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Chapter 38
That was definitely Cassio’s back.
I had gotten so used to seeing him turn around first that now I could recognize him just by his back.
I didn’t hesitate and walked closer.
“Hey! What are you doing here alone? Where’s Dave?”
“At the mansion.”
He didn’t even look surprised, which made me feel a little relieved. I sat down next to him.
“What were you looking at?”
“A snail.”
“A snail?”
Following Cassio’s gaze, I saw a brown snail wriggling on a leaf.
“That’s a snail?”
“Hey, be quiet first.”
Pepe couldn’t keep still and started talking.
Startled by Pepe’s sudden voice, Cassio looked at me.
“Hi! Long time no see?”
“Huh…?”
Cassio stared blankly at Pepe, who was greeting him. Then he muttered one word.
“Why?”
“I brought him. You met him back then, right? I thought you might want to see him again.”
“…….”
Cassio didn’t answer. But his eyes shook slightly, his lips twitched, and his cheeks were a little flushed.
He was clearly excited to see Pepe.
Yes! Let’s use Pepe even more. Go, Pepe! Shake Cassio up!
I stretched my hands above my head, grabbed Pepe, and gently placed him in front of Cassio.
Cassio watched everything without blinking.
I cleared my throat briefly and spoke to Cassio.
“I was worried you’d think I was bullying him before. Look—he hasn’t gained much weight since then, right?”
“Eeek! Don’t touch!”
I poked Pepe’s belly with my finger, and the squirrel squealed and jumped. A little laugh escaped me, like I was lightly getting revenge on Pepe for teasing me earlier.
Then, Cassio spoke carefully.
“But…”
“Yeah?”
“Why… can he really talk?”
Both Pepe and I fell silent this time.
Pepe couldn’t reveal his identity himself, and I had guessed it, but I couldn’t say it aloud either.
“Well, um…”
“…….”
I trailed off and glanced at Pepe, who was still staring at the snail like before, not paying attention to anything else.
It felt frustrating.
As I watched Pepe’s curled tail, a sudden idea popped into my mind.
“It’s no fun if only I know. Then you answer my questions too! Let’s play a game—ask and answer!”
“…….”
It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, but I wanted to get as much information about Cassio as I could.
“Sounds fun, right?”
“…….”
“Yeah? Let’s do it. But you have to answer when I ask, okay?”
“……Okay.”
Cassio reluctantly nodded when I asked him repeatedly.
I quickly thought of the most curious questions and the ones he could easily answer.
I had a lot I wanted to ask him, but asking too much too soon would ruin the progress I’d made in getting closer.
“Okay! I’ll go first. What’s your favorite food?”
“Lemon tart.”
Lemon tart… that’s an unexpected choice.
“Now you ask me!”
“Why… a squirrel…?”
“No, no! We have to start with something light. That’s my trick question—we’ll ask later.”
I still hadn’t found a good excuse, so I’d ask later.
Without thinking, I blurted out something different from what I intended.
Cassio frowned, thinking hard, and then whispered, almost inaudibly:
“Then… your favorite food?”
“I like pound cake. Oh, and Pepe likes cookies.”
I even included what Pepe liked in my answer.
“Cookies….”
He seemed only interested in what Pepe liked, I guess? I ignored the strange feeling and continued asking.
“What food do you dislike?”
“Cucumbers… And you?”
“Broccoli.”
After that, we exchanged more simple info—favorite colors, whether he liked really cute things, what time he woke up in the morning, and other small details. It was trivial, but strangely fun to ask and hear answers.
Cassio seemed to decide to follow my lead in asking questions.
After a few exchanges, we started asking more personal things.
First, what I already knew.
“What kind of ability do you have?”
“…Fire.”
“Fire?”
Huh? That’s different from what I knew… Isn’t Lubantie supposed to be a wind-element guardian family? His memory… did his intelligence regress along with his age?
I hid my surprise and continued.
“When did you start using your ability?”
“…….”
Cassio kept his mouth shut and stared at me.
“You haven’t answered yet.”
He’s really strict.
“Fine, you’ll ask the same thing anyway, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I have lightning abilities. So, when did you start using yours?”
“…Since birth.”
“Huh?”
“Since I was born.”
“…….”
I hadn’t misheard.
I stared at Cassio in shock. But he was completely calm. His expression proved he wasn’t lying at all.
I looked at him enviously and spoke.
“I… started last month…”
I admitted it, expecting maybe a little teasing, but Cassio didn’t react at all.
He didn’t really care? Seeing that reaction made me feel strangely relaxed.
“Okay, then next…”
“Sir! Where are you?”
My slightly excited questioning was cut off by a loud voice.
It was Dave. He was probably looking for Cassio.
“You came here without telling Dave?”
“…….”
Right, the answer. He glanced away sneakily.
“Sir! There you are. I was wondering… My Lady… you came again?”
Dave quickly found us, smiled at Cassio, and then froze when he saw me. Seeing that often, it didn’t bother me anymore.
“Why do you keep coming here?”
“Why? Even dad knows I come here.”
“Haa…”
I said firmly, and Dave sighed like it was annoying.
Cassio had changed a lot while I came here every day, but Dave hadn’t.
He was still annoyed by me. But I didn’t care. I didn’t really like Dave either.
As I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips, Dave started his usual scolding.
“When did you come? You were here yesterday too.”
“Just now. I really just arrived.”
“Did you come alone today?”
“No, I came with him.”
I pointed confidently at Pepe. Dave saw Pepe standing on the grass, looking at him strangely, and his eyes crinkled.
“A squirrel…?”
“Yes! I came with him, not alone.”
“Please be reasonable. What if something happens when you come here alone?”
What… Dave…
He’s acting gruff, but he’s actually worried about me…
“If something happens to My Lady, we might get in trouble too. Please be careful.”
“…….”
“What is the maid doing? Why let her wander alone?”
Right, that figures.
My eyes, slightly misty, dried out.
But Dave didn’t care about me and immediately went to Cassio.
“Sir, let’s go inside. You haven’t packed your things yet, right?”
“Things? Why? Where are we going, Cassio?”
Packing? I grabbed Dave’s sleeve urgently.
He looked at my hand clinging to his sleeve, then turned his head and said:
“Yes, last week we got a message from the north. They’ll come to pick you up next week.”
“What?!”
