LCWD 50

Chapter 50

But, frustratingly, it seemed the voice of my heart hadn’t reached him. In the end, the question I least wanted to hear came out of Apollion’s mouth.

“So, what’s with this garlic and salt?”

“Th-That is…”

I bit my lip as I looked at the raw garlic neatly arranged between Apollion and me.

I wanted to give some vague excuse, but if I did, it could ruin the relationship I had been building with him so far.

I didn’t want to lie to him, especially since he was looking at me with what seemed like genuine trust.

I ran a hand roughly through my hair and spoke.

“I-I told you before, didn’t I? I’m someone who tends to believe in superstitions.”

“That’s right.”

“Well, where I used to live… there was a belief that garlic and salt could ward off ghosts.”

The last sentence almost came out as a whisper.

But somehow, Apollion seemed to understand, and his eyes widened.

“You mean the Incledebrove County?”

“Th-That… yes. It’s a folk superstition, so nobles wouldn’t know about it. Haha.”

I laughed awkwardly. I felt like dying of embarrassment, but at least Apollion’s expression softened.

“So, what about this fork?”

He lifted a silver fork and asked. Soaking wet as he was, holding the fork made him look less like Poseidon and more like some sea creature freshly caught from the shore.

“…Yes.”

I answered reluctantly. Then Apollion blinked in surprise.

“I’ve heard that ghosts dislike salt or herbs… but I’ve never heard of them disliking forks.”

Technically, it wasn’t the fork, but a trident. Since there wasn’t a trident nearby, I had grabbed a similar-looking fork from the kitchen in a hurry. I decided not to explain that; it seemed unnecessary.

Apollion nodded and said, “A fascinating fact.”

…It’s less a fascinating fact and more a superstition I probably didn’t need anyone else to know.

Embarrassed, I jabbed at a clove of garlic with my fingernail. The sharp smell clung to my fingers, making my nose sting.

Yes, right now, if tears were forming in my eyes, it wasn’t because I was embarrassed—it was because of the stinging garlic.

I muttered to myself, staring off at the distant scenery.

“Unintentionally, I ended up startling you, didn’t I?”

“N-No…”

I tried to dodge the question, but I could feel my eyes starting to burn. They began to sting so sharply that I could barely keep them open.

“…M-Madam!”

Apollion called out, sounding alarmed, and I forced my eyes open to answer.

“Why?”

“Is it because of me that you’re crying?”

“Huh?”

What is he talking about all of a sudden?

I reached to touch my eyes and felt moisture at my fingertips.

By now, my eyes must have been wet from the rain and the stinging garlic. In the dim light, it might even have looked like I was crying.

Thinking this, my eyes burned even more. It felt as if someone had poured menthol rub directly into them.

Oh right, I touched garlic.

“Ugh!”

I let out a small cry, pressing my palm against my eyelids.

Touching your eyes after handling garlic… what a stupid thing to do.

Oh, and I still have my hands on my eyes.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled my hands away from my face.

“M-Madam! Why are you doing this?”

I could hear Apollion rushing toward me. Soon, I felt warm hands on my cheeks.

I didn’t open my eyes to see, but I could feel it. I wanted to look ahead, but I couldn’t because the garlic sting made my eyes water relentlessly.

“You’re… really startled because of me, aren’t you…”

“N-No, it’s not that!”

It’s just the garlic!

I wanted to explain, but the pain in my eyes made it impossible to speak.

“Madam, I’m sorry. Truly…”

Apollion tried to wipe my tears with his fingers.

The added touch made my eyes sting even more.

“Ugh…”

I wanted to rip my eyes out and rinse them with water.

“Madam…”

“…Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t… don’t touch them!”

I pushed Apollion away from my chest with all my strength while he was still trying to wipe my eyes. Then I forced my barely open eyes to look toward the edge of the gazebo.

“Madam! Why are you doing this?”

‘Shut up, you idiot! I don’t have the headspace to answer!’

I wanted to say that, but at that moment, rainwater splashed into my mouth. So I kept quiet.

After a while, I felt a large hand grab the back of my head and pull me toward him.

My head, hanging limply like a condemned prisoner’s, ended up resting against his solid, broad chest.

I blinked my wet eyes. Judging by how well I could see and the lack of pain, the garlic sting had finally washed away.

“It’s entirely my fault. I’m truly sorry, madam…”

As soon as I regained my vision, I could hear Apollion’s water-laden voice.

I looked up at him. His eyes behind the mask were heavy with moisture.

“Ah, why are you trying to cry?”

I’m the one who wants to cry!

No? I really did cry, though… because of the garlic!

I blinked dumbly at him. Apollion spoke slowly.

“You… behaved strangely, madam.”

“……”

“You thought I was a ghost and got terrified…”

“Th-That’s not it.”

“…Huh?”

I felt his arms relax as he held me against his chest.

He stared at my reddened eyes and said,

“You shed tears.”

“It’s because of garlic.”

“Because of garlic?”

“Yes. Because of garlic.”

For a brief moment, we had a silly exchange.

Apollion, realizing the reason for my tears, hesitated and withdrew his hand.

“I… I didn’t know. I thought you were having a mental breakdown…”

His voice lowered, and his ears turned red, naturally enough.

“Did you say… mental breakdown?”

I frowned, glaring at him. Mental breakdown? That’s a bit much.

“I’m soorryyy…”

Apollion hung his head, trailing his words. Steam seemed to rise from his scalp.

Seeing him so embarrassed made me feel a slight pang of regret. If I’d known, I could have just acted crazy.

His chest was so solid…

I noticed a few buttons on his shirt were slightly undone and licked my lips. Then I changed my mind.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly unshaken, you know.”

“It’s just that I wasn’t crying because of you. But I was really startled, wasn’t I?”

“Oh, come to think of it, I really did almost faint.”

I had almost fainted as soon as I realized it was Apollion.

I’ve rarely fainted in my life. My mental strength and health are generally good.

But this body is different. Even the slightest shock makes my heart pound uncontrollably.

And yet, I almost fainted because of this… this guy?

I narrowed my eyes at Apollion. I had more than a few reasons to be annoyed.

Who else would stand motionless outside in the middle of the night, in this pouring rain, to make me nearly faint?!

I grabbed the fork from Apollion, holding it upside down to point at him safely.

“The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

“Do you know how startled I was?”

“I…”

“My heart practically fell to my feet!”

I remembered the black figure I had seen in the estate garden and shouted involuntarily.

The forest of monsters from the nearby Caron Kingdom and the possible schemes of Sonode worried me enough already.

And someone suspicious was in the garden! How could I not be startled?

Clenching my fists, I forced myself to ask.

“What exactly were you doing in the middle of the night? Standing out there, drenched like a wet mouse?”

I stared at him, wanting an answer.

Unlike me, fully equipped with an umbrella and boots, Apollion had nothing to shield him from the rain.

I had assumed he might have worn a raincoat, but judging by his soaked appearance, he hadn’t.

He hesitated, then spoke.

“…I was cooling my head.”