❁❁❁
THE following weeks passed in peace, and before Lille knew it, the snow began to melt. The trees of the forest no longer boasted snow-white caps, and frogs leapt around the vegetable patches after coming out of hibernation.
Winter became spring, making it the second spring since Lille had arrived at Charles’s house. A whole year had passed, and with it, so had the seasons. That was what the breeze told her as it gently brushed past her cheeks, carrying the exact same scent as on her first day there.
Leo passed the entrance exam for the academy, which meant he would be enrolling as a third-year student in the coming month. All of the students had to live in the academy dorms, so he was moving away from home. The following day, he was going back to his parents’ house to tie up a few loose ends and say goodbye, so they were having a farewell party of their own that day. They invited August, too, but with the new school term beginning, he only had enough time to stop by later.
“Leo, you’ll keep working just as hard once you start school, won’t you?” Lille asked.
“This is your second home, so come back whenever you feel like it,” Charles said, smiling.
“It’s weird to think that there’ll be one less person around,” Ark added sadly.
All throughout their goodbyes, Leo wore a strained smile.
“C’mon, stop making such a big deal about it. It’s not like you’re never gonna see me again. I’ll definitely come back when I have a day off.”
“But…!” Lille protested.
“I’m kinda happy that you’ll miss me, though, Lille. Why don’t you just apply to the academy as well?”
She shook her head immediately.
“I’m all right here, thank you.” She smiled. “I already have plans. Besides, there are a lot of magic items I want to make, too.”
“Hmph,” Leo huffed. “All right, then.”
As they lost themselves in their memories together and spoke about their futures, the evening flew by. The feast they’d been preparing since the previous night went down a treat; apart from the dishes they left aside for August, they ate almost everything. The fact that Ark was in human form contributed significantly in that regard.
“Leo, should I bring dessert over now?” Lille suggested. The table was looking quite empty, so it felt like a good time. For dessert, she’d baked an especially large strawberry tart—Leo’s favorite.
“Sounds good. I’ll make some tea,” Leo agreed. When Lille remembered she wouldn’t be able to drink Leo’s tea whenever she wanted to anymore, her heart throbbed. Not to mention, there were so many recipes he hadn’t taught her yet. There was still so much she wanted to talk about with him.
“It really will be lonely without him here…” she sighed quietly. She was determined not to send him off with tears, but she still wished that the next day would never come.
“Lille, the tea’s ready. What about dessert?” Leo called.
“O-Oh, yes, I’ll bring it now!” she called back, shaking herself.
After pressing a knife into it to start the first slice, she brought the tart to the table on a huge plate.
Leo gasped in amazement. “When you wouldn’t let me help you with dessert, I was so curious about what it could be. I’ve never seen a strawberry tart this big!” he said, beaming excitedly.
Lille grinned. “I’m so happy you like it.”
“I feel like you’re even better at baking than me now,” Leo marveled. “Phew, that kinda puts my mind at rest. You don’t even need me here!”
“…That’s not true,” she murmured. It came out in a much gloomier tone of voice than she anticipated, and the room fell silent for a few moments.
Leo exhaled. “Could you all please stop with the long faces? You know I want to see smiles when I go!”
“I’m sorry. I just…” Lille nibbled her lip.
“I’m sorry, too,” Charles interjected.
“Me too,” Ark said gruffly.
“It’s fine, I guess…” he replied, waving their apologies off. “Anyway, I got Master Charlie and Lille some presents, so cheer up, you two.” It sounded like he’d only just remembered. Lille had never expected he would do something like that for them.
“You got presents for us?” she blinked.
“Ooh, I wonder what it is!” Charles mused.
“I’ll give it to you later, so just drink your tea and eat dessert for now. Here,” Leo said, placing their teacups down in front of them. Lille’s cup was full to the brim, and she worried she might spill it.
“Oh, thank you,” Charles said, smiling.
“Thank you, Leo,” Lille echoed. When she put the rim of the cup to her lips, she noticed Leo staring at her. He was acting a little strange. Out of curiosity, she looked over at Ark, and found that he was doing the same thing to Charles—staring at him intently.
“Whew. Leo, your tea’s delicious, as always. The strawberry tart is amazing too, Lille,” Charles praised. He’d already drained the entire cup without a care in the world. Apparently, Lille was the only one who noticed them staring. No—she was probably reading too much into it, anyway.
“Really? Glad to hear it.” Leo grinned. “By the way, Lille. This has been on my mind for a while, but…how do you feel about Master Charlie?”
“…?!”
She made a strangled sound in her throat. That was the last thing she thought he’d ask, and the tea in her mouth went down her windpipe when she gasped. She was quickly reduced to a coughing mess, struggling to catch her breath as her throat complained.
“Lille, are you all right?” Charles fretted, giving her a firm pat on the back to help her.
Gradually, she regained her composure, and her breathing went back to normal as Charles rubbed her back. “L-Leo, where on earth did that come from?” she said hoarsely.
“I was just curious. I thought you might have a crush on someone.” He shrugged. “So, is Master Charlie the one you love? Oh, and I mean in a romantic way, of course.”
Naturally, Lille was shocked that he’d even picked up on it, but that he asked the question out of nowhere was even more bewildering. There was no way she could tell him the truth with Charles sitting right there.
I do love him, but…
“Only as family,” she tried to say, but all of a sudden, her lips took on a life of their own.
“I love Master Charlie.”
For a moment, she looked around blankly, trying to figure out who’d spoken. Then, in a soul-crushing moment of realization, she clapped her hands over her mouth. She had said it.
“O-Oh, I… Um…” she panicked.
“Uh…” Charles cleared his throat awkwardly. “You mean, you love me as my apprentice, don’t you?” Her thoughts swam, but fortunately, Charles had completely misinterpreted her declaration. She tried to nod and agree with him.
“No. I’m in love with you. In a romantic way.” Her lips moved on their own again.
“Wh-What?” Charles stuttered, his cheeks turning bright pink as he covered his mouth just as Lille had. She was really done for, then. Nothing she could say would be enough to talk her way out of the situation.
“What about you, Master Charlie? How do you feel about Lille?” Ark asked, darting toward him with a sense of excitement.
“W-Well…” he began, but then he simply gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “Mm? …?! Mmmnn! Aaaaah!” After making a series of strange faces, he started uttering random noises as if he were doing vocal exercises.
“That’s weird. Whenever I try to reply, my voice won’t come out,” he said, his brow furrowing in concern. While Lille mirrored his expression, Leo and Ark suddenly heaved huge, disappointed sighs.
“Aww. You were right; it only half worked on Master Charlie.”
“Lille was a great success, though. I guess the magic just wasn’t strong enough.”
Lille had no idea what they were talking about. Charles, on the other hand, cleared his throat, and shot them a death glare.
“Ark… Leo…” he said coolly. “Did you do something to our tea?”
“We just used a little truth serum. Well—more like a magic potion which prevents someone from lying,” Ark explained.
“Me and Ark made it together. That’s your present!” Leo grinned.
She’d thought there was something strange about the tea. She should’ve realized what was happening as soon as she noticed Leo acting weird. The moment Leo said he’d gotten them presents, he had her well and truly fooled.
“If we can’t lie, does that mean…?” Charles trailed off.
Ark nodded. “Yup. What Lille just said is how she actually feels.”
Charles’s eyes widened. Lille wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. She feared that if she tried to say anything, her voice would betray her and once again reveal more than she intended. All she could do was stay quiet, her bottom lip quivering. She hadn’t wanted to tell him in such a way. Leo was so mean for dropping this bombshell on her just before he left. She whipped her head around to scowl at him, but for some reason, he replied with a daring grin.
“Hey, Master Charlie. Are you just gonna leave Lille in the lurch? Keeping quiet while she pours her heart out? Don’t you have any pride as a man?” he challenged.
“Keeping quiet about what?” Charles asked indignantly.
“Your feelings for her, remember?” Leo rolled his eyes. “I know you’ve worked it out.”
“I… I… Mm!” Charles said, frustrated as his voice stopped working and his lips moved silently.
“Lille, just read his mind. We can’t sit here all day,” Ark interrupted.
“What? No! I can’t do that!” she protested.
“Just do it,” Ark prodded. He forcibly grabbed hold of her hand and pushed it onto Charles. She knew nothing would happen unless she wanted it to—or at least, that was what she thought. Instead, an instant later, Charles’s voice echoed inside her head.