Asha read the name of the wave of emotion that hovered around her. Surprise, wonder, miracle…
‘Miracle?’
It all felt as clear as the cold water in midsummer.
“…Since when did you know?”
“Since when… The spirit of Karnov was originally… Famous. Are there people in the Empire who don’t know?!”
Karnov seemed so surprised that Asha was a little embarrassed and stammered out excuses.
“Even knowing…”
“…?”
“…No, nothing. It’s just that people… Usually, I…”
Asha, who kept tilting her head, remembered like a thunderbolt. In the meantime, she had been obsessed with her situation, so she had forgotten so much.
Karnov Neustadter, the reason why he moved around the northern battlefield despite his young age, and as a result, he gave up the right to succeed the throne, which has been handed down to the Neustadter family for generations.
‘Everyone’s too scared of him…’
<Humans, tsk tsk. How can people be so afraid of dying when they don’t leave much behind?>
‘…’
<It’s not even the Spirit of Death who signed this man.>
‘Oh? What did you say?’
But Pavel came back with something to drink, just as Asha was about to ask Phoebe. Asha made up her mind, looking alternately at Pavel’s face and Karnov’s, who had a grave look on his face, with her mouth open.
“Your Highness?”
The made dacquoise was swept onto a wooden tray and placed in Karnov’s hand, and Asha held two glasses brought by Pavel in both hands. The iced tea fluttered in the glass.
“Ah… mister, thank you for lending me the kitchen! I have to go first because I have an emergency.”
Asha strode out of the kitchen without having time for Pavel to say anything, and looked back quickly. Karnov stood with her tray, staring at her blankly.
“Karnov! You promised to give me a piggyback ride to that room.”
“…With a tray in both hands?”
“Yes!”
Asha shouted confidently in a tone that was so natural. The two men said nothing.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Asking for a piggyback was, of course, an excuse, so Asha walked quickly through the wide palace in step with Karnov. The two of them stopped when the pain rising from her ankle overcame even her deep unconsciousness.
In the middle of the hall of Taimir Palace, there were no people, so it was desolate.
“Didn’t you have something urgent to do? Why are you here?”
“…I was walking without thinking…”
Of course, it was a lie that there was an emergency. For now, she only thought that she had to go to a place where there was no one else.
<You are a very incomprehensible person, too.>
“What?”
<Isn’t it the usual feeling you have for someone weaker than yourself to think that you will take care of or protect? His physical power is stronger than yours.>
‘…I never thought of that. As you said, this is not the time to take care of others in my situation.’
How bravely she walked, the cups she held in both hands were already half empty.
“How long do I have to hold this?”
Karnov asked in a sour voice. Asha looked at Karnov with a blank face for a moment. A sense of resentment crept up.
‘To think that if this person stayed in the kitchen any longer, he might get hurt for no reason…’
“Give it to me.”
Asha placed two glasses on the tray of Karnov and demanded the tray. Karnov handed it over without reserve. And when their fingertips brushed by, there was no sign of flinching like before baking dacquoise, but the air current around him felt stiff.
Asha could only recall now. The Spirit of Death contracted with Karnov Neustadter. All living people looked down on him because he could kill a living person just by moving his fingertips.
Literally everyone.
‘I think everyone said the family wasn’t close either…’
Even his parents seemed reluctant. The “Spirit of Death” was such a terrifying force that it could not be treated kindly, even with their only son.
They were afraid of even their own flesh and blood, of course, others would be afraid. Though with his status of being a noble, it was perfect to avoid him for the reason of respect.
‘Everyone seemed to be acting harshly because he was avoiding them, so I thought it was just that…’
Asha suddenly thought that she wanted to hit her head on the tray she was holding. At the moment when everyone was avoiding him at the victory ball, he said not to come close, and even seemed reluctant to be in a space with several people.
‘But didn’t you say that the Spirit of Death wasn’t the one that signed with Karnov? What do you mean?’
<It’s just as I said. His spirit is not the Spirit of Death.>
‘Then?’
<The Spirit of Time.>
‘How can the Spirit of Time kill people?’
<Ha, you stupid thing. You just have to fast forward their time. Then it’ll be over in a heartbeat.>
‘Ah!’
Asha looked up at Karnov, who was staring at her with an emotionless face, and suddenly gathered up her courage. In other words, she pushed a dacquoise into his mouth.
“Ugh! I told you I don’t have a sweet tooth.”
“But try it first. You made it yourself today.”
“All I did was make foam with the egg white… That’s what happened.”
Karnov’s words were getting less and less. Asha looked at it with satisfaction. Karnov didn’t have to express his sentiments with his mouth. Because she saw it in his eyes.
‘Um… is that? Isn’t it delicious?’
She was confident that there was no need for words because emotions were visible, but the emotions reflected around Karnov were a little different from those seen in Pavel or Alexei.
Unlike them, he was much calmer and composed…
“…Doesn’t it taste good?”
“…It’s not that bad.”
“Do you want to take half of this?”
“…How do you mean?”
“Oh.”
Asha made a fierce sound.
She was obsessed with the idea of leaving the kitchen right away, so she just brought a lot of snacks on the tray. There’s nothing to pack it in.
“And if you’re going to give it, give it all.”
“Wow? You’re so confident.”
“…No one will eat it anyway.”
“Are you saying that the cookies I made are not good in front of me?”
“It’s something I made.”
“Wow, my God, that’s what they call… What should I say… Living… Alive… No, they can’t do that anyway! Karnov helped me a little. You said you didn’t make it yourself just now.”
In this world, she was still just a child, and the vocabulary she had learned was lacking, so she felt frustrated and cried. Asha glanced at Karnov.
“Just because I gave you half of the snack doesn’t that mean you helped with half of it, all right? I was just saying that I would give you a little bit for the help.”
“…Don’t you really understand what I’m saying?”
Asha didn’t know what he meant either. What he touched, no one would want to eat, even if it was just a passing moment.
‘…Seriously?’
The stories in the memories she saw a long time ago, the ones that passed by with a fragmentary impression, were now not just tragic background settings, but a person’s life. Asha tried to shake off the feeling of a little tightness in her chest.
‘There’s no one here that is decent. Alyosha, Karnov.’
Asha raised her chin firmly and said.
“That hand…”
She wanted to ask if radiation came out of it, but she couldn’t think of the word exactly this time either. Asha bit her lips firmly.
“Do you have mud on your hands?”
“What?”
“I don’t know what the problem is, it’s a snack that I made after washing my hands clean. Anyway, I’ll give you half of the baked goods, so go to my room. There must be something to pack there.”
“…Do as you please.”
Karnov was exhausted and was ready to give up. Asha turned her head, took a step, and swallowed an ‘Ah!’ scream.
I was getting better at least, but it seemed like I was going wrong again because I was walking excitedly a while ago. Karnov frowned and looked back at her.
“…Do you want me to carry you again?”
“This really hurt, so I made a sound without realizing it.”
“So it wasn’t real when you went from your room to the kitchen?”
“To make Karnov angry.”
“…What?”
“Oh dear, why did this hurt? It was a very lonely night a few days ago… I was so hungry that I made sandwiches and on my way to my room…”
“I’ll carry you on my back. We can even tour the imperial palace on my back. Are you okay?”
“‘Is it okay?’ This this~! A really cool habit~?”
“…I want to give you a piggyback ride.”
Only then did Asha smile and nod. But since Asha had to lift two glasses and a tray full of dacquoise, Karnov eventually turned not to carry her, but to hold her. Karnov asked quietly, as if hesitating for a moment.
“…Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“If you don’t like it, don’t.”
“I’m not saying I don’t like it. Your Highness…”
“Karnov, if you don’t like that much, I can’t help it. You can put me down.”
Karnov clenched his lips and looked at the ceiling, then sighed deeply and held Asha. The expression and sigh were rough, but the touch was surprisingly cautious. This time, Asha opened her mouth.
“More than that, I’m asking you now, but… Are you sure I’m not heavy?”
Asha couldn’t help but ask, even though she thought she was pushing it.
“Didn’t you say you were a bag of wheat?”
“That’s…”
“You’re about that much.”
Karnov, holding her, was looking straight ahead with an expressionless face. But there was something constantly buzzing around him. The clear-colored airflow was calm as if it were suppressed, but particles of light leaked out as if it could not stand it.
‘Ah…’
Asha then recalled the night he pushed her away. The day she grabbed him by the sleeve and she was shoved by a startled Karnov.
No one had ever come that close to him, so Karnov was so surprised at that time…
