#12 Winter and the Gift (1)
the winter wind blows
Usually, around this time of year, the temperature rises little by little, but this winter, the cold wave is particularly severe.
Thanks to that, the field froze up.
To make matters worse, heavy snow blew all over, paralyzing the estate.
It was a season of silence.
All the villagers often lived inside the house leaning on the fireplace.
At least, the small footprints left in the snow by the children of Yeongji laughing and laughing are the only signs of being noticed.
It was such a day.
“Lord! The cloak is complete!”
The cloak he ordered was completed by stealing the skin of the monster he had captured during the monster hunt the other day.
The jet-black hair gave off a shiny luster.
The texture is soft.
Elric smiled lightly, thinking of who would wear this cloak.
*
Elric’s behavior was a little different from usual because he thought he had to do something strange.
It’s been that way since breakfast.
“I don’t think I will be out of work for a while. It’s time for the entire estate to rest.”
Bread, bacon and eggs.
Even though it was a simple meal, unlike the other days, I didn’t eat well.
Elric just glanced at her and listened.
Thinking was also about the fur cape.
How should I convey this?
Shall I just wear it? If it’s not him, would it be condescending that he thought about it and made it?
I didn’t like either.
The former looked too indifferent, the latter because it looked too stale.
Elric wanted to be moderately condescending.
By doing so, I wanted to show that you care.
If you ask if it’s okay to say it directly, he has nothing to say.
It was embarrassing to put a reason behind it.
‘What should I do?’
Concern stemmed from the fact that in his life he had never had to give gifts to others.
When I was young, I was an immature youngster, and when I grew up, I was a murderer who stabbed others.
It was quite unfamiliar and difficult for him to convey gratitude or favor to others in the form of material things.
You will groan for a while.
Thanks to that, today’s nightmare was erased from my head pretty quickly.
“house owner.”
“Um, ah.”
“Today, you are especially dazed.”
“that… .”
Elric, who stretched out his words, burst into laughter and made excuses.
“The bed is a bit cold. Thank you.”
“I will tell you to open the stove stronger.”
“Thank you.”
In fact, the bed was hot.
When it gets hotter than this, then you won’t be able to sleep because of the temperature.
It seems that it is necessary to tell Aldio separately.
*
To say that there is no work is true, but for some reason, Tyria did not come to the office.
When I asked Aldio where she was, the answer came back.
“He is in the study. You are reading.”
Come to think of it, she was a woman who liked books enough to read an encyclopedia even when she was sick.
“Would you like to come?”
“I have nothing to do, so I will go read a book.”
“Are you a young boy? Books?”
Aldio made a face as if he had seen a ghost.
It’s been a long time since I left the battlefield.
Elric narrowed his eyes.
“Why do you look like that?”
“… Are you sick or not?”
Seeing him looking at every corner of his body as if he were genuinely worried made him scratch his insides.
But I couldn’t help but cry.
Even thinking to myself, Elric Portman and reading have never been in a relationship in my life, and it was a very heterogeneous combination that will not exist in the future.
“… I will go.”
Elric, who limply left his seat, arrived in front of the study as it was.
I could feel her presence from within.
I knocked on the door and the answer came back.
– Come in.
Moderately dignified and firm voice.
It was the tone of a servant.
Even though it was not uncommon to hear such a voice, the mere fact that the subject had become him made him feel unfamiliar.
Elric smiled and opened the door.
Then Tyria appeared.
“… house owner?”
She opened her eyes wide.
It was a different outfit than usual.
Round glasses were draped over his wide-open eyes. A brown shawl was wrapped around the comfortable dress, and her hair was braided back.
The fact that the hair below the ears is sticking out catches the eye for no reason.
“Why is the head of the house here?”
Like Aldio, she made a face as if she had seen a ghost.
Elric was upset for nothing, but he couldn’t show it.
However, I remembered that I would have to pretend to read a book in front of others from now on.
“I stopped by because my wife was here. There’s nothing to do, so it’s not boring.”
Elric went and sat beside her.
Fortunately, there were seats left as the sofa was getting bigger.
“By the way, what kind of glasses are these? Are your eyes bad?”
When I asked what she was curious about, she gave an “ah” sound.
“It is a magic tool.”
“hmm?”
“I received this as a gift from the princess during my last ascetic practice. They say it relieves eye fatigue.”
Ah, the arrangement of Elbus is returning visibly like this.
He remembered how the princess of Ferdin, who definitely liked tea parties, was interested in her.
“… Doesn’t it suit you?”
He seemed embarrassed.
Elric immediately shook his head.
“Look smart. I was just a little surprised that the atmosphere changed so much with just one eyepiece.”
“Well, I’m glad that’s the case.”
Before I knew it, Tyria’s book was covered.
I wondered what I was looking at, so I looked at the cover and it was a novel.
It is also a popular novel that goes around quite a bit in the private sector.
From noble mtl dot com
“Do you like these novels too? Surprisingly.”
“It’s good to kill time. I can see without thinking.”
“I thought a wife would read a history book or a collection of poems.”
As I giggled, Tyria answered quietly.
“I am reading periodically. However, culture is the domain of study, so I just don’t enjoy it in my spare time.”
“Good luck. It’s not that I’m not the only one who doesn’t have fun.”
“I know that the family head should read a little more.”
Elric stared blankly at Tyria.
is it a joke?
“Can I make a few recommendations?”
… It was no joke.
Aside from the pointless regret, I thought that I should really read the book at this point.
When I asked for recommendations, Tyria stood up and picked up several books without hesitation.
“hmm.”
It was a history book that would make you drowsy from the title.
“These are books that are often talked about in conversations with nobles. They’re easy, so you’ll learn them quickly.”
“I guess it was memorizing, not reading.”
“It’s easier that way than pretending to know. Understanding is much more difficult than remembering.”
sounds like elbus
I laughed at that, and Tyria tilted her head.
The figure was so dainty that it reminded me of the fur cloak again.
“Now, would you like to read it? I will help you.”
“Um, okay.”
Feeling hot for some reason, Elric stopped looking at her and turned his eyes to the book.
The letters were narrow.
Concentrating on it, I swallowed one letter at a time, and I started to pay more attention to the things around me.
Tack, Tack. The sound of the fireplace gnawing firewood.
The sound of her breath and the warm smell of her shawl.
And at every starting point, she said, ‘This is what it means.’
So, to put it simply,
“… .”
“… house owner?”
sleepy
*
For some reason, Elric opened his eyes belatedly to the cozy and warm smell.
The vision was strange.
I blinked and saw the ceiling and Tyria’s face.
The back of his head was soft, and for some reason, there was a curve in his clothes that obscured his vision.
I think with a blank and clear head.
‘Didn’t you have a dream?’
I mean, I fell asleep so deeply.
How long has it been since you slept this deeply?
When I realize it, my mind becomes very clear.
It was the moment when the eyes came back like that.
The visual information was finally put together and the current situation was reported to Elric.
“Are you awake?”
It was only belatedly recognized that he had been cutting her knee.
“Ugh!”
At the greeting, Elric jumped up in amazement.
Tyria said.
“Looks like you didn’t sleep well last night. I put it to sleep soon. Was it rude?”
No, excuse me.
“… no. I have no face.”
What a shame to fall asleep reading a book.
I felt rather fortunate to have said that I hadn’t slept well.
My face felt hot for no reason, so I looked at the clock and saw that two hours had passed.
Have you been using a lap pillow all this time?
The sensations in the back of the head start to bother me.
His gaze tried to reach her thighs. Besides that, it reminds me of the curve that blocked my view.
Cheeks get hotter.
‘Other thoughts… other thoughts… !’
Elric was getting his mind together.
“Shall we leave at once?”
At Tyria’s question, Elric looked out the window.
The snow had stopped.
When the dark clouds disappear, the sky is clear.
“You mean outside?”
“yes?”
“Oh, I guess I didn’t mean that.”
I just meant to leave the library.
It was the car I was about to nod my head at.
‘… for a moment.’
I had a good idea, perhaps because my clear head helped.
Come to think of it, didn’t you try to hand her a present today?
It just means that a good opportunity has arisen.
“ma’am.”
“yes.”
“How about getting some fresh air? To get rid of drowsiness.”
When I hinted at the topic, Tyria nodded.
It was a chance.