Chapter 08
What is going on?
Something about Rion felt… different.
I stretched out my hand, recalling the unfamiliar sensation.
Warm…
Yet strangely unsettling.
The feeling lingered all over my body.
“What on earth is he thinking?”
Closing my eyes, I let out a quiet sigh.
When did it start?
When did Rion begin looking at me differently?
No matter how many times I retraced my memories…
I couldn’t find where it had all begun.
Was bringing him home a mistake from the very beginning?
But if I’d left him there…
He would have been dragged away and abused by someone else.
Knowing that…
There was no way I could have ignored him.
“I should probably put a little distance between us.”
Even though he still couldn’t recognize other people…
For some reason, he seemed to be growing more attached to me.
I couldn’t think of any better solution.
If Rion became emotionally dependent on me…
That would be a disaster.
This wasn’t the future I’d wanted.
I stood up and rubbed my temples.
“What am I even worrying about?”
Once his soulmate crest appeared…
His attention would naturally drift away from me.
After enough time passed…
We would be separated.
And then…
He would forget me all over again.
Finding someone like me would be impossible.
I’m worrying over nothing.
Smiling bitterly, I shook my head.
Maybe I’d become too attached myself.
Otherwise…
Why would these useless thoughts keep filling my mind?
In the first place…
Rion only cared about me because I’d saved him.
Childish feelings like that never lasted forever.
I pulled my notebook from the drawer and checked the date.
“There really isn’t much time left.”
The tally marks carved into the wall had grown into neat rows.
Thirteen years old.
With each passing year…
The height difference between us grew larger.
Yet somehow…
The distance between our hearts had become smaller.
Will a soulmate crest appear for me too?
Will I also have someone destined for me?
I didn’t really expect it.
Honestly…
I doubted fate had prepared anyone for me at all.
It was ridiculous enough to imagine that someone as insignificant as me—
A side character with no important role in the novel—
Would have a destined future.
“Whatever.”
“What difference does it make who I end up with?”
By then…
I’d already be gone.
I planned to leave after watching Rion meet the novel’s heroine—
Zenis.
Of course…
I’d secretly keep an eye on him.
Hopefully…
Nothing would happen that forced me to reveal myself.
If my life were ever in danger…
I’d have no choice but to seek Rion out.
I had no intention of marrying someone I didn’t love.
Nor did I want to get caught in other people’s conflicts.
I simply wanted to live a quiet life.
I’ve saved enough money by now.
I should be able to leave and live comfortably.
The problem was…
I didn’t actually know how to do anything.
Seriously?
Even knowing the novel’s plot doesn’t help me at all?
My own uselessness left me feeling miserable.
Rolling around on my bed until I became wrapped in the blanket…
I slowly closed my eyes.
I’d secretly invested in a few things using my knowledge of the novel.
But it wasn’t enough.
I needed a more stable occupation.
A tea shop?
A dessert café?
…With these hands?
Please.
Then again…
Didn’t every novel heroine end up opening a café or bakery after running away?
Maybe…
If I actually tried…
It would work.
“No.”
“No, it wouldn’t.”
“I’m not the heroine.”
I quickly accepted reality.
After all…
The last time I’d tried baking a cake…
I’d burned it into charcoal.
At this rate…
I’d probably become famous as the fastest person in this world to bankrupt a bakery.
“Back then…”
“Even kind-hearted Rion nearly cried while apologizing.”
Thinking about the horrified expression on Rion’s face as he stared at the black lump I’d proudly called a cake…
I couldn’t help laughing.
He hadn’t been able to throw it away…
But he couldn’t bring himself to eat it either.
Watching him desperately struggle over what to do had secretly been adorable.
Maybe tomorrow…
I’ll try baking cookies instead.
Maybe I’d improved since then.
I was older now.
Surely it’d turn out differently this time.
Already…
I could almost imagine the smell of freshly baked cookies filling the air.
“Y-You’re going to bake cookies?”
Dyria stammered in disbelief.
I nodded confidently.
“Yep.”
“I felt like baking again.”
“Young Miss…”
“I know an excellent bakery.”
“Dyria.”
“I’m making them myself.”
My firm reply made her pupils tremble.
Standing beside her…
Rion quietly averted his eyes before slowly taking a step backward.
“Roselia…”
“I just remembered I have sword practice.”
Narrowing my eyes…
I watched him subtly try to escape.
“You don’t have any lessons today.”
“I already checked.”
“…It’s make-up training.”
“So…”
“You hate eating my cooking that much?”
“N-No!”
Rion frantically shook his head.
His wide eyes gave away the lie immediately.
Pretending not to notice…
I smiled.
“That’s okay.”
“I’ll make them by myself and bring you some later.”
“W-We should make them together!”
“I suddenly want to bake cookies too!”
His hurried reply made me shrug.
“Fine.”
“Sounds good.”
Hearing that Rion would be joining us…
Dyria quietly sighed in relief.
Apparently…
Everyone in the Count’s household already knew exactly how terrible my cooking skills were.
The head chef looked at me worriedly…
Then glanced toward Rion.
“Lord Rion will be helping as well?”
“Yes.”
“Roselia wants to do this.”
“So I’ll help.”
Rion stood beside me with a bright smile.
Rolling up my sleeves with determination…
I looked at the neatly prepared ingredients.
“Everyone has so little faith in me.”
“Just watch.”
Something about the head chef’s expression changed.
For the first time…
There was a hint of expectation in his eyes.
So where had all my confidence gone?
Instead…
I found myself struggling helplessly with a lump of sticky dough.
“…Rion.”
“It’s stuck to my hands.”
In the end…
I reluctantly asked the person beside me for help.
Rion glanced at my hands before stepping behind me.
“It’s all over you.”
His face suddenly appeared over my shoulder.
Feeling the firmness of his chest against my back…
My eyes widened.
When did he get this big?
Completely surrounded by his arms…
I stared blankly at his large hands as he carefully peeled the dough off my fingers.
He worked with practiced ease.
Then…
He gently took my messy hands and placed them under running water.
“Here.”
“Let’s wash them first.”
“…Okay.”
Before I knew it…
I was washing my hands while trapped inside his embrace.
Standing behind me…
Rion diligently cleaned every bit of dough from my fingers.
“Um…”
“I can wash them myself.”
“My hands are already dirty anyway.”
“So it’s fine.”
Rion didn’t move away until every trace of dough had disappeared.
“If you add a little more flour…”
“It won’t be this sticky.”
Watching my hopeless dough gradually become smooth and workable…
I stared in admiration.
As expected…
There’s really nothing Rion can’t do.
“Thank you.”
“At least thanks to you, the dough wasn’t a complete failure.”
“I only got good at this because of you, Roselia.”
“Hm?”
Tilting my head…
I looked at him.
As Dyria organized the ingredients…
She answered for him.
“Young Miss.”
“Don’t you remember?”
“You were always sneaking into the kitchen as a child, wanting to try all kinds of things.”
“Lord Rion suffered alongside you every single time.”
“…I did?”
“Of course.”
“Just think about how many cakes you burned.”
…That’s strange.
I could’ve sworn I’d only tried a few times.
Judging by the fact that Rion didn’t argue…
Dyria probably wasn’t exaggerating.
If that’s true…
Then I really have no talent at all.
A bitter smile crept across my lips.
Maybe…
This wasn’t the right career for me either.
“Still…”
“I think this batch will turn out well.”
At Dyria’s encouragement…
I nodded.
The dough had finally rested properly.
It looked perfect.
But…
That wasn’t because of me.
“So…”
“I’m really not suited for this either, am I?”
Seriously…
How am I supposed to make a living?
My future looked darker by the minute.
Wasn’t this a little unfair?
Was my character created without a single talent simply because I was destined to die later?
People always said everyone was born with at least one gift.
So…
Why didn’t I have one?
There wasn’t anyone I could even blame.
If I marched over to that menace Edgar and demanded to know why he’d given birth to me like this…
I’d probably be dead before sunset.
Maybe…
I should bake some cookies for him too.
Perhaps…
It wouldn’t hurt if we got along a little better.
I’d grown up quite a bit now.
Maybe he wouldn’t find me quite as annoying anymore.
We couldn’t ignore each other forever.
Wouldn’t it be worth trying to reform him, at least a little?
As I quietly pondered my relationship with Edgar…
Rion gently poked my arm.
“Roselia.”
“Do you want to work in baking?”
“If that’s what you want…”
“I’ll always help you.”
He must’ve thought I was upset because the cookies weren’t turning out the way I’d hoped.
Rion watched my expression far more carefully than he needed to.
He really didn’t have to.
“No, Rion.”
“I wanted to succeed on my own.”
“You’re already doing well enough.”
At his words…
I pressed my lips together.
You dummy.
Anyone can see that you’re the one doing all the work!
And what do you mean you’ll always help me?
You’re going to end up with the heroine someday.
Don’t say things like you’ll stay by my side forever.
That’s not fair.
He simply didn’t know his own future yet.
That’s why he could say things like that so easily.
“Rion.”
“You can’t always help me.”
“…You’re right.”
“I can’t.”
He answered quietly.
As though he’d already known what I was going to say.
After all…
I’d repeated those words to him countless times over the years.
We were family.
But someday…
We would have to part.
We were friends.
Nothing more.
That was the relationship we’d agreed upon.
Every day…
I reminded him.
When the time came…
He would have to leave.
Our paths were different.
And if he stubbornly refuses to go…
I’ll just have to run away myself.
I had no desire to get caught up with the heroine and die because of it.
If Edgar proved beyond saving…
I’d leave him behind without hesitation too.
“Well then…”
“Shall we start cutting out the cookies now?”
Sensing the awkward atmosphere…
Dyria handed both of us cookie cutters.
Without another word…
I rolled out the dough and began carefully cutting out cookies.
