Chapter 46
I kept my eyes wide open.
Why? Because my brain had gone numb and I forgot how to close them.
Just as Ruan’s face and mine were about to touch—
“Puh-hah.”
Ruan’s laughter broke the silence.
“W-What… what is… this just now?!”
“Haha… no, it’s just that Zoe’s face looked so serious.”
“What?! Ruan just grabbed my face and came closer!”
“Well, there was this stuck to your face. Sorry if it startled you.”
Ruan showed a single eyelash stuck to his hand and grinned mischievously.
I glared at him with eyes blazing with indignation.
This cheeky eighteen-year-old! Does he think he can show off?
Daring to tease a goddess-like elder sister? You… you…! No way.
Steam rose from the top of my head as I stared at Ruan fiercely.
Ah… the target is Ruan’s shin. Position confirmed.
“Oh, I see… you were trying to remove the eyelash…”
I smiled slightly and slowly approached Ruan. Then—
“Oh my, Ruan. There’s a bug stuck here!”
Thwack!
Using that brief moment of distraction, I unleashed a furious kick.
“Zoe…? Aaaah!”
Ruan clutched his shin and collapsed to the ground.
Mission complete. A perfect kick, without any unnecessary flourish.
“That’s too much. With so much force…”
Ruan, having personally experienced a perfect kick worthy of ten points, spoke with a pout, clearly feeling wronged.
“So, don’t mess with me from now on.”
I lifted one corner of my mouth in a sly grin toward Ruan.
A fitting punishment for teasing someone older. This audacious eighteen-year-old.
“Zoe, Ruan! Come down for dinner!”
“Yes, Sophia! I’ll be right down!”
I heard Sophia calling from below. Using my strength earlier had worked up my appetite.
I hurried to shake Ruby, who was fast asleep on Sophia’s bed.
“Ruby, wake up. Time for dinner!”
“Hiyuuu… R-Rice?! I love rice!”
I shot another glare at the still-dazed Ruan and went down to the kitchen with Ruby.
“Zoe, is it comfortable?”
“It’s so soft! And it smells nice too…”
The white pillow Sophia handed me smelled like sun-dried, cozy cotton.
Laying my head on the soft pillow brought peace to my dizzy mind.
“Really? I’m glad. It’s the first time someone’s stayed at my house…”
“It’s perfect… I feel like I could fall asleep any second.”
Truly, it felt amazing…
Sophia had made warm potato soup for dinner, knowing I’m not suited to a meat-heavy diet, and it was so delicious I emptied three bowls without a second thought.
Full from overeating and cozy on the pillow, sleep came naturally.
“But… Zoe.”
“Ne-ee…”
I answered slowly as my body relaxed, and Sophia smiled, tidying the blankets and lying down next to me.
“Zoe… you’re a noble, right? Is it really okay if I call you by your name? Should I call you ‘Miss Zoe’ or something…?”
Sophia hesitated, worried because of the full name on my merchant registration.
“Ah, it’s fine. We’re friends, no need for ‘Miss’.”
“Still…”
“If you keep hesitating, I’ll use formal speech too. Sophia.”
“No…! Okay. But please, only when it’s just the two of us.”
Sophia seemed very concerned about the eyes of others.
Honestly, I’m a fallen noble anyway; why would that matter so much?
“Alright… if it makes you comfortable, I don’t mind.”
“Hehe, yes! Zoe, you really… are different from other nobles.”
“…Really?”
I suppose coming from a non-hierarchical society, titles don’t bother me, but in this world, class distinctions are clear, so I might seem eccentric to Sophia.
“Hmm… so tasty…”
“Oh, Ruby, even after eating so much meat earlier, are you dreaming of more?”
Ruby had polished off 2kg of meat alone.
I watched Ruby curl up and mutter in her sleep, then poked her rounded belly.
“Kyuuwu…”
“Sorry, Ruby. Okay, sleep now.”
Since we have a long journey tomorrow, it’s best to rest.
I thought about visiting the market before leaving to grab all the meat from the stalls.
“Oh, right. Sophia. About Lunatis… actually, Fiona—”
“Mm-hmm. Yes, I know.”
“You knew? Was there a misunderstanding with Lunatis because of Fiona?”
“No, not really… but when I lost consciousness in the basement, I dreamed of a cat—no, Lunatis.”
Thanks to Lunatis’ dream ability, Sophia and Lunatis had resolved past entanglements in the dream.
“I see… glad the misunderstanding is cleared.”
“Hehe, yes. It’s all thanks to you, Zoe. Because of you, I even learned the cat’s name is Lunatis.”
Sophia held my hand tightly, smiling brightly.
“Oh, it’s nothing. So, do you plan to stay with Lunatis from now on?”
“That would be nice… but Lunatis was hurt because of me, so I’ll wait patiently until those wounds fully heal. I can wait as long as needed.”
Sophia’s brown eyes sparkled as she spoke.
I’ve always thought Sophia is truly kind, thoughtful, and gentle, despite being only seventeen.
People who love animals aren’t bad at heart.
“It’s lucky that Lunatis met you among so many people, Sophia.”
“Oh my… I feel the same. And I’m glad I met you, Zoe.”
“I also… feel that coming to this village was the right choice.”
I thought to myself, glad to be in this world with kind Ruan and Sophia, and adorable magical beasts.
While Zoe and Sophia were sound asleep—
“Count Lasben, I’m going to remove you from the merchant association president position.”
“I-I’m sorry! Your Grace… Aaahhh!”
Screams of agony echoed in Count Gestaf Lasben’s office.
Lucian stomped on the count’s head as he lay crumpled on the floor.
“See? You should’ve taken it easy when you had the chance. Embezzlement, trafficking of natural monuments… the list never ends.”
“Master, I’ve also found documents related to slave trading.”
Ivan, vice-commander of the Chevalier 1st Division under the Penlister Duke House, handed Lucian a thick bundle of documents.
“Slave trading… You know, Count, this is a capital offense even without the emperor’s order.”
He drew his sharp sword from its sheath, the cold steel grazing the count’s skin.
Count Lasben panicked, stammering.
“I-I-I! It’s… I lost… the investment funds at the gambling house… If you forgive me just this once, I, Gestaf, will become Your Grace’s loyal dog…!”
“Hmm… seems dogs these days even send assassins for their masters.”
Lucian cut him off with a smirk. He had already dealt with two assassins who had been lying in wait near Sophia’s residence.
“H-How… how could you…? N-No, that’s not it…”
Count Lasben’s face turned paler and paler, like snow in the mountains.
“No need to hear more. Goodbye, Count.”
Lucian raised his sword high for execution.
At that moment, the desperate count shouted in the office:
“W-Wait! The… pink-haired girl!”
Lucian paused, surprised by the familiar hair color mentioned.
Seizing the brief opportunity, the count immediately got up, kneeled, and prostrated himself before Lucian.
“If you let me go this time, I’ll tell you the secret of that pink-haired girl who was with Your Grace!”
“A secret?”
