Chapter 97

"Phew... I slept well..."

Amelia, lying on her bed in her room, stretched her arms out towards the ceiling.

The light streaming in from the window felt pleasant, as if blessing the start of the day.

Glancing to the side, she saw a stack of books on the table beside her bed.

Yesterday, she had slept a lot during the day, so she had brought a few books from the library to her room and read them until she felt sleepy.

All of these were books related to plants.

She had chosen the ones that contained information about Zazayuri, which had come up in her conversation with William.

She couldn't settle down when she encountered the name of a plant she didn't know, so she had thoroughly memorized the information last night.

"...Just a little until Sylphie comes."

She reached out and opened a book.

For a while, Amelia was engrossed in the world of the book.

"This book also has few descriptions about Zazayuri... But it can't be helped, I guess. It seems that the plant is hardly found in the country..."

As she muttered to herself, a knock echoed through the room.

"Miss Amelia, are you awake?"

"Yes."

Sylphie sighed when she entered and saw Amelia reading the book intently.

"Studying from early morning is good, but it's time for breakfast now."

"Just, just wait a moment. I'm at a good part, so just five more minutes..."

"If I allow those five minutes, it might turn into five hours, so please put the book away quickly."

"Ugh... I can't argue with that..."

With a reluctant feeling, she closed the book and got out of bed.

(I'll read more after breakfast...)

Sylphie said to Amelia, who had made this resolution.

"By the way, Miss Amelia, it seems that Mr. William will be coming this afternoon."

"Wh-What, Mr. William!?"

◇◇◇

In the afternoon.

Amelia and Sylphie were heading to the parlor because William was coming.

"Can I go alone? It would be better if Lord Logan came with me..."

"Lord Logan can't join us today due to work. So, it will be one-on-one with Mr. William."

"Ugh... I see..."

"Isn't this a good opportunity? You can't always have Lord Logan by your side when Mr. William will be your tutor in the future."

"That's true, but..."

Even with Sylphie and Laila, the maids, around, receiving personal instruction from an older man made her nervous just thinking about it.

(I have to try not to seem like a fool...)

Despite her body feeling stiff, she followed Sylphie to the parlor.

"Ah, Rio."

"Hello, Miss Amelia."

Rio, Logan's attendant, passed by.

Rio bowed deeply as soon as he met Amelia's eyes.

"Hello. By the way, is your hand injury okay?"

"About that..."

Rio raised his hand and showed the back to Amelia.

"Thank you for yesterday. Thanks to you, the swelling went down quickly, and it's fine now."

He said this while wiggling his hand.

As he said, there was no trace of swelling, and his hand looked perfect.

"Also, the restorative? Thank you for that too. Thanks to it, I felt more energetic yesterday compared to usual."

"I'm glad both worked! But..."

Amelia's expression changed from a smile to a serious one.

"You shouldn't move it like that. Since it just healed, try to keep it still."

When Amelia raised her index finger and said this, Rio covered his mouth and chuckled.

"W-What... Did I say something strange?"

"No, I apologize. I just thought Miss Amelia is incredibly kind."

"Kind...?"

(I don't think so...)

Unconvinced, Amelia tilted her head slightly.

She had thought she was doing something normal, so she couldn't fully understand Rio's words.

"Anyway, thank you."

Rio said with a smile.

Amelia stared at his smile.

"Is something wrong?"

"Rio, you really do look better when you smile."

"Wh-What?"

Surprised by the unexpected words, Rio blinked.

Amelia had no deep meaning behind her words.

It was the first time Rio had smiled at her.

This made her feel a warm sensation in her chest, and she simply expressed her honest thoughts.

Embarrassed by the compliment, Rio cleared his throat and said,

"Then, I'll take my leave."

He bowed and quickly left the scene.

Sylphie, who had observed the entire exchange, said softly,

"Miss Amelia, you're a natural charmer, aren't you?"

"Charmer...?"

Again, not understanding the meaning of the words, Amelia tilted her head.