Volume 8 Chapter 2 Part 6
Fiancée of the Wizard
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Translation by Goma
Editing by Team Foxsunes
Was he feeling the need to pay back my favor of housing him in the Lancent secondary estate in the capital? But he had originally intended to get to know us personally, so there was no need to give me his food. He should simply mock me, at how I had been easily fooled.
Yet this boy opened his mouth with a surprisingly serious face.
「Because, you aren’t alone」
Noct’s gaze was directed at my stomach. In my stomach was the precious baby I had with the man. Involuntarily, I gulped a breath of air. Shifting his gaze back to me, he continued.
「That is why you should be the one eating instead of me」
Although it was a matter of course, his tone of voice and expressions were clearly conveying so much more than anything else. Argh, I wanted to hold my head. Actually, I did. Surprised, Noct looked at me. But who cared? Whose fault was it that I had to be in such a state?
Knowing that I was being unfair, I still insulted him in the back of my mind. Then, straightening my back once more, I looked into Noct’s face.
Noct’s kindness did not end with the scarf. The consistent meals had also been out of his kindness as well. Hence, I wanted to return his kindness as much as I could. Although I did not forget what he had done to me, but. Surely the man would also allow me to return Noct’s kindness.
Noct jolted as if he was about to back off. However, I took his hand, and smiled at him.
「Noct. Could you guide me to the kitchen? 」
「The kitchen? 」
「Yes. Don’t worry, I won’t escape. Just let me look at the kitchen for a bit. If you want, I don’t mind if you wrap a rope around me. So, please? 」
「……….」
Noct did not reply immediately. A chasm of indescribable silence laid between us.
Noct seemed like he could not decide at all. Of course, he would be. His『mother』would not like me to exit the room. But I had something I could not compromise on.
After the long silence, apparently Noct had finally realized that I would not take no as an answer. Begrudgingly, he nodded. Then taking my hand, he held the door knob with his other hand. A black jewel on the choker wrapped around his neck shined. The door opened slowly, and holding hands with Noct, I headed to the kitchen.
I was walking in the estate’s corridor for the first time. The black magical fires in the corridor were placed with equal spacing between them. Because of this, the corridor was not very cold. But as expected, the sight was emotionally chilling.
I assumed Noct was holding my hand to prevent my escape. But now, I was actually thankful for him. My legs almost cowered at the great similarity between this estate and a haunted house. Somehow moving my legs, I followed Noct. Then finally, we reached the kitchen.
「It’s here」
The place Noct had pointed to, the kitchen, was emptier than I had thought. Other than several pieces of bread, some dried vegetables, and a pot placed on the magical stone of fire, there was nothing much.
Seemingly, Noct had thought that I would not escape anymore, since I had already come all the way. He let go of my hand. Thus, I took the dining cloth lying around and wiped away the dust in the kitchen. Sensing Noct’s gaze, I looked up. He vaguely seemed to have some mixed feelings, because his expressions said so.
「How did you prepare the food? 」
「…..I prepared the food using the ingredients I had stolen in the capital」
「…………………I see」
“In the capital”. That was pretty long ago. If he had been using the ingredients he had stolen then up till now, I could understand why my meals were like that. Despite there being some ingredients left, I wondered. Had he been prioritizing me? With this in mind, I became lost for words. How touching, I thought in the back of my mind.
「Does your mother not prepare food for you? 」
Inferring from what he said, apparently the demon usually leaves him alone. Did she think that he could prepare food by himself? However, looking at Noct’s thin frame, I did not believe that Noct had enough food. It would not be evil to prepare food for her『son』as a『mother』, wouldn’t it?
But Noct blinked his eyes as if he was asked something queer. He tilted his head a little.
「Of course. Mother does not eat any food. Why would she go through the trouble to prepare any? 」
His gesture was as if he was asking, why do you have to ask this? I was puzzled. Did I say something so weird? No. That should not be the case.
「Even if your mother does not need food, don’t you need it? Yet……..」
Apparently, I had unintentionally sounded like I was accusing the demon as I continued speaking. Raising the ends of his eyebrows, Noct raised his voice loudly.
「Mother is not wrong! The problem is in how useless I am. Mother does not need to spend her time on a useless, halfwit fool like me! 」
「……That was what your mother said? 」
「Y, yes. That’s why, there is no choice」
Saying this to himself, Noct cast his face downward. An indescribable sense of vexation started simmering in my heart. However, it was something I could not vent to anyone. Hence, I somehow swallowed this frustration. Whatever I said to Noct now, he would not listen. For Noct, the demon —–『mother』was absolute.
Thus, I could only do one thing. Ignoring Noct’s glare, I crouched down. Taken by surprise, Noct kneeled down and looked into my face.
「Fi, Filmina, are you unwell? 」
His voice conveyed a mixture of panic and worry. I laughed wryly at Noct, who time and time again failed in his role. In playing the bad guy.
「No, it’s not that. I am just finding something」
「Finding something? 」
Nodding at his befuddled voice, I continued touching the dust-covered floor. Then, I finally found “it”. You see. It was there as I had thought.
Immediately, I grabbed the dent in the floor that was carved into a handle. Then I lifted it……. or tried to do so, and instead sat on my butt. It was heavier than I had imagined. But if I did not open this, I could not move on to the next step. I was about to try once more, when Noct kneeling beside me took my hand with his skinny hand.
「……Is this where I am supposed to open? 」
「Y, yes. That’s right but」
Sadly, I am not strong enough. I laughed wryly. Without saying anything, Noct inserted his hand into the floor’s dent. Hm? While I was reacting to what he did, Noct lifted the floor tile as if it was nothing……the floor tile which was the door to the underground storage.
「Wow, how amazing. Thank you for your help 」
「Not at all. Anyways, this………」
Kneeling beside Noct who was twitching his nose and looking into the underground storage, I smiled proudly.
「Usually these kinds of large estates have underground storages like this built into it. It is to store preserved foods in case of emergencies 」
These underground storages were commonly built in not just nobles’ estates, but other similarly sized estates as well. Apparently, it was also applicable to this estate. It had an abundant amount of luxurious preserved food such as extremely hard cheese which could be preserved at room temperature, different smoked and salted meat, dried fish, binned pickles, fruit confits, and aged wine.
It was more than I had expected. While I was loosening my face with satisfaction, Noct nodded beside me with amazement.
「I had thought there was a good smell, but I had not noticed this」
「Hehe, now you can eat to your heart’s content, right? Now, let us cook dinner then」
「What? 」
「You can’t just eat it like this, can’t you? Fortunately, the magical stone in the kitchen seems to be working. Seems like it is time for me to utilize my skills, huh」
Indeed, if there was one thing I could do no matter where I went, it was house work. Rolling up my sleeves, I took the ingredients from the storage one by one. Noct’s expressions changed as if he was in a panic.
「You c, can’t just do that………! 」
「Oh. Isn’t giving me food also something you shouldn’t do? 」
I knew I was being mean. I reached out my hand to Noct, who shut his mouth as if I had struck a weak spot. Whilst Noct’s body jolted and his head cowered, I stood up and slowly patted his head. The twitching beastly ears had black fur that was warm and soothing to touch.
Taking a liking to this, I patted him many times, and then flicked his forehead. Grinning at Noct who looked surprised and confused, I rolled up the sleeves of my dress.
「Alright. Please wait a while」
Pushing Noct’s back, I chased him out of the kitchen. Then, I started with examining the items from the storage.
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