TYND 33

TL: Motokare

“You’re still awake.”

“I’m not sleepy. Are you sleepy, Theon? Very tired?”

“I’m fine.”

He’d felt tired earlier, but that feeling had vanished completely. 

“Go wash up. I’ve sprinkled flower petals in the bath.”

The estate had its own bathhouse, but Theon disliked being attended to while bathing, so he always used the bathroom adjoining his bedroom. The maids usually prepared his bath with scattered petals, and Rothy had copied them. 

“Thank you.”

Theon stroked Rothy’s cheek and ear, not even aware he was smiling. Rothy gave a shy smile in return. 

Years of living on the battlefields had stripped away Theon’s modesty. He’d stripped down in front of Rothy several times before to bathe, so he started unbuttoning without hesitation, but then he noticed Rothy’s flushed cheeks. When Theon frowned slightly and raised his large hand, causing Rothy to flinch in reflex. His round eyes stared at Theon’s hand, which then settled on his forehead. 

Rothy was having a slight fever.  

“Rothy, stay inside the estate tomorrow. I’ll let Aeruhen know.”

“But I’m not sick…”

“Your forehead’s hot.”

“Theon, go wash up quickly.”

Rothy poked Theon’s side with his small hand, nudging him toward the bathroom. That caught Theon by surprise. They’d had physical contact before—Rothy nestling against his arm, wrapping arms around his neck, quickly settling on his thighs… but this bold finger-poking was new. 

Has spending time with Aeruhen made him more outgoing?

Come to think of it, his speech and expressions seemed more natural too. Theon welcomed these changes in Rothy. When he emerged from his quick bath, Rothy was playing with the weasel and toys, looking nowhere near sleepy. After changing into comfortable clothes and lying down, he returned the toys and scurried over to the bed, weasel in arms. 

“Don’t run. You’ll fall.”

“It’s fine. The floor’s soft, so it doesn’t hurt even if I fall.”

“So you’ve already tested that.”

“Yep! But I didn’t get hurt at all. Anyway, what did you do today, Theon? Were you busy again?”

Rothy wriggled into place beside Theon, eyes sparkling as he asked. But instead of answering, Theon frowned slightly. 

“Where did you bump yourself?”

“It didn’t hurt.”

“Your knee?”

Theon grasped Rothy’s slim ankle and examined his knee. Just as he’d suspected, there were signs of a fall. Fortunately, it didn’t look like it would bruise.

“I was told people my age grow up by falling down…”

“Who told you that?”

“Aeruhen.”

“Aeruhen’s a knight. Knights grow by falling and crashing thousands of times.”

“So mages shouldn’t fall?”

“You shouldn’t fall, Rothy.”

Theon gently stroked the knee that was small enough to fit in one hand, then tucked him under the covers. 

“I’ll be more careful next time. You should lie down too, Theon.”

Theon lay on his side facing Rothy. Propping his head in one hand, he looked down at Rothy’s bright, alert eyes. 

“What did you do today, Theon? Were you very busy?”

“Very busy. What about you?”

“I went to the greenhouse with Aeruhen and his friends today… There were so many flowers I’d never seen before. Oh! And there was this black and red flower that looked like you, Theon. It was this big and smelt really strong. They said it’s one of the rarest flowers on the continent.” 

“Do you mean the Flammen?”

“Yeah! Even the name sounds like you.”

Theon and Flammen. 

He couldn’t quite grasp what exactly was similar, but he just smiled and gently patted the child’s chest. 

“That flower Chungnip mentioned last time was so pitiful. I still don’t understand why it’s called ‘Mouse-dropping Fly’. 

“Like I said before, I don’t have the authority to change flower names.”

“Yeah… I know. I also saw a white flower today. Aeruhen said they look like me. But the white flower had such a long name—‘Ophiyaroseillyachessillya’. I don’t think it looks like me. It’s small and round and pretty. Like, this big.”

Rothy made a tiny circle with his fingers. That almost made Theon laugh out loud. From there, Rothy continued chattering about the day’s events. Ending the day by listening to his gentle chatter had become Theon’s routine. In fact, it was the time he looked forward to the most.

He received reports about everything Rothy did, but hearing about his day directly from him transformed the mundane into something altogether different. 

For instance, a simple sentence like ‘visited the greenhouse’ became dozens of times cuter when it included mentions of various flower names. Not long ago, he’d mentioned “There’s a pillar in the chapel with a flower trying to grow out of it”.  

The next day, while passing by the chapel as part of his schedule, Theon stopped to examine the pillar Rothy had mentioned. A small green leaf was indeed poking out from a crack in the middle. How did he notice such a tiny sprout? He really had a knack for finding the smallest and simplest forms of beauty. Because of that, Theon was starting to see the estate’s surroundings in a new light. 

“Tomorrow we’re going to see weasels. Northern white-tailed weasels live in the forest behind the estate. They’re different from Chi-chi’s kind, but we’re going to see them tomorrow. They told me to dress warmly since we need to go deep into the forest.”

He seems to have no intention to sleep at all.

Usually, he’d talk for about twenty minutes before drifting off, but tonight his eyes were wide awake. Just how excited was he? He was like a giddy child before a field trip. Theon remembered himself as a very young child, before entering the academy. But thinking back, he’d never chattered like this to his parents, Ultje, or his guards. 

“But… I shouldn’t bring back a friend for Chi-chi, should I…?”

“You’re planning to kidnap a weasel?”

“Kidnapping’s bad. I won’t do that. But if a weasel likes Chi-chi and follows us, I can’t help that…”

Theon found the way Rothy spoke absurdly endearing. How did he manage to speak so adorably? Cotton-candy white hair, jewelled-green eyes… and flushed cheeks. If excitement had a colour, this would be it. 

He’s filled out since we first met.

Theon absently brushed Rothy’s cheek with his finger. His thick, rough finger sank into the soft cheek. It felt squishy. He kept pressing and releasing the child’s cheek. The texture was so addictive he couldn’t stop. Rothy tensed briefly but soon grinned broadly and continued his story.

“But Chi-chi might not want a friend. Chi-chi’s very timid.”

“Is that so?”

“But would Your Grace mind if I had two weasels?”

“I don’t mind.” 

“I might bring back a weasel tomorrow, or maybe I won’t. I wonder if any of them will follow Chi-chi. Oh, it seems it’ll snow a bit tomorrow afternoon. Dress warmly, Theon.”

“I will.”

He really had no intention to sleep. Watching him chatter on, Theon felt his lips curve into a smile. It was like listening to a tiny white bird chirp its song. It was a moment when all his mental exhaustion melted away.

“Hey! Rothy! What’re you doing? Come quickly!”

Aeruhen’s shout made Rothy turn his head. He’d been watching Theon, who was moving hurriedly somewhere in the distance alongside his entourage. These days, their interactions were limited to the nighttime, so even catching a glimpse of Theon during the day lifted his spirits. He scampered over and Aeruhen informed him with a sullen face.

“We need to hurry. They’ll ban us from going out once the sleet starts. Walk quickly. No, best to run.”

Since Aeruhen had knight training in the morning, they’d chose to meet right after lunch to visit the forest. Behind the estate was a forest densely packed with conifers, arranged in a way that resembled a fortress wall. Because of this, it’d earned itself the name ‘Fortress Forest’. 

“But why isn’t anyone else here? Let’s wait for the others.”

Usually, both Aeruhen and Rothy’s escorts accompanied them—at least four people including the attendants—but today, there wasn’t a single adult in sight. When Rothy asked curiously, Aeruhen puffed out his chest and struck an exaggerated pose. 

“Everyone thinks we’re in the greenhouse. Do you know how hard it was to lose them? We’re both free today!”

“It’s dangerous by ourselves. Let’s go with Gort and Jameet.”

Gort and Jameet were the knights assigned to escort Rothy. With the Black Lion Knights reuniting with their families, the guards from the estate’s private forces had taken on the duty of guarding him.

The Black Lion knights would never have fallen for Aeruhen’s tricks. 

“Are you really sixteen? No way, right? Aren’t you ten? Are you scared?”

“I’m sixteen…… And yes, I’m scared. Let’s go with the adults.”

Rothy knew how important his identity was—specifically, him being the living magic stone. Any harm to him could shake the empire. But Aeruhen, unaware of this, found him frustrating. 

“Sure, it’s dangerous. I don’t know about the southern and central regions, but the northern forest might have Maton’s offspring hiding deep inside. It’s really dangerous for the average person, but!” 

Aeruhen’s lips stretched into a broad grin. Raising a finger, he pointed dramatically to himself. 

“You’ve got me.”

“……”

“This forest’s practically my backyard. I’ve been sneaking around for over ten years, ditching my attendants. Don’t worry, just trust and follow me.”

“You’ve been going into the forest alone since you were six…? That’s dangerous.”

“I told you it’s not dangerous. It’s my backyard.”

Rothy, still worried, tried again to suggest bringing the adults. But Aeruhen’s expression suddenly darkened and scowled at Rothy.