Julius seemed to catch a trace of melancholy beneath the girl’s lighthearted tone.
He instinctively turned to look at Helos, only to see her standing on tiptoe, reaching for a jar atop the cupboard, a faint smile lingering at the corner of her lips—as if the fleeting sadness he sensed earlier had been nothing but his own illusion.
His gaze slowly swept over the cramped space called her “room.”
A narrow bed was pressed against the corner, and the rough wooden table and chair bore crooked scratch marks—like idle graffiti left by the owner’s nails during moments of boredom.
When his eyes landed on the old doll beside the pillow, Julius unconsciously traced the hilt of his sword with his fingertips.
It was a well-worn plush cat doll, its left button eye loose, barely held in place with thick thread.
Leaning against a crooked pillow, it cast a small, fuzzy shadow in the sunlight.
On the bedside table sat an empty cup, inside which lay two withered flower petals.
Compared to the freshly changed flowers in the mansion’s corridors every day, it felt especially lonely.
Helos stretched onto her tiptoes, fingers groping atop the cupboard for a moment before finally pulling down a small dusty clay jar.
She held it as if it were a precious treasure, carefully handing it to Julius.
The jar’s unevenly carved name shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
“Ta-da!”
“Want some tea?”
She shook the jar, and a few dried petals fluttered out from the gaps. “Uh, it might not look very appealing…”
“What’s this?”
“A kind of flower tea. You definitely haven’t tried it before.”
Helos shook her head proudly, her hair shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
She reached into the cupboard and took out an old-fashioned teacup. “It took me quite a while to figure out how to make this flower tea.”
Lowering her voice mysteriously, as if sharing a world-shaking secret, she said:
“The gardener uncle always says I’m wasting the flowers, but look—”
She suddenly flipped open the jar’s lid, and instantly, a rich floral fragrance exploded throughout the small room, the sunlight seeming to be tinged with a hint of sweetness.
“They just don’t know their stuff!”
She puffed up her chest with pride, gently tapping the dried flowers brimming with fragrance.
“This kind of top-quality stuff would sell for at least a few thousand Solis if put outside.”
Julius blinked in surprise, his gaze following the girl’s nimble movements.
Suddenly, she crouched down and pulled out a strangely shaped kettle from under the bed.
“Let me brew you some to try.”
She shook the kettle, but her expression froze. “Ah, I forgot—there’s no water.”
Just as Helos lifted the kettle to push the door open, Julius’s voice stopped her in her tracks:
“Why not just use magic to create water and fill it up?”
The girl’s silhouette froze instantly.
Her fingers gripping the doorknob tightened slightly.
***
Sunlight slanted through the window, dividing her slender figure into light and shadow.
“I… I don’t like using magic.”
Helos’s voice was soft, as if talking to herself.
She didn’t look back, only lowering her head slightly.
Silver strands of hair fell, hiding her profile.
Julius opened his mouth as if to say something, but the girl had already pushed the door open swiftly, leaving only a cool breeze brushing across his cheek.
Not long after, Helos returned carrying the steaming kettle.
She moved quickly, boiling water and brewing the tea as if the earlier silence had never happened.
A sweet and smooth floral aroma soon filled the room.
“Try some?”
She handed Julius the cup, looking at him expectantly.
The boy took the cup, feeling its warm surface beneath his fingertips.
He lowered his head and took a sip.
The tea was just the right temperature, the floral fragrance unfolding on his tongue with a faint sweetness.
“So hot…”
He murmured softly, unsure whether he meant the tea or the gradually rising warmth in the room without a Magic Array.
Helos tilted her head, smiling at his slightly flushed cheeks.
“What’s the matter? Even a Saint Knight can’t handle a little heat?”
Julius didn’t reply, only bowed his head to take another sip of tea, letting the warmth spread from his throat to his chest.
When he finished the last drop, the rising steam blurred his vision.
Looking up, his eyes inadvertently landed on Helos’s slightly sweat-dampened collar—the silver strands stuck to the flushed side of her neck, the thin summer fabric faintly revealing the skin beneath.
The boy suddenly turned his face away, swallowing involuntarily.
Though young, the teacher’s lessons and long training had made his mind far more mature than his years.
He stood up with stiff movements, the scabbard striking the table’s corner with a clear sound.
“Let’s go.”
His voice was deeper than usual. “The room really… is a bit stuffy.”
“You could’ve said so earlier!”
Helos fanned herself dramatically, sweat trickling down her cheeks.
She rolled her eyes at Julius.
“You sat there so calm and collected, I thought you weren’t bothered by the heat at all!”
Julius cleared his throat but said nothing in response.
He stepped aside to let Helos go first, quietly following behind her.
The two slipped through the narrow passageway one after the other and emerged back into the corner of the Duke’s Mansion.
Helos dusted off her skirt, then turned to wink at Julius.
“So, now you know why I don’t stay in my room?”
Before he could answer, she eagerly set off.
“Where do you want to explore next?”
“How about I take you to the secret garden in the back? The gardener uncle has secretly planted a bunch of herbs there!”
Julius smiled faintly at her sudden burst of energy.
He quickened his pace to keep up.
The two walked down the sunlight-dappled corridor, Helos gesturing animatedly and occasionally lowering her voice to warn him:
“Be careful. The Head Maid often patrols this area…”
“Ah~ this way is a dead end.”
“Quick, quick! Let’s move before anyone comes!”
As they parted ways, the sunset’s afterglow spread over the land.
Julius stood in the center of the courtyard and suddenly realized that dusk had quietly fallen.
“Lord Julius! Where have you been all afternoon?”
A hurried call interrupted his thoughts.
Turning, he saw a young maid leaning on her knees, panting, her hair disheveled—clearly having searched for him for quite some time.
The young squire was momentarily stunned, the whole afternoon’s image flashing through his mind—Helos pulling him through the mansion’s hidden corners, from the abandoned greenhouse to the door of the library, and even the Kitchen Cellar with that jar of Ron’s Mead.
The confused look from the maid suddenly made him realize one thing.
They had really… spent the entire afternoon avoiding everyone’s gaze?