🌷 🌷 🌷
“GOOD work today, Bernard.”
“…You too.”
Bernard headed straight for his desk, not even looking in the direction of the coworker who’d called out to him when he returned to the Architectural Institute from his inspection of that day’s assigned area. He set his bag down on the desk next to his, which had previously been Ophelia’s but now was empty, and let out a huge sigh.
“Is your workload too much without Ophelia around to help?”
“No, that’s not it…” Bernard sighed again and cupped his face in both hands, elbows leaning on the desk. “Ophie just seems to be having more fun than I expected…”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…”
Even after Ophelia transferred to the Director’s Office, Bernard’s repair records continued to be among the highest in the division. Being alone meant he had no one to talk to, which in turn allowed him to walk faster, ultimately improving the efficiency of his work.
“I mentally prepared myself for her to come home from work crying every day, but not only did that not happen, if anything, it’s the opposite. She seems really enthusiastic about the new position…”
“You two have always been together, after all. So big brother is lonely, is he? Ahaha.”
“…You may be right…”
“Come on, admit it already!”
His younger sister, who’d always followed along, hiding timidly behind him, had begun smiling as she got out of the carriage and waved them off every morning. She even seemed to have become accustomed to the trousers that, at first, she’d frowned at while repeatedly checking her appearance in the mirror. Bernard had made a point of examining her arms and legs for scrapes and bruises, but there weren’t any, leading him to conclude they must be taking good care of her, at least.
“I guess I just never expected she’d be able to let go of my hand so easily…”
“You’re having an even harder time letting her go than your father, aren’t you? I saw him earlier, and he seemed completely normal.”
“Sigh… I hope Ophie comes back quickly.”
“What you should be hoping for is for your sister to learn to make her own way in the world. Let’s go drinking sometime and take your mind off all this, okay?”
The coworker clasped Bernard on his shoulder before leaving to return to his own division. Once he was alone, Bernard reached out his hand toward the lonely desk beside him that was missing its owner.
Ophie doesn’t need to become friendly with anyone. All the employees in the Director’s Office are aristocrats, except for that one commoner from the family of scholars, right?
I bet they’re all liars.
I don’t want to let Ophie get hurt anymore.
The closer you get to someone, the more it hurts when they inevitably betray you. I’ll spend my whole life protecting Ophie. I decided it back then. I don’t ever want to see her hurt and crying ever again.