Volume 1 Chapter 39 Sir Rail's True Feelings
Sir Rail ate all the octopus risotto, half of the soft stew, half of the one-legged grill, and all of the octopus soup.
He also had one fried octopus.
He ate so much that I thought it might not be good for his hungry stomach.
"Sir Rail, if you eat too much, won't your stomach hurt...?"
"I'm fine. When I'm healthy, I aim to be an adventurer... and for that, I thought I needed to camp out, so I ate everything well. I always thought my insides were strong, but somehow, I got cursed and caught the White Moon disease."
When I asked out of concern, Sir Rail told me in a clear voice.
He could sit up without support now.
Sir Roxas moved away from Sir Rail and watched him happily.
"Brother, is your body not in pain anymore?"
"Yeah. It feels amazing, like... I want to run around right now."
"Even if the illness is healed, it doesn't mean your lost strength will come back right away. Please wait to run around until later."
"You're right. But... I think I can stand."
Sir Rail clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, Lydia, for the meal," as a post-meal greeting.
Then, he stood up with surprisingly strong steps and walked over to where I was standing a step away.
Sir Rail's hair, wrapped in a white hospital gown, was still white, a remnant of his illness.
But, even though his pale cheeks and arms are still whiter than Sir Roxas, they are regaining color.
"Lydia...! I'm standing on my own feet, Lydia. I'm not swaying. I don't feel dizzy. It's like there's a thin film between me and the world, but I don't feel uncomfortable."
"Sir Rail, I'm so glad..."
I looked up at the happy Sir Rail and smiled.
I'm glad.
Really──I'm glad.
If my cooking has the power to heal, it must be because my prayers reached Goddess Alexandria.
Not just Francois, but I am also the daughter of the Rest priest family.
So, maybe just this once, they decided to lend me their strength.
"Yeah. I don't hear the sound of insect wings anymore. It used to echo in my ears like a ringing sound. But that noise has stopped, thanks to Roxas and you, Lydia."
"Insect wings...?"
"Yeah. Before I realized it was an illness, the sound of insect wings started echoing in my head... it was so loud that I couldn't sleep, and I felt like I was going crazy. Then, gradually, it felt like life was draining from my body, and I lost both my energy and strength."
"──Many patients of White Moon disease say they hear the sound of insect wings in their heads."
Sir Roxas added to Sir Rail's words.
I didn't know much about it, so I nodded slightly.
"But, Lydia. You healed me. ...A hero is supposed to help a princess, but I ended up being the one helped."
"N-no, I just made some food..."
"You're so humble, Lydia. You don't boast about your own power. You're kind, my princess."
Sir Rail gently took my hand.
Then, he wrapped both of his hands around it and squeezed, and then, he pulled me close.
"Whoa..."
"Hehe, look, Roxas! I'm feeling great now. I can even lift my princess!"
Sir Rail easily lifted me up.
I was surprised and opened my eyes wide, feeling like a real princess.
"Brother, you're just recovering. Don't get too carried away."
"I'm just so happy! Lydia, my princess, thank you...! I was worried that Roxas brought you here forcefully, but... now, I can only feel grateful."
"Y-yes, um, I understand, I understand, so please put me down...!"
"Right, let's go feel the wind. I've just been looking out the window for so long. I want to feel the wind. And I want to see the sunlight, the blue sky, and the white clouds, not just through the glass."
"Sir Rail..."
He seemed delicate, but since he aimed to be an adventurer, Sir Rail was really, how should I say it, quite free-spirited...
Ignoring what Sir Roxas said, he happily carried me out of the room and up the stairs.
Sir Roxas followed behind with a sigh.
Sir Rail's body was still slim, and I worried that I might be too heavy for him.
But without showing any concern, he carried me all the way to the rooftop.
The sky above was endlessly blue, and soft sunlight poured down.
The breeze against my cheeks was cool, and below us was the well-kept vast garden of the Duke's estate.
The noble town is on a hill.
You can see the port and the sea of the south district in the distance.
"It's the sky, and there's the sea too. The wind feels nice. I'm so happy to see this view with Roxas and the princess."
"...Brother, I'm glad."
"Sir Rail, I'm heavy, so please put me down..."
"Princess, you're as light as a feather. It's like I'm not carrying anything at all, so it's fine."
"W-Wait, I'm not fine...!"
I'm heavy! I might weigh more than Sir Rail right now.
Seeing me embarrassed, Sir Roxas lifted me from Sir Rail's arms and set me down on the rooftop.
The wind blew my maid outfit's apron and my hair.
When I looked around calmly, the view of the town from the Duke's rooftop was so beautiful, with the sky close and the sea sparkling.
I thought I could see Whale No. 1 and Hyomon on the pier, and it felt like Hyomon was waving at me, but maybe I was just imagining it.
Sir Rail leaned against the rooftop railing, eagerly staring at the view.
Sir Roxas watched Sir Rail with a worried expression.
"I think Roxas already noticed, but I've always wanted to die, princess."
With his sparkling golden eyes fixed on the town, Sir Rail said quietly.
I froze at his words.
──Wanting to die, how could he say that?
I've never heard something like that come from anyone's mouth before.
Those words are painful and very hard to bear.
"Have you heard about the Duke Girard family? Our parents weren't equal. Roxas always felt out of place... because of me."
"I'm not worried about it."
"I am worried about you. I always thought that if I weren't here, Roxas wouldn't have to suffer. I wished to become an adventurer and go far away, and after I got sick... I thought a little that it was a blessing."
"...Why is that...?"
Sir Roxas wanted Sir Rail to live.
But Sir Rail's words seem cruel.
"I'm useless in the Duke family because I'm sick. Roxas will inherit the Duke family and be cherished by everyone. I want to die like this. I want to disappear. The more I live, the more Roxas suffers... I thought that."
"...I knew that. But I..."
"Even though you really hate fighting and are kind, you threatened our parents and got engaged to the daughter of the Rest priest family... You were frustrated every day, Roxas. You always said you were worried about the princess... about Lydia."
"Sir Roxas..."
When I looked up at Sir Roxas, he quickly turned his gaze away, looking flustered.
"Th-That's...! Anyone would think that after seeing how she was treated at the Rest priest family...!"
Still, when Sir Roxas visited me, he was angry.
He said something about me for having a strange hobby of getting tangled up with octopuses or something.
What is a special hobby, I wonder?
I still haven't been told.
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