IITYVA 06

Chapter 6

“……”

Suddenly, As fell silent.

As if startled, he stood frozen in place, then slowly turned his head.

“…I…”

After taking a deep breath, the boy continued.

“I was rude. Please forget what I just said.”

“Huh? Uh, okay.”

I tilted my head. I didn’t think he’d said anything particularly rude.

But if As insisted, I decided to let it go.

And right then—

Gasp.

I finally realized what kind of dish had been cooking under my hands this whole time.

…This is a capsaisin stew!

I clutched my head in dismay.

Maybe it was because I’d been half-distracted while cooking.

Relying solely on instinct, I’d ended up making a stew overloaded with pepper powder out of habit…

Normally, when I was alone, I’d cook spicy dishes to suit my taste. That habit had kicked in without me realizing.

I meant to cook something mild for As!

Panicking at the sight of the now-finished stew, I hurriedly grabbed a new pot and exclaimed,

“Ah! As, wait just a second! I’ll make a delicious breakfast in no time!”

“…But the stew is already finished, isn’t it?”

As hesitated, glancing at the pot simmering on the stove.

I gave an awkward smile while pulling soup stock from the fridge.

“This is… um, really spicy. I don’t think it’ll suit your taste.”

The people here, who preferred rich and greasy food, tended to have low tolerance for spicy dishes.

Especially kids—wouldn’t it be even worse for them?

But contrary to my worries, As responded calmly.

“It’s fine. I’m good with spicy food.”

“But…”

“So there’s no need to go out of your way to make a new one.”

But this was cooked to match my taste—it’d be way too spicy for a kid…

I kept glancing at As with worry.

But since he was so insistent, I had no choice but to put the new pot back.

While I dished up the stew, As helped set the table beside me.

I watched his movements closely as I brought over the bowls of stew.

For a child, his hands were surprisingly skilled and experienced.

Has he done a lot of housework before?

Maybe he wasn’t actually a noble after all?

I had various thoughts, but unless As answered, I’d never be sure.

I stopped speculating and instead observed his reaction as he ate the stew.

He hadn’t lied about handling spicy food—As ate without the slightest change in expression.

Relieved, I struck up conversation while eating, and though As wasn’t overly talkative, he responded appropriately, not cold but not overly eager either.

Our breakfast ended on a gentle note.

As I cleared the dishes, I asked,

“As, do you want some tea?”

“…Tea?”

“Yeah. Do you like dew tea?”

He was handing me a dish when I asked, and after a brief silence, he answered softly.

“…I guess I like it.”

“Then let’s have tea together.”

Humming a little tune, I set the water to boil and prepared two teacups.

The cups were ready in no time.

As and I sat across from each other in the living room for tea time.

White steam curled up from the fragrant cups, and the soft chirping of birds drifted in through the half-open window.

A peaceful, drowsy moment.

When I glanced across the table, I saw that As, too, had softened into the calm atmosphere.

Taking this chance, I casually asked,

“As, are you okay living here?”

Honestly, I didn’t expect a great answer.

Even something like “It’s not bad” would’ve made me happy.

But his response caught me off guard.

“I like it.”

“H-huh…?”

“This is the second-best time in my life.”

His next words were quieter, as if talking to himself, but I heard them clearly.

I was so relieved, my hand nearly lost its grip.

I quickly steadied my teacup to avoid spilling it.

“I’m glad you said that… I was really worried, you know.”

At first, As had been wary of me and this place. But now he was saying this was the second-best time of his life!

Of course, he probably doesn’t mean it literally, but still—just hearing him say that means a lot.

It felt like a wild, guarded animal had finally shown a flicker of trust. I was deeply moved.

I smiled brightly.

“If you’re okay with it, you can stay here as long as you want.”

Just as I said that, I paused.

A strange sense of discomfort crept up from my chest.

Is it really possible to want to do this much for someone I just met?

…We’ve only spent a day together.

So why was I so concerned for him, wanting to do everything I could?

Thinking that, I bit my lip.

…No, maybe I already knew the answer.

Why I kept feeling so drawn to As.

Because when I see As, I think of Aches.

Maybe that’s why.

Because I wanted to do for As—who resembled Aches—the things I never got to do for Aches himself.

“…Einra?”

Had I looked strange, sitting frozen like that?

As, who had been quietly sipping tea, called my name.

I snapped back to my senses.

The warmth of the teacup slowly spread through my hands again.

“Yeah?”

When our eyes met, As stared at me for a moment, then lowered his gaze and shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

“Haha, what was that?”

I leaned back against the sofa.

Taking another sip of tea, its sweet, slightly bitter warmth flowed down my throat, gently filling me.

I savored the comfort for a moment before a thought crossed my mind, and I spoke.

“Come to think of it, As, do you know someone named Harnen?”

The small hand lifting the teacup paused.

As’s red eyes turned to me.

“…Why do you ask about him?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just curious. You don’t have to answer.”

Instead of replying right away, As lifted the teacup to his lips again.

I figured he didn’t want to say, so I took another sip of tea myself—but then, he spoke.

“I don’t think he’s a bad person.”

“Huh?”

“But I don’t think he’s a good person either.”

“Uh… huh?”

His cryptic answer left me blinking in confusion.

But without further explanation, As resumed sipping his tea with a calm expression.

Is he messing with me?

Kids do like to play around, after all.

Well, whether I find out or not… it’s no big deal.

I could always ask Harnen about it later.

Shrugging, I decided to stop thinking about it.

For now, I’d just enjoy this quiet peace.

“So, the body hasn’t been found?”

A chilling voice filled the office.

Two knights standing before the man bowed their heads.

“We apologize, Your Grace.”

“We are ashamed.”

“As you should be! What kind of Baharman knights can’t even properly kill a single brat?!”

Crash! A flowerpot hurled by the man flew between the knights and smashed against the wall.

The knights dropped to their knees in silence.

“Useless fools!”

Another ornament flew.

The man, Duke Baharman, was in the middle of a furious tantrum.

Just then—

Knock knock.

A voice came from beyond the door.

“Your Grace, it’s Dante.”

“…Come in.”

Duke Baharman’s tone softened a little as he slumped into his chair.

While the knights silently exhaled in relief, a man in a deep purple robe stepped through the door.

Glancing briefly at the kneeling knights, Dante bowed toward the Duke.

“Your Grace.”

“Ah, Dante. What brings you here? I thought you were on leave.”

Duke Baharman looked at him curiously.

Dante, who had successfully regressed Duke Serenia’s heir, Aches, back to age ten, had been granted a generous reward and a ten-day vacation for his accomplishments.

It hadn’t been many days since he’d left, delighted.

Naturally, his early return was unexpected.

As if understanding the Duke’s thoughts, Dante bowed deeply and spoke.

“How could I enjoy my vacation when Your Grace remains burdened with worry?”

“You always have a smooth tongue.”

Duke Baharman chuckled quietly and tilted his head.

“So, you know what I’m worried about?”

“You haven’t found Duke Serenia’s body.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“I know where it is.”