ODEN 16

Chapter 16

Kalix twitched one eyebrow and turned around.

“What is it this time?”5

“Your Majesty, there is actually something I absolutely must do.”

With a determined expression, Yukar stepped forward and pulled a small black sphere with a lens attached out of his robe.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

He walked over to the sleeping Rubellin, held the sphere close to her face, and activated it.

Click. Click. Click. Click.

Kalix frowned at the loud noise.

“What is that?”

“Ah, this?”

Yukar grinned as if he had been waiting for someone to ask.

“It is a magical device from the Mage Tower that captures and stores scenes.”

He pressed the raised button on top of the black sphere.

“If you press here, it records the current scene. And if you press this button, it vividly plays back the recorded—”

“That’s enough.”

Kalix waved him off without the slightest interest.

“They wasted the budget just to make something like that? I suppose I should pay the Mage Tower a visit soon.”

“……”

Yukar’s face instantly turned pale.

He quietly hid the sphere behind his back.

Last year, he had personally rushed to the Mage Tower Master and desperately begged him to create the Scene Capture Magic Tool.

‘The day His Majesty finds out… I’m dead.’

Yukar quickly looked away and pretended nothing had happened.

“T-Then I’ll take my leave.”

He slowly backed away.

Click. Click.

He stopped walking and secretly took two more pictures of the sleeping Rubellin.

Click. Click.

As he stepped out through the doorway, he snapped another two shots from a distance.

Click. Click. Click.

Only after stretching his arm through the doorway to take three more pictures did the door finally slam shut with a loud bang.

“Hah.”

Looking at the closed door, Kalix let out an incredulous laugh.

“Nothing has gone my way today.”

In truth, he knew exactly why.

Turning his head, he looked at the woman sleeping peacefully.

Lucina Langport.

She was the reason.

He had thought that keeping her close would help him discover why Rubellin treated her so differently.

Instead, everything about Lucina only became more impossible to understand.

Sometimes she looked absent-minded and foolish.

Other times she possessed enough insight to identify the cause behind Rubellin’s monstrous strength.

Sometimes she trembled in terror over some strange misunderstanding.

Yet whenever he looked away and then back again, she would be staring straight at him with unwavering, honest eyes.

She was careless when it came to herself, yet meticulous and hardworking whenever it concerned Rubellin.

Even the conditions she had proposed in their contract were entirely for Rubellin’s benefit.

Yes.

That was the part Kalix understood the least.

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty!”

When she smiled brightly, she had looked genuinely happy.

It was not even something done for herself.

So why had she been so grateful?

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, Kalix continued staring at Lucina.

“You should take care of yourself first.”

Always putting others before herself…

And in the end, she caught a cold because of it.

Kalix remembered the heart-patterned blanket in his office and let out a tired sigh.

Leaning against the bed, he slowly closed his eyes.

Even after Lucina shifted in her sleep and finally released the edge of his clothes, he remained seated there until long after the sun had set.

“Ugh…”

Frowning, I slowly opened my eyes.

I looked around.

Sunlight poured through the window.

A canopy bed.

And finally…

The frilly pajamas I was wearing.

As I struggled to sit up, the damp towel resting on my forehead slipped to the floor.

“Mama!”

Hearing Rubellin’s voice echo through my aching head, I realized I was in her bedroom.

Blinking repeatedly, I looked beside the bed.

“Please calm down, Your Highness. Lady Lucina has not fully recovered yet.”

“Let go! I’m going to Mama!”

With her back to me, Rinel—wearing the robe designed to withstand Rubellin’s immense strength—was desperately stopping the little princess from charging toward me.

I stared blankly for a moment before asking,

“How long have I been like this?”

My voice was hoarse.

Rinel turned toward me.

“For about one day.”

“One day?”

Seriously?

I had been unconscious all day?

The moment I thought about Mebern, I instantly became wide awake.

I couldn’t even imagine how much he was going to lecture me.

“Wait… wasn’t I in class?”

Ah, right.

Kalix had carried me.

He must have had a hard time—I remembered those firm arms supporting my back and legs.

Covering my cheeks with both hands, I tried to remember what happened afterward.

How had I ended up in Rubellin’s bed?

No matter how hard I thought, my memories were wrapped in thick fog.

I vaguely remembered hearing Kalix’s voice while drifting in and out of sleep…

Should I ask Rinel?

I glanced at her, still struggling to hold Rubellin back, before immediately shaking my head.

It was already unbelievable enough that the cold-hearted Kalix had carried me while I had a fever.

Hearing what happened afterward from Rinel would be far too embarrassing.

“Mama!”

“Your Highness!”

While I was distracted, Rubellin slipped beneath Rinel’s arm and rushed toward me.

“Ugh.”

She threw herself into my arms, pinning me against the headboard.

A muffled groan escaped me.

Rinel sighed tiredly.

“My apologies, Lady Lucina. I’ve reached my limit.”

“It’s alright. My fever’s already gone.”

Smiling, I gently stroked Rubellin’s head.

She immediately looked up at me, tears filling her eyes.

“Mama… are you okay now?”

“I’m okay. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Mhm… It’s okay.”

Rubellin shook her head vigorously.

“Mama did nothing wrong. It’s everyone else’s fault. They wouldn’t let me see Mama… I hate them.”

She puffed out her cheeks angrily.

I gently squeezed both of her cheeks with one hand, letting the air out.

“From now on, I’ll stay healthy for Rubellin’s sake too, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“Of course. We still have lots of things to do together.”

Her face instantly brightened.

“Mama…!”

“Rubellin…!”

We hugged each other tightly.

It felt as though flowers bloomed all around us.

Giggles filled the room.

It was truly a world meant only for the two of us.

“Ahem.”

Rinel deliberately cleared her throat, interrupting the heartwarming moment.

I reluctantly pulled away from Rubellin.

“Rinel?”

“I apologize for interrupting, but His Majesty has a message for you.”

“His Majesty?”

She hesitated awkwardly.

“I was ordered to repeat his exact words, so… I may end up sounding rather rude.”

“That’s alright.”

Seeing Rinel hesitate so much actually made me afraid to hear it.

“Then… please excuse me.”

She cleared her throat once more, lifted her chin slightly, hardened her expression, and lowered her gaze.

For a moment, she looked exactly like someone else’s arrogant self.

“Just because you got caught in a little rain, don’t shiver around like a sick dog. Take care of your own body.”

“……”

“Those were His Majesty’s exact words.”

“…A sick dog?”

I absentmindedly repeated the unexpected insult before suddenly coming to my senses.

How cruel!

I only caught a cold because I gave him the blanket!

And he compares me to a dog?

Fine.

See if I ever lend him my blanket again.

Pouting, I glared silently into empty space.

“Mama, that’s not an elephant. It looks weird.”

Rubellin complained for one of the rare times.

Because I had absentmindedly kneaded the clay over and over, the elephant had somehow turned into something resembling a potato.

Coming back to my senses, I reshaped the clay with both hands.

“Sorry. Should I make another one?”

Rubellin looked up at me with clear eyes, apparently sensing something was wrong, before shaking her head.

“No.”

Instead, she quietly glared at Kalix, who was lazily leaning against the sofa with one arm resting on the backrest as he watched us.

I also stole a glance at him.

Feeling the combined stares of both of us, Kalix frowned slightly.

“You two seem rather dissatisfied with my presence.”

Rubellin nodded vigorously.

“Yes! So hurry up and lea—mmph!”

I hurriedly covered her mouth.

“O-Of course not! We’re happy you came.”

“Really?”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

“Hm.”

Kalix wore an expression that clearly said he could see right through my lie.

What I said wasn’t entirely false.

It was much better for Rubellin that he actually came to watch the lessons instead of avoiding the classroom altogether like before.

The problem…

Was that it made me incredibly uncomfortable.

I swallowed nervously.

Something definitely happened on the day I caught that cold.

Otherwise, there was no way Kalix would attend class for three straight days.

Even if I had been delirious with fever, I wanted to believe I wouldn’t have done anything completely unreasonable.

…Was I being too optimistic?

Just what did I do to Kalix?

At this point, I was no longer merely embarrassed.

I was genuinely afraid to find out.

Wait!

Did I grab him by the hair and stretch it like rubber while yelling at him to treat Rubellin better?

Without realizing it, I clenched the lump of clay in my hands until it became horribly misshapen.

Honestly…

That sounded entirely possible.

And it also sounded like something that could get my head chopped off.

The very thought made me tremble.

“Mama! I want to read a fairy tale now!”

After glaring fiercely at Kalix, Rubellin tugged on my clothes.

Only then did I remember we were in the middle of class.

Seeing her adorable face calmed my anxiety.

That’s right.

Rubellin wanted today’s lesson.

I should focus on teaching.

I wasn’t the timid person who had been terrified of Kalix when we first met anymore.

Heh.

Anyone who spent enough time around both the future villain and the one destined to create that villain would naturally become numb.

I calmly set the clay aside and dusted off my hands.

Then I opened the colorful fairy tale book lying on the table.

“Alright, let’s continue. Today’s story is The Little Mermaid.”

“Yes!”

Rubellin snuggled close beside me with a bright smile.

Quietly, I began reading the first page filled with illustrations.

“A very, very long time ago, deep beneath the sea—”

“Mama.”

Rubellin interrupted me, something she rarely did.

Without taking my eyes off the book, I gently asked,

“What is it, Rubellin?”

“Your hand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mama…”

She stared at my hands with worried eyes.

They were trembling so badly that the pages in my hands fluttered noisily against each other.

Knock. Knock.

Just as I was wondering what to do, someone knocked on the classroom door.

“Your Majesty, it’s Yukar.”

Yukar!

I’ve never been happier to hear your voice!

Smiling brightly, I turned toward the door.

The classroom door opened, and Yukar entered with his pale jade-colored hair swaying behind him.

He walked straight over to Kalix and whispered something into his ear.

Kalix listened silently before standing.

“I’ll be back shortly. Continue the lesson.”

Before anyone could even respond, he turned around and disappeared like the wind.

As soon as the door shut completely, I silently celebrated.

Finally… I can breathe.

Smiling happily, I turned back to Rubellin.

“Alright, shall we continue?”

“Yes!”

With Rubellin’s cheerful reply, I looked back down at the fairy tale.

But then someone knocked on the classroom door again.

Before anyone could grant permission, the door was flung open with force.

Now what?

With a disappointed sigh, I lowered the book and looked toward the entrance.

Rubellin seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.

She glared fiercely at the door.