Translator: Sunnyshies
Editor: Ryuubii
Chapter 30 : The Night of Determination (2)
Her mother must have known.
Amalia inherits not only her talent for white magic, but also her other abilities.
By creating something with their own hands, that is how they use their power― perfume gives temporary power to those who smell it, tea gives temporary power to those who drink it.
‘Maybe my mom also had a hard time. But she took a lot of pride in making perfume and helping others, so she also taught me a lot.’
Any ability can be either poison or medicine, depending on who uses it.
Knowing that, Amalia would like to use this power, which she believed she inherited from her mother, to the fullest.
However, she doesn’t plan to use her tea to make a lot of money or to work as a female servant specializing in tea― known as tea maids― who worked for royalty and nobility. She’s not hoping to be hired as an employee for anyone or anything crazy like that.
‘I want to repay the people who protected me and accepted me. And if I can do that― if I can find the meaning of my existence here, that’s enough for me.’
“If my tea can make everyone feel better, I’d like to make lots of it. Of course, I can understand Leonardo’s concern. But… if I have the power to make people happy, I want to use it.”
“…for the sake of others, huh?”
“That’s part of it, but more than that, it’s for myself.”
When she stated it clearly, the sharp light in Leonardo’s eyes quickly disappeared.
He eased the corner of his eyes, and loosened his shoulders, then proceeded to brush off his bangs.
“…Ha-a. If you said that it was for the sake of the world or for the sake of others, then I would have stopped you, but since you said that it is for your own sake, I won’t be able to say anything else.”
“Oh, don’t you already know what I was going to say?”
“…you really do have a way with words, don’t you? I understand. If you say so, Amalia-san, then I should do the things I should do.”
Leonardo raised himself up from the wall he was leaning against and squatted down in front of Amalia.
The small light flickering on the table illuminated Leonardo’s neat and clean face in a somewhat bewitching way.
“I will do my best to make you live comfortably. I usually work in the guild, so I may not come back for a while, but this house is where I will go back to. It pains me to leave you for work, but… well, it seems that you have a knight by your side who is much stronger than me, so you should be fine.”
“That’s not true… I will also take care of myself so that I can say, “Welcome home”, when you get back.”
“Yes, please do.”
Leonardo smiled, then stood up.
And so, the conversation will end here tonight.
“I’ll take care of the mess, so please just relax there, Amalia-san. I’m sure you haven’t slept enough yet.”
“…can I ask that of you?”
“Of course…… Well, I guess I don’t have any cooking talent after all, so I’d like to have breakfast made by you tomorrow morning. Also, I’m returning to the guild tomorrow, so if you could make me a lunch box, that would be great.”
“Of course! Well then, I’m going to sleep in tonight, so I will be more enthusiastic than usual about tomorrow’s breakfast!”
Mmm! Leonardo gave a funny reaction when she prodded to his stomach with her arm. However, as soon as he turned serious, he placed the plate he was holding in the sink, and put his hands on Amalia’s cheek and shoulder.
The light from the lamp danced in his gray eyes.
The shadows cast by his bangs made his face stand out clearly.
“…good night, Amalia-san. Have a good dream.”
Following his sweet, whispered greeting, Leonardo bent down.
While Amalia was still in a daze, Leonardo used his thumb to push away the hair that was hanging on Amalia’s cheek and pressed his lips to her cheek without making a sound.
Suddenly, she felt a soft and gentle touch.
She felt the warmth of someone other than herself, not through her hair nor in pretense. The warmth reached out to touch her, and then quickly pulled away.
―She doesn’t remember much after that since she was too nervous.
Before she knew it, Amalia had moved instantly from the kitchen to the bedroom upstairs, where she curled up in her blanket.
‘No, just now, just now, Leonardo, his lips―’
Shaking uncontrollably, she gently put her hand on her cheek, then stopped herself before she could do so.
She felt that if she touched them now, it would overwrite the feeling of his good night kiss―
“…kaah!”
‘What the h**l was I thinking?!’
She screamed into the blanket, then slapped herself energetically on the cheek.
Thanks to that, the feeling of someone’s lips was blown away, and her cheek now felt tingling, but it was the right thing to do.
‘…stupid, stupid, stupid! Why are you so excited to be kissed by the child you used to raise!’
For Leonardo, it would have been just an ordinary good night kiss.
And yet, she was so conscious, so nervous, like a little girl who didn’t want to forget that kind of feeling.
‘…let’s just sleep!’
She turns her body in the blanket and plunges head first into the pillow.
No matter how hard things are for them, they can get through most of it all if they satisfy their appetite and desire for sleep. It was the Director who taught Amalia this.
But now Amalia was having trouble sleeping and spent the night in agony.
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