Chapter 18:
Let’s Put a Name on Our Relationship
WHILE HEARING THE SOUNDS of the wheels of the carriage receding into the distance, Flum opened the door. The sight of her home immediately filled her with nostalgia.
“I’m home!”
“Welcome home, Master.”
“Shouldn’t you be saying ‘I’m home!’ too, Milkit?”
“Well, then…I am home.”
“Welcome home, Milkit.” The two of them looked at each other and chuckled softly at this slightly bizarre back-and-forth exchange. The house, which had been left unattended for some time, had some issues that were concerning.
“I feel like it’s a little dusty inside. Don’t you think?” Flum first looked around the rooms on the first floor. Milkit always had a somewhat sad look on her face as she looked at the dirt that accumulated in the corners.
“I guess we left the house unattended for too long.”
“Suppose we’ll start with cleaning, then.”
“Are you sure it’s all right not to rest?”
Flum checked her condition by rolling her shoulders and doing squats. Then she answered Milkit with a smile. “Let’s rest!”
When they finally returned to their familiar home, the fatigue that had been building up came rushing over them all at once. Still, that said, even if they were going to rest, they needed to do at least a minimum amount of cleaning. The two of them grabbed a broom and rags and headed to the second floor to give their bedroom a quick cleaning. Once they had finished with their sloppy cleaning job, Flum collapsed onto the bed on her back.
“Ahhh, the nostalgic feel of my bed!” Flum stretched out widely, pretending to be deeply moved in exaggerated fashion. Milkit, still standing, put her hand over her mouth and giggled softly.
“The bed in the Demon Lord’s castle was soft and fluffy, but you can really relax when you’re in your own familiar bed, after all.”
“There’s no beating the ol’ familiar… Oh, that reminds me, we’ve gotta wash and dry the futon out later, though. But the magic of the bed seems like it’ll make it difficult for me to move for a little while.”
“Are you going to take an afternoon nap?”
“If I do, then I might as well have you join me, Milkit. Before that, though…” Flum sat up and lightly patted the spot directly next to her on the bed with a pomf pomf. Milkit immediately sat down next to her. Flum then brought her hands to Milkit’s face and began removing the bandages covering her.
“Come to think of it, it has been a while since you’ve removed my bandages like this.” Milkit’s ears were slightly reddened, and her mouth was relaxed with a feeling of blissful happiness.
“Well, yeah, we weren’t all alone in the Demon Lord’s castle. It has been a while, so I’m a little nervous. What about you, Milkit?”
“My heart is racing. But the happiness of feeling that I am yours, Master, is so much greater than my nervousness that I do not really mind at all.” Originally, the promise that Milkit would hide her face with bandages and only show her bare face to Flum was only for Flum’s benefit. Also, it was for the selfish reason of Flum not wanting to give away the most beautiful and lovely girl in the world to anyone else. However, in reality, Milkit also found joy in this arrangement. Not being able to show her bare face to others was a trivial matter.
Rather, if anything, Milkit felt happier that her beloved Master had her all to herself. And Flum realized that Milkit felt this way, too. That was exactly why she felt uneasy. Milkit was too convenient for Flum, to the point where she wondered if Milkit was just a figment of her imagination or a fantasy, and she would eventually disappear. They were such ridiculous fears such as that. Which was why Flum immediately reached out and touched her. She reached out to confirm her existence, touching her exposed skin and her slightly reddened cheeks. When Flum stared at her, Milkit got all bashful.
“I’m not sure why, but I feel a little bit embarrassed now.”
“Oh, sorry. I was probably staring too much.”
“No…that’s not it. After spending so much time together with you Master, I’ve come to understand what you’re thinking a little bit even without words, just from your facial expressions and your eyes. That’s why.” Milkit turned bright red and looked down somewhat shyly. In short, it seemed that Flum’s thoughts were written on her face.
Flum’s face went just as bright red in response, and she confessed everything.
“Well, I can’t help it. Because you really are the cutest in the world, Milkit!”
She remembered saying the same thing before, but for some reason, she felt even more embarrassed now than she did then. But she wasn’t lying when she said Milkit was the cutest in the whole world. She was confident that this would never change in the future, either.
Milkit’s blushing expression suddenly darkened. It was only for a moment, but Flum didn’t fail to notice.
“What’s the matter, Milkit?”
“Oh… I’m sorry. I was thinking about something unnecessary.”
“Tell me what you were thinking about.”
“About past lives.” With that, Milkit began to reveal the anxiety that had taken root in her heart. “I don’t really understand things like souls or reincarnation very well. But it’s a fact that past lives exist and that you and I were together in our past lives, too, Master. Right?”
“It sounds that way, yeah.”
“So maybe that means the feelings of love that I have for Master…were something given to me by those two. When I think about that, my heart feels clouded.”
She had thought her feelings were her own, especially when it came to Flum. Those feelings were like a sanctuary for Milkit. She poured all the love she felt for Flum into repaying her, which also gave her a reason to keep living. However, the story of their past lives trampled all over that. What if the love she felt for Flum right now came from the Milkit of the past?
And on the flipside, what if Flum’s past life had intruded upon the current Flum? That would be something Milkit would find difficult to forgive. Flum, understanding this, spoke in a light tone, so as not to dampen the mood too much.
“My past self said something to me. About how it seems like fate only takes care of us until we meet.”
“Our meeting… You mean up until that that slave trader’s dungeon?”
“I didn’t want to admit this until now, Milkit. But you know, about how we met… You could say it was thanks to Jean, right? If Jean hadn’t sold me, we wouldn’t have met.”
“That’s…”
Being led to believe that all of her friends had betrayed her and having the mark of a slave branded onto her face were events that were essential for her to have met Milkit. At the very least, that was the only conclusion that she could come to before now. It was an undeniable fact that even Milkit couldn’t refute.
“But what if it was fate?” Flum smiled smugly as she said that. “Whether I was sold or not, we would’ve met. Don’t you think that’s more romantic and wonderful?” Perhaps Milkit had never even imagined the thought, because she was left flabbergasted. However, she quickly smiled warmly and replied after ruminating on Flum’s words.
“Yes, you’re right…more so than being because of Jean.”
“So regardless of whatever the truth may be, I think it’s fine. My encounter with you was fate, Milkit, and the relationship that we’ve developed after that point is something that only we, who are alive here and now, can understand.” Flum stared intently at Milkit, as if asking her, “Well, what do you think?”
“You’re amazing, Master… You instantly cleared away the cloudiness in my heart. You’re my hero, who always protects me and my sun, who always clears away the clouds when they cover me…” When Milkit looked up, she had a big, bright smile on her face, and spoke cheerfully. “I feel like I’ve gained more than a lifetime of happiness by meeting you, Master.”
There wasn’t a single cloud in her sparkling eyes. She simply stared straight at Flum, beaming more intently than any other light. Even Flum, the person she was looking at, could feel the absolute trust that Milkit was placing in her. Such a feeling could be burdensome, depending on the situation, but Flum found it pleasant, as it allowed her to feel Milkit’s presence.
“I want to make you much, much happier, Milkit.” And if her efforts could make Milkit shine even brighter, then… “I truly believe that I would be willing to devote my entire life to making you happy, Milkit.”
She didn’t need anything else. That alone was enough.
“Master…” Receiving love from her owner made Milkit’s heart tremble with joy. Tears filled her eyes, brought on by her deep emotions. She gazed at Flum with those moist eyes.