Chapter 32 ~ Sweeting

Kurai had expected to wake up hearing news shouted in the streets. She thought someone would have questioned her connection to the disappearances at the zoo. As if she would be under careful scrutiny that she'd have to use all her wits to get out of. More than expecting it, a part of her wanted it to happen.

Instead, a corner of the newspaper had a small write-up about investigations into some animals going missing. They never connected it to any pattern of exactly one absentee of each species. They never showed any interest in finding some horrid monster. There wasn't even mention of the man who went missing; it's possible nobody even noticed some random drunk was gone. All the zoo staff spoke of was conducting investigations into the possibility of animal trafficking.

I'm not saying I wanted to get caught, but...
I wish it had more impact.
It felt like I had lost myself;
falling prey to something very grave.
Did it really matter, in the end?

She crossed her legs with a disappointed huff. She watched the birds outside the window with tepid interest. The window was behind her, but that didn't matter anymore. She could see all sides at once now. At first, it was disorienting to tell which way was really forward. She adapted to it faster than she thought she would.

She took in a deep breath. Robin must have had mint tea for today's brew. Meus would have requested it. He had been pretending to be fine, but the scent of malaise clung to him unmistakably even now. She could tell all that and more, but scent wasn't quite the ability she thought it was. She could tell what was in the air with even trace amounts, but that was it. To actually use it to track anything, she would have to quite literally follow her nose towards wherever the aroma grew denser. It made sense when she compared it to how dogs tracked, but at the same time, she did not like being compared to a dog.

Kurai could suppress her newfound senses if she needed to, but she had yet to find the incentive. It would be no different than putting on horse blinders to hide behind ignorance of the world around her. She wanted to see it all laid bare. No matter how uncomfortable it may be, it was not overwhelming. She couldn't let it be so, not anymore.

That mint tea found itself wafting into the room before the maid did. He kept himself reserved and cordial, but there was excitement all under the boy's skin. It could have been eagerness or it could be fear; both had the same aftertaste, she had learned.

"There is afternoon tea prepared, if you would be interested."

"I suppose I will have a cup. Thank you."

"Of course." Silence lingered in the air, undisturbed even the the sound of pouring tea. He set it beside Kurai on an adjacent side table. She smiled at the sight. "...I hope my intrusion does not concern you any."

"No, not at all. I could use something to drink right about now."

"...You say that, but you haven't looked at me even once."

He was wrong. The novae had been watching him this whole time. They were simply from eyes he couldn't see, and her head did not need to turn for it. Kurai closed her regular eyes with an accepting smile taking her lips. Even now, she still could find new ways to struggle with social cues.

"...It must have slipped my mind," she professed, turning her head to give him the courtesy. Perhaps her sense of direction still had some kinks in it. "I already felt your presence so strongly that I believed you were before me. Though I can see now that I was missing out on having your cute face in my sight."

"Aha... I didn't think I'd ever hear something like that coming from you. You really have been acting differently lately."

"Oh, have I now?" She crossed her legs to the other side, bringing the cup of tea to her lips. "Does that bother you, then?"

"No, it's not that. I'm just not sure what you think of me now," he selfishly admitted.

"Hm..." She set the cup down, slowly rising to her feet. Without another word, she held him by the chin, eliciting a moment of anxious silence from the maid. One ponderous look later, and she followed through by pressing her lips against his own. She only pressed herself closer into him for the next half a minute, before finally letting him go.

"Does that answer your question~?"

"...If I say no, will you keep going?"

The novae smirked, pulling the boy into her lap as she plopped down into the chair. The eager look in his eyes was simply adorable. Really, everything about him right now was setting her heart aflutter. When she breathed in, her heightened senses made her feel closer to him than ever before.

"I think that would only come as a reward for an honest little maid. But a lying maid instead would get punished..." She trailed a finger down his chest. "And how does my favorite maid feel about me, then?"

"Well, if you want honestly, then..." He paused for dramatic effect, glancing away with something resembling bashfulness. It was close enough that Kurai wanted to believe it. "...I honestly love you, Kurai. I always have, from the moment we met."

"You really felt that way about the clueless runt I was back then?" She couldn't help but poke holes into such an exaggeration.

"...No, but... You weren't really Kurai back then, were you? You were still finding your true self. I couldn't be happier that my Kurai got to find herself so close that I can also see her. I never could have dreamed she'd become this near and dear to a mere slave like me..."

"Ehehe... Nice save." She couldn't help but notice he spoke as if they fell into each other's laps by mere chance. Did he really see it that way, even with how much he instigated between them? She couldn't help but wonder, but she didn't want to question it when it felt this lovely.

"...Well? Isn't there something you'd like to say too...?"

"Hm?"

"Oh, don't tease me so cruelly... You made me have to say it. If I don't get to hear three little words back, I'll die on the spot..."

"Hm...? Oh." How could it slip her mind? Maybe the fact she was holding him in her lap with caresses and kisses already made it clear how she felt, but actions did speak louder with words. She gazed deep into his eyes. "I love you too, Robin dearest~."

"Forever and always...?"

"Forever and always."

"From the bottom of your heart?" he coyly continued.

"From the bottom of my heart..."

"...With sugar on t—" His cheekiness was cut short with the novae locking her lips with his own. It got an impish giggle out of him when she pulled back.

"With a swift smack to his backside if he keeps being a brat."

"Aw, you really do know how to get me to keep going~."

The two continued their lovey-dovey murmurings and cuddlings for a while longer, but eventually Robin grew somber as he started to pull himself away. Kurai didn't feel any inclination towards stopping, but she wasn't going to hold him captive if he was finished.

"Ah... I suppose I should be getting back to work. As lovely as this is, we really shouldn't be doing this sort of thing in the parlor. Just imagine if the master walked in on us..."

"Why would that be a problem?"

"...Because we'd get caught?"

"Caught doing what? Enjoying each other's company? If Mr Meus is going to have a problem with that, I need to have a talk with him right now."

"It's not just him, it's everybody. I love being with you, but considering past... events, I'm worried you don't understand we need to be more discreet when anybody else is around."

"If they'll have a problem, I'll give them a talking to too. I don't see why I should deny how I feel just because of some onlookers."

"...Ah, this is what I was afraid of. How do I tell you just how much trouble there could be if a mistress and a servant's relationship was brought to light..."

"I don't care about that. You shouldn't either. Let them talk; if they start causing problems for either of us, I'll give them some real problems to worry about." She was getting more obstinate by the second.

"I really don't want this to affect your odds of being accepted into nobility. Not when there's already so many complications."

"Damn all the complications, then! I'm not scared of being open about how I feel anymore. You shouldn't either, Robin. If this makes you even a tenth as happy as it does for me..."

"...What if I said it makes me uncomfortable being intimate where others can see me. Are you still going to force me even then?" He gazed at her with the eyes of a hurt puppy.

"...I mean... No, I'm not going to force you into something you really don't want that much." A part of her wanted to help him overcome his shame and self-denial, but a much bigger part didn't want to neglect his consent. She pretended the self-indulgent part of her wasn't a factor.

"Then, please. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important to me."

"...Alright. I'm sorry for pushing the issue." She opened her arms wide, showing herself to be true to her word by not forcing it on him. He was all too happy to take her up on the offer, resting his head on her shoulder with a smile.

"You really are the best, Kurai." It was a reassurance to be sure, but the novae could faintly hear a distant sound. Far too distant for a human to notice, but it was distinctly footsteps. Thick, outdoors shoes against a stone ground. It couldn't have been Meus, who was still in his bed. Somebody was visiting the manor.

"Perhaps after I finish a few chores, we could—?" Robin began, getting cut off my the distant sound of the iron door knocker. He seemed mildly surprised, while Kurai was already anticipating the intrusion. "...Ah, forgive me. I should go answer that."

"I wonder who could be showing up at such an hour..." She tilted her head, trying to see if she could guess the visitor from what she could sense. "I'll go with you."

"It has to be the old quack. I had sent for her for the master's sake."

"Oh dear. Should I be worried?"

"No, no. It's just for pain relief. No need to let him sweat it out when he could sleep it off, right?" he explained as they approached the door. Opening it revealed the expected visitor. "Good evening, ma'am. The master will be grateful for your arrival," he began, taking the apothecary's coat.

"Why hello, Miss Irene! It's so good to see you." The novae had a bubbly grin, but she only received a slight smile in return.

"Good day, Robin, Kurai. I would have come earlier, but the clinic has been busy." She looked more tired than she let on. "How has Lord Meus been? It sounded concerning with what all you wrote."

"Oh, oh, he's just fine! He's a little worse for wear, but there's no concern. Really, he just needs to take things easy for a little while. He just won't listen to me saying it, so if you could prognose that to him, it should be enough."

"Really now? Well, we'll see."

"I can't say myself. He's been shut in his room the past few days, so I haven't seen him. Besides, I've been busy myself, you know, with... studying." She gave a knowing wink, though whatever effect she intended was diluted. Both of the shorter individuals were on the same side of her and couldn't tell which of them was being winked at.

"...I see. I hope that's been going well," Irene cautiously replied.

"Oh, it has been. In fact, I have a few things I'd like to show you later on...!" She felt excited to follow through with the apothecary, but that excitement wasn't returned. Irene seemed too focused on something unspoken to share the enthusiasm.

"Yes, well... We'll see," she halfheartedly repeated.

"...Anyways, it seems like there's a nasty storm coming this weekend. I think I'll catch up on a few books if it doesn't let up," Robin chimed in, more to clear the uncomfortable air than anything else.

Inside the professor's bedroom was the man himself, sluggishly scratching along a pen against disheveled papers. His skin was pallid and his eyes were dark. His forehead was slick with perspiration as he rested his head in one hand. Even this early in the evening, he was already in his night clothes with a bath robe over them. Or perhaps he never changed out of them today. He hardly resembled the man that Kurai knew. Her mouth hung open with a gasp as she took in just how bad it's gotten.

"...Hello, Lord Meus. It's me, Irene," the apothecary carefully began, keeping her voice quiet in case it would worsen his distress. "...I have come because I heard you were under duress. Tell me, what can I do to help you?" Her voice was incredibly calm to the point of being soothing to the ear. She was doing a remarkable job hiding her own shock at the man's state after Robin's earlier descriptions.

"Oh, fie to it all!" the man uncharacteristically snapped, slamming a fist down on his desk. "You aren't of any help. The boy just needs to quit being lazy and get me a hot bath and some fresh tea. And none of that reheated garbage, never again!"

"Of course, master, I'll get right on it." Robin seemed all to eager to take the chance to make an exit.

"Good! Now the rest of you can bugger right off. I don't need a woman's pity." He dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief, his explosive anger just as quickly evaporating into a weariness, as if ready to faint.

"Lord Meus, please. Let me help you. What happened? When did this start?"

"I just... I just need some rest. That's all. There's nothing else."

"Sir, with all due respect, I'm not leaving this room until you've given me something to work with. I wouldn't normally tell a patient this, but you look like death." She couldn't force treatment on her own patron without his acceptance.

"...Does it really look that bad?" The professor's eyes glanced away as if ashamed of his own behavior.

"I wouldn't ask you to walk across a room without assistance, to put it lightly."

"Funny. I thought the same thing, but the boy kept insisting I was merely seeing things and that I looked normal. Maybe the better lighting this evening proved me right." He sighed heavily. "...It's been a bit rough, old girl."

To the untrained ear, it might have sounded like a minor concern. To Irene, it was one of the only times the man had ever admitted he was in pain. She could only imagine what he was going through. The feverish chills, the constant hacking of the lungs, the tremors and the deliria. Perhaps the most objective symptom to witness was his own handwriting, so neat and tidy usually, now regressed to a primary schooler's level of scratchings. As he spoke, his eyes kept closing of their own accord. It's as if he only remembered to open them when Irene spoke to probe him for more details.

Throughout it all, Kurai could only watch in silence. It felt like there was nothing she could do but let the situation unfold before her eyes. Her mind raced through every anatomical transformation she could think of, but for all those strengths, none of them would do a thing to save the professor.