123 – Scene 123# coward
*
When the door opened, light leaked into Wendy’s dark room.
He thought he would just leave if he made sure she wasn’t there, but Tristan didn’t.
Tboob.
Hearing the footsteps approaching, Wendy held her breath.
Tboob.
Soon, the footsteps stopped in front of the closet where she was hiding.
As if he had already expected her to be here.
“… … .”
Wendy closed her eyes tightly.
But what she heard was neither yelling nor scolding.
“Well done.”
“… ?”
That was it.
As if nothing else was needed, Tristan said nothing more.
He just left those words and turned around and tried to leave the room.
Surprised, Wendy hurriedly opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry. Count… .”
At her words, Tristan stopped in front of the door.
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
“Disappointment… let me do it… .”
Tristan closed the door and came to the closet.
“I am not disappointed in you.”
Thinking about the meaning of the words, Wendy soon felt intimidated.
Tristan hadn’t expected anything from her in the first place.
So that’s why I’m going to say it like that.
“U-isn’t it?”
Tears welled up in Wendy’s eyes again.
“I, that kind of person dares to be number one… . No, that’s nonsense… . sorry. I’m sorry. hehehe… . I don’t even know my subject… .”
“It’s not like that.”
“Yes… ?”
“Since you entered the school, there has been nothing disappointing about what you have shown me. You always showed the appearance of my exclusive maid.”
It was a cold voice as usual.
“You have been trying to look like that. Isn’t it?”
“Yeah… .”
“So that was a good thing.”
Wendy could read kindness in that voice.
And she also vaguely understood that he was comforting her now.
“Sniff… . Me, really?”
“yes.”
“… really good job… It’s me?”
“yes. Well done.”
“First place… Couldn’t you?”
“I heard it was second place. If that’s the case, you’ve done well.”
“… What if you came third?”
“Even if you finish last, I will tell you that you did well.”
“I, really? Really? sniff.”
“Of course. Even if you get some punishment.”
“Hey?! Burr, do you want to be punished?!”
Wendy, who was taken aback by those words, suddenly realized.
I only exchanged a few words with Tristan, but I was out of my depressed mood.
“… Anyway, I’m here to tell you this.”
I heard Tristan grabbing the wardrobe handle.
“But are you planning on never showing your face to me?”
“That, that… . It’s because I don’t have a face to see the Count right now… .”
Wendy tried to catch her from the inside so she couldn’t open the door, but it was too late.
The closet door slid open.
“Hey, hey! Bo, can’t you see! don’t look… !”
Wendy quickly covered her face with her clothes.
Because I couldn’t show him my face that was a mess from crying.
Seeing this, Tristan entered the closet without a word. And just closed the door.
“If you do this, you won’t be able to see your face.”
It was possible because it was a closet big enough for two people to fit in.
It wasn’t wide, though, so Tristan’s voice could be heard very close.
“Wendy. Raise your head.”
“That, but… .”
“How long are you going to upset your master?”
“Ugh… .”
When Wendy cautiously raised her head, Tristan’s face was only outlined in the darkness.
“… !”
Then, his hand touched her cheek.
“You still have a lot of tears.”
“I’m sorry…”
Tristan’s fingers wiped the tears from Wendy’s eyes.
I had forgotten about him because of his androgynous appearance, but he was also a man.
It was a large, sturdy hand compared to hers.
As Wendy placed her face in that hand, she suddenly remembered that she had bitten his arm the other day.
“Stir. Count… .”
“Why is that?”
“Pa, your arm is fine… ?”
“… Check it out for yourself.”
Wendy’s hand touched Tristan’s arm. He stretched out his arm to her.
Something touched the tip of her finger that was caressing her forearm.
“scar… ?”
When I touched it, I knew right away.
A scar remained on her arm, from which she had bitten as hard as she could.
“You won’t be able to see it.”
“Why, why didn’t you treat me… ? You should have been able to erase the scars… .”
“I forgot.”
“Yeah…?”
Tristan replied indifferently.
“I was busy and forgot to treat it.”
“… … .”
“I don’t remember anything about me.”
“cook… . What is that…sniff.”
Tristan’s shameless attitude made Wendy cry instead of laughing.
I felt guilty and sorry for something.
His kindness was the fuse.
“In fact, number one… I wanted to. Whoa… .”
In the dark, Tristan quietly wiped her tears.
“Yeah, I worked hard… . black… . I worked really hard… .”
“Know.”
“Hey… . I was afraid that the Count would be disappointed.”
“Even though I was disappointed, I was not disappointed. On the contrary, it can be very sad for you.”
“Black… . That’s right. It was a pity. I was so sorry… . Whoa… .”
I’m glad the darkness covered my face.
Otherwise, I would have had to show Tristan the face that was covered in tears and snot.
When Wendy, who had been crying so much, calmed down a bit, Tristan opened her mouth.
“Wendy.”
“Yeah… .”
“At that time, you were braver than anyone else. What you did was something no one else could have done.”
Come to think of it, Lili-sama said the same thing.
Thanks to the sacrificial figure he showed then, he was qualified to undergo the hero’s ordeal.
But her birth may also have played a role.
“Maybe it’s because the blood of the hero flows in me… ?”
Curious, Wendy asked cautiously.
“It doesn’t matter anyway.”
Tristan shook his head.
“It’s just that, Wendy, you were brave.”
“… … .”
Come to think of it, even after learning that she was descended from a hero, Tristan treated her the same way as before.
I felt grateful to him for looking at her without prejudice.
But… .
“… Thank you for looking good. But I’m not as brave as the Count says. Me, I’m a stutterer and a crybaby… . You are a coward… .”
“To be honest, I prefer you to be a coward.”
“Yes?”
It was dark in the closet, and Tristan’s face was hard to see.
“I wish you were still a coward. No, I hope you are mean. Then I will never risk my life to fight for someone again… .”
Wendy could feel his sincerity in his eyes, which she hadn’t been able to show so far.
“If you are afraid, run away. And be sure to come back to me.”
“Count… .”
“It is more important to me that you come back to me alive. In front of that reason, both courage and the blood of a warrior are meaningless.”
Hearing his earnest sincerity, Wendy’s heart skipped a beat.
“Why is the Count being nice to me?”
Wendy squeezed her beating heart as if it was out of order.
If I don’t do that, I think I’ll pour out all the words in my heart.
“Why are you always nice to me?”
“Didn’t you tell me? Because you are precious.”
Tristan added quietly.
“Without you, I don’t deserve to exist.”
“Me too… !”
As soon as those words were finished, Wendy was thrown into Warak Tristan’s arms.
“The Count… It’s precious… ! It’s important! You are the most precious person in the world to me… ! Without the Count, I… !”
Wendy said, hugging his neck as hard as she could.
“I have no reason to live… .”
“… Troublesome guy.”
Suddenly, the closet door opened slowly. Right after that, Wendy’s body flashed into his mind.
“Kya?! Count?!”
Wendy, held by Tristan like a princess, was gently lowered onto the bed.
Putting her down, he wiped his hands and said.
“Go to bed early today. I have somewhere to go with you tomorrow.”
“Yes? with me?”
“yes.”
Wendy, who was about to ask where she was going, kept her mouth shut.
Tristan was uncharacteristically hesitant.
“Wendy. Listen carefully to what I am saying.”
“Yes? Yes…”
“At that time, I don’t know why you made such a wish… .”
Tristan, who was speechless, cleared his throat once.
“I can grant everything else, but I can’t grant you the wish you said.”
“wish… What?”
“yes. Even if I didn’t win first place, I thought I would grant your wish from the beginning.”
“… hick?! Stand, can’t you?!”
Only then did Wendy realize what Tristan was talking about.
“That, I couldn’t hear it and went to sleep… ?!?!”
“… At least I’ll think about it again when you’re an adult. so… .”
At that moment, Wendy’s forehead felt a soft touch.
“For now, be satisfied with this.”
“Huh… … ?”
Realizing that it was the touch of her lips, Wendy froze in shock.
Tristan, who was leaving her like that, threw a word before closing the door.
“Then sleep well. Desperate Princess.”