12 Years Old: Chapter 57 – The Aftermath
TL: Bloated Bun
TLC: Krrizis
Editor: Puissansa
First published on Ainushi
After that, the tension somehow disappeared completely from my body . By the time I realized it, I was lying on a bed .
From the things around me, like the fine furnishings, carpet and chandelier – it was obvious that this was not my residence . Hmm, it’s probably one of the rooms in the castle .
First of all, let’s confirm my body’s condition! I thought, as I rose to a sitting position .
There’s no pain in my ankle and my self-inflicted knife wound wasn’t there either . My thrown back, the injury that I had sustained from being on the defense was no longer sore .
The castle magicians must have healed me . Or in this case, the castle healers .
Furthermore, the negligee that I was previously wearing was somehow changed into a frillier nightgown . Whose choice of clothes was this?
Taking in the situation, I sighed as I grasped the fluttery hem .
I can’t really go out looking like this . Or rather, this is such a girly piece of clothing that I’m hesitant to be seen by other people .
I suppose waiting calmly for someone to come might be the best course of action .
It can’t be helped – is what I initially thought; but in the end, that train of thought wasn’t necessary .
As I contemplated on what to do and was about to roll off the bed, I heard a faint knocking on the door . It must be a maid who’s checking up on me .
「Ye~s . 」
As I raised my voice to let them know that I’m awake, the door was flung open vigorously . Opening the door so abruptly like that will startle me, you know .
It turned out that the person who opened the door in a hurry was Cecil-kun . It was unexpected of him to come all this way expressly to to check on my condition .
Cecil-kun, with his glossy silver hair ruffled, blinked in surprise at the sight of me awake .
「…So you’ve woken up . 」
「I just did, good morning . 」
「It’s already past noon . 」
「Oh my, I suppose I overslept . 」
I wonder how long I’ve slept for?
Cecil-kun, having perhaps guessed my question, offered the answer . “You were unconscious for two whole days”, he added . Instead of being astonished, I instead looked unsettled .
…Even without any serious injuries, I overslept like that as I pleased . It seems like they’ve managed to suppress the rebellion while as I was asleep . If they didn’t, I wouldn’t have been left alone here .
「How did it go after that?」
「It’s not exactly a pleasant topic to listen to though . 」
「That’s alright . I can roughly imagine it after all . 」
「Alfred Sévéne, one of the ringleaders, passed away . Grandfather is being interrogated . Once that’s over, he’ll be sentenced by hanging . 」
It ended up like that after all, huh . Treason is usually met by the death penalty after all . Rather than being hanged in public, perhaps it’s much better for him, in a way, to be finished off by the hand of his own son .
Abbot Georg was apprehended by Cecil-kun, so a public execution cannot be avoided .
…I wonder if I can get one hit in before his sentence . How dare he get Ruby mixed up in this whole affair .
Given that the person involved, Cecil-kun, was reporting the information indifferently throughout this conversation just after I woke up, I couldn’t help feeling slightly apologetic towards him .
I looked closely at his expression .
「…Cecil-kun, are you alright?」
「I don’t have any particular opinion about it . We were estranged despite blood relations, so I feel nothing . Same goes for you . Are you okay?」
「If it’s about my body, I’m perfectly healthy! Not even a single scar is left . Do you want to check?」
「If it’s about my body, I’m perfectly healthy! Not even a single scar is left . Do you want to check?」
「Stop it, stupid woman . 」
There goes the first of his biting remarks . Even though it was just a joke .
「Anyway, it isn’t as if there are no scars remaining . Well, it might be a concern for some guys though . 」
Cecil-kun’s expression instantly darken as I reflexively shrugged my shoulders without a care . A gloomy expression floated on his face .
To shorten the distance between us, I laughed and told him that I was okay, then grabbed his hand . Just like that, I pulled him down to sit beside me .
「I don’t find you dreadful so it’s fine . 」
「…My family – although I don’t want to admit them as my family – was the source of your wounds . 」
「But Cecil-kun, you’re not the one at fault . It was the Abbot and the Earl’s son . I was happy that you got angry at him on my behalf as a friend . 」
Frankly speaking, the Abbot and Cecil-kun were on bad terms with each other . Moreover, the impetus that started it was his grandfather, so it’s like barking up the wrong tree .
Personally, I was happy that Cecil-kun was angry on my behalf . I really appreciated it .
As I laughed freely, Cecil-kun scratched his cheek awkwardly and turned the other way .
It’s just his way of hiding his embarrassment . I know that for a fact, since we’ve been friends for five years now .
Compared to how harsh he was the first time we met, I think he has grown softer . To the point that I want to spread around how cute Cecil-kun was . But if I did that, fists and fits of anger would definitely rain down upon me .
「Even so, I wish I could’ve attacked the Earl’s son at least once . That damn lolicon . 」
「…Well Giles… . no, never mind . 」
「What a pain in the arse . How dare he, to a person’s chest…」
I felt defiled from just recollecting it . To begin with, the Earl’s son was off his rockers, so being close to him is definitely a no .
When I get home, I’m going to take a bath and thoroughly sterilize myself . My body looks like it was wiped clean, but when I recalled my neck that he had licked, I really want to quickly purify it .
「Since I kicked him there, it would be nice if it’s beyond recovery . 」
「Since I kicked him there, it would be nice if it’s beyond recovery . 」
「…You don’t have to worry about that . Mmhmm . 」
…Why is Cecil-kun avoiding my eyes . And what’s with that faraway look on his face .
「Are you really alright? As a girl, wasn’t it scary to be forced like that?」
「Well…I mean, I’ve already cried . 」
「Hah—」
「Oh, but I’m okay now! I’m just stiff around guys I’m not familiar with . 」
“I don’t have problems like that with close friends though”, I laughed as I held my thumb up . Cecil-kun gave me a look of amazement .
Then, he sighed and stretched his palm towards my head . I thought he was going to pat my head, but instead he messed up my hair with all his strength .
「Stupid, you’re not okay at all . If it’s painful, you need to tell Giles and me . 」
「Wow, Cecil-kun is being affectionate . 」
「Are you making fun of someone who’s worried about you, huh?」
「Amh nawt . 」
He pinched and stretched both sides of my cheeks .
If anyone saw my appearance just then, it would surely look very comical; what with my hair all disheveled and with stretched out cheeks accompanied by a silly expression .
Being mean to a girl is the worst! I narrowed my eyes in dissatisfaction and pouted to show my displeasure, which softened his expression . He let go of my cheeks and ruffled my hair once again . This time, however, he did it gently .
「Alright, looks like you’re back to being lively . 」
Despite the mischievous glint in his eyes, there was nothing but concern and affection contained in his smile .
…He really has opened his heart and became gentler . I feel like girls would fall in love with him if he displayed this in front of them right now .
「Oh, right! Cecil-kun, thank you for saving me!」
「Eh well, it was also beneficial to me in those circumstances . If I hadn’t shown my allegiance to the King, I might’ve gotten disposed of as well . 」
「Eh well, it was also beneficial to me in those circumstances . If I hadn’t shown my allegiance to the King, I might’ve gotten disposed of as well . 」
Because there was a slim chance of my fate being tied to the Steinbert’s, Cecil said and shrugged . Thanks to his family perpetrating the events, he was probably feeling extremely ashamed . .
Well, it’s not like Cecil-kun cared enough about the change of rank . As long as he was not imprisoned or killed, he didn’t seem to care . From the start, he was indifferent to things like one’s peerage .
「I will also appeal to prevent the sentencing of their family and their followers . 」
「That would be helpful . Well, Alfred’s retainers may already be dead though . 」
「I don’t want Giles to be mixed up with it . 」
「He was removed from the family registry so it should be okay . Didn’t he end up serving you 8 years ago after he threw away the Sévéne name?」
If he’s been officially removed from the registry, he should be alright…for sure .
They can’t blame Giles for anything, as he’s only a servant . Nothing more can be done to rank . Even if they were to condemn him as a son of Sévéne, I think he should still come out favorably .
…Giles, I wonder if he’s okay .
「How is Giles now?」
「…Lots of things are going on for him . You can hear about it from the person himself later . 」
「…That’s true . Oh right, Cecil, can you call Father for me please? I can’t really go out dressed like this . 」
The negligee that I was wearing when I was kidnapped was of a simple design, and given that it was a state of emergency, I wandered around in my pajamas, but I’m not going out in this extravagant-looking negligee . It’s improper, and I would get scolded if discovered .
It doesn’t suit my tastes, I let out a aggrieved sigh as I gripped the hem of the frilly negligee . Furthermore, this negligee is too short .
I guess this is the kind of clothes that is meant to be seen by men, so there’s no need for practicality . People are going to hit on me if I waltz about in them! It’d pretty much be me fanning the flames, purely because of the design . At least it’s not made of transparent sheer fabric .
「…Cover your legs, it’s improper . 」
Cecil-kun, who now understood the situation after listening to my grumbles, covered my legs with the bed sheets . He also averted his gaze . What a gentleman .
「At any rate, I’ll go ahead and call Wolfe for you . I’ll be going now . 」
He didn’t have to hurry, but he left in a fluster anyway . Finding it somewhat comical, I let out a hearty laugh .
12 Years Old: Chapter 57 – The Aftermath.
TL: Bloated Bun.
TLC: Krrizis.
Editor: Puissansa.
First published on Ainushi.
.
.
After that, the tension somehow disappeared completely from my body . By the time I realized it, I was lying on a bed
.
From the things around me, like the fine furnishings, carpet and chandelier – it was obvious that this was not my residence . Hmm, it’s probably one of the rooms in the castle
.
First of all, let’s confirm my body’s condition! I thought, as I rose to a sitting position
.
There’s no pain in my ankle and my self-inflicted knife wound wasn’t there either . My thrown back, the injury that I had sustained from being on the defense was no longer sore
.
The castle magicians must have healed me . Or in this case, the castle healers
.
Furthermore, the negligee that I was previously wearing was somehow changed into a frillier nightgown . Whose choice of clothes was this?.
.
Taking in the situation, I sighed as I grasped the fluttery hem
.
I can’t really go out looking like this . Or rather, this is such a girly piece of clothing that I’m hesitant to be seen by other people
.
I suppose waiting calmly for someone to come might be the best course of action
.
It can’t be helped – is what I initially thought; but in the end, that train of thought wasn’t necessary
.
As I contemplated on what to do and was about to roll off the bed, I heard a faint knocking on the door . It must be a maid who’s checking up on me
.
「Ye~s . 」.
.
As I raised my voice to let them know that I’m awake, the door was flung open vigorously . Opening the door so abruptly like that will startle me, you know
.
It turned out that the person who opened the door in a hurry was Cecil-kun . It was unexpected of him to come all this way expressly to to check on my condition
.
Cecil-kun, with his glossy silver hair ruffled, blinked in surprise at the sight of me awake
.
「…So you’ve woken up . 」.
「I just did, good morning . 」.
「It’s already past noon . 」.
「Oh my, I suppose I overslept . 」.
.
I wonder how long I’ve slept for?.
.
Cecil-kun, having perhaps guessed my question, offered the answer . “You were unconscious for two whole days”, he added . Instead of being astonished, I instead looked unsettled
.
…Even without any serious injuries, I overslept like that as I pleased . It seems like they’ve managed to suppress the rebellion while as I was asleep . If they didn’t, I wouldn’t have been left alone here
.
「How did it go after that?」.
「It’s not exactly a pleasant topic to listen to though . 」.
「That’s alright . I can roughly imagine it after all . 」.
「Alfred Sévéne, one of the ringleaders, passed away . Grandfather is being interrogated . Once that’s over, he’ll be sentenced by hanging . 」.
.
It ended up like that after all, huh . Treason is usually met by the death penalty after all . Rather than being hanged in public, perhaps it’s much better for him, in a way, to be finished off by the hand of his own son
.
Abbot Georg was apprehended by Cecil-kun, so a public execution cannot be avoided
.
…I wonder if I can get one hit in before his sentence . How dare he get Ruby mixed up in this whole affair
.
Given that the person involved, Cecil-kun, was reporting the information indifferently throughout this conversation just after I woke up, I couldn’t help feeling slightly apologetic towards him . .
.
I looked closely at his expression
.
「…Cecil-kun, are you alright?」.
「I don’t have any particular opinion about it . We were estranged despite blood relations, so I feel nothing . Same goes for you . Are you okay?」.
「If it’s about my body, I’m perfectly healthy! Not even a single scar is left . Do you want to check?」.
「Stop it, stupid woman . 」.
.
There goes the first of his biting remarks . Even though it was just a joke
.
「Anyway, it isn’t as if there are no scars remaining . Well, it might be a concern for some guys though . 」.
.
Cecil-kun’s expression instantly darken as I reflexively shrugged my shoulders without a care . A gloomy expression floated on his face
.
To shorten the distance between us, I laughed and told him that I was okay, then grabbed his hand . Just like that, I pulled him down to sit beside me
.
「I don’t find you dreadful so it’s fine . 」.
「…My family – although I don’t want to admit them as my family – was the source of your wounds . 」.
「But Cecil-kun, you’re not the one at fault . It was the Abbot and the Earl’s son . I was happy that you got angry at him on my behalf as a friend . 」.
.
Frankly speaking, the Abbot and Cecil-kun were on bad terms with each other . Moreover, the impetus that started it was his grandfather, so it’s like barking up the wrong tree
.
Personally, I was happy that Cecil-kun was angry on my behalf . I really appreciated it
.
As I laughed freely, Cecil-kun scratched his cheek awkwardly and turned the other way
.
It’s just his way of hiding his embarrassment . I know that for a fact, since we’ve been friends for five years now
.
Compared to how harsh he was the first time we met, I think he has grown softer . To the point that I want to spread around how cute Cecil-kun was . But if I did that, fists and fits of anger would definitely rain down upon me
.
「Even so, I wish I could’ve attacked the Earl’s son at least once . That damn lolicon . 」.
「…Well Giles… . no, never mind . 」.
「What a pain in the arse . How dare he, to a person’s chest…」.
.
I felt defiled from just recollecting it . To begin with, the Earl’s son was off his rockers, so being close to him is definitely a no
.
When I get home, I’m going to take a bath and thoroughly sterilize myself . My body looks like it was wiped clean, but when I recalled my neck that he had licked, I really want to quickly purify it
.
「Since I kicked him there, it would be nice if it’s beyond recovery . 」.
「…You don’t have to worry about that . Mmhmm . 」.
.
…Why is Cecil-kun avoiding my eyes . And what’s with that faraway look on his face
.
「Are you really alright? As a girl, wasn’t it scary to be forced like that?」.
「Well…I mean, I’ve already cried . 」.
「Hah—」.
「Oh, but I’m okay now! I’m just stiff around guys I’m not familiar with . 」.
.
“I don’t have problems like that with close friends though”, I laughed as I held my thumb up . Cecil-kun gave me a look of amazement
.
Then, he sighed and stretched his palm towards my head . I thought he was going to pat my head, but instead he messed up my hair with all his strength
.
「Stupid, you’re not okay at all . If it’s painful, you need to tell Giles and me . 」.
「Wow, Cecil-kun is being affectionate . 」.
「Are you making fun of someone who’s worried about you, huh?」.
「Amh nawt . 」.
.
He pinched and stretched both sides of my cheeks
.
If anyone saw my appearance just then, it would surely look very comical; what with my hair all disheveled and with stretched out cheeks accompanied by a silly expression
.
Being mean to a girl is the worst! I narrowed my eyes in dissatisfaction and pouted to show my displeasure, which softened his expression . He let go of my cheeks and ruffled my hair once again . This time, however, he did it gently
.
「Alright, looks like you’re back to being lively . 」.
.
Despite the mischievous glint in his eyes, there was nothing but concern and affection contained in his smile
.
…He really has opened his heart and became gentler . I feel like girls would fall in love with him if he displayed this in front of them right now
.
「Oh, right! Cecil-kun, thank you for saving me!」.
「Eh well, it was also beneficial to me in those circumstances . If I hadn’t shown my allegiance to the King, I might’ve gotten disposed of as well . 」.
.
Because there was a slim chance of my fate being tied to the Steinbert’s, Cecil said and shrugged . Thanks to his family perpetrating the events, he was probably feeling extremely ashamed .
.
Well, it’s not like Cecil-kun cared enough about the change of rank . As long as he was not imprisoned or killed, he didn’t seem to care . From the start, he was indifferent to things like one’s peerage
.
「I will also appeal to prevent the sentencing of their family and their followers . 」.
「That would be helpful . Well, Alfred’s retainers may already be dead though . 」.
「I don’t want Giles to be mixed up with it . 」.
「He was removed from the family registry so it should be okay . Didn’t he end up serving you 8 years ago after he threw away the Sévéne name?」.
.
If he’s been officially removed from the registry, he should be alright…for sure
.
They can’t blame Giles for anything, as he’s only a servant . Nothing more can be done to rank . Even if they were to condemn him as a son of Sévéne, I think he should still come out favorably
.
…Giles, I wonder if he’s okay
.
「How is Giles now?」.
「…Lots of things are going on for him . You can hear about it from the person himself later . 」.
「…That’s true . Oh right, Cecil, can you call Father for me please? I can’t really go out dressed like this . 」.
.
The negligee that I was wearing when I was kidnapped was of a simple design, and given that it was a state of emergency, I wandered around in my pajamas, but I’m not going out in this extravagant-looking negligee . It’s improper, and I would get scolded if discovered
.
It doesn’t suit my tastes, I let out a aggrieved sigh as I gripped the hem of the frilly negligee . Furthermore, this negligee is too short
.
I guess this is the kind of clothes that is meant to be seen by men, so there’s no need for practicality . People are going to hit on me if I waltz about in them! It’d pretty much be me fanning the flames, purely because of the design . At least it’s not made of transparent sheer fabric
.
「…Cover your legs, it’s improper . 」.
.
Cecil-kun, who now understood the situation after listening to my grumbles, covered my legs with the bed sheets . He also averted his gaze . What a gentleman
.
「At any rate, I’ll go ahead and call Wolfe for you . I’ll be going now . 」.
.
He didn’t have to hurry, but he left in a fluster anyway . Finding it somewhat comical, I let out a hearty laugh
Chapter end
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