A strange sensation brushed against my hand.
The faint morning sunlight was quietly seeping in through the window, softly coloring the room.
I barely lifted my heavy eyelids and looked around, and Flora’s sleeping figure came into view.
Her fingers were intertwined with mine, and the slight warmth still lingered on the back of her hand, as if she had been holding my hand all night.
I turned my head and stared at her face.
A beautiful face revealed through her slightly disheveled red hair, her lips gently closed,
and her breathing regularly.
I was afraid of breaking the innocent and peaceful appearance of a child, so I carefully tried to pull my hand away, but Flora’s eyelids trembled slightly.
The clear and vivid purple eyes slowly opened to me.
“Good morning, Peridot.”
Flora’s voice was warm and soft like sunlight.
“Did I wake you up?”
Flora blinked her eyes for a moment, thinking, and then smiled brightly and said.
“No.”
A strange feeling rose in my heart when I saw that smile.
Flora slowly got up and got out of bed.
“I should prepare breakfast now. Is there anything you would like to eat?”
I slowly answered, turning my head away from her expectant gaze.
“Anything that I can eat quickly is fine. I won’t be able to taste it anyway.”
My purple eyes wavered for a moment at my answer.
But she quickly regained her firm expression and said.
“Then… I should prepare more carefully today.”
She left the room, muttering softly as if whispering, and I stared at her back, lost in thought.
The strong scent of roses, her bright red hair, and her purple eyes.
A voice as sweet as honey, and even her warmth.
Everything was a new color painted on my gray world.
My heart pounded.
Not long after, Flora returned with a tray full of food.
Warm soup, soft bread, and neatly prepared fruits were placed before my eyes.
“How is it, Peridot?”
Flora smiled brightly and held out the food.
I paused for a moment and slowly examined the food.
The appearance filled with sincerity brought up a heavy emotion in my heart.
“It looks delicious.”
She smiled brightly, unable to hide her joy at my compliment.
“Please try it! If it doesn’t suit your taste, please let me know immediately!”
I took a bite of the soup while looking into Flora’s eyes.
I couldn’t taste it, but my heart strangely felt warm.
“How does it taste?”
I nodded slowly and said.
“It’s warm and… good.”
I wondered if it was because of the feelings she had put into it.
It felt like something I thought I had lost was slowly coming back.
When the meal was over, Flora came to me with a gentle smile.
In her hand was a white leather leash.
When my eyes naturally fell on the leash, Flora’s purple eyes sparkled playfully.
“Peridot.”
The shackles on your legs also make you beautiful, she said in a soft voice.
There was a tone like a low whisper in her voice.
“I’d like to leave this room together and go somewhere else. Of course, if you don’t mind, Peridot, would you accept?”
Flora’s voice was surprisingly calm, but I could feel a cautious tremor between her words.
For a moment, her voice, mixed with obsession and anticipation, seemed to tickle my heart.
When I inadvertently raised my eyes to look at her after having focused only on the leash for a while, Flora smiled strangely.
Soft leather instead of the cold and rough feel of iron.
To be honest, I didn’t like the idea of the shackles on my feet disappearing.
They were affection and bondage that oppressed me but at the same time connected us.
But if Flora wanted it, I thought it didn’t matter.
Since she was the only one who gave color to my empty world, I would gladly give in if she wanted it.
“Okay.”
Flora smiled with satisfaction after hearing the answer.
Every time that smile unfolded before my eyes, I felt as if I had found an oasis in the middle of the desert.
She slowly held the elaborate leash in front of me and examined it carefully.
A rose pattern was delicately engraved with silver thread on the white leather, and it glowed softly as if it had magic.
“It really suits you, Peridot.”
Flora’s hand touched the nape of my neck.
In contrast to the cold and hard feel of the metal, her fingertips were warm and delicate.
The moment the leash was put around my neck and the buckle clicked, a strange sense of relief washed over me.
I was a person who had no expectations or hopes for the world.
But if Flora wanted it, and if she was going to hold me like this, that was enough.
Flora smiled brightly and looked into my eyes.
Her smile felt like the final piece that completed the perfection of this moment.
“Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Peridot?”
Flora asked softly.
Her eyes were still staring at me, filled with the light of anticipation.
A place flashed through my mind as I hesitated for a moment.
A small luxury I had asked for when I, who had few wishes, sat down in the duke’s chair.
A quiet hobby that soothed my mind with a cup of warm tea.
“I want to go to the study.”
Flora’s purple eyes widened slightly at the soft words.
“You mean the study? Okay, if you want, Peridot.”
She smiled brightly and took my hand.
The warmth I felt from my fingertips was warm.
Flora started to undo the shackles on my ankles without hesitation.
With a refreshing click, the shackles came off, and only a faint red mark remained where the cold metal had fallen.
Flora gently took my hand and slowly led me.
We walked down a long hallway with a gorgeous chandelier.
The crystal pieces falling from the ceiling sparkled in the light, and their light gently scattered across the red velvet carpet.
The sound of our footsteps gently seeped into the carpet, echoing softly.
That sound felt like a strangely calming rhythm.
The study we entered together was overwhelming just by the size of the room.
It was a space that could be called a library.
This place, filled with the faint smell of dust and the unique scent of books, even felt like a silence as if time had stopped.
The bookshelves were packed The feeling of walking side by side with the rows of people was unfamiliar, but not bad.
As her presence seeped into the empty space, even familiar objects looked a little different.
“Is there a book you’re looking for?”
Flora asked, slightly turning her head.
When her purple eyes focused on me, a part of my chest felt strangely ticklish.
I slowly turned my head and looked around.
In fact, no book came to mind.
Just the fact that I was with her in this space was enough.
A thick hardcover book on the top shelf of the high bookshelf caught my eye.
I couldn’t even read the title exactly, but there was an inexplicable attraction.
I couldn’t reach it even when I stood on tiptoe, so I reached out without thinking.
The book fell from its place with a dull sound.
A shadow that had fallen over my head covered my vision.
The moment the thick book rushed toward my head before I had time to dodge, a warm light spread from the leash around my neck.
In an instant, my eyes The light of the dazzling light blocked my vision.
A transparent curtain covered my head, and the falling book bounced against the curtain and fell to the floor.
“Peridot!”
Flora ran to me with a startled expression.
A deep worry was cast on her face.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Her eyes, shaking anxiously, were sincere.
“I’m okay. It’s thanks to the magic you put on my collar.”
Flora didn’t even bother to look at the fallen book, but instead caressed the collar around my neck.
Her hands were careful, and there was affection and relief in them.
I just looked at her silently.
Flora’s expression, full of worry, was much more vividly engraved in front of my eyes than the moment the book fell, or the moment the collar glowed.
Flora’s warm hand touched my cheek, and I grabbed her wrist without realizing it.
As I held her thin, white wrist with both hands, a faint rose scent wafted out.
A faint tremble arose inside me.
This was the first time I had felt this sensation.
“I don’t know what this feeling is, but… I feel happy right now.”
The words that came out of my mouth were sincere.
I didn’t know exactly what this feeling that was blooming inside me was.
But it wasn’t unpleasant.
Rather, it felt like a part of my heart was getting warmer.
Flora’s pupils shook greatly.
I could see her lips trembling slightly.
“Peridot-sama…?”
Flora called my name in a voice full of emotion.
Her hand carefully covered mine.
Both cheeks were flushed.
Flora’s face came closer.
Her hand cupped my cheek, and her purple eyes looked only at me.
In the short silence, I felt her gaze linger on my lips for a moment.
Our eyes met again right away, but I didn’t miss that brief moment.
I quietly closed my eyes.
I thought I knew what Flora was going to do.
I didn’t want to refuse.
No, I was actually looking forward to it.
Her lips were on mine The moment our lips touched, the world became quiet.
A warm and soft sensation slowly seeped in.
At first, I was cautious, but every time her lips came a little deeper, small ripples occurred inside me.
All my senses were focused on her at this moment.