Ch#128
At breakfast, Clois asked Evi with a worried look as he watched her.
"Did a bug bite you?"
"Pardon?"
"You've been scratching the back of your hand. I wondered if you'd been bitten while sleeping. May I see your hand? It might need some ointment..."
At his words, Evi hurriedly shook her head.
"No, I'm fine! I wasn't bitten!"
Evi unwittingly raised her voice. She subtly covered the back of her hand with her sleeve.
"The ointment won't hurt."
Still concerned, Clois spoke again, but Evi shook her head vigorously as if insisting she was truly fine.
She glanced at the back of her hand. There was nothing on it.
'Good.'
Evi rubbed the back of her hand against her clothes as she recalled what had happened that morning.
* * *
She had woken up to an itchy sensation on the back of her hand. At first, she thought a bug was crawling on it.
Since it was a villa in the forest, various insects often came inside.
But even after swatting it away with her eyes closed, the itch persisted.
"...?"
Eventually, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the back of her hand.
"...!"
Evi jolted up in surprise.
A faint blotch she had seen long ago had appeared on the back of her hand.
'Why is this appearing now?'
Startled, Evi rushed to the bathroom and washed her hand. But the faint mark didn't fade at all.
Evi returned to the bed and trembled under the covers.
It had only appeared in dangerous times before.
Then very briefly after returning to the Genius Academy.
But nothing since...
'Why appear now, when I'm with His Majesty?'
Thinking back, the back of her hand had been itchy since arriving here. And even more after napping with Clois.
At first, she thought it was hives from something she'd eaten...
'To think it'd appear again.'
Evi glared resentfully at the back of her hand. Why on earth was it appearing now?
'I wish it would disappear. Nothing's happening now. His Majesty and the knights are here, so no danger.'
Evi kept rubbing the back of her hand, praying.
Neither Clois nor the other knights would tell her to stay away if she said it hurt.
No, they'd worry and take her to a doctor.
'I don't want to worry them.'
So please disappear.
Perhaps her prayers worked. Before the maid came in the morning, the blotch on the back of her hand had cleanly vanished.
But the itchiness still lingered.
* * *
After breakfast as usual, Clois pondered what to do today.
Having had so much fun at the other children's homes, his biggest worry lately was what to do here.
Fortunately, Evi enjoyed whatever they did.
'Even so, studying foreign languages here too might be a bit much...'
Then he suddenly recalled how, as a child, he had played at the royal villa until exhausted and then studied, bursting into laughter.
Soon that laughter turned into a bitter smile.
He found it ridiculous that he was even seeking similarities in such things.
Even if Evi resembled him, it was just coincidence.
Things like hair color, liking books, preferring grape juice over apple juice, having the same foods they disliked.
There would be many people like that even if not Evi, so why did he feel such kinship specifically with her?
'Anyway, the back of her hand keeps itching—maybe I should check and apply ointment after all.'
Actually, it wasn't just the back of her hand that needed checking.
Having played so much, her cheeks and shoulders were sunburned and peeling.
'I'll have the palace physician check her when we return.'
As he thought that, the knights sprawled on the terrace like wet laundry suddenly jumped up.
"Someone's coming."
"I know."
Clois looked toward the path up to the villa along with the knights.
"Aiden."
Rommel tossed a sword to Aiden.
The moment he caught it, the knight who had caught the least fish and been digging the ground vanished, replaced by the fastest swordsman in the Imperial Knight Order.
Aiden approached the approaching figure. Fortunately, it was an imperial staff member.
He handed a letter to Aiden and soon left. Aiden checked it and passed it to Clois.
"A letter from the Minister of State."
Haa.
At those words, Clois and the others let out short sighs.
The person who wanted Clois to rest more than anyone had contacted him.
It meant something requiring his return to the Imperial Palace had arisen.
* * *
"So... I think I have to head back now."
Clois's heart ached seeing Evi's face fall at his words.
In truth, the week was almost over. Just one day earlier...
"The day we couldn't play together this time, let's go somewhere else next time."
Nod. Nod.
She nodded as if understanding, but the regret didn't fully leave Evi's face.
"When we return, the Seasonal Festival will be soon—how about playing together then?"
Then Clois whispered to Evi as if it were a secret from others.
"Want to do the raffle again?"
At the suggestion of going out together again, Evi's head snapped up, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes!"
Only when Evi finally smiled did the knights' anxiously watching faces relax.
"Yes, promise."
Clois held out his pinky. Evi hooked hers onto his with a smile.
"Then see you at the Imperial Palace."
Clois, already mounted, waved to Evi and turned his horse.
"Depart!"
At his command, Rommel, Zigmund, and Aiden escorted him as they galloped off.
Evi, left with Hilde, waved to the departing figures.
Until the road curved, Clois and the knights kept turning back to wave to Evi.
Once they were completely out of sight, Hilde said to Evi.
"Then shall we prepare to leave too?"
"Yes!"
Evi returned to her room and immediately packed the magic stone and doll.
It was regrettable that her time playing with Clois had shortened, but...
"This time, I'll draw for His Majesty."
The wages from Duchess Kailun were still untouched.
If they went out together this time, she could buy something for Clois too.
Already looking forward to the Seasonal Festival, Evi hurriedly packed her bag.
* * *
"I'm here!"
"Miss Evi!"
As soon as Evi got off the carriage, maids Amber, Vicky, and Cindy greeted her happily.
But only for a moment.
"No, miss! What is this state!"
They had cherished her so carefully at the mansion, fearing she'd fly away in her sleep, but the returning Evi looked like she'd just rolled in the fields.
"What happened, Knight!"
"Ah, well..."
"Your face and shoulders are sunburned and peeling!"
"It's inevitable when swimming..."
"And your hands! What are these wounds!"
"You get pricked by hooks while fishing..."
"What about these bruises on your arms and legs!"
"Valleys are slippery..."
Hilde's voice grew smaller under the maids' sharp questions.
Had there ever been a day in her life when she was so speechless and cowed?
Eventually, Hilde returned to the Imperial Palace amid Irene's scream upon seeing the disheveled child jump down.
* * *
"Just how much fun did you have at His Majesty's villa..."
At Ruska's house, she had stayed by her side, putting on hats and applying non-burning cream.
At the emperor's villa, they must have all played wildly together, knights included.
"But it was really fun!"
"...Glad you had fun, but... with your face like this, we need to adjust the dress color... Haa..."
Thinking she must contact Madam Crevel quickly, Irene mentally searched for matching colors.
"What did you do, Irene?"
"What do you mean? Preparing to return to the Genius Academy. I wrote to Ruska and Arsel asking what they were studying, but no reply. Wonder what kept them so busy. Are they preparing for the Seasonal Festival too? We need to prepare as well."
"What do we need to prepare?"
"Remember the event schedule roughly. Arsel and you might receive gifts from the dean separately as top students, so prepare thank-yous... But before that."
Irene picked up the invitation on the table and shook it.
"First, let's go appease Professor Males. He sent like a hundred letters asking if you're really coming while you were gone."
The invitation Irene shook was from God's Natural Numbers.
