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Chapter 5
The first reason Roabellin did not use the name “Roabellin” was that such a long name was impractical. Commoners, who lived day to day just to survive, did not use names that long.
The second reason was that this name belonged to the highest goddess of beauty and abundance in the continent’s shared mythology. Because of that, only royalty and high-ranking nobles equivalent to them used it, and even then only rarely.
In other words, if a commoner used it, it would be a name that earned them an extra beating for daring to use such a noble name despite being a mere commoner.
Because it was the name she was called every day, Roabellin had never given it much thought. And because she was still young, she did not realize that commoners traditionally avoided long names. Without meaning to, she had given him a hint.
That she was the daughter of a prestigious noble family.
But Kaisertern replied calmly.
“It’s a pretty name. Then do people usually call you Belin?”
“Ah, I think they usually shorten it like that… but my family calls me Roa. It’s a little unusual, right? May I ask your name too?”
Not realizing that he had already inferred many things from her name, Roabellin hurriedly turned the question back to him, worried that he might ask about her family name.
“Hmm, I’m Kai.”
His name, Kaisertern, meaning “ruler,” was a name that could only be used by direct members of the imperial family in Prahenfelt.
Whether she knew its meaning or not, it was too revealing of his status to say out loud.
“Kai…”
Kaisertern watched Roabellin quietly pronounce the name, which was also his nickname. He didn’t know why he kept staring at her absentmindedly.
After observing her face for a moment, he impulsively made a suggestion.
“Since neither of us has a family name, shall we be friends?”
Of course, it made no sense—no one without a family name, meaning a commoner, would be allowed into the royal hunting grounds. But since neither of them wanted to reveal their surnames, he meant it as a way to pretend not to know and get along comfortably.
“…Alright, I’d like that. How old are you, Kai?”
In a culture where people were divided by status rather than age, Roabellin spoke casually to him once he suggested they be friends.
“I’m fifteen. You?”
“What? Fifteen? Really?”
Twelve-year-old Roabellin and Kaisertern were not that different in height, and Kaisertern certainly looked younger than his age. Even knowing there was a three-year gap, Roabellin felt comfortable with him because he looked like someone her age.
“Yeah. I’ll grow soon. Well… growing late runs in my family.”
Kaisertern added awkwardly.
“I see. Then at what age do people usually grow?”
“That is…”
Kaisertern hesitated before answering.
‘Is it okay to tell her about the imperial family’s trait?’
But only for a moment. The girl in front of him, even if she had status, was just a child from a distant foreign land. There was no way she would know the physiology of the Prahenfelt imperial family.
“Um… the men in my family suddenly grow a lot when they meet their first love after puberty. Like an explosion—within just a few days, they get an adult body. I… just haven’t reached that yet.”
“Wow, that’s so fascinating! How can something like that happen?”
Roabellin spoke brightly, her violet eyes sparkling. Seeing her bright expression for the first time, Kaisertern felt his heart thud and he couldn’t answer properly.
“Uh… yeah….”
As if he had fallen under a spell cast by her.
When he kept staring at her in a daze, Roabellin grew shy and quickly changed the subject.
“You know, you’re just like a Eucla tree.”
“A Eucla tree? Why?”
“The young shoots of that tree gather strength underground for years. And then after the next rain, they suddenly grow really fast. They say they can grow as tall as a child in just one day.”
She continued with a warm smile.
“Maybe you’re like a Eucla tree too, gathering your strength while waiting for your time.”
Kaisertern had been secretly anxious because even at fifteen, his “explosion” had not come yet. Without height and build, there was a limit to how much he could improve his martial skills, and even his mana could only grow as much as his physical body could contain.
On top of that, the woman who was supposed to make him fall in love had not appeared yet.
He had even thought, ‘What if I’m a mutant of the family? What if my growth stops here?’
To his anxious heart, Roabellin’s words were like a line of rain falling on dry land. No—honestly, it was the first time he had ever received comfort like this. His chest tightened, and he barely managed to mutter something like an answer.
“…Yeah.”
When their eyes met again, Roabellin smiled gently. At that smile, Kaisertern’s vision swayed for a moment, and suddenly his heart began pounding hard.
‘What is this… why is it like this?’
He didn’t know what to do with his uncontrollable heartbeat. After flustering for a moment, he hurriedly changed the subject.
“I’m sorry for suspecting you earlier. I should’ve thanked you first.”
Roabellin smiled after recalling what had happened.
“It’s okay. Are you the type who’s wary of strangers?”
“…A little. There were people around me I couldn’t trust.”
Roabellin thought of the puppy she had once found in a small forest in the duke’s estate long ago.
That puppy, too, had been unable to trust people at first.
Her mother had said that it probably had a wounded heart because it had been treated badly by humans.
But when they waited patiently, the puppy slowly lowered its guard and showed curiosity toward the family. After that, it opened its heart and expressed complete trust and love.
‘Maybe he became like this because he experienced something bad. Maybe Kai actually wants to give and receive love… like our puppy Ben.’
Roabellin nodded slightly.
“I see. But there are lots of people in the world you can trust. Like me!”
She smiled brightly at Kaisertern again. Kaisertern forgot even to return the smile politely and simply stared at her face.
There was a short pause in their conversation. Roabellin rubbed her arms and hunched her shoulders.
Kaisertern, who had been circulating mana to maintain his body temperature, suddenly realized how cold Roabellin was.
“What’s wrong? Are you very cold?”
“Y-yeah…”
Even her voice trembled.
It was a rainy autumn night. The air in the hut, where they couldn’t light a fire, was icy, and both of them were still wearing wet clothes.
Especially Roabellin, who had already used up what little strength she had left trying to start a fire earlier, was in serious condition. Her body trembled, and exhaustion and cold made her eyelids keep drooping.
‘She looks really bad. Is it okay to leave her like this?’
Kaisertern, who had always grown up being served by others befitting his noble status, did not realize that this was the first time he was worrying about someone else.
Just as he was worrying, Roabellin’s trembling began to slow.
‘Is she okay now?’
With a small hope, he looked at her more closely—but things were actually getting worse.
Roabellin closed her eyes and drifted into a hazy sleep.
Looking at her, Kaisertern remembered something he had once read in a book.
‘It’s not the cold that’s the real problem—if she falls asleep like this, she could die of hypothermia!’
There was no time to hesitate. He immediately went to her, grabbed her shoulders, and gently shook her.
“Roabellin, Roa. Roa? Wake up. Okay?”
Roabellin barely opened her eyes, then closed them again. Her face was completely pale, and Kaisertern felt a jolt of fear.
And once again, he realized that people become strong in a crisis. A good idea flashed through his mind.
“Roa, take off your clothes.”
At his sudden words, Roabellin barely opened her eyes and looked at him like he was insane.
“……”
It was a death glare.
She was clearly cursing him with her eyes. Even while half-conscious, the pride of a noble duke’s daughter had not gone anywhere.
Flustered by her reaction, Kaisertern waved his hands frantically.
“No, no, don’t think anything weird! There’s a thin blanket on the bed. Take off your wet clothes and wrap yourself in that. You’ll feel much better. I’ll turn around.”
Roabellin barely managed to stay conscious. When she tried to stand as he said, she collapsed forward weakly.
Her mind flickered in and out like a blinking lamp.
“Ah, Roa!”
Kaisertern, who had been about to turn around, hurriedly caught her collapsing body. Because he grabbed her in a rush, he lost his balance and ended up sitting on the floor with Roabellin in his arms.
His heart was pounding wildly, but he had no time to care about that. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
“Roabellin, wake up!! Roa!!!”
But Roabellin only leaned weakly against his shoulder, without even a groan.
Feeling the cold coming from her body, Kaisertern grew desperate and decided to at least remove her soaked outer clothes.
“R-Roa. I’m just going to take off your outer clothes. I’m not doing anything strange—I’m helping because you can’t take them off yourself right now…!”
With a red face, Kaisertern rambled out excuses as he reached his hand behind her back.
