Chapter 29: What’s With That Guy?
by Iyo‘Rodrick has his knights.’ Thinking as such, Urien’s heart felt lighter.
‘That’s great.’
‘Really great.’
After parting ways with Dieter and the others, Urien headed to his room. There, he read books for a while until it was time for dinner. Recently, he ate most of his meals with Rodrick. If they didn’t meet during the day, they could always catch up during their meals.
“I heard you spent your day at the shed with Theobald.”
“I did.”
“Just for tea?”
“Yep.”
Their conversation was less of a conversation and more like a report. Lately, Rodrick kept an extremely close eye on what Urien was doing. He’d hound him about what he did, where he went, what he ate, and so on. If Urien didn’t tell him anything during his break, then during their meals, he’d launch a full-blown interrogation on him.
“Did you eat strange things again today?”
“What strange things?”
“Things you found on the ground.”
‘Is he being serious?’ Urien let out a smirk.
“Lord Rodrick, have I ever eaten something I found on the ground?”
“Many times. Like that one time you ate grass.”
“I didn’t find those on the ground. They grow there. It’s different.”
“Let me rephrase that. Have you eaten something you found just because it caught your eye?”
Urien’s smile grew wider.
“I didn’t eat things just because it caught my eye, you know? I carefully picked the herbs I ate.”
“Just yesterday you ate some unknown fruit.”
“…”
“You even made me eat it.”
“…”
“You even muttered, ‘What is this, I wonder?’ While eating.”
“Ah, right, come to think of it.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I asked Lord Theobald what it is that he wants.”
At that, Rodrick stopped eating. Until then, he had been chiding Urien with a straight face, but now, his face turned tense with suspense. He stared at him suspiciously, “You didn’t?”
“Did you tell him?”
“That I did.”
“…Urien…”
Rodrick muttered as he looked up in resignation, while Urien puffed his cheeks in response.
“What? I told you I have a loose tongue.”
“Why are you acting like you’re the victim here?”
“Lord Theobald wants a lighter.”
“Huh.”
Rodrick’s stiff expression turned relaxed, as he nodded with interest.
At that moment, Urien recalled Theobald’s smirk as he clearly tried to tell him that he didn’t believe his words at all. Even the answer he gave him was half-hearted, proving that he didn’t believe that it was Rodrick that wanted to know what he wanted.
Since he didn’t want to be treated like a liar, Urien pushed in a serious tone.
“Have some courage.”
“What?”
Rodrick narrowed his eyes, but Urien only pressed the issue even more, “Lord Rodrick.”
“Please have some courage and gift it to Lord Theobald yourself.”
“Courage…”
“I told him that you were dying to know about what he wants, but he didn’t take me seriously at all.”
“You told him like that?!”
To the astonished Rodrick, Urien continued.
“That’s why, gift it to him properly.”
“…”
“Please don’t turn me into a liar.”
“…”
Rodrick remained silent. A complicated expression appeared on his face, but eventually, he let out a resigned sigh. Though there was still a hint of unease on his face, in the end, he said, “I’ll do my best.”
After the dinner ended and they went back to their rooms, Ella, who had been watching the whole thing unfolded, asked in surprise, “Was that true?” At that, Urien tilted his head.
“Hm? What was?”
“Was Master really going to give Lord Theobald a gift…?”
Urien took a sip of the tea that she prepared for him before nodding.
“Well, Lord Theobald’s birthday’s coming up soon.”
“Haa…”
Ella was still shocked, but that was a reaction that every servant in that dining room shared.
Rather, the servants of the estate were always shocked by how conversations between Urien and Rodrick usually went. At this point, they had gotten used to it little by little, but back during fall and winter, they always looked like they were about to faint in shock whenever they saw Urien brushing off Rodrick’s nagging like it was nothing.
Tonight too, the maids’ faces turned pale as they saw Urien’s smirk to Rodrick’s scolding, but Ella seemed to focus on the relationship between the two brothers than that.
“Master is going to give Lord Theobald a gift…”
Urien hadn’t been in the estate for long. For Ella, who had been here longer than him, this was something that was extremely hard to believe.
“They’re brothers, this isn’t anything strange.”
“That…might be true, but… As expected of Lord Urien.”
“Hm?”
‘Me?’
Urien looked up at Ella in confusion as her face quickly lit up.
“I assume you’re trying to mend their relationship, right, Lord Urien?”
“Huh? No?”
‘That isn’t my intention at all.’
“As expected of Lord Urien. Even those two brothers soften up when facing your warmth!”
“…”
“Master has changed a lot!”
He didn’t even say anything, but Ella’s excitement still rose on its own. Since he couldn’t say anything to stop her at this point, he decided to just listen to her while sipping his tea.
“He has been more attentive towards you ever since that stormy night, became even more so since the winter, and he became even more obsessed about you when the spring started!”
“Obsessed…?”
That part, he couldn’t help but say out loud.
‘Obsessed, huh? Well, in a way, that’s true…’
“Yes! He often visits you at night, no?”
“Ahh…”
It was true that Rodrick came to visit his room occasionally, but he didn’t do that to sleep together with him, but rather to watch over him.
As for why he thought so, the first words that he’d say whenever he visited him was, ‘Are you sleeping?’ in which he replied, ‘I am.’ Then, after hearing that, he started yelling, ‘No you aren’t!’ It made Urien think, ‘What’s with that guy? What husband acts like this?’