CLWE 16

Chapter 16

But you can’t judge by appearances alone!

Hearing that the woman who had come to see Riena had already gone back, most people would have assumed that was the end of it for the day. But Kamin couldn’t put his mind at ease.

What if she’s crying? What if remembering those old memories has left her completely drained? In the worst case… what if she’s had dark thoughts…?

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Kamin gave his order to Sir Ancre.

“I’ll go in and check on the situation. You stay outside and keep watch.”

“Yes.”

Faithful as ever, Sir Ancre did not doubt Kamin’s command for a moment.

After sending him away, Kamin went alone to Riena’s house. For some reason, details he usually didn’t care about—his clothes, his hairstyle—suddenly felt important.

Do I look all right? Is my hair too messy?

Hesitating in front of the door, Kamin knocked softly.

“Riena.”

At once, a loud voice rang out from inside.

“Kamin! Perfect timing! Hurry and come in!”

“…?”

Tilting his head in confusion, Kamin pushed the door open. It slid open smoothly.

And there, Riena was facing a crisis of a very different kind.

Standing on top of the dining table and clinging to one corner of the ceiling, she screamed when she saw him.

“Grab this side!”

The ceiling was on the verge of collapsing!

The house I live in is an old one, about eighty-five years old, which I personally remodeled before moving in.

Most houses in the kingdom are built of brick, but the one I chose had a wooden structure.

I like wooden houses. They feel warm. And just look at those rafters—just seeing them makes it feel like good fortune is pouring in.

Since wood rots, there are many things to consider when renovating such an old house, but there was no one around to give me that kind of advice.

So I only found out after living there.

One corner of the ceiling had rotted!

“Thank you so much! You really saved me by coming, Kamin.”

I greeted him with a bright smile. The corner I had been holding onto earlier was now firmly in his grasp.

He was tall enough that what I couldn’t quite reach even on tiptoe fit perfectly in his hands.

See, being tall really is useful.

If Kamin hadn’t come, I would’ve been stuck there, frozen, and probably ended up falling. Putting on a lighthearted tone, I said,

“I never really noticed before, but when I looked up at the ceiling today, I saw bugs coming out. It gave me chills. I figured today had to be ceiling-repair day.”

“Ugh.”

At the mention of bugs, Kamin’s shoulders twitched. At the same time, my eyes sparkled.

He’s scared! He’s actually scared!

A man with such a dignified face and a fierce-looking build being afraid of bugs—it was too funny. Giggling, I picked up a hammer and some nails.

“I already tore out the old ceiling where the bugs were coming from. This is the new wooden board we’re putting in, so no need to worry.”

“I-I wasn’t worried or anything.”

“Sure, sure.”

Even his curt reply sounded cute to me.

While he’s here, should I ask him to help with other things too?

He looked strong, and it felt like a perfect chance to ask for help with things I couldn’t do alone.

I need to reattach the cupboard doors and move the dishes, too…

As I mentally listed all the tasks, Kamin asked in a cautious tone,

“…Do you usually do repairs like this by yourself?”

I shrugged at his question.

“If I don’t do it myself, who will?”

“You could hire someone, or…”

“Fostin’s a rural place. There aren’t any specialized carpenters for home repairs, and even if there were, it’d feel awkward calling someone into a house where I live alone.”

Honestly, the latter was the bigger reason. If something happened after letting a stranger into my house, it wouldn’t be like there were any security cameras around—I’d be the only one at a loss.

Carefully stepping on the dining table, I stood next to Kamin.

“I’ve lived alone for a long time, so I’m pretty good at this kind of thing now. You should’ve seen the rundown place I used to live in.”

Nothing could be worse than that house my nanny had dumped me in. Thinking of her made my blood boil again.

A house falling apart, a roof patched with straw, building fences just to survive—after all that, what? They say I only survived thanks to the old lady lord’s help?

Even if I had begged the lady lord to survive, so what? They didn’t give me a single coin, yet they belittled my efforts. Anger surged up inside me.

I even thought they might try to butter me up if I were still struggling, but it seemed like they were just irritated that I was doing better than they expected.

The sheer audacity. Pouring my frustration into it, I hammered the nail down with all my strength. Maybe it was because the hammer was good, but it made a clear, ringing clang.

Kamin’s eyes widened as he stared at the snow-white hammer in my hand.

“Wait… that hammer?”

“Hahaha.”

I laughed awkwardly. Of course—what else could it be? It was Louis-Louie, transformed into a hammer.

Louis, who had been obediently acting as a hammer, started thrashing the moment someone recognized him.

—Don’t laugh! I can’t believe I’ve been reduced to a hammer! Aren’t you treating me too roughly, Master?!

“Roughly? What are you talking about, Louis-Louie? I’m using you for something truly necessary. Sure, I have other hammers, but I don’t want to use any tool but you for important work.”

—Master…

The simple-minded sword quieted down instantly, swayed by my smooth words. Just as I gripped Louis again—

I was about to drive the last nail into the corner when Louis suddenly started vibrating violently!

—I still don’t think I’m a hammer!!

“Waaah!!”

Of all times—right when I was standing on tiptoe, arm raised high to hammer the nail, the strong vibration threw my body off balance. As I staggered, Kamin, standing directly in front of me, reached out.

“Watch out!”

His solid, long arms wrapped tightly around me. I dropped Louis-Louie and clung to Kamin in reflex.

The table wobbled, and with a loud thud, we both fell to the floor together.

“Ow…”

My head was spinning, my vision blurry for a moment. As I instinctively reached for my aching knee, I felt warmth where my cheek was pressed.

W-what is this?!

I’d lived alone for so long that I’d forgotten—this was what it felt like to be close to another person.

Through a thin shirt, I could hear the rapid thumping of his heart, and a lukewarm warmth seeped into my skin.

Wow… his chest is really broad. You could fit three of me in here.

And these arms—hard as logs.

I’d known he was well-built just by looking, but being held like this felt completely different.

Ugh, I think I’m going to get a nosebleed.

My heart pounded wildly, and all the blood rushed to my face. Just as I covered my nose with my palm—

The arms holding me shifted, lifting me so that I ended up kneeling as well.

The face that had been above my head now looked straight at me. Mirror-like blue eyes clearly reflected my face as his urgent gaze scanned me over.

“Are you all right?! Does your head hurt? What about the rest of you?”

“Uh… n-no, I’m fine.”

Shouldn’t you be the one being worried about? You were the one who slammed into the floor, with my weight on top of you.

Yet there was no hint of blame or reproach on Kamin’s face. Hearing my flustered reply, his eyes softened, a faint blush blooming on his cheeks.

“Thank goodness.”

“…!!”

At that moment, it felt as if the entire world filled with flowers. All other sounds faded away, leaving only a heavy, pounding vibration in my ears.

It was my heart.

What are you supposed to do when someone you used to toy with in the palm of your hand suddenly looks like a man?

It felt like a radio advice segment was playing in my head. That was how dramatic this heart-pounding moment felt to me.

How did I not realize it until now?

The face drawing closer to me shone smooth and clear, like polished marble. Eyes as beautiful as cut glass marbles glimmered between pale lashes.

It felt as if blue light were piercing straight into me.

This guy… he’s insanely handsome!

I’d thought so when we first met, but now his good looks felt like arrows piercing straight into my heart. As I stared at Kamin as if bewitched, he tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

That snapped me back to our situation.

He was sitting on the floor.

And I was straddling him.

“Aaah!!”

Once I realized it, there was no stopping it. I shrieked and sprang to my feet.

We’ve never stood this close before, so I never really noticed.

He’s a man! And not just any man—a man in the prime of his dating years!

As I hopped away, Kamin tilted his head again, then slowly stood up.

“This is strange.”

“W-what is?!”

“Your face has been red for a while now.”

“Th-that’s because—”

Even cars use turn signals before merging—shouldn’t people get some time to calm their hearts too?!

My heart was racing out of control, and to make matters worse, Kamin stepped even closer. His large hand gently cradled the back of my head. His furrowed eyes looked deep and serious.

“Did you hit your head earlier? Let me check.”

“N-no, I’m fine! I’m not the problem—you are! You slammed the back of your head really hard!”

“Hold on.”

I raised my hand to push him away, but Kamin caught my wrist instead. Staring at it with a serious expression, he said,

“Your wrist’s already starting to swell. Are you all right? It must hurt.”

“H-huh? I—I mean…”

When had I even hit it? I hadn’t felt a thing.