WLWES 14

Rio looked up at Gideon, sniffling.

“Gideon…. I’m really sorry. You can go ahead and leave me here. If you tell me the way, I’ll catch up with you once I feel better.”

“You idiot. How could I leave a sick person behind?” Gideon replied.

“But I’ve been a burden this whole time. We should have already arrived by now…”

“I asked you to come, so don’t worry about it. Just focus on getting better.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gideon stood up with Rio in his arms. Rio quickly reached out for An, who was still on the ground. Atlas saw this and picked up the bag An was in.

“Rio, should I hold her for you?” Atlas asked.

“No, it’s okay. An won’t be comfortable unless it’s with me…”

“Really? Then An, do you want to go to Rio…”

Before Atlas could finish speaking, An jumped into Rio’s arms. “Woof!” she barked, licking Rio’s chin.

“Hehe, that tickles! But I just threw up, so I’m a bit dirty.”

Rio raised his hand to stop her, but instead, she started licking his palm persistently.

Seeing this, Atlas laughed awkwardly.

“You really love Rio. She is so cute! I wanted to hold her too… what a shame.”

Rio looked up at Atlas and smiled. He felt a surge of happiness when Atlas called An cute, even more so than if he had received praise himself. An had become more important to Rio than anything else.

Gently, Rio placed his nose against the tip of An’s black nose and said, “He says you’re cute. I’m glad.”

Just as he said that he saw Gideon open his mouth to tell him to hurry up. Suddenly, Rio felt a chill run down his spine, with goosebumps spreading all over his body.

Oh no, this is bad. This happens once every six months, and it makes me feel extremely sick. When it reaches this point, I can’t move for an entire day. Normally, when I’m alone, I would stay in my room at the inn and sleep. But now, I’m on the move for a specific purpose, so I can’t just sleep as it would only inconvenience everyone else.

Rio felt so miserable that he nearly cried again but managed to hold it in. He twisted his mouth as much as he could, which earned him a strange look from Gideon.

It was hard to tell, but Gideon had a lot of expressions… Rio thought as his vision became blurry, and he caught sight of the man’s beautiful purple, anxious eyes. Then, as he heard a low, pleasant voice ask, “What’s wrong?”, Rio closed his eyes and finally lost consciousness.

He woke up several times, each time seeing a different face gazing into his eyes. The first was Atlas. “Are you okay?” he asked in a panic, but before Rio could reply, he closed his eyes again. The next time, it was Roger who asked if Rio wanted some water, but he was too exhausted to nod and immediately closed his eyes once more. Finally, he woke up to find Gideon beside him. Feeling something touch his hair, he turned his head and opened his eyes to see Gideon quickly retracting his hand.

“What…?”

“Well, how are you feeling?”

“Umm… I think I am fine but how long did I sleep?”

“Half a day. It’s night now.”

“Half a day…”

It usually took him a day to start feeling better, but this time, it was much quicker.

Rio took a deep breath and noticed a smell reminiscent of rotten flowers. He pulled the sheets up to his nose to try to cover the smell.

“Hey, there’s something that smells really weird,” he said.

“A weird smell? ..Ahh right, this.”

Tilting his head slightly, Gideon reached for a small glass on the desk beside him with his right hand. He held it up to Rio’s face and said in a serious tone, “Open your mouth.”

Rio felt a surge of annoyance. The truth was that he had a short temper, something he had forgotten since getting involved with Gideon. The arrogant attitude of the knights really rubbed him the wrong way. He turned his face away from the glass in obvious irritation.

“Rio,” Gideon said in a strict tone.

“I don’t like this. I appreciate that you took care of me, so thank you. I really hate being ordered around like this. If I go to your place and I’m going to be treated this way, I won’t go. After all, there’s no contract.”

Rio spoke in one breath before turning his back on Gideon, breathing heavily. He knew that he should follow orders because Gideon was his employer, and he was the servant. However, he couldn’t accept being told to “do something” without understanding the reason behind it.

There was a moment of silence. Perhaps he had made Gideon angry or said something too arrogant. Yet, he had no intention of suppressing his feelings just to work for him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Gideon was the one who broke the silence. Rio turned around, letting out a surprised sound at the sudden apology. His gaze landed on the top of Gideon’s head, taking in his shiny black hair. To Rio’s surprise, Gideon was bowing his head.

“W-wait, hey! What are you doing?”

“I was too excited to get back home quickly. I rushed too mcuh and said something harsh. I’m sorry.”

“You were that eager to get back? Do you have a mountain of work waiting or something? Sorry… it’s my fault .. isn’t it…?”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. And work isn’t the issue. I just… wanted to bring you back with me as soon as possible.”

“Umm, why?”

He didn’t get it. What could possibly be so urgent that Gideon wanted to do right away? Rio sat up, crossed his arms, and stared at the perfectly shaped crown of the man’s head.

“Is it something that really can’t wait? I mean, it’s not like I’m good at anything in particular…”

“I got too excited.. I just wanted to get back as soon as possible even if it was a day earlier, I got impatient and a little agitated. Im really sorry, I didnt consider your feelings.”

“Oh… no, it’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry. I’m the one who got mad before even hearing you out.”

 “Heh…”

Gideon lifted his head and offered a faint smile. Rio, who had just apologized, felt as though he was being ridiculed and responded with a sulky tone.

“You laughed just now, didn’t you? What’s up with that?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m sorry. I just thought you were someone I could never get tired of.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I’m not. I’m impressed that you’re a good, honest kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Yeah, you’ll be an adult in the winter. I hope you can handle alcohol well by then.”

He isn’t making fun of me, but I feel like he’s treating me like a child. Surprisingly, I don’t mind. It’s actually quite comforting.

Since his mother passed away, no one had cared for Rio like this, so he felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment.

Rio sat up to hide the tired look on his face and said, “I’m hungry,” as he looked up at Gideon.

Gideon immediately placed the strange-smelling glass in front of him. Although Rio tried to make a sad face to make Gideon feel pity for him, Gideon remained resolute.”Drink this before your meal. It’s supposed to help with fatigue, the doctor mentioned that you’re really worn out. Maybe you’re pushing yourself too hard?”

“Huh? I’m fine. I feel fine.”

“Just drink it. I won’t leave until you do.”

“Huh…”

Reluctantly, Rio took the glass from Gideon’s stubborn outstretched hand. Holding his breath, Rio drank it all in one go. He gulped and sighed with relief at the taste, which wasn’t bad despite the smell.

“There… I drank it all.”

“Alright. Rest until the food arrives.”

“Oh, please tell me when the food is ready. I want to eat with everyone else.”

“But you’re I’m not feeling well.”

“Well, as you said, it’s boring to eat alone, right?”

“…I suppose so.”

Gideon took the glass from Rio, stroked his blonde hair, and then left.

Rio placed both hands on his head and tilted it in confusion.

“Huh? He stroked my head, didn’t he? I’m going to be his servant, right? Somehow… it feels more like I’m being treated like a child, or rather like I am being taken care of.”

I can’t help but wonder if there’s something he’s hiding. But when he treats me like he did earlier, it feels comforting… and it makes me happy.

I don’t know how old Gideon is, but he’s probably in his late twenties? He’s too young to be a father figure, so maybe that’s why he feels more like an older brother. If I had an older brother, maybe he’d be like that too.

While I was lost in thought, staring blankly at the door through which Gideon had exited, I suddenly heard some rustling in the sheets. An’s head popped out, and she exclaimed, “Woof!”