Chapter 89: The Maid and the Young Master (3)

 

Lately, Alphonse’s mood had been like a cloudy sky.

 

It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t refreshing either – a kind of indeterminate feeling.

 

Since that day, Hailey had been practicing her swordsmanship every dawn on the training grounds.

 

As a result, Alphonse, ousted from his spot, could no longer carry out his morning training routine, breaking his daily pattern.

 

He wondered if this disruption was causing his off condition, but even trying to compensate for the missed morning sessions by creating a new routine didn’t dispel his unease.

 

This feeling persisted even during his afternoon swordsmanship training with Damian.

 

Usually, Alphonse could forget everything during these sessions, but now it was the opposite. The training ground, the source of his inexplicable mood, was the very place where he trained.

 

Was it because it was the same place?

 

Even though Hailey herself wasn’t there, Alphonse’s mind continually pictured her. It all started when he had seen her sword dance. Since that dawn under the moonlight, when he first saw her practicing alone, these unknown emotions began to trouble Alphonse’s mind.

 

With such turmoil in his head, how could his body move properly?

 

As expected, Damian, who was overseeing Alphonse’s training, noticed something was off. A day or two might have been overlooked, but it had been over three days. He couldn’t help but worry if there was some issue.

 

Eventually, Damian had to address it.

 

“Alphonse? Is something bothering you?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean, brother? No, nothing’s wrong at all!”

 

“Really? Lately, it seems like you’re not focusing as well as before. I thought you might be worried about something. Let’s call it a day for today’s training.”

 

“But..!!”

 

“Swinging a sword with your mind elsewhere could lead to injury. I understand you want to move your body more to clear your thoughts, but even that requires a minimum level of concentration.”

 

Being a teacher, Damian could easily tell if his student was focused or not. Alphonse, who always approached training with earnestness, made this lack of concentration all the more noticeable.

 

Alphonse reluctantly agreed with Damian’s observation that he wasn’t focusing. Without countering Damian’s suggestion to halt the training, he quietly nodded.

 

“Why don’t you put the sword down for a moment and talk with me, your brother? You seem troubled, and if it’s something I can help with, I will.”

 

Alphonse pondered Damian’s words for a moment before shaking his head. He was unsure how to articulate his restless feelings to someone else, especially since he wasn’t certain about their cause himself.

 

To explain, he would inevitably have to mention his secret dawn trainings, risking revealing his clandestine practices to Damian. Besides, for some reason, Alphonse didn’t want to share what happened that dawn with anyone. He couldn’t exactly define why, but he was sure of his feelings.

 

“No, it’s alright, brother. I just need a moment alone to meditate!”

 

“Hmm, okay then,” Damian agreed.

 

As Alphonse hurried to end the conversation, Damian didn’t press further. Though he seemed disappointed not to hear Alphonse’s worries, he ruffled Alphonse’s hair understandingly before leaving the training ground.

 

Left alone, Alphonse set down his sword and sat down on the dirt floor. His words to Damian weren’t entirely empty; he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, attempting to meditate. However, he couldn’t concentrate. His heart pounded unusually fast, making it impossible to calm down. Every time he tried to focus, instead of darkness, he saw the training ground under the dawn light.

 

Like an audience member watching a stage, he envisioned her dancing under the moonlight, illuminating her every move. Thus, Alphonse couldn’t maintain his meditation, his actions only bringing back memories of that day.

 

“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh!” he exclaimed in frustration, his fingers ruffling his hair even more than Damian had.

 

Despite trying everything he knew, he couldn’t erase that day’s scene from his mind. What troubled Alphonse the most was his inability to understand the emotions he’d been experiencing since that day.

 

Though often praised for his maturity, Alphonse was still just a child, not even ten years old. His lack of life experience meant there were many things he didn’t understand. No matter how many books he read, there were aspects of the world that couldn’t be understood through reading alone.

 

There were many around Alphonse who could provide answers to the things he wished to know.

 

Just as with Damian, and others like Ken and Maria, who had lived several years longer than himself, Alphonse knew that any of them could potentially provide a clear answer to his questions.

 

However, just as he had refused Damian’s offer, Alphonse was reluctant to discuss this matter with others. Thus, he was left to find the answers on his own.

 

***

 

Like any other day, Alphonse woke up at dawn and prepared to go outside.

 

Ever since Hailey had taken over the training ground in the mornings, Alphonse hadn’t practiced his swordsmanship there, but he always carried a wooden sword with him when he went out.

 

With his current state of mind, proper training, as Damian had said, seemed impossible. Yet, for Alphonse, carrying the wooden sword was as essential as wearing clothes when going outside.

 

Uncharacteristic for someone who had just woken up, Alphonse’s face bore a determined expression. He had spent most of his time in bed steeling himself for what lay ahead, so he had hardly slept. Although he spent more time thinking than sleeping, he didn’t feel particularly tired.

 

Alphonse pulled a small luminescent stone from his drawer, one he had received a while ago.

 

Originally intended for practice in converting magic into aura, Alphonse decided to use this luminescent stone as a lamp. Of course, he no longer needed a lamp for walking at night, as he had become adept at using his aura to see in the dark. His ability to venture out at dawn without being detected was partly due to not using a lamp.

 

But what Alphonse intended to do now was not to secretly practice in the training ground and leave, as before, but to talk to Hailey.

 

He didn’t want to startle her by appearing suddenly out of the darkness, so he planned to light the luminescent stone and approach her with it from the start.

 

Alphonse had decided, after much contemplation, to honestly tell Hailey that he had been watching her train all this while.

 

Upon reflection, he realized there had been several opportunities to speak to Hailey about this, but each time, he had unwittingly avoided her. It was only during his time in bed that he had come to this realization.

 

So this time, he would not avoid her but face her instead.

 

Whatever happened, something was bound to change after their conversation.

 

“Phew... Let’s go.”

 

Alphonse took a deep breath and cautiously opened his room door to step outside. Once he was a good distance from the lord’s castle, he infused the luminescent stone with magic, creating light. Holding the light in his hand, Alphonse ran towards the training ground.

 

Once Alphonse had made up his mind, his steps towards the training ground felt incredibly light.

 

He was uncertain whether his buoyant mood was due to the prospect of talking with Hailey or a change in his own mindset.

 

As he neared the training ground, a small light in the center caught his eye.

 

Seeing it, Alphonse was certain that Hailey had come to the training ground again. During the day, he had avoided her, but this time, without any hesitation, he ran towards the light.

 

“Huh?”

 

Contrary to Alphonse’s expectation, there was only a lit lamp in the training ground, with no sign of Hailey.

 

Startled, Alphonse hastily looked around, perhaps too flustered to notice something suddenly grabbing him from behind.

 

“Whoa!!”

 

“!!!!!”

 

A voice, heavy with the intent to surprise, pierced Alphonse’s ears.

 

From the moment he was gently embraced, Alphonse knew the person behind him was not a foe.

 

Lifting his head, he saw who the organizer of this surprise was. When he thought about it, it was obvious. Who else could play such a prank but the owner of the lamp?

 

“Hehe!! How about that? Did I scare you?”

 

Hailey looked at Alphonse, whom she held in her arms, giggling with delight.

 

She expected a startled reaction from Alphonse, but disappointingly, he did not respond as she had hoped.

 

Alphonse, with a dazed expression, simply looked at Hailey, who was embracing him. She had anticipated a shocked face but was met with quiet observation, which seemed to surprise her instead.

 

“Hmm? Little master?”

 

“....”

 

It was only when Hailey called him again that Alphonse nodded, indicating that he was listening.

 

Was it the soft sensation on his head that he recognized, or was it because he was so close to Hailey? Alphonse couldn’t pinpoint the cause of the heat that was now flooding his face.

 

All he could do was hope that Hailey hadn’t noticed his flushed face and kept his head bowed.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

 

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