As Lionel stared into the dancing fire, he asked Jaylin quietly,
“Why did you do that earlier?”
Lionel turned his head to look at her profile.
Jaylin’s honey-colored hair glowed softly in the reflection of the firelight.
“You knew, didn’t you? That the arrow you made with your first formula wasn’t nearly strong enough to kill the bear.”
Jaylin nodded silently. Lionel’s guess had been correct.
“You also knew the arrow would only be enough to distract it—and that the second formula wouldn’t hold the bear for long either. Right?”
Lionel’s voice was hard as he pressed her.
He didn’t have the strength left to keep his emotions in check.
“Y-Yes…”
“Then why did you do it?”
“B-Because that was… all I could do. I-I’m not strong, and I don’t have much m-magic, so…”
He was furious.
Lionel simply couldn’t understand why Jaylin would risk her life to save him.
The anger, spreading like wildfire, consumed him.
“That’s not what I meant! You could’ve died! You could’ve died instead of me!”
Lionel’s voice cracked as he unleashed his emotions on her.
His breath trembled with rage.
“You could’ve just run! You couldn’t even do it properly, so why?! WHY?!”
His near-scream echoed through the cave.
“B-But you didn’t die.”
“What…?”
“You didn’t die, so… it’s okay.”
Despite Lionel shouting in anger, Jaylin simply gave him a silly, awkward smile.
Seeing that smile, all the strength drained from Lionel. He felt like a fool.
He sighed and buried his face in both hands.
“Do you know how stupid you are? You’re so stupid, it’s driving me crazy. Don’t ever do that again, okay?”
“N-No. I won’t promise that.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“B-But… y-you’re the Young Master…”
Lionel slowly lowered his hands and stared blankly at Jaylin.
“W-When the Young Master’s in danger, h-how could I just stand by and do nothing…”
“….”
“Ah! Right!”
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, Jaylin jumped up.
She walked over to the corner of the cave and came back with something in her hands.
“T-This is…”
“What is it?”
At Lionel’s question, Jaylin fidgeted and looked away shyly.
“H-Happy birthday, Young Master. I made it as a p-present.”
What she offered him was a rough wooden doll, pieced together from several chunks of wood.
A lopsided round head, a square torso beneath it, and arms and legs made from thin twigs.
It was so crude that it barely even looked like a doll.
“This is my present?”
Jaylin blushed and nodded, wringing her hands.
“I-It moves when you put m-magic into it, but I ran out of magic earlier…”
She must’ve used all her magic in the formulas she cast against the bear.
Now that he looked closely, the doll’s torso was etched with tiny runes—densely packed formulaic symbols.
Lionel gauged the amount of magic left in his body. Though he had used it all against the bear earlier, some of it had started to recover.
He reached out and touched the doll with his fingertip. Unlike earlier, when he had to force the magic out, the formula now absorbed his magic with ease.
The doll twitched, then slowly stood up, waving a stick it held in its hand up and down.
Suddenly, a bright red ball of fire shot up from the top of its head.
The flame soared into the air and burst with a pop, leaving behind a puff of dark smoke before vanishing.
“W-What was that?!”
Lionel stammered, taken aback.
“I-I made it using only the things y-you like… like sword practice and fireworks…”
“What? That’s supposed to be fireworks? Pfft—”
Lionel suddenly burst out laughing.
Jaylin… so this is what you mean when you say you like me?
You’d risk your life to protect me. Cry like the world was ending if something happened to me.
You know what I like without me ever telling you, and even if you’re clumsy, you try your best to make me happy.
Lionel felt something slowly filling the empty void inside him—from his toes upward.
It was like a hunger that had never been satisfied was finally being soothed.
He felt full without having eaten. Satisfied. He licked his lips instinctively.
His hand rested against his chin, half-covering his mouth—because the expression he wore now was not one Jaylin could see.
It was the satisfied face of a beast that had finally been fed.
Jaylin, you really do like me, don’t you?
If this is how you show your feelings, then you have to like only me for the rest of your life.
Only look at me. Only cry for me. Only smile because of me. Got it?
He wanted to demand it, to shout it at her.
But he couldn’t.
Strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to ask, “Do you like me?”
It used to be such an easy question to ask, but now it felt like his lips were glued shut.
He was afraid—afraid she might say no.
“Jaylin.”
Lionel said her name in the sweetest, gentlest tone he could manage.
“Y-Yes, Young Master?”
Locking eyes with her, Lionel slowly knelt on one knee. His pants were getting dirty, but he didn’t care.
He filled her clear, green eyes entirely. That alone made him feel good.
He gently brushed away the hair stuck to Jaylin’s face and tucked it behind her ear.
His fingers tingled where they touched her skin.
When Jaylin’s face turned pink and she avoided his gaze, Lionel pulled her into a careful embrace.
You like me. I’m sure of it.
He didn’t need cookies—this was sweet enough. His whole body felt soaked in sweetness, not just his tongue.
It was so sweet it felt like a part of his heart was melting.
He still didn’t like sweets—but this… this was different. He could accept this kind of sweetness.
He tightened his arms around Jaylin and nuzzled his forehead against her tiny shoulder. She squirmed in his arms, flustered.
“Y-Y-Young Master? A-Are you okay?”
“No. I’m not. I was really scared earlier. I thought I’d die, being mauled by that bear.”
“I-It’s okay now…”
He could feel Jaylin’s awkward pat on his back.
“Just stay like this for a while. I was so shaken up, but if we stay like this, I think I’ll feel better.”
Jaylin’s small hand kept patting his back.
Her rhythm, at first out of sync with his heartbeat, gradually aligned with it.
Lionel found himself wishing this moment would last forever.
“Hey, Jaylin. One day, let’s go to the capital and see real fireworks. I love the ones you made—but I mean the big, real ones. What do you think?”
As he slowly pulled away from her, Lionel said,
He wanted to see her face—certain she’d love the idea.
Like a delicate flower blooming in surprise, a shy smile blossomed across Jaylin’s face.
“O-Okay!”
“I’m really looking forward to it. Watching fireworks with you.”
The midsummer downpour, which had seemed like it would never end, finally began to taper off.
Far in the distance, the sound of the servants calling out Lionel’s name grew louder as they approached the cave.
*
After returning to the mansion, both Lionel and Jaylin fell ill for several days.
Having fought the bear under the stress of the heavy rain pushed their bodies past their limits.
Their fevers kept rising and falling, and the family physician had to visit the mansion so frequently, the doorway might as well have worn out.
Lionel was the first to recover.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his father’s face, filled with worry.
“Father?”
The Duke of Eduarde, who had been reviewing documents at Lionel’s bedside, lifted his head.
Though Lionel had been the one who fell ill, it was his father who looked more worn and haggard.
“Yes. You’re awake, Lionel. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay now. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I knew you often went into that forest… It’s my fault for not having all the bears cleared out.”
“You knew I went to the forest?”
“Of course. How could I not know? That’s why I ordered all the bears in the forest to be eliminated two years ago.”
“I thought you didn’t know. You’re always so busy…”
“Even if I’m busy, I still know what’s happening with my son. I even know what you’ve been doing there.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t go there again. I’ll stop doing those pointless things too.”
“Lionel. I’m not trying to scold you. And I don’t think carving is pointless either.”
“But you don’t trust me. Unless I work harder than I am now, I won’t meet your expectations…”
Lionel lowered his gaze to the blanket and clenched his fists tightly.
“Lionel. Whether or not you meet my expectations, the fact remains—I’m proud of you. And I’ve never once thought you were unworthy of my trust.”
The duke gently patted Lionel’s head with his large hand.
“I’m sorry, Lionel. I should’ve paid more attention to you. But even with a neglectful father like me, you still grew up strong enough to take down a giant bear.”
“Father…”
“It may still be early, but I think it’s time you learned the reason I couldn’t keep the promise I made you—and why I left you alone.”
The Duke of Eduarde looked down at the photo frame sitting on the table beside the bed.
Inside the frame was a photo of Lionel’s mother holding a young Lionel tightly in her arms, smiling bright…
