Volume 1 Chapter 19 Gem Person Ciel Wisteria
I brought soft omelet rice, vegetable soup, and chamomile tea to the restaurant table.
Sir Ciel and I sat facing each other.
I clasped my hands and said, "God Ancestor Theobart, thank you for today's meal," while offering a prayer. Sir Ciel also lowered his eyes and clasped his hands.
"Ms. Lydia, ...thank you for the wonderful meal."
Sir Ciel didn't say God Theobart's name, but he spoke to me in a gentle tone, as if offering a prayer.
After glancing at Sir Ciel as he scooped up the omelet rice and brought it to his mouth, I picked up my spoon.
The creamy egg shone in a golden color, and the thick red tomato sauce looked vibrant and delicious.
I had done well today.
As I took a bite, the soft taste of the egg, the tanginess of the tomato, the sweetness of the rice and onion, and the savory aroma of the sausage mixed with the freshness of the herbs filled my mouth.
"It's really delicious, Ms. Lydia."
"...I'm glad."
"I'm sorry I can't give a detailed taste review like Leavis... but somehow, I feel my body getting energized. Is this... restoring my lost magical power...?"
"Sir Ciel, um... I just made the omelet rice normally..."
"I'm sorry, I just got curious. Even without the magical power recovery effect, it's very, very delicious. ...It has a comforting taste."
After eating a few bites of the omelet rice, Sir Ciel drank some chamomile tea.
I gratefully eat the food I made myself, scooping up the vegetable soup with a spoon and swallowing it down.
"Mr. Leavis, ...is he okay? Do you guys keep the round sheep at the mage's place?"
"Ah, that is from Saintwise's summoning magic. Leavis and his subordinates summoned it."
"Summoning magic..."
"Yes. It's a technique to call animals or monsters. The summoned round sheep is real, but once it has finished its job, it disappears. It's half real and half artificial, you could say."
"...So it came to help me and Sir Ciel."
"Yes. ... Leavis seems to have quickly noticed the commotion with His Highness. He told me through telepathy to do nothing."
"Telepathy?"
"It's a magic that sends voices over long distances. Saintwise mages often act alone, so we frequently use telepathy to communicate. For example, look..."
In my head, I heard Sir Ciel's voice saying, 'Ms. Lydia, thank you for today.'
I pressed my hands to both ears, my eyes wide in surprise. It felt strange to hear Sir Ciel's voice when he wasn't even talking.
"This is mostly used only between Saintwise mages. It feels like you're being watched no matter where you are, which isn't very pleasant, right?"
"I was surprised, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it's convenient..."
"Then, if Ms. Lydia is alone in her room at night and I feel lonely, can I talk to you?"
"Well... it's surprising, but... if Sir Ciel is lonely, then... it's okay sometimes..."
It's a bit troubling if he suddenly comes to my room.
But if he just wants to talk when he's lonely, then that's fine, right?
"That was a joke. ...Unless it's urgent, I won't do something like that."
"R-Right..."
Normally, I would get angry at a guy who says things like that and tease women.
But I couldn't get mad at Sir Ciel.
Even though he's an adult, he has this strange innocence about him.
It's like talking to a little kid.
"...I think Leavis will be fine. All the mages from Saintwise were there. If His Highness punish everyone, it would mean breaking up Saintwise. That would be a big problem for the country."
After finishing his omelette rice and soup, Sir Ciel said seriously.
"And... believe it or not, I'm actually pretty strong, so taking over the castle with the Saintwise subordinates isn't that hard. But, since I have a position... if I did something like that, the position of the gem people would get worse, so I can't do anything unnecessary."
"I'm glad a big group of round sheep came. It was kind of funny seeing His Highness get knocked away by a big group of round sheep."
"Yeah, that's true."
When we looked at each other, we both giggled.
I felt a bit sorry for Sir Stefan, but it was a pretty funny sight that you don't see every day.
I was so angry that I almost forgot the insults I had received. It felt ridiculous.
"...Sir Ciel, are you from Edelstein?"
I asked, thinking it might be something he didn't want to talk about.
I didn't know much about the gem people.
All I learned in school was that they were discriminated against in the past and that they lived in the western city of Edelstein.
The pictures of gem people in the textbooks showed them as if their whole bodies were made of minerals, and the few gem people I saw in the royal market really did look like they were made of sparkling gems.
"I... don't usually talk about this, but I'm the child of Bianca, the eldest son of the Margrave Wisteria family."
"The Margrave family...?"
"Yes. The Margrave family is close to Edelstein. It's located in the Wisteria territory and is under their jurisdiction. My father, Safiro, fell in love with Bianca when she came to Edelstein for an inspection."
"Well... that's romantic...!"
I put my hands together and smiled. I didn't mind love stories that much. Even though I couldn't find happiness myself, hearing happy love stories made me feel happy.
"But... Margrave Wisteria didn't allow it. They brought Bianca back to the Margrave family after she ran away to live in Edelstein, and my father... was punished with the gem piercing for seducing and impregnating my mother."
"...Gem piercing?"
"Gem people become magical gems by slicing their bodies into small pieces. ...They were once discriminated against for the sake of overharvesting gems. ...Even now, that hasn't completely disappeared."
"......Really?"
"To the people of the kingdom, we are the same as monsters. Monsters are beasts without intelligence. ...There's no need to hesitate to kill a beast."
"......But that's terrible."
Tears that had been held back started to fall, landing in the empty soup bowl.
"Sir Ciel... what happened to Mrs. Bianca after that...?"
"My mother... she protected me, but the stress took a toll on her, and she died shortly after giving birth to me. ...I was raised as the shame of the Margrave family. ...Since I have the blood of the Wisteria family in me, they couldn't just throw me away or kill me."
Hearing Sir Ciel say it so casually made me feel even sadder.
The reason Sir Ciel couldn't get angry, why he was numb to mocking words, was because he had heard much worse and seen terrible things while growing up.
"When I was 15, I escaped from the Wisteria family and headed to Edelstein. There, too, I was seen as an outsider because I had half-human blood. ...But I was good at magic, so I became a mercenary. After that, I started using my father's surname, Ciel Vermilion. A little while later, I was summoned to the royal palace."
"To the royal palace, you say?"
"Yes. His Majesty Zeere Bernard... the father of His Highness Stefan. His Majesty knew about my background. He recognized my abilities and asked if I wanted to join Saintwise. Since I was already researching the Tears of the Moon at that time, I joined Saintwise and reached my current position in just a few years."
"Sir Ciel... that sounds really tough. I... didn't know anything, and... I'm sorry for saying such terrible things."
Sir Ciel gently wiped my tear-streaked face with a handkerchief. Then, he smiled awkwardly.
"...Ms. Lydia. You've had a hard time too, haven't you? Much more than I have."
"I... I wasn't that bad. It's true that in the priest family, no one paid attention to me, and I felt lonely... but I also hoped I could be happy with Your Highness... but it's okay now."
"Ms. Lydia..."
"I mostly just get angry or cry, but... I'm happy when people say my cooking is delicious. Being here now feels so much freer and better than before."
"...Ms. Lydia, if you don't mind, I would like to study your abilities."
Sir Ciel hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I understand if this makes you uncomfortable. But... I want to know. Maybe we can do something about the Curse of the Moon."
"Can I... really be of help?"
"Of course."
"...It's just cooking, right?"
"Yeah... I will pay the price. For me, being able to eat Ms. Lydia's cooking is a nice perk."
I tightly squeezed my hands on my lap.
I feel so useless.
I can only cook.
And I've always thought I didn't want to get close to men because I dislike them.
But if Sir Ciel is relying on me, I want to help.
Even if I can only cook.
"That's fine... But I can't help when I'm running the restaurant."
"Of course... Ms. Lydia. Thank you."
"Yes... because we're friends."
"Friends?"
"Um, yes... since we ate together... we're friends. Is that not okay...?"
When I asked nervously, Sir Ciel smiled very happily at me.
And just like that, I made my first friend.
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