“I just thought I should prepare in advance in case you don’t have anything to wear.”

I held a teaspoon in my hand and swirled liquid in my teacup. The red elixir that had settled down rose in a whirlpool.

Soon, I let go of the teaspoon after gazing at the sunset hues filling the teacup. Until then, the contents of the teacup continued to swirl.

“I want to prepare those things for you.”

“…..Why are you always so eager to do that?”

Look who’s talking.

“True. Why are you like that?”

Aiden had no answer, and I didn’t either. We drank tea in silence. Did I use too much sugar…? It turned out unnecessarily sweet.

* * *

After a long time, I held a brush in my hand.

Just, there are days like that sometimes. Days when you want to draw a night sky where stars seem to be pouring down, or days when you want to paint a blooming flower garden.

Today was the latter.

Because my mind had been complicated, I felt a bit awkward holding the brush. Well, I was backtracking on my hobbies because it was worth paying attention to.

I poured paint onto the palette and faced the blank canvas. When I silently face the canvas like this, it feels like facing a world that hasn’t been created yet.

I slowly and sincerely fill that world.

After a while, what I drew was a flower garden in full bloom with white mist flowers. In places, lilies were blooming in this flower garden. If I lay down in a place like this, I would suffocate from the fragrance.

After completing the artwork, I left, leaving my art supplies in their places.

My neck, wrists, fingers, knees… all were stiff, as if the body parts were competing for sympathy.

Such competition is remarkably difficult.

“Ah.”

Stretching, I noticed that there was paint all over my hands and arms. I had been careful, but somehow it ended up like this.

“Jane, could you bring some bathwater?”

Jane had been knitting behind me while I was drawing, nodded and got up from her seat.

After checking the painting again as I stood up, I casually took off the apron.

Aiden had been sitting in his place behind me all this time.

Looking up from the drawing I was lost in, he raised his gaze to look at my face. As I shrugged, he chuckled.

I turned my head to look out the window.

The sky was dark. I started drawing after dinner, and before I knew it, it was already night.

I unintentionally made Jane and Aiden work overtime without realizing the time.

I’ll have to make up for this later. I hated overtime the most. Even if time passed, being asked to work extra hours felt like I was going to die. The company’s rules were to be followed, but if I couldn’t go to the hospital on time, my family… The past is in the past. Let’s not think too deeply about it.

“I should take a shower and go to bed now, Aiden. Sorry for keeping you so late. You go rest now.”

As I spoke quietly, Aiden nodded. There was no sign of tiredness in his faintly blossomed smile.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you draw in person, Miss.”

“Oh, really. I guess so.”

Well, I did tell him that my hobby was drawing, but this is the first time he’d seen it in person.

When I affirmed, Aiden slowly stood up.

“It was enjoyable just watching you. I didn’t even realize it was night. Well then, good night.”

Aiden smiled again, his bright blond hair sparkling in the light.

I continued to gaze at him until he turned his back and left the room. Once Aiden’s footsteps were completely out of the room, he turned to look at me.

Like a large dog waiting for something.

Staring into his green eyes fixed on me, it occurred to me that I had forgotten something he was waiting for.

“Goodnight, Aiden.”

Only then did Aiden close the door. I stood there absentmindedly, staring at the closed door, and then wriggled my fingers.

I don’t know, it just…. felt a little ticklish.

While I was absentmindedly fidgeting with my fingers, Jane came out of the bathroom. I looked at her somewhat surprised, as if I had been caught red-handed.

She must’ve checked the bathwater, as her hands and feet were wet.

“Jane, why don’t you go now? I’m sorry I kept you back for too long today.”

As Jane wiped her hands with a towel, she smiled gently. It was a clear and genuine smile.

“I’m okay. Thanks to you, I had a leisurely time knitting. And the bathwater hasn’t finished yet.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it. I can at least turn off the tap.”

Jane hesitated for a moment, glancing at the bathroom as if contemplating. When our eyes met for the third time, I nodded vigorously, and only then did she leave the room.

After a quick glance around the empty room, I headed straight to the bathroom.

I turned off the tap where warm water was flowing out, and hung a towel nearby.

Come to think of it, one of the good things about this world might be magic, especially the magical items developed for practical use. Of course, they might be expensive, but…convenience is something you buy with money in any world.

No matter where I go, the nature of the world remains unchanged. A dirty world.

Even the warm water flowing from the tap and the canal drawing water from the river and purifying it were all products of magical items.

If it weren’t for these, adapting and living in this world would have been much more difficult.

Reflecting once again on the importance of the bathtub, tap, and the wizard’s role, I undressed and stepped into the tub.

I enjoyed the warm atmosphere in the bathroom. Submerged in such warm water, one could forget about the day’s fatigue.

“Hoo….”

I released a deep breath and slowly closed my eyes. Through the rising bubbles, the image of a familiar face came to mind.

I submerged my face into my palms that I had spread wide open and then pressed my face into the water.

One, two, three.

When I felt suffocated and my face began to feel hot, I roughly lifted my torso.

“Puha.”

Pull yourself together, Selena.

It felt like I had been soaking in the bathtub for a good twenty minutes. It seemed like it was time to get out. If I stayed any longer, my mind would become fuzzy.

My current mental state was enough.

Dazed, tingling, hazy. Well, it’s sufficient for now.

Finally, I scooped water with my hands and splashed it over my exposed upper body. I repeated this action several times.

“….A mole?”

There was a mole on the left side of my chest that I hadn’t noticed before.

Was this mole always here? Upon closer inspection, the shape of the mole was somewhat peculiar.

Slightly… an oval shape.

When did this new mole appear? I examined the mole with my index finger, then suddenly stood up.

Oh, did I bathe for too long? I felt dizzy.

* * *

“I can bathe by myself.”

“But, Miss… Today is the party day…”

Jane hesitated as she held the fragrance oil.

That cheeky little rascal. Knowing that Jane’s hesitation was not sincere, I firmly shook my head.

“It’s not going to be a grand party. You know I don’t like others bathing me. I’ll let you do it without refusal when there’s a big party. Today, I’ll bathe myself.”

As I expressed my refusal again, Jane yielded first, offering the fragrant oil as she looked at the bathroom and then at me one after another.

“You’re kind.”

“Not really. I’m just a poor servant who bows down to power.”

What a metaphor.

It’s an amazing metaphor. No, it’s not a metaphor, it might be the truth.

Anyway, in this world, there’s no servant other than Jane who pouts because she can’t bathe the Miss she serves. I shrugged my shoulders, pretending not to notice, and headed to the bathroom.

After bathing alone, the preparations went smoothly. Since it was originally a casual party, I decided to wear a simple dress in accordance with the light atmosphere.

“How about earrings and a necklace?”

Looking at the jewelry box placed on the table, I glanced into the mirror. As the dress was simple, I thought it would be nice to wear at least one accessory.

“Earrings with these pearls… and for the necklace…”

For the necklace… I raised my hand to touch my neck. Looking at the empty neck in the mirror, I shook my head.

“Forget the necklace.”

Although I acted as if nothing was wrong, the memory of that day was exceptionally vivid.

The cold touch of the stone as soon as I woke up, the voice echoing ominously, the red eyes under my eyes, and the slender fingers squeezing my neck.

Everything was vivid.

Especially the pain when my neck was squeezed.

I probably wouldn’t be able to wear a necklace for a while. After looking at the necklace, I ran my finger over the ring on my little finger.

The magic ring with the green gem had already lost its potency, but I continued to wear it just for peace of mind. When I touched the ring, the warm wind that used to support my back would come to mind.

It made me feel strangely calm. I didn’t know why.

Maybe it was because Aiden came to save me that day.

After finishing my dressing and giving my clothes a final check, a knock sounded through the door. When I gave the invitation to come in, Aiden appeared.

Aiden was dressed in a uniform, and Jane, who saw his uniform for the first time, exclaimed, “Oh, my, you look so good in it!”

Aiden pretended to be unaffected by the praise and gave his thanks, but his ears were tinged with red.

Anyway, it was cute.

Observing the two people who looked like playful puppies, I slowly got up.

“Let’s go now, Miss.”

As I stood up, Aiden reached out to me. I lightly placed my hand in his, and we left the room.

‘You look so good in it…’

Even until the end, Jane’s voice lingered behind me.

“Something… feels strange.”

“What?”

Aiden, who was walking stiffly, opened his mouth. When I lightly answered, Aiden’s gaze quickly met mine and then dropped.

“Regardless of the party, Miss has always been escorted by Sir Lucas, right?”

“Come to think of it, yes. That’s true.”

Actually, calling it an escort for today’s party is a bit funny.

However, I didn’t insist on telling this story. I didn’t want to.

The garden leading to the banquet hall had several branches, and most people were crossing the main path.

Aiden and I strolled through the quiet garden where there were no people.

The garden was silent, except for the distant noise.

As it was almost early winter, the wind touching my face was chilly. Although I had a shawl on my shoulders, I huddled a bit in the air passing through my forearms.

“Are you cold?”

“A little.”

As I replied, Aiden abruptly stopped in his tracks. Slowly unbuttoning his outerwear, he draped it over my shoulders, enveloping me in his warmth.

I stared blankly at Aiden. He, who had been tidying his clothes with a serious expression, smiled in satisfaction. What could be so satisfying?

But before all those questions could erupt, a smile appeared on my lips as well.

Since the end of the subjugation, I found myself smiling more often. I was surprised that I could be such a frequent smiler….

As we continued to walk quietly, a voice called me suddenly from behind.

__