had begun as a grave concern dissolved into a sense of solidarity.

“Are you using proper birth control?”

Luni asked.

“I’m hungry.”

But she hadn’t really expected an answer. Rubbing her rumbling stomach, she mumbled to herself.

“Shall we head back to shore? Karl said the wild strawberry jam made from fruit gathered in this forest is really deliciou—”

“……”

“……”

But the moment she saw the flustered look on Seraphie’s face, Luni forgot all about her hunger.

“Wow…”

Luni remarked calmly, clearly impressed.

And then she asked, in a very grave tone,

“I’m fairly sure I saw Sir Felicia kneeling on one knee between Sera’s legs and kissing her, right?”

“Couldn’t you just let that go…?”

Seraphie mumbled, covering her face with both hands. Even the parts her hands couldn’t cover—her neck and ears—were so red, they seemed ready to steam.

“It’s not like I remember it because I enjoyed seeing it either, you know?”

At any rate, the mood between the two had been extremely heated and suggestive back then.

“Didn’t it happen again on our way back from Iris territory to the capital? Sera was sitting on Sir Felicia’s lap…”

“Ah! Aaah!”

Embarrassed beyond words, Seraphie shrieked.

“Why on earth do you remember these things! Just forget all of it!”

“Oh, and who was it mixing business with pleasure and making out whenever your eyes met, not caring about your surroundings? You’re the ones who can’t keep your mouths in check!”

“Just forget it! That’s a special memory just for me and Kiss!”

“Idiot! That’s hardly what you should be angry about!”

The childish squabble made the swan boat rock gently beneath them.

“Haaah, hah…!”

“Ugh.”

They went back and forth until they were both breathless, and only then called a truce. In the process, Luni was left nearly gagging.

“…Is it weird?”

Seraphie finally caught her breath and managed to ask.

“It’s not weird, just…”

Luni answered in a much more subdued voice.

“With an atmosphere that steamy, I just figured you two must have gone all the way.”

“Please don’t call it ‘mating.’”

“But that’s what the Duke said, isn’t it? All mammals reproduce through such acts, he said.”

Ah, right.

Seraphie suddenly remembered being caught in the act by the Duke.

“Anyway, it’s just that actually seeing such a scene surprised me, that’s all. I honestly don’t care how far you two have actually gone.”

“Lu…”

Seraphie fixed her gaze on Luni’s smiling face.

“…Then why did you ask earlier?”

Do you realize all of this started with your question?

Seraphie glared at Luni with resentful eyes.

“You’re driving on the way back, Lu.”

She took her feet off the pedal.

---

“Karl!”

The moment her feet touched dry land, Luni ran up to Karl and started whining.

“Sera’s a tyrant of a boss…!”

“Did you have a good time?”

“Hic, the swan boat was comfortable, but… sniff, Sera made me handle all the driving on our way back, and I just know we need seat belts on that thing…”

Luni pretended to sob as she tattled about the events at the lake.

Karl nodded in satisfaction, listening with a fond smile. By the look of them, the two had spent some quality time together.

“……”

As for Seraphie, she watched them both with an ambiguous look.

‘They’re practically a grandfather and granddaughter…’

A thoughtless granddaughter and a doting grandfather.

But that, too, was only possible because there was genuine affection between them. Looking at it that way, the sight was touching, even endearing.

“What has you so deep in thought?”

A large hand appeared before her eyes and settled on her forehead. The hand was so broad, it covered half her eyes as well.

“…You have a fever, it seems.”

The hand pressed a little more firmly, checking her temperature.

“That’s heavy.”

Seraphie pushed his hand away. As expected, Orkis was standing there, looking grave.

“With all the work you’ve been doing, even while on vacation, of course you’d run a fever.”

Orkis did not bother to hide his disapproval.

“Nagging again…”

“Then please give me no reason to nag.”

Would this man be a crotchety old grandfather when he aged?

A small laugh escaped Seraphie. But the moment he mentioned her fever, she really did start to feel heavier.

Eventually, just taking a step felt daunting, and she staggered.

“……”

Watching her, Orkis silently extended an arm. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Seraphie found herself safely in his embrace.

“It seems you’d best return.”

“I’m all righ—”

“You’ll recover faster if you rest while you’re still only a little ill.”

When he asked if she wanted to be sick the whole vacation, his question made her shake her head beneath his chest. Only then did Orkis lift her completely.

“Feels like your fever’s worse.”

Seating Seraphie on one of the coach benches, Orkis touched her forehead again. He seemed surprised at the heat she’d built up in such a short stretch.

“……”

Seraphie tried to say she was fine, but her mouth could only manage faint puffs of air.

“Are you cold?”

With the question put like that, she realized she did feel a little chilly.

A blanket was draped over her shivering body. Seraphie instinctively curled up.

“Sir Felicia, is something wrong?”

“What’s the matter? Is she feeling unwell?”

“Sera’s running a bit of a fever.”

“Then you’d better hurry. No wonder she was so out of it on the way back…”

Through the slightly open coach door, her friends’ voices could be heard.

As Orkis explained, other children’s voices soon followed. Learning that the Countess was ill, their voices asking if she was alright were oddly endearing.

‘I guess I’m doing better than I thought.’

It was just a little fever, and yet they all seemed genuinely concerned.

At some point, her eyes grew damp. Feeling embarrassed by her own tears, Seraphie chalked it up to the way illness made her more emotional.

Soon enough, a cloudy haze settled over Seraphie’s consciousness.

Her body, heavy as a waterlogged sponge, barely moved. Even breathing became a struggle.

Yet she remembered vividly how, all the way to the estate, Orkis sat right on the floor of the carriage, holding her hand the entire way.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“We’ll be there soon, it’s fine.”

So he does find it uncomfortable, then.

He could just sit upright.

With that last thought, Seraphie slipped into unconsciousness.

---

“……”

When Seraphie opened her eyes again—

“…How long did I sleep?”

Orkis, watching over her in the dimly lit room, was the first thing she saw.

“Dinner finished a little while ago. I brought you some things you might feel up to eating.”

“I’m not very hungry.”

“You need to eat to get better.”

“If I don’t eat—”

You won’t recover, of course.

Feeling sheepish, Seraphie let Orkis help her sit up. Soft pillows were piled behind her back.

“Where is everyone?”

“They’re resting. Your godmother was here until just now.”

Her godmother, it seemed, had personally nursed Seraphie as she lay unconscious with fever. At this, Seraphie gave her own body a furtive look.

She must have sweat a great deal, but there wasn’t a thing about her that felt unpleasant. Her clothes had been changed.

“Everyone was worried about you.”

Orkis brought a silver tray to her bed. On it were a thin soup and bite-sized pieces of fruit.

“Mmm…”

Tasting the soup, Seraphie made a face.

“It’s so bland…”

“But you must finish it.”

If only to avoid having to hear more nagging, Seraphie kept spooning soup into her mouth.

And, true enough, once she’d finished the whole bowl, a comforting strength seemed to radiate through her newly warmed belly.

“I think I’m all better now.”

As Orkis took away the empty bowl, he let out a quiet snort.

He didn’t leave until Seraphie had eaten all the fruit, either, at which point he gathered the empty dishes onto the tray and left.

Perhaps he announced that Seraphie was awake, because soon one visitor after another came for her.

“Are you feeling better? Did your fever go down?”

Her godmother gripped Seraphie’s hand tightly as she checked her over.

“Kiss told me. That you nursed me, Mother.”

“Do you know how frightened I was? You went out perfectly fine and came back burning up…”

“If you never give yourself a break and only ever work, of course you end up like this.”

Baroness Kia said it was her own fault, her tone curt.

“Here, medicine.”

But the hand giving her the medicine was all gentleness.

“I suppose this is all the fatigue that’s been building up finally catching up to you.”

Karl suggested that she might as well use the time to get proper rest. Though he called it a suggestion, it sounded more like a gentle command.

“It’s a miracle you didn’t get sick sooner.”

Luni clicked her tongue.

“Once in a while, you’d fall ill from sheer exhaustion.”

“That was less being sick and more you collapsing from anger.”

Now that she thought of it, perhaps that was true. Over the past year, she really hadn’t been as ill as she was today.

“That just means you’ve gotten that much healthier.”

Seraphie allowed herself a satisfied smile.

“Still not quite grown up, are you?”

To think she would get everyone worried and then sit there just smiling to herself—Baroness Kia was at a loss.

“In any case, do get some proper rest.”

Just before stepping out of the room, Baroness Kia added,

“And thank your lover for me.”

“Kiss?”

“I doubt even a doting parent would go that far.”

Saying he’d taken care of her to a degree that made even onlookers blush, Baroness Kia shared exactly what she’d seen.