CH 109

Chapter 109: Surging Power (3)

As Zetto and I fed each other, the food quickly disappeared.

I wondered if it was okay for me to eat it since it was made for his frail body, but I realized that it would be a rare opportunity for him to feed me, so I gobbled it up.

“How’s that, do you feel stronger…?”

I asked Zetto as he sat on the bed, while I was cleaning up the dishes after our intimate meal.

“Strength? I feel like I’ve been gaining strength since earlier, so I guess that’s why I’m feeling a little feverish, but…”

“Fever…? Mmm…”

I muttered at Zetto’s next words.

Still, it’s a nutritious food, so it only gave me a little energy, but I wonder if it’s better for men, as Hutton said, but it seems to have a greater effect on Zetto.

The first ingredient, the Magma Bear, is a monster that lives in the lava fields.

I couldn’t tell if it was because it was a fire magic Clementine family nourishment or because it was an ingredient, but it seemed to have increased his strength.

While I was thinking about it, I heard a strange sound coming from the direction where Zetto was.

-Plop

It was the sound of something falling on the fluffy bed.

I felt puzzled and immediately turned my head and the next thing I knew, Zetto was lying on the bed.

“Zetto…?”

I called out to him, but he didn’t answer.

I wondered if he was playing some kind of prank on me so I walked over and called out to him again.

“…Zetto.”

“…”

Still no answer.

At least, the Zetto I knew wasn’t the type to just lie down in a woman’s bed without saying a word.

Sensing the oddity of this, I shook his shoulder slightly.

“Huh…?”

His body stirred without much resistance to my touch so I thought he might have fallen asleep but I couldn’t be sure.

His eyes were covered with bandages, so I couldn’t tell if they were closed or open so I kept calling out to him and shaking his shoulder.

How could he be sleeping in this situation?

…I think Zetto must have passed out.

“Did I…Did I make the wrong food…?”

Alarmed, I checked Zetto’s pulse and found that it was still there, albeit a little too fast.

It hadn’t happened before since neither Lucia nor I had any health problems.

So what the hell was going on?

***

When Hutton, the Clementine family chef, realizes that a whole magma bear has been sent to Yuri, he rushes to find his master, Jeras Clementine.

“…So you’re worried about Yuri’s obsession with perfecting the dish?”

Hearing Hutton’s explanation, Jeras leisurely flipped through his papers.

“Yes…”

Hutton, on the other hand, had his head down and was pondering.

“Hahaha! …Hutton, don’t worry too much, even if Yuri does perfect the food, it won’t do what you’re worried about. You know the true effects of nourishing food…”

“I do, but…”

“When I met her not long ago, she still had a fairy tale book on her bedside table. I’m afraid I don’t think she’d be able to catch it, even if given the chance.”

“What do you mean, unfortunately, my lord…?”

“She should have realized how much she likes him. He’s a decent enough man and I’m sure you’d agree if you met him.”

At Jeras words, Hutton could only scratch his head with a shaky smile.

The man who consumes Clementine’s nourishment feels a surge of ‘strength’, but he is unable to overcome it and falls asleep. It is not until much later that the big event takes place.

Hutton, too, was surprised to learn of the potion’s effectiveness, and speculated that perhaps a woman had been the patriarch of Clementine’s family when it was created.

‘A fairy tale.’

Hutton was a little relieved, as he was well aware of the innocence of Yuri.

After all, a woman’s “active movement” is required to fully enjoy the benefits of the potion.

***

In the darkness of the unlit room, I stared at Zetto, who slept peacefully by the light of the moon.

It was so quiet in the room that he could hear Zetto’s breathing in his ears if I stayed still.

‘You went to sleep without saying a word…’

Zetto had been working himself to the point of exhaustion lately so I wondered if he hadn’t been able to withstand the overwhelming fatigue.

With that thought in mind, I laid Zetto down on the bed and covered him with a quilt after he fell asleep in an awkward position.

I rolled my eyes and glanced to the side.

“…”

Something was rising up near Zetto’s lower body, and even with the futon covering it…its presence was overwhelming.

It was something much different from my shallow knowledge. To put it bluntly…ugly.

I had no idea how it had gotten there, but I was determined to pay it as little attention as possible so   I quickly put a blanket over my face, knowing that if I didn’t, my face would explode with heat.

Still, I couldn’t help but stare at it and suddenly I remembered what my father had said to me before he left.

‘With a son-in-law like Zetto, this father is always in favor.’

What if…my father’s words were true, if I were to become engaged to Zetto and marry him?

It was a what-if, but I swallowed hard.

‘I’ll have to deal with that every night…?’

I buried my face that was burning just by thinking about it in the bed.

How in the world could I possibly be fantasizing about doing something to a sleeping Zetto?

“Whoa…”

I looked up and took a deep breath, quickly clearing my head.

‘No matter what…’

I couldn’t bring myself to make such an unscrupulous display of lust against someone who was asleep from exhaustion.

Soon enough, his face came into view once more. His eyes were hidden by the bandages over his eyes, but he had a sharp jawline and a straight nose.

He was very popular with the female students, as he was quite handsome, and even the bandages couldn’t hide it.

This was undeniably true, even for the girls who used to ogle and flirt with him when he was performing acupuncture.

Then he came to my room, laid down on my bed, and fell asleep, defenseless.

As I slowly replayed the events, one by one, my heart kept tickling.

‘Lucia told me that Zetto was running his hands through his hair when he was on a date with Aizel…’

My hand naturally went to check his forehead but I stopped it.

I wondered if it was okay to touch him when he was so defenseless and unresponsive.

‘But at least his forehead…’

No one would see and no one would know.

The thin walls of my mind crumbled, and I gently brushed back the hair that covered his forehead.

In the next moment, Zetto’s smooth forehead is revealed.

“…Hmph.”

I smiled slightly as I studied him. This was definitely something different.

Gathering my courage, I leaned in close to his face. My lips lingered, but that wasn’t my intention.

Soon, I could hear his breathing in my ear. It was the first time I’d ever heard him this close.

It was nothing, just a small rush of breath, but… I don’t know if it’s my mood or what, but for some reason, my body and mind are relaxing.

“Hmm…”

Maybe I was just sleepy so I decided to put my head near his and try to sleep.

Even if we didn’t sleep together, it was the closest I could get.

Although we didn’t get to talk as much as I would have liked, I feel like I was able to spend more than enough time with him.

Before closing my eyes, I whispered something to Zetto and although I knew he wouldn’t hear me, it was something I wanted to say at least once.

“Good night, Zetto.”

***

Meanwhile, as Zetto wakes up and quickly grasps the situation, Ecline is in trouble.

Saint Bernice hadn’t eaten in days and the reason was Zetto’s initiation as an honorary knight a few days earlier.

“Sister, surely Zetto said he was fine…”

Ecline said sternly to Bernice, who was still refusing to eat and    Bernice’s pursed lips slowly opened.

“…That’s the problem, I’ve ruined his initiation ceremony so I don’t deserve a meal…a one-time initiation ceremony…without a blessing. Without a blessing…”

Bernice trails off, bows her head deeply and her soon-to-be-dead voice is heard.

“I am the worst…”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that…”

Ecline couldn’t tell, but Bernice’s words held many meanings.

It was bad enough that she had ruined Zetto’s initiation ceremony, but she realized that the dark aura on Zetto’s body, and the helplessness with which she had to accept his ‘fate’, which could never be known, was the worst.

Still, she couldn’t go against the revelation of the Lord since she was told that if she messed with it, she would not escape punishment. But the aura that had taken up residence in his body was growing in size.

At first glance, it seemed to be spreading from his heart to his entire body.

Even Zetto’s life force had been drained from him, as if it had been gnawed away by something but Bernice could not detect any trauma or internal injury in him.

The implications of that fact were obvious.

So far, so good, but would it be the same afterward?

Bernice was afraid of that unknown future.

For the first time in her life, she had something to fear.

The curse, or whatever it was, Bernice had the power to break it but she could not interfere with the fate of the man named Zetto and because of that Bernice felt she was the worst kind of woman.

Bernice began to sob again since thinking of Zetto overwhelmed her with emotion, and the tears kept coming.

“Saint…”

Ecline could only wonder that even if she had ruined the initiation ceremony, was it really that painful… Isn’t it too early to say that they’ll die without each other?

Eventually, Bernice’s frustration got the better of her, and Ecline drew her sword.

“Saint, if you’re going to be like this, you should meet. How long are you going to sit there and wait?”

“You want me to go see him…? But he’s at the Academy…”

Bernice interrupted Ecline’s rambling.

“…We’ll have to put on a disguise or something.”

“Disguise…? But…Do I have the right to go to him…?”

“The Saint is the master of the Knights and you’re also the master of the Honorary Knight Zetto, so you have plenty of qualifications, don’t you think?”

Bernice nodded at Ecline’s answer while Ecline crossed her arms and continued.

“If you’ve done something wrong, you can ask for forgiveness…It’s not like you’ve broken off your relationship with Zetto because of this.”

“You’re right…”

She couldn’t change Zetto’s cruel fate, but she could be good to him, as Ecline had said.

It was only right, Bernice thought, to make him as happy as possible. Though she didn’t know how long that would last. Still, she felt it was the best she could do.

“…I was being silly, thank you, Ecline.”

Bernice regained her composure.

“Well, well… If you’re grateful, please eat first.”

Ecline turned away from her and scratched her head in frustration. Despite this, Ecline was very fond of Bernice and followed her closely.

It was a little sad to see Bernice in that condition, but as long as Bernice was happy, that was enough for her.