Chapter 25: Searching for the Invisible Star
“Lisette-sama, I have brought your meal.”
Since then, how many days have passed? In this space, there are no windows or clocks, and the sense of time has completely disappeared.
Ralph brings me meals three times a day, but my daily routine has become irregular, and I can’t even tell if what I’m eating now is breakfast or dinner.
Once, I asked him what day it was, but he only replied, “Lisette-sama, please don’t worry.” There’s even a bath here, and everything is provided. That’s why Ralph never tried to take me out of here.
Where exactly is this place? Ralph always brings warm meals, so maybe it’s near the Marquis’s mansion.
“Please, could you eat a little more?”
“. . .I have no appetite.”
Even though I know that I’ll be in trouble without physical strength, in this situation, I can’t possibly have any appetite. Ralph looked troubled and gazed at me with a deeply sad expression.
“Just one more bite.”
Saying that, he brings the spoon to my mouth. If I open my mouth slightly, he gently inserts it, and if I manage to chew and swallow somehow, Ralph smiles happily.
How long will this kind of life continue? What are Nadia, Saintess-sama, and Melvin doing now?
The questions never end, but he won’t give me any answers.
“. . .Hey, Ralph. Let’s stop this. I’m really sorry for disappearing on my own. I promise I won’t do it again. Let’s go together to where Saintess-sama and the others are.”
Even when I earnestly plead while staring into Ralph’s eyes, he quickly averts his gaze and remains silent.
Eventually, Ralph clinged to my waist, as if desperately holding on. The chain attached to the ankle restraint rattled.
Since coming here, he has started touching me like a child.
It’s my fault that he ended up like this. Even though I knew he would oppose it, I should have talked to him.
But the main reason I didn’t do it was that I knew myself. If he were to say “I don’t want to” I would surely no longer want to die. I ran away from Ralph.
I gently reached out to Ralph’s soft silver hair. He raised his face in surprise, then a look that seemed on the verge of tears appeared on his face.
“. . .Lisette-sama, I love you.”
And so, today as well, I spent this terribly quiet and uncertain time with him in this room.
❂❂❂❂❂❂
“Good morning, Lisette-sama.”
“. . .Mm.”
It seems like I fell asleep again. My body feels incredibly heavy. I feel like my mind is becoming less and less functional compared to before.
Ralph, who was sitting next to me, has changed into formal attire without me noticing, and it seems like he’s going to work outside now.
“I might be late, so I’ll leave two meals for you. If anything happens, I’ll come back immediately.”
I nodded slightly, and Ralph smiled in relief.
Surely, he hardly gets any sleep. Except for when he has his duties as a hero, he’s always here. And it seems like he quietly returns after I fall asleep.
During that time, he handles paperwork, and he probably comes here by the time I wake up. Even if I’m concerned about his body, he only smiles and says, “It’s okay,” without accepting my concerns.
Eventually, Ralph lovingly stroked my cheek and said, “I’ll be going,” Then he left the room.
“. . .”
Being alone, I ate a little of the meal he prepared for me and sat on the bed, leaning my back against the cold wall.
He also prepared books and sewing tools, but I can’t bring myself to be in that kind of mood.
──What will happen to me and him when my 20th birthday comes? I couldn’t even imagine a future where both of us are safe, it’s so sad.
As I sat there, hugging my knees and thinking about such things, suddenly, sparks crackled in the air. When I quickly raised my head, I saw a familiar red hair in my field of vision.
“. . .Why are you here?”
As soon as he saw me in the cell, Melvin furrowed his brows. His gaze eventually shifted to my feet.
“Damn, Ralph went this far, huh? He’s really something.”
Looking extremely tired, Melvin said that and let out a deep sigh.
