Chapter 41

I was prepared for a sleepless night, but it seems I fell asleep at some point.

When I realized it, it was already morning.

Getting out of bed and opening the window, the sun hadn't risen yet, but it was already bright outside.

It's been a long time since I slept so soundly.

My limbs are a bit sore, but my body doesn't feel heavy.

"…I was supposed to be worrying. Did I sleep too soundly?"

I couldn't help but mutter.

Indeed, I seem to lack the cuteness of a romance novel heroine.

When I peeked into the shelf I was absentmindedly looking at last night, there was a change of clothes.

The dress made of fine fabric seems easy to put on by myself. I gratefully borrowed it and tidied my hair simply.

It should still be the time when Kijin is sleeping.

I should stay in the room for a while, but my body is too energetic to relax.

I decided to go to the courtyard and headed for the door. I unlocked the door from the inside and opened it quietly.

The corridor was deathly silent.

A faint sound could be heard from a distance, so the servants must already be busy preparing for the morning.

Before I could disturb them, I would go outside…

Just as I was about to step out, I froze.

"…Fir-san!"

Fir-san was standing against the wall of the corridor, completely silent.

The dark circles under his eyes clearly showed that he hadn't slept at all.

But what surprised me was not that.

Water was dripping from his loosely worn clothes. …His silver hair, which had returned to its original color, was wet.

"Hey, what happened to your hair?"

"…I took a shower to clear my head."

"Even so, you're still so wet! Come on, come over here!"

I grabbed Fir-san's arm and pulled him forcefully.

Fir-san, who had a gloomy expression, looked a bit surprised but obediently followed me. His body tensed only for a moment as we entered the room, but he didn't say anything and followed me inside.

"Sit here. Um, I'm sure there's…."

I made him sit down and hurriedly searched for spare cloth.

When I returned with a soft cloth for washing, Fir-san was still sitting quietly.

I went behind him and roughly dried his wet hair. The ear I touched for a moment was ice cold.

"How long have you been in the corridor?"

"…Probably when it was still dim."

"Since so early? You'll catch a cold, even if you're Fir-san!"

After saying that, I suddenly closed my mouth.

I had inadvertently treated him as usual… but this person was Prince Firaud.

"Um… well… Prince Firaud…"

"Since no one is around, you can call me Fir. If anyone hears, just say I ordered you to call me that."

Prince Firaud… Fir-san, said this while looking down slightly, with a faint smile.

I stopped drying his hair.

His beautiful silver hair was finally drying.

But his broad back looked very lonely.

… I stared at the silver hair and back for a while, then let out a sigh.

"Then I'll call you Fir-san. If I use an unfamiliar name, I won't be able to say what I want to say."

I continued speaking while drying his hair again.

"Weren't you cold, being so wet?"

"Compared to the northern nights, this is nothing."

"Is that normal? If you had something to say, you should have called out."

"I tried a few times. But… last night, Albes brought you a drink, so I thought you probably wouldn't open the door."

That's right, that's how it was.

Yet, I accidentally let him in the room.

"…But, well, it's not night anymore, so I'm not breaking my promise with my brother, right?"

The door is still wide open.

As I muttered this, Fir-san laughed softly.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just thought you were typical. …The knights also treat me normally. They say they were ordered to do so, but I like that."

Fir-san was smiling, but he sighed.

"…Ah, I really like you, Lucia. If I can't see you anymore, everything will seem boring."

"Wait, I haven't…!"

"But you didn't plan to see me anymore, right? So… knowing it's not a good look, I waited for you in the corridor."

Fir-san was looking at the floor.

"I didn't want to see you crying the last time. It makes me feel bad every time I think about it. So, I'm grateful that you're treating me the same as before. Thank you so much. I… could die now and be happy."

The last part was a weak, almost inaudible voice.

I stopped drying his hair.

I threw the damp cloth on the table roughly and moved in front of Fir-san.

"Fir-san, please look up."