Chapter 48

And so, I welcomed my wyvern, Geni, to the manor.

Since I cannot fly solo yet, Tony was the one to transport Geni to the manor’s garden. After receiving the necessary grooming kit and Geni’s favorite cushion, I headed back to the estate with Torre.

Just as we reached the garden, Geni and Tony descended from the sky. The garden Torre had cleared felt so refreshed now that all the clutter was gone. Currently, there’s plenty of room to land anywhere.

Even the prickly Tony seemed to be cooperating obediently, perhaps because he felt awkward about having his baby talk overheard.

Once he reached the manor, Geni seemed to take an immediate liking to the wooden stable and headed straight inside. He folded his pink wings and lay down on the bed of fluffy, improved straw.

“How cute. I’ll give you a carrot later-wun, okay?”¹

I couldn’t stop doting on him, and I thanked Tony with a constant grin on my face.

“Tony, thank you for bringing Geni here.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Tony averted his eyes as he replied, acting like a delinquent as usual. Since he’d been caught using baby talk earlier, he was likely putting up an even bigger front than normal.

Hoping to put him at ease, I gave him a reassuring response.

“It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone about that. We are fellow riding-beast enthusiasts, after all; let us continue to cherish them together from now on.”

When I flashed him a bright smile, Tony began to fluster just as he had back at the town stables. His face turned bright red, and his mouth worked silently like a fish. Nearby, Torre barked at him, “You should be grateful to the Madam!”

Tony looked around the manor garden as if trying to hide his embarrassment. It’s okay—I understand.

Then, he muttered with deep emotion, “The atmosphere of the house and garden has really changed.”

Come to think of it, I heard his parents used to work for the previous lord. It seems Tony himself used to frequent the manor back then.

“Well then, Lady Agnes. I’ve got other business, so I’ll be going now.”

“Taking care of the riding beasts?”

“A briefing for the monster subjugation. It’s almost the new moon, after all.”

Henry had mentioned before that Tony’s specialty is monster slaying and that he’s always at the forefront of protecting the people. Since his magic is indispensable for subjugation, he apparently holds an important position regarding those matters.

“Good luck with your work. Please stay safe.”

As I waved goodbye, Tony hurried off, looking rather bashful. He really is quite the tsundere.

After a short while, Lord Nazel returned, passing Tony on his way in.

Since he had finished work late yesterday, it seemed he had come back to the manor early today.

“I’m home, Agnes.”

Noticing me standing in the garden, Lord Nazel walked over, and I ran to meet him. I’m always happy when we get more time to spend together.

“Welcome home, Lord Nazel—eek!”

Before I could finish his name, he pulled me into a tight embrace. Behind us, I heard Torre, who was still in the garden, exclaim, “Oh, how bold!”

Lord Nazel has been hugging me a lot lately, and it keeps my heart fluttering every single day.

“Haah… Agnes, you are my sanctuary. I want you by my side all day today.”

As he held me close, repeatedly murmuring about how “healing” I was, he looked truly exhausted. Feeling sorry for him, I reached up and stroked his hair.

“Lord Nazel, shall we go to your room? Perhaps you should sleep for a bit?”

However, he shook his head while pressing it against my hand.

“No. I had planned to ride the wyvern with you today.”

It was rare for him to be so stubborn. I think this might be the first time he’s acted this way.

If spending time with me could help relieve his stress, then I certainly wanted to fly through the sky with him.

“I endured that grueling work looking forward to this flight training. The new moon is coming, so whenever I can find the time, I want to be with you.”

“That makes me happy. In that case, I look forward to your lesson, Teacher!”

“…O-Oh?”

Perhaps calling him “Teacher” made him shy, because Lord Nazel’s face turned red. Still, he seemed pleased somehow; his reaction was just like when I wore the maid uniform.

I immediately took his hand and led him to meet Geni. This was the first time Lord Nazel and Geni would be introduced.