Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

In the end, I only manage to wake up and get about by late afternoon.

I seem to have slept more than half of the day away.

I don’t see Alfred in the room.

But I do see a piece of paper on the desk beside the bed, a pear fruit placed on top of it.

Written in big letters on the paper is “I’m going to the farm to deliver the herbs. In the meantime, just rest in the room. I’ll be back once I’m done with the delivery.”

Looks like Alfred temporarily left to complete an errand. And will return to the church after finishing his work.

Well… Because of that insolent blond, I don’t have the strength or energy to walk back to the mansion myself. And Shurio will only come and pick me up in the evening. So really, I have no other choice but to wait here.

But even though he told me to rest more, I’m already wide awake. I feel a little hungry too, so I decide to get up from the bed.

I sit up, covering my body with the quilt and sliding toward the edge of the bed. Then I put on my slippers and stand up. In the process, I stagger, causing me to place my hand on the desk to steady myself.

“…”

It is at that moment that I see the state of my chest and through the gap between the shirt, and… almost crouch in embarrassment.

Because numerous teeth marks and red hickeys litter my skin.

What in the world?!!!

He usually heals even the slightest cut on my body! And he checks very diligently and thoroughly! Why didn’t he heal these away too?! Why did he leave me like this?!

Surely he has a lot of ointments that he can use for this situation, right?!

I definitely can’t let Marie and the kids see this!!

When that wild beast comes back, I’ll definitely throw him the most severe punishment I can think of.

After I somehow recover from my shock, I walk to the door and open it. After seeing no one in the corridor, I rush into my room next door. I change to my clothes, then go down to the first floor.

Just as I expected, I see Marie in the dining room, sitting before the middle of the large table. Her usual routine.

She’s not writing today. Instead, she’s knitting something and humming happily at the same time, several colorful balls of yarn surrounding her.

Marie notices me the moment I step into the dining room and flashes me a smile. “Oh my! Lian-sama! Good morning. Is your body okay?”

“Uh, huh?!”

“Al told me to let you sleep since you weren’t feeling well…”

“Uhh… oh, I’m fine!”

“Really? That’s good then… Lian-sama’s always hard at work, so I’m sure you’ve been tired. Please don’t overdo it, okay? Seriously!”

“Y-yes…” I answer in earnest.

Marie nods. “Hehe. Ah yes, you should eat something. And I’m sure you’re thirsty as well, yes? I’ll go prepare something at once, so please take a seat. It’ll be ready in a while.”

“Thank you very much…”

This is really bad for my heart. I can’t calm down. I feel like running away.

I don’t think Marie or anyone else noticed anything about what… happened last night and… this morning, but still.

As I watch her rush to the kitchen, still humming, I wipe the sweat off my forehead and temple, press against my pounding heart, and exhale.

According to Marie, Alfred said he was going to the herb garden to retrieve some herbs, then he’d head to Cheddars’ Ranch to deliver it. And once he’s done with that, he’ll return to the church. Just like what he wrote in that note.

He also left me a message telling me to wait here.

In any case, Shurio won’t pick me up until evening. My original plan for today is to organize the documents for the goods I recently received and reaffirm my plans for the future at the mansion. But since that’s no longer possible, I decide to just take a break.

I’ll do my best to finish all that work later on once I get back to the mansion. Of course, I’m going to make that blond accompany me as well. He’s definitely getting overtime. He won’t be allowed to go home before I’m finished with everything. Prepare yourself, you brat.

After eating a late lunch, I start to wonder what I should do during this free time. Looking up at the clear blue sky, I come to a decision: to pay the grave a visit.

Today is a warm clear sunny day. A perfect day to visit a grave.

Read this at perpetualdaydreams.com

I tell Marie about this, to which she breaks into a smile and tells me she’s going with me.

We leave the dining room and walk toward the hill at the back of the church. Catching sight of us, the kids playing in the garden come running to us.

They ask me where we’re going, so I tell them that we’re visiting the grave at the hill. The kids answer that they’ll go with us too.

The little kids grab my and Marie’s hands and clothes, happily jumping and singing, “We’re going for a walk!” Well… Today really is a nice day. It’s a good day for a walk.

Decorating both sides of the road leading to the hill are fields of pale yellow and red flowers in bloom, the shape of the field similar to the cosmos.

As I walk along the path, I decide to pick some of the more beautiful flowers among them as an offering.

It looks like they’re in full bloom right now, so quite a lot of them look beautiful. With so many choices before me, I can take as many as I want.

The kids also help me in picking flowers. They even make a game out of it, saying that the person who picks the most beautiful flower is the winner. By the time Marie and I reach the cemetery, our arms are filled with flowers.

As I climb up the slope, Marie turns at me, looking anxious. “Lian-sama, is it really okay for you to move around already? You seem very wobbly… As I thought, maybe you should’ve stayed in bed longer…”

I involuntarily choke. “Ah, I-I’m fine!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I’m completely fine!”

Please. Don’t ask anymore, Marie. I’m so embarrassed that I want to die.

This is all Alfred’s fault, damn it.

It’s because he’s already so energetic even in the morning! When I already told him that my stamina’s the same as the average person!

I’ll never let him get his way again in the morning. Never again.

“Lian-sama, you definitely can’t force yourself, okay? Please take a proper rest when you have to.”

“Y-yes…”

Then two kids with round amber eyes and soft and wavy white hair reminiscent of cotton candy turn at me. In innocent tones, they say, “Ah! Lian-sama, your face is red!” “Wahh, Lian-sha red!”

They’re sisters who just came to the orphanage last week.

Apparently, their parents come from the south. They have a very healthy tan.

“They’re right. Maybe you have a fever… You’re staggering too. I really think you should go back to your room and take a re—”

“N-n-no!! I-I’m fine! I’m really fine! It’s just that… ah! It’s because today’s hot! It’s very hot, right?”

I beg you, please don’t insist on this topic any further! Otherwise, I’m really going to die from embarrassment!

When that Alfred comes back, I’m definitely going to smack his head as hard as I can. Make it so that it’s as powerful as one of Cheddar-san’s.