Chapter 6

After that, Ralph came to me every day.

"Good morning, Miss Lisette. You look as beautiful as a goddess today, too."

He said such things casually, with a smile so bright it hurt my eyes.

I only intended to ask for his help once, but it has been a month since then. He works from morning until early afternoon, occasionally chats with me, and then leaves, looking happy.

By the way, he asks me every day if there's anything I want, saying he can provide any amount of money or any kind of gem, but of course, I refuse. If I had to say, I would want a longer lifespan.

"I've finished all the work here."

"Thank you."

Even if I told him not to come, he would come anyway. I thought he would get tired of it eventually, so I gratefully used his help. But he seemed to be happy every day, which left me puzzled.

Moreover, he works several, no, dozens of times better than an ordinary person. He does even the dirtiest jobs with a smile, as if he has experience, and he does them perfectly. Since Ralph started coming, my grandmother and I have had no work to do.

Even I began to feel a considerable amount of guilt.

"Hey, Ralph. I've already thanked you enough, so you don't need to come anymore. Thank you for everything so far."

At the end of a workday, I clearly told him this, and he looked as if he was about to cry.

"…Did I cause you trouble?"

"No, that's not it…"

"Miss Lisette."

He took my hand and looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Please, don't say you don't need me to come anymore. Being of service to you is my reason for living."

"Um…"

"More than anything, I can't bear not seeing you, Miss Lisette."

His words were heavy. It's as if I am his entire life. It's too much.

Still, Ralph is incredibly handsome. He quickly became the village's idol, and I, embarrassingly, am also weak for his face.

—In the end, I gave in and ended up letting him help me again today.

◇◇◇

"What are we doing today?"

"I plan to go to the forest to pick herbs."

"Understood."

By the way, Ralph is exceptionally good with animals. His work is so good that it doesn't seem like he's an amateur.

I have always been terribly disliked by animals, and they are afraid of me. I sometimes envy him.

"Miss Lisette, please watch your step."

"Thank you."

—To be honest, I was also starting to get used to Ralph, this incomprehensible presence. Besides, he is incredibly kind to me.

No matter how I think about it, I am not the person Ralph imagined, yet he doesn't seem disappointed.

"I found them."

Before I knew it, he had filled the basket with rare herbs. I couldn't help but smile. Ralph is really extraordinary in every way.

Seeing me laugh, he also smiled happily.

"Are you pleased?"

"Yeah. Hehe, Ralph, you're really amazing."

"I have better eyesight than ordinary people. My physical abilities are also better."

Indeed, from watching him work in the fields, his physical abilities were abnormally high. There was no sign of any enhancement magic.

"Plus, your face is better than most people's."

I said this casually, and the basket slipped from Ralph's hand.

"…Thank you."

His face was incredibly red. Anyone could tell, even though I only said something obvious.

I started to feel embarrassed too.

"I'm glad you can praise me, Miss Lisette."

"Y-Yeah."

"This is the first time I've felt glad to have this face."

It seems Ralph was indifferent to his appearance. Having such a beautiful face must come with its own set of problems.

"Miss Lisette, I love you."

"Y-Yeah, thank you."

Ralph often tells me he loves me.

At first, I would accidentally get flustered, but I now feel that his feelings for me are not romantic love. I can now easily brush it off.

He must be overthinking his sense of gratitude towards me and misunderstanding things.

We put the dropped herbs back in the basket and returned the way we came.

"Do your parents worry about you coming to such a place every day?"

"No, it's fine."

Whenever I ask about his background, he always dodges the question. Apparently, he is two years younger than me.

At the wedding, he seemed to be from a high-ranking noble family. But given his freedom, he might be the youngest son of a rural baron's family, I quietly speculated.

By the way, I plan to meet Reila soon. Ralph is arranging for us to meet. I feel like they have more than repaid me for helping them.

"Are you really going to come here every day from now on?"

"Yes. As long as you are here, I will always come."

"You're a strange one."

"I love Miss Lisette."

"……"

Even though he was once an orphan, Ralph has already experienced the luxurious life of a noble. Yet, he helps me without a single complaint, which genuinely touches me.

"Then, I'll take my leave."

And today, after finishing his help, he said, "Thank you for letting me help you today" and tried to leave.

I couldn't help but stop him.

"…If you'd like, would you like to stay for some tea?"

Before I knew it, I had made such a suggestion.