Sweet Things (2)

“Come here!”

Recently, Rurin had taken to shouting “Come here!” whenever she arrived somewhere, though no one knew where she picked up the phrase.

So, standing in front of the Lord’s castle, she placed her hands on her hips and bellowed the same command.

She only had one invitation left in her hand. This was her final destination. Strictly speaking, the invitation was tucked into her waist, not in her hand.

“Hmm, what was it? So, is that guy here?”

Elena was the elf, and Sereina was the Red one.

Actually, she rarely referred to her as the Red one, preferring more colorful insults instead.

Given Rurin’s usual disregard for names, it was impressive that she remembered Count Greek and Berna at all.

However, to those unfamiliar with her, such shouting seemed completely out of place.

Especially since she referred to the Lord as “that guy” – and right in front of the guards.

Naturally, a new guard witnessing this frowned and raised his voice.

“How dare you! This is the Lord’s cast-ugh?”

But the outburst was cut short when a senior guard yanked the new guard by the ear.

“You fool, stay still!”

“Huh? Why, sir?”

“Tsk, tsk. There are a few people who can come and go from the castle without being questioned. She’s one of them!”

The senior guard scolded the junior with a look of exasperation.

A guard had previously faced serious consequences for blocking Rurin. The senior guard shook his head, remembering that incident.

“Especially, you must never touch her. Don’t push her out, don’t grab her shoulder, don’t even brush her arm. Or a disaster will happen. A real disaster.”

“Don’t touch me!”

The senior guard kept shaking his head, recalling how his fellow guard had been sent flying after touching her.

“Well, he got treated right away at the clinic over there, so it wasn’t life-threatening. But getting hurt is your loss.”

“Huh? Wh-who is she…?”

“Shh, just accept it. Don’t try to find out. It’s one of the highest secrets only known to those who work in the Lord’s castle. Just know that such things exist and bow when you see her. It’s a direct order from the Lord.”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you!”

A direct order from the Lord? For the castle guards, the Lord’s commands were as sacred as the heavens.

The junior guard, drenched in sweat, bowed deeply toward Rurin with a pale face.

But Rurin didn’t care at all. The senior guard had already stopped the junior from saying more, and Rurin was completely absorbed in thoughts of the sweet kiss.

In other words, she was distracted, and the junior guard was lucky for that.

“Huh?”

Then she snapped back to reality and spoke again.

“I asked, where is that guy? Never mind, I’ll go find him myself. Move, I’m busy!”

“Y-yes! Please, go inside!”

The senior guard hurriedly stepped aside, letting Rurin enter the castle.

Rurin walked through without any further resistance from the guards and soon stepped into the first-floor lobby of the castle.

“Lady Rurin?”

A butler on the first floor recognized Rurin and ran toward her.

“Who are you? Do you know me? More importantly, bring that boy! I need to give him this.”

Rurin pulled the invitation from her waist and waved it. The only ones she remembered were the Greek boy and Berna.

Not just anyone could remain in Rurin’s memory, so naturally, she didn’t recognize the butler. She called out for the Greek boy.

But the Greek boy wasn’t at the castle right now. The butler quickly figured out who she was looking for, but the problem was that he wasn’t there.

However, the butler had learned that it wasn’t wise to be the one to deliver such news, especially after observing his master’s interactions with El.

It was beyond his control.

“Would you please wait a moment!”

So the butler shouted loudly and rushed off. With the boy absent, the highest authority in the castle was Berna, and she needed to be treated with the proper respect.

As a result, Berna hurried down to the first floor with the butler. As soon as she saw Rurin, she cheerfully called out.

“Oh my, Lady Rurin!”

The butler’s actions had been correct. If he had told her the master wasn’t there, he would have certainly triggered Rurin’s temper.

But since he had brought Berna, someone Rurin remembered, she seemed satisfied and nodded.

“Yes, it’s me. So, take this!”

“Huh? What is this?”

Berna held out her hand to receive the invitation. Feeling the need to respond, she quickly glanced over it and answered.

“Oh my! El invited us?”

“I don’t really know. Anyway, I’ve delivered it, so I’m leaving.”

Rurin was a rare guest, and Berna thought it would be rude to send her off without some hospitality, so she made an offer.

“Oh my, Lady Rurin, since you’ve come all the way here, how about some tea? Ah, we also got some special Marnium from the southern village. Would you like to try it?”

“What kind of weird name is that?”

“I know, right? I thought the same, but it’s surprisingly tasty!”

Berna, acting like the dessert enthusiast she was, swallowed as if imagining the taste.

“I’m curious, but not today. I have to go.”

Her desire for something tasty wavered for a moment, but her curiosity about the sweet kiss was much stronger, so Rurin spun around to leave.

Berna, feeling regretful, pulled out her final weapon.

“And I’ve just composed a new Regana piece. If you learn it, I think El would love it… What do you say?”

“Huh?”

A song El would like?

That was something she wanted to learn. Whenever she played the Regana for El, he strangely became about 50 percent more affectionate. She had experienced it firsthand, so Rurin became a bit interested.

“Fine. Play it quickly! I can follow along right away.”

In the end, Rurin turned her body back around, abandoning her plan to leave.

“Ohhh, this is…!”

“Yes, play this for El. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“I think so too. It’s a beautiful piece. Regana is fascinating. It feels like it can move your emotions.”

“Right? That’s what I find most charming about Regana as well. Oh, and try this too.”

Focused on playing the Regana, Rurin momentarily forgot about the sweet kiss and sat on a soft sofa, picking up the Marnium dessert that Berna offered.

“Oh?”

“It’s a dessert made from ten types of grains grown in the southern village, baked and topped with the village’s specialty, a sweet powder called Mechar. The crystals are larger than sugar, and the texture is quite pleasant.”

Crunch, crunch.

Rurin nodded as she started chewing the dessert.

It tasted exactly as Berna had described. The nutty flavor of the grains didn’t make it overly sweet, but there was a unique, mild sweetness. The Mechar had a slightly jelly-like texture, which was the dessert’s most attractive feature.

Rurin, liking it a bit, gave Berna an order.

“Give me more of this. I want to let El try it.”

“Of course! I’ll have it packed for you right away.”

“Hehehe, good.”

Rurin smiled, satisfied with Berna’s hospitality.

“Lady Rurin, but why don’t you have a ring? I thought you two were a loving couple…”

At that moment, Berna glanced at Rurin’s fingers and asked a question that had been on her mind for some time.

“A ring?”

“A wedding ring. Like the one on my hand.”

Berna spread her hand to show the wedding ring shining on her finger.

“Oh, you mean gems? Hehe, I have plenty too!”

Rurin flipped her hair back to show off the sparkling diamond earrings beneath her ears.

“El gave me these. Pretty earrings. And also!”

Next, she pulled out the delicate necklace she was wearing.

“This is also a gem. El gave it to me a long time ago.”

Then Rurin showed Berna her wrist.

“And this solid gold bracelet was carefully crafted by those dwarves!”

“Oh my! They’re all so beautiful!”

“Right? And there’s even more in the lair. All the gems El gave me are sparkling. There used to be nothing in my Mother’s lair, but El said I shouldn’t be underestimated, so he got them for me. Hehe.”

Rurin’s voice was full of pride, like a girl in love. But realizing she had carelessly mentioned “lair”, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

However, Berna wasn’t very well-versed in worldly knowledge, especially when it came to the terminology of other species.

So, instead of focusing on the word “lair”, her curiosity about why Rurin had received so many gems but no ring only grew stronger.

“But Lady Rurin, why don’t you have a ring?”

“The ring you wear on your finger? Hmm, it’s pretty, but I’ve already received so much, so I don’t really need that ring.”

“Huh?”

Berna’s eyes widened. What was this? Could it be that mages didn’t understand the significance of a ring? Had they only studied magic?

Berna, completely misunderstanding the situation, suddenly felt a strong urge to explain the significance of a ring.

“Lady Rurin, please listen carefully.”

“Listen to what?”

“I don’t know about mages, but ordinary people exchange rings to vow eternal love. That’s how it develops into marriage. So, unlike earrings or necklaces, a ring on the finger has a much deeper meaning. It’s a symbol of being a couple.”

“A vow of love?”

“Yes. This ring my husband gave me has helped me endure for many years, thinking of him in his absence.”

“All humans? Even the emperor, you, and everyone else?”

“Yes. The ring is a universal custom.”

“Then why don’t I have one?”

Rurin looked at her own fingers.

“Ughhhh.”

Then her face crumpled into a frown.

“I’m going back.”

She abruptly stood up and stormed out of the castle, her mouth tightly shut.

Rurin’s mind was no longer filled with thoughts of a sweet kiss. Instead, she was consumed by the question of why El had given her all those gems but not a ring, a symbol of love.

Unable to hold back, Rurin teleported the moment she left the castle.

In an instant, she arrived in front of the restaurant and barged inside with a loud crash.

“Youuuuuu!”

She called out loudly for El, her eyes already filled with disappointment – and even a hint of anxiousness.