60 – Ortaire (2)

[Physis' POV]

 

The next day, I immediately looked for Adilun.

 

Adilun had been looking at me with slightly swollen eyes since yesterday, and for some reason, I wanted to tease her.

 

“Adilun!”

 

"Yes?"

 

"I have to go to Ortaire this time... And I guess I'll have to stay in Ortaire again for a while."

 

“… …Huh?”

 

At my words, suddenly, Adilun's dazed eyes widened.

 

"Are you going back?"

 

I nodded my head with a slightly sad expression to her immediate question,

 

“Yes.”

 

"Ah, c-can't you stay?"

 

In response to my firm answer, Adilun pitifully asked me back… …I told the truth in a hurry, thinking that the moment I tease her a little more, she would cry like yesterday.

 

And I didn't want to do that, all I wanted was just to tease her a little.

 

"But there's one thing I haven't told you."

 

“What?”

 

“Actually, I was going to ask if you could come with me. If that's not possible for some reason, I would have gone alone. So… …Adilun would you like to go to Ortaire with me? It would be a bit lonely without you.”

 

"I-I can go! No, I'll go!"

 

Adilun didn't ask anything more to me, who was teasing her, and said urgently,

 

“Really? That’s fortunate. Actually, I wanted to show you around Ortaire.”

 

“Phew.”

 

She let out a sigh of relief, and I smiled at her and said.

 

“Wouldn’t you like me to go somewhere else?”

 

“… …No”

 

“Why?”

 

Instantly, her face turned red. I already knew the answer, but… … Still, whenever I saw a reaction like this from her, I became so happy that I couldn’t stop myself to tease her more.

 

“Promise!”

 

"A promise...?"

 

“Y-yes... You promised that you will continue to stay here after the great duel. So that’s it. Promises are not meant to be broken.”

 

“… …I see... Anyway, it seems like we'll be leaving soon, so we should prepare well. We'll have to stay in Ortaire for at least a month."

 

“Yes!”

 

Adilun said to me with a bright expression.

 

"You can look forward to it. Ortaire has the opposite characteristics of Rodenov, it's warm, and sometimes even hot... So just bring some thin clothes."

 

"I'll keep that in mind."

 

"Hm, it might be too hot, so I will make a separate arrangement with the family."

 

“Thank you, Physis. But you don't have to worry too much. I'm skilled in magic."

 

"I know Adilun is skilled in magic, but… … Still, every time you use magic, you get tired.”

 

“Well, that's also true. Thank you for being considerate.”

 

"I should do at least that much. After all, I am your fiancé."

 

At my response, Adilun's face became red again and she just smiled.

 

Recently, Adilun's expressions had become more vivid, and that was something I was grateful for. At least it was evidence that I had been doing well so far.

 

“uh… … Well. Yes.”

 

"Then I will tell my father about it. We'll probably leave next week."

 

“Okay. I’ll have everything ready by then.”

 

“Yes.”

 

* * *

[Adilun's POV]

 

Ortaire; The place where Physis was born and raised.

 

As he said, unlike Rodenov, the weather was warm even in winter, and snowfall was extremely rare. Due to its warm climate, it had several grain belts… … It was a place where wealth overflows.

 

Physis asked me to go there with him.

 

At first, I thought he wanted to leave me, but it turned out that he just wanted to express his desire to go with me.

 

Anyway, I was ecstatic as if I were flying.

 

'Isn't it where Physis lived? Isn't it a place that reflects his life?' Just going there made me feel like I was getting to know him better, so I felt very excited.

 

Although my mood was a little down because of the too-sweet dream I had last time, Physis' affectionate attitude made me feel better.

 

He wanted to go with me to the place where he used to live… … The gloomy feeling flew away at once.

 

“Miss.”

 

It was Mina.

 

“Yes, Mina. What’s the matter?”

 

"Did something good happen? Your expression is much brighter."

 

“Yes?”

 

“You just seemed a bit down since you came back yesterday.”

 

My gloomy appearance must have been noticeable. It wasn't just to Physis, but also to Mina.

 

“I just felt strangely depressed yesterday. You know, those days when you're just not yourself. Anyway, I'm fine now. Actually, I'm happy."

 

I tried to be vague. If I said it was because of Physis here, there was a possibility that he would be harmed for nothing.

 

“Did something happen? I think I just saw Sir Physis coming out of your room a moment ago.”

 

“Yes. Physis asked me to go to Ortaire with him.”  

 

“Ortaire?”

 

“Yes. So we're leaving next week. Mina, can you help me to pack my things?”

 

"Of course. By the way, if it's Ortaire... ...You will need some light clothes... Don't worry, I'll prepare them. And, how was the social gathering?"

 

“Social gathering… …”

 

I recalled the events of the social gathering. It wasn’t all good things, but… … Clearly, there had been results. I made a friend, and I was able to be sure of my feelings about Physis.

 

“It wasn’t bad. I even made a friend.”

 

“A friend?”

 

As if Mina was surprised, her pale golden eyes widened.

 

“Yes. There is a princess I helped in the past called Isla Isvante… … She thank me and...”

 

“Ah. I’m so glad Shall we send an invitation to tea time later?”

 

“Yes. But first of all, staying in Ortaire comes first, at least for a month.”

 

“I know, Miss. Then I'll go prepare to pack with the maids."

 

“Thanks. I’ll go see Physis in a minute. Where is he now?”

 

“Sir Physis… … probably done with his training and resting by now. How about checking the training hall?"

 

"The training hall? Then... he might be getting hungry by now?"

 

"Yes. He usually eats something light after his training. Oh."

 

Mina, who suddenly hit her palm with her fist, whispered in my ear.

 

“It wouldn’t be bad to bring the food. To the extent that I can picture Sir Physis being very happy.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

"Yes, and Miss, cheer up."

 

“Yes? What?”

 

“You like Sir Physis, don’t you?”

 

At her words, my face became hot with embarrassment.

 

“Uh, how did you know?”

 

"Miss, it's hard not to notice. Your subtle sad expression since you arrived yesterday, sudden excited expressions, the feeling of being down... And most of all, your gaze always following Sir Physis."

 

“… …”

 

I couldn't say anything. Hearing her words, I realized how obvious my feelings were.

 

I was like a naive girl in love for the first time.

 

"But fortunately, Sir Physis doesn't turn his gaze to other women... And he's already engaged to you. So, there's no danger of losing him to someone else."

 

“No, that’s not it.”

 

“Yes?”

 

"There were some girls at the social gathering who were flirting with him."

 

Mina asked me back with a surprised expression. However, I felt a strange smile from her, it might be my imagination.

 

“Oh my gosh. Who?”

 

“Selina Idenea.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Mina was convinced at once.

 

"Then you should try even harder to win over Sir Physis. Miss, I'm not sure if you know, but Sir Physis is quite popular even among the maids and servants."

 

"Really?"

 

“Yes. He’s the lady’s fiancé, so they don’t openly approach him, but… … If Sir Physis was merely a family servant, they would have."

 

"…That's true."

 

I understood. He might not have been the perfect fiancé before, but lately, he was perfect. He was affectionate, had considerable power, and was considerate of others.

 

Moreover, his appearance was overwhelming, and there was no one who could compare to him.

 

"What about you, Mina?"

 

“Me? Nope. I don’t pay attention to people who have a fiancé.”

 

“What if Physis had no fiancé?”

 

"I would have tried hard. A groom like him is rare."

 

I was about to get angry at Mina's words, but it was such a natural fact that I couldn't even be angry.

 

“As expected.”

 

"Be prepared, miss. Men like him tend to attract many women."

 

“… …Yes.”

 

"So, let's start by sticking together frequently. When you go to Ortaire this time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to stamp your mark on him completely."

 

“Stamp my mark?”

 

"Yes. I mean...a kiss mark."

 

“… …!”

 

Heat rushed to my face. We hadn't even kissed yet, and she was already talking about it.

 

"Isn't it too early for that...?"

 

“I don't think so. You’re even engaged, is there anything else to hide? If you just put a stamped mark on him, it’s marriage right away, marriage. Then you can legally brag about your ownership of Sir Physis to the other women.”

 

“But maybe that’s a little too much… …”

 

“That is what it means. Anyway, try your best. If it was the real Sir Physis of the past, I would absolutely want to stop you, but looking at his changed appearance recently, there is no one like him.”

 

“… … I’ll try.”

 

“Cheer up, Miss.”

 

At Mina's words, I could only nod my head.