The next afternoon, I held a basket full of fresh fruits in my arms and visited House Lawrenson’s mansion. As I’d expected, even though two days had passed since his night out, Phil was still suffering from a hangover and he looked sick.
“Are you feeling all right?” I asked.
“Somehow. I’m sorry, that was the first time in my life I drank so much alcohol.”
He had apparently drank so much that he couldn’t even remember half the night. Even so, he said that he had a great time with such a cheery look on his face that I felt happy for him.
The news of their duel was rather shocking. It sounded exactly like the kind of stunt Alan would pull. It was also surprising that Phil was able to win against him, considering how skilled Alan was with a sword. Phil really was capable of anything he put his mind to.
“Would you like an apple?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Since he said that he could manage to eat some fruits, I sat down next to him and started to peel the apple.
“Um, I’m truly sorry. I’ll have the maids bring something else...” I murmured after a while as I placed the apple on the plate. It looked forlorn with how small and misshapen it’d become.
I had been peeling it. Or at least, I’d had every intention to. But I had been carving away at the meat as well as the skin. I wanted to cry at how awkward I still was with my hands. However, Phil thanked me once again and picked up both the plate and a fork.
“It’s just the right size for my appetite right now. Plus, apples are Vio’s favorite snack. So long as we remove the seeds, it’s an innovative way of slicing up the fruit to make it easy for her to swallow.”
“Phil...you’re much too kind to me.”
Phil was probably the only person in the entire world who would have something nice to say about this apple. It made me reaffirm how much I loved this part of his personality, as well as how much I found comfort in it. He quickly finished eating the apple and smiled at me, commenting on how delicious it was. Then, he took a drink of water and sighed.
“Has Alan returned to Kilteria?” he asked.
“Yes. He said that he will definitely return for our wedding.”
“I see.”
I remembered Alan saying that he was certain he’d cry and I giggled despite myself. Phil took my hand into his and said my name in a soft voice.
“I’m sorry for how much I put you through over the years. Through my conversation with Alan, I once again realized how much I hurt you in the past. I took your kindness for granted.”
“That’s not true at all. There were a lot of things wrong with my attitude back then as well.”
“No, the blame lies entirely with me.”
In the past, I had been awkward, unconfident, and self-deprecating. So I couldn’t blame Phil for everything. Even so, he refused to back down and insisted that he was the only one at fault. He’s only stubborn when it comes to the weirdest things, I thought as I continued to listen to him.
“I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. So happy that it’ll make up for what happened in the past.”
“Thank you. I will do my best to make you happy as well.”
“I’m already so happy that I don’t even know what to do with myself...”
I tightened my hold on Phil’s hand and he smiled, looking like the most fortunate man in the world. I could feel my body warm with affection at the expression.
“This is just a hypothesis, but I think I like you a lot, to an almost extreme degree.”
“Where did that come from?”
He said it so suddenly, standing so close to me and without changing his expression, that I wasn’t sure if the emotion ballooning in my chest was joy or embarrassment. What did he mean by “an almost extreme degree”?
“For the first time in my life, I gave voice to all of my feelings for you and I found that I couldn’t stop. I was pretty surprised.”
“Your feelings for me? Like what, for example?”
“How cute you are and what I like about you... If I have to be a bit more specific, the expression you make when you say that you love me is—”
“That’s enough. I understand.”
If I had to continue listening to him, I’d die from sheer embarrassment. For a moment, I felt like I was going to faint at the thought that he and Alan spent an entire night conversing about me in this way. I seriously hoped they’d refrain from such behavior in the future.
That was when I suddenly noticed how tired Phil looked. He must not have gotten much sleep last night on account of how sick he was.
“If you’re sleepy, you can go lie down. I’ll spend time with Little Vio.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I’m bored of your company or anything like that.”
“I understand, don’t worry.”
“I thought I hid my fatigue quite well... How could you tell?”
Now that he mentioned it, it was true that Phil’s expression was the same as it always was. How did I know that he was tired? I thought about it for a moment and then remembered what he said the day before yesterday.
“I can’t stop watching you either, Phil.”
I smiled after I said it. For a moment, Phil stared at me, mouth agape, before he covered the bottom half of his face with his hand. His beautiful face slowly turned red.
“That made me so happy, I’m no longer sleepy.”
“Hee hee.” With a single sentence, I could make him this happy and shy. It made me want to tease him a little. “Would you like to hear me talk about what I love about you?”
“I don’t think my body can handle it so please don’t... I’ll die.”
He said it with such a serious face. I grinned, happier than ever.