TYWML 24

24. Rising Memories (2)
May 24, 2024

She spoke while walking slowly, matching pace with Cass.

“But that’s nothing to feel sorry about.”

“Hm?”

“You can always build up your stamina later. Besides, didn’t you say you’d be learning swordsmanship from my dad soon? Your stamina will grow fast. In six months, you might be able to run faster than me.”

Through the long bangs that nearly covered half his face, Cass’s blue eyes peeked through, sparkling with hope.

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course!”

Before they knew it, Riena had walked with Cass beneath the shade of a giant tree, her face bright with a smile.

“You can become a cool knight, just like my dad.”

Cass smiled carefully in return.

A nanny arrived a bit late and laid out a picnic mat in the shade, setting down the picnic basket.

Riena handed Cass a sandwich first, then took a big bite of hers.

Cass simply stared at his sandwich until she swallowed all the food in her mouth.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m really going to work hard from now on.”

Cass, who had always been timid, said this with surprising determination.

“Huh? Work hard at what?”

“Swordsmanship. Honestly, when the Count said he’d teach me, I was scared.”

“Why?”

“Because it hurts when you get injured. And swords are sharp and scary.”

“You worry too much.”

Riena dismissed it casually as she took another bite. Regardless, Cass continued seriously.

“Anyway, I’m going to ask the Count to start training me tomorrow. I’ll practice every day without skipping. I’ll build up my stamina, too. And then…”

“And then?”

When Riena gulped down another bite and asked, Cass lowered his head deeply.

The tips of his ears, poking out from under his black hair, were flushed red.

“And then… I’ll become a knight who protects you.”

Riena burst into laughter at his serious expression, finding it strange and unfamiliar.

“What’s this? Who’s protecting who here? You’ve got a long way to go before you can protect me.”

“I’m serious though…”

Riena held out her pinky finger to the gloomy Cass.

“Alright then. Let’s make a promise.”

“Huh?”

“That you’ll become a cool knight and protect me someday.”

Cass carefully hooked his pinky around hers.

“Okay!”

“Then eat up. The most basic part of training is eating well.”

“Got it! I can eat really well.”

“No picky eating either. I saw you not eating peas last time.”

“T-that was… I’ll try harder.”

From the next day, Cass devoted himself to swordsmanship training as if to keep that promise.

Lacking stamina, he often fell down just from running laps around the training grounds—but he never cried. He always got right back up and ran again.

While the nanny tended to his scraped knees, Riena sat beside him, blowing softly on the wounds.

“I won’t fall next time.”

“Good. Don’t fall. You hurt yourself again in the same spot. It might scar.”

“I don’t mind scars. Cool knights all have them.”

“Hmm… I guess you’re not wrong, considering my dad has a few big ones too. But you should still try not to get hurt.”

“Why?”

Riena grinned playfully.

“Because it’d be sad if you got scars on such a pretty face and body.”

Cass’s face turned red again.

“W-who’s pretty? You shouldn’t call boys pretty.”

“If a boy’s pretty, then he’s pretty. What’s the problem?”

“…If you say so.”

“Anyway, don’t get hurt.”

“Okay.”

Cass shyly but earnestly replied, making Riena burst into laughter.

“Say hi—this is Cass. Cass, this is my childhood friend Raul.”

Raul Verna had come to visit. With her two favorite friends in one place, Riena was thrilled.

But the two boys, meeting for the first time, didn’t seem too pleased with each other.

“Hey. I heard about you in her letters. Nice to meet you. I’m Raul Verna.”

“Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.”

Riena had expected them to be glad to meet each other, so their lukewarm responses surprised her.

Cass’s reaction made sense—though he had grown close to Riena over the past three months living at the Dyke estate, he was still shy around new people.

So it was only natural he’d be awkward around Raul.

What was unexpected was Raul’s attitude. He was usually outgoing and well-liked everywhere he went.

Riena had assumed Raul, being the social butterfly, would be the one to break the ice with shy Cass.

But even Raul seemed reluctant.

He even whispered to Riena with an awkward look on his face.

“Ria, I thought it would be just us playing today…”

“It is! The three of us playing together!”

“No, I mean… just you and me.”

“What? I told you I had a friend staying at the estate, and I said I’d introduce you next time!”

To make matters worse, Cass also tugged on her sleeve and mumbled:

“I want to play with you too. I don’t need a new friend.”

Riena rubbed her forehead.

“What’s with you two? It’s better if we all play together. I thought you two would become great friends.”

“Really?”

“…”

Placing her hands on her hips, she gave them a big smile.

“I think it’d be amazing if you both got along.”

When she smiled so sweetly, both boys exchanged glances and seemed to have a silent conversation.

After a moment, Raul grinned and said,

“Alright then. Let’s all play together.”

“I’m okay with that too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Mhm.”

Though their responses were a bit vague, Riena was too excited to notice.

They had lived with Cass for about six months now. His swordsmanship improved so quickly, even Count Dyke was surprised.

He had also grown taller—his eye level now clearly above Riena’s.

Not only that, but his previously frail body had gained strength and muscle.

And most of all—

“Come on! Why are you so slow?”

Cass dashed up the hill in one go without stopping. Riena ran hard but couldn’t keep up with his speed.

Cass reached the tree first and leaned against its trunk, triumphant.

“I win!”

Riena arrived slightly later, laughing beside him.

“You’re right—you won. Wow, you’ve really grown!”

Cass beamed proudly but also looked a little embarrassed.

“I’m going to keep working even harder.”

“Great! I’ll be watching to make sure you don’t slack off.”

The two kids snacked on what the nanny had brought and then flopped down on the picnic mat.

Spring flowers bloomed across the field, and they made flower bracelets and rings out of clovers.

“What’s that?”

Riena laughed at the messy flower bracelet Cass made.

Cass, flustered, tried to fix it, but it only got more crooked.

“Hold still.”

Riena put the bracelet she made on Cass’s wrist. It didn’t seem enough, so she added a flower ring to his ring finger.

Then she held out her hand to him.

“Huh?”

“Do mine too.”

“But mine looks awful compared to yours.”

“That’s fine. I still like it.”

Cass hesitated, but when Riena urged, “Come on!” he shyly put the bracelet on her wrist.

“It’s really not good…”

“No, it’s pretty. Now the ring too.”

Riena practically snatched the ring from him and flopped onto the mat. Cass lay down beside her, carefully.

As Riena stretched her hand toward the sky, admiring the ring and bracelet, Cass mumbled quietly,

“Next time, I’ll give you a prettier ring than that. One with jewels. My family has a lot of those.”

Riena grinned mischievously.

“Are you proposing to me right now?”

A year passed, and Riena turned eleven. She was starting to take an interest in sweet stories of love.

A few days ago, her friend Joanna—who was a couple years older—brought back a romance novel from the city.

The two girls huddled together and stayed up late reading.

The story of a beautiful princess and the prince who defeated a monster set their hearts ablaze.

Every time the two leads confessed their love, Riena and Joanna blushed, their hearts racing.

When they reached the final illustration of the couple’s wedding and their vow-kiss, they screamed,

“Kyaaah!!”

Of course, the nanny scolded them for staying up so late, and they returned to their rooms.

But Riena still remembered every detail of that story vividly.