Episode 47
“You should eat.”
I had planned to eat again once I saw him eat and felt reassured.
Cassium took a bite of the calzone. Seeing him eat it without issue, it seemed the food hadn’t been tampered with after all.
‘He’s eating well.’
My eyes met Cassium’s. That’s when I realized I had been staring at him.
It was strange, eating with Cassium.
Just yesterday, he had been a stone, and now here we were, sharing a meal.
Cassium must feel the same.
Just being able to eat human food in front of another person might be happiness itself for him.
Come to think of it, it seemed like he’d been staring at me too, for a while now.
He must find this situation just as strange.
“How is it, eating like this with me?”
I asked Cassium.
He looked at me, deep in thought, then opened his mouth.
“If you’re asking what eating with you means to me…”
“Huh? What it means?”
Cassium really has changed a bit, it seems.
Normally, he would’ve said something like…
‘There’s meaning in simply eating human food. But this calzone itself isn’t particularly tasty.’
That would’ve been his usual kind of response.
But now, Cassium wasn’t saying that right away. He seemed to be seriously reflecting, looking inward.
Was it because he turned back from stone and regained a human heart?
In any case, I hadn’t meant anything deep when I asked, so seeing him ponder so seriously made me feel a little sorry.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“You don’t like it when I give thoughtless answers.”
“When have you ever cared about what I don’t like? Forget it. You don’t have to answer, just eat.”
Come to think of it, there were a lot of things I needed to talk about with Cassium. I had to use our limited time wisely.
Should I resolve the work-related questions first and then move on to personal ones?
“Cassium. About the joint investigation. How do you think we should approach it?”
“Let’s talk about that later. After we finish eating.”
“Why bother saving time? Even if it’s a joint investigation, it’s better not to waste each other’s time.”
“Is that so?”
“What is?”
“Are our meetings a waste of each other’s time?”
“If there’s no special reason, then yeah, isn’t it?”
“Lize, then.”
“Yeah.”
“What about this?”
“What?”
“Eating with me. Is that part of the investigation too?”
His voice was terribly serious.
“……”
His low voice, his gaze fixed on me. As I listened to the serious question shaped by that voice and those eyes, I thought—
“What’s with you?”
No, that was just a thought in my head, but it slipped out of my mouth.
“I’m just curious. What’s your reason for sitting here with me like this?”
My reason?
“Is it only because of the investigation? This meal with me right now.”
I swallowed the bite of calzone in my mouth.
Then, with my arms crossed, I leaned back and stared at Cassium for a moment.
Soon, I shook my head.
“No.”
“No?”
Cassium looked slightly surprised.
‘He must’ve expected me to say yes right away.’
Well, considering I almost never initiated meals with him unless there was a reason, it made sense.
But I had a perfectly valid and sufficient reason.
“You owe me.”
“……”
“I asked you to eat because I want you to pay me back.”
Cassium said nothing. My reasoning had no flaws, so he had nothing to say.
After staring at me for a moment, Cassium swallowed another bite of calzone.
‘If he had been a stone, even swallowing food like that must feel unfamiliar again.’
I was watching him closely, wondering if his oral functions had any issues, when suddenly, Cassium stopped chewing.
What’s wrong?
“Why are you staring so…”
“Why? Why aren’t you chewing?”
“Huh?”
“Did something happen to your jaw?”
I immediately grabbed Cassium’s jaw to check his condition. His head followed my hand, bobbing back and forth.
“I-it’s fine, my jaw is fine, Lize.”
Good to know.
Only after confirming his health did I start eating again.
“So, me paying back the debt, Lize.”
“Yeah.”
“Is just this one meal enough?”
“Huh?”
“Can I call it even just by buying this one meal?”
Honestly, I hadn’t thought much about it, but now that Cassium put it like that, it suddenly felt insufficient.
If I were to calculate the mental stress and effort I spent trying to bring him back from being stone, I was at a loss.
“No.”
At my reply, Cassium muttered, “Thank goodness.”
“What do you mean, thank goodness?”
“No, I just figured you’d say that.”
When I asked what he meant, Cassium slowly shook his head and didn’t answer.
I frowned in frustration, and Cassium smiled as he looked at me.
‘If he’s smiling seeing me annoyed, then he’s still the same old Cassium.’
But I wonder if Cassium knows this?
That while he was gone, there were marriage talks between him and me.
“Cassium. Your family doesn’t know, do they? That you were turned to stone.”
“The commander said I was on a mission, so they probably believed it.”
“I see.”
“Why do you ask?”
Well, if they didn’t know he was missing, then it makes sense they went ahead with a marriage proposal.
“Did you hear about that? The, um, from your family… to me, a mar— never mind.”
“Why stop? A mar… what?”
“It’s nothing. It’s already over, no need to bring it up again. Forget it!”
I waved it off and took a sip of my drink, but I could feel Cassium staring at me.
I was aware of his gaze but didn’t meet it, focusing on my drink instead.
Then, Cassium casually said—
“Are you talking about the marriage proposal?”
The sudden mention nearly made me spit out my drink.
“So you did hear.”
“I did.”
Cassium nodded calmly.
A peaceful expression. He didn’t seem fazed by the topic.
‘He has no intention of marrying.’
I remembered what Hedel told me.
Yeah, of course. It was obvious Cassium wouldn’t have wanted that either.
‘Come to think of it, how did Hedel know?’
That there was a proposal, and that it didn’t match Cassium’s wishes.
The marriage letter from Balteire was sent after Cassium had turned to stone.
He seemed like he knew more than he let on, so it’s hard to believe it was just a guess.
‘Did he perhaps go to see Hedel during a brief moment when he was human again?’
It’s possible. Easing his subordinates’ worries would’ve been important to him.
‘How many times did Cassium return to being human?’
That person who wrapped a blanket around me on the last full moon—was it really Cassium?
‘Were those other moments I thought were dreams… ah, my head hurts now.’
While I was lost in thought, Cassium tapped the back of my hand.
When I frowned at him as if to ask what that was, he smiled slightly and said, “Say it.”
That calm smile made me not want to say anything, but keeping questions bottled up is exhausting.
“Cassium. You turned back into a human for a while before, didn’t you?”
Cassium looked at me without replying for a moment.
What would he say?
He could just say no. That would be fine too.
In the end, Cassium returned to being human and stayed.
But I didn’t even know what kind of answer I wanted. Did I hope it was him? And if so, why?
“I… did come back.”
“Did you see me then?”
“Who knows.”
His lukewarm response made me tap the back of his hand.
“If you did, you did. If not, then not. What’s with ‘who knows’?”
“Have we always been honest with each other?”
“Honestly, you’re doing this just to see me get frustrated, aren’t you?”
“Can’t deny that.”
“You should’ve taken the chance as a stone to train yourself to be less annoying.”
“Maybe I should’ve stayed away a few more days for that training.”
I told him to go back to being stone and finished off my plate.
As I did, Cassium spoke.
“More importantly, continue what you were saying earlier.”
“What was I saying?”
“The marriage proposal.”
“Huh?”
He was looking at me with eyes that were both serious and playful.
Before I realized it, I stood up abruptly.
“W-why are we talking more about that! If you’re done eating, get up now!”
Just as I hurried to leave, Cassium grabbed me.
“Lize.”
“…What.”
“There’s something I want to say.”
His eyes were deadly serious. It was as if I were tied by a string—I stopped moving.
When our eyes met, Cassium said in a voice devoid of any laughter,
“I haven’t finished eating.”
He pointed seriously at his plate.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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