(Charlotte side)
I already knew that Hime-sama wouldn't stay here for long, but still, my chest felt tight.
Before I arrived, the villagers told me that there was a group of people who often attacked this village and took the food supplies stored in the village warehouse.
Because of that, they were always very cautious, making sure every action they took wouldn't be noticed by those people.
Since I was already here, I decided to capture them. This definitely wouldn't be difficult for me.
And just as expected, I managed to defeat everyone who had been troubling the villagers all this time.
I wouldn't punish them, but leave it to the village chief to deal with them.
Because of that, I realized that this village I lived in needed a guardian.
—
Then, on the day Hime came, I was in the city at first, buying some ingredients I would use for cooking later.
It had become a routine for me to go to the city and buy ingredients.
When I returned and arrived in front of the house, I was surprised to see a man and two women standing in front of my house.
Who are they? I muttered. One of the women knocked on my door, as if she wanted to visit.
Don't tell me they want to take over my house?!
"I'm the owner of this house… who exactly are you looking for?" I said.
If they really had such intentions, then I would have no choice but to drive them away by force.
I couldn't let my family's house be taken by people who didn't even understand the feelings of its owner.
Even though my family had long left this village, and no one knew where they went, I still wouldn't allow it.
"Charlotte…" the woman who knocked on the door earlier called my name.
Wait a moment, I felt like I had met that woman before.
Her voice sounded like the one I had heard long ago. Even though her appearance had changed so much, somehow nothing felt different about her.
She was still the same as before, her voice gentle and capable of moving my heart.
"T-that voice… Hime-sama?" I asked.
The woman immediately shed some tears, and that meant…
—
Hime-sama ran toward me and hugged me tightly.
There was no mistake, this was truly Hime-sama…
Before I realized it, I was drowning in the same sadness that made me cry with her.
Our last parting hadn't gone smoothly, because I had been expelled from the kingdom.
Back then, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to Hime-sama.
I also always thought she must hate me, but I was completely wrong.
How could someone who hated me cry when we reunited?
——
Hime-sama said that the three of them were a party formed when they first met in Necvalion.
I wasn't too interested in Yuu-chan, because she already looked very kind and surely had a close relationship with Hime.
Her appearance wasn't that of a cheap woman or anything like that, so Yuu-chan must be a girl similar to Hime-sama.
Then, about that man… Hime-sama called him Yukito-san, but why should I be polite to a man standing beside Hime-sama?
Since long ago, Hime-sama had not been allowed to be close to men, until she suddenly reached the age where she was eligible for marriage.
So, I had to know who this man actually was, and surely he had some hidden intentions he kept from Hime-sama.
——
On the night when both of them disappeared, Hime-sama looked extremely panicked and couldn't sit still and wait.
In the end, she asked for my help to track their whereabouts.
I was immediately shocked because there were two people under a cliff on a hill not far from this village.
When I told her this, she immediately grabbed a lantern and rushed out of the house.
Not wanting to be left behind, I also grabbed another lantern and went out with her.
Since she didn't know the roads in this village, I walked in front.
Of course, we weren't walking leisurely; we ran as fast as we could with the help of some skills.
I hoped it wasn't them.
But all this time, no villager had ever been under the cliff at night.
They knew many wild animals roamed around and could attack them at any time.
And if they weren't afraid of those animals, then the only options were: they wanted to defeat the animals, or they were lost and accidentally ended up there.
——
We arrived at the top of the cliff on the hill. Hime-sama tried to look down, but she couldn't see anything because it was covered by thick fog.
"Follow me," I said to make Hime-sama come with me again.
I had entered this forest before and had stopped under that cliff as well. I hoped it wasn't too late!
—
When we reached the bottom of the cliff, we found a man and a woman whose bodies were close together, trying to warm themselves.
There was no mistake, it was Yukito and Yuu-chan.
"I'll return to the village and call for help!" I said, running as fast as I could.
I could've walked normally, but Hime-sama's expression when she saw their condition looked like someone afraid of losing something precious.
It seemed like I needed to know more about the relationship between Hime-sama and Yukito.
——
Hearing my words, the villagers immediately rushed to the bottom of the cliff and carried Yukito and Yuu-chan back to my house.
They didn't expect that the two of them would end up under a cliff like that.
One villager said that lately there had been many landslides, which made everyone uneasy. And who would've thought it would happen to them?
Fortunately, I had two beds in my house. If not, one of them would have had to lie on the floor.
After both of their bodies were lying on the beds, Hime-sama stayed by Yukito-san's side.
From Hime's expression, I could feel how deeply she worried.
——
The next morning, Yuu-chan had already woken up. She said her body felt much better. But Yukito was the one who still hadn't regained consciousness.
Hime-sama felt very relieved and immediately hugged Yuu-chan as soon as she woke up.
——
Then, after Yukito woke up and we finished breakfast, Hime-sama and Yuu-chan went to the city to look for transportation back to the kingdom.
They couldn't stay here for too long, and I couldn't force them.
I chose to sit in front of the house, enjoying the refreshing air that made me feel at ease.
Until suddenly, Yukito sat beside me and asked why I refused Hime's offer to return to the kingdom's main forces.
I was confused about what words I should say to him.
And somehow, he managed to make me tell him what I truly wanted.
I had never dealt with someone like him, and it seemed I didn't need to ask what kind of relationship Yukito and Hime-sama had.
From our conversation just now, I already knew what kind of person Yukito was.
——
After the two of them returned, Yuu-chan chose to stay outside with Yukito, while Hime and I stayed inside.
We just wanted to talk one last time for the day, and at the end of the conversation, I whispered something into her ear.
"Hime-sama, I think Yukito is perfect for you." I said.
I thought she would feel bothered or try to say something else.
But… she went silent, and her ears turned red. At that moment, I immediately realized that they truly suited each other.
——
"Safe travels, Hime-sama," I said while waving at the three of them.
I knew we only met for a short time, but I believed that from now on we could stay together for a very long time.
Perhaps not as friends or master and servant, but as people who needed one another.