“Was that woman with the iron fan here again?” he asked. He was dressed in a loose, black robe and sat down by the edge of the bed.
“Don’t call her that,” I scolded. “Did you forget Layla’s name already, Mr. Julius?”
His description of her wasn’t wrong, but it made her sound really powerful, like a brawny fighter. Layla was a beautiful, elegant noblewoman.
“I told you to rest, Chloe,” he said.
“I’m fine. I just used my magical energy up, and I’m all healed now. And you put in copious amounts of powdered sand light insects you received from Ruto and Jahala into my meals every day. They’re really effective to regain magic. Thanks to all that, I’m fully healed.”
I pointed to a lovely, large glass container on the side of my bed. It required both hands for me to lift, and Ruto and Jahala had left me with it before they headed for the Holy Palace. They were very worried about my health.
“Chloe, I’m a Seal Master. I live a very unhealthy life of using my life force to cast powerful spells,” Ruto said, handing me a paper bag illustrated with strange, wriggling insects that I’d never seen before.
I’m not sure if ‘unhealthy’ can fully describe your lifestyle… And I’m still worried about your brother, Salim. But I managed to swallow my words as my body still felt weak. I could only give an obedient nod.
“This is dried, powdered sand light insects. It’s famed for being effective in regaining magical energy within the circle of Seal Masters of Rasheed. It’s a bit bitter, but it might help if you mix it in with your food.”
“I felt it might not look pleasant, so I’ve prepared a pretty container,” Jahala said, transferring mysterious brown powder from the paper bag into the glass vessel. “Every now and then, I’ll drink some of this powder when I’m absolutely exhausted. It’s indeed a bit bitter, but it works very well.”
Since that day, Mr. Julius mixed as much as he could into my meals without hesitation. He put in so much that I wasn’t quite sure if I was allowed to intake all this powder at once, but he’d add it to my soup and force it down my throat. As Ruto and Jahala claimed, it was a bit bitter.
Thanks to the insects that made my meals taste bitter and astringent, I was recovering at an alarming pace since I first awoke. I was now as good as new. A few days ago, I could barely lift my arms and put strength in my legs, but I was now stronger than ever before. Still, Mr. Julius insisted on making me eat them.
I stated that I could eat all by myself, but he kept saying, “Open your mouth. Eat.” Despite my protests, he wouldn’t let me use my spoon and continued to shove food into my mouth. Obviously, I want to delude myself into thinking this is romantic and that I’m being spoiled. But I’ll be honest, it clearly looks like he’s feeding an animal as he mixes the feed with the sand light insects, no matter how you slice it.
As though to land the final blow, he had a look of nostalgia on his face as he murmured, “When Helios was just born, I often ground up small monsters and fed him with a spoon.” How else was I supposed to take this remark? Personally, I felt like I’d eaten enough of those powdered insects.
I felt like continuing this insect diet would turn me into a sand lizard, a creature that preferred to eat bugs. I haven’t seen either of them in the wild, though.
“I’m fine now,” I said. “If I don’t move around, my reflexes will start to dull. Mother always used to tell me that I’d become fat if I ate past nine at night, and that if I didn’t exercise regularly and let my guard down, I’d gain weight.”
“Your mother wasn’t human, was she?” Mr. Julius said, crossing his long legs and arms. I noticed him always crossing his limbs every chance he got, but I wondered if they were just so long that they’d get in the way if he didn’t keep them crossed.
Maybe he’s got his fair share of worries by having a good physique. He was the type of man who would look impossibly beautiful, though he was just sitting down by my bed while crossing his limbs. I drank in the sight as I internally showered his appearance with praise. I knew that vocalizing my thoughts would be met with an “I know very well that you like my appearance.”
“Apparently so,” I replied. “My father picked her up when she fell from the Otherworld. And that’s when I realized something.”
“Which is?”
“My mother always said that people would gain weight if they let their guards down. I’m guessing that when she just came to this world and met my father, still brimming with energy, she must’ve overeaten because the food of the human world was so delicious. Maybe she gained weight then.”
“Do angels gain weight?”
“I’m not sure, but she kept telling me this advice as though it was very important, which is why it still remains in my mind.”
“Did she not have more important matters to discuss?”
“I only remember her talking about food and weight, to be honest with you.”
“…I guess your mother’s just like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t feel like I was receiving much praise as Mr. Julius reached out and stroked my cheek. His hand, usually equipped with a weapon, was tough and rugged. His fingers were strong and long, but just a touch cold. As his blue and red gaze peered into my eyes, I felt my cheeks grow warm.
What do I do? I’m really nervous. I’m happy, but really embarrassed. I was by his side every day. If a simple touch made my heart pound this much, I was sure that my heart would stop one day from being overworked.
I love Mr. Julius very much. And it seems he likes me quite a bit too. Yeah, then I’m fine. There’s no issue here. Even I wasn’t sure what I was talking about. What issue? Who was I making excuses to? Various thoughts swirled inside my head, and I felt like my mind was about to explode.
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re thin, but you look much better. We’ve only got a bit more to go until you reach your usual weight.”
“Stop right there,” I said. “Mr. Julius, how do you know my weight?”
After he gently touched my cheek, he pinched it between his fingers. I don’t get it. Did I say something that warrants a pinch here? As his fingers left my cheek, he placed them on a small padlock that was tied with a black string around his neck.
“You’re my master, aren’t you?” he said. “It’s only natural to keep track of my master’s physical state.”
“You see me as Helios’s little sister or something, don’t you?” I quipped.
“Are you a dragon? I’ve always thought of you as Chloe Sagrid, an alchemist and a beautiful young maiden.”
“Did something happen?” I asked in shock. “You must be teasing me, aren’t you? Please stop introducing me as a ‘beautiful young maiden’ to others while I’m not there.”
Ever since we started staying at Puerta Research Center, I felt like Mr. Julius had changed a bit. Perhaps it was due to him talking with other dragon maniacs like Prince Faisal, Lambda, and the Dragon Knights. Maybe change wasn’t quite the right word—he was reverting to himself before he entered the war. A faint smile danced on his lips as he stroked my hair.
“Helios has been angry with me because he wants to see you,” he said. “He’s been copying Lumine, Lambda’s dragon, and has started poking me with his snout.”
“You seem happy,” I observed.
“Ah, well, he’s always been loyal to me… And I’ve made him see terrible sights. Should we leave this room, Chloe?”
“Thank you for worrying about me. And, um, erm…”
“What? Stop mumbling and just tell me.”
“While I’ve been recovering, you’ve been nice to me, worried about me, and always by my side. I didn’t mind that one bit, I guess.”
“I haven’t changed.”
He roughly tousled my hair before he stood up. Has he always been like that? Maybe he’s right. Mr. Julius was always worried about me and though it was difficult to understand his actions, he was generally kind to me. Maybe the way I started to perceive his actions changed.
“Just because you can get up, don’t wander around on your own too much,” he warned. “Do you have somewhere you’d like to visit?”
“Ah, right,” I replied. “Ms. Eliza said that she wanted to see me.”
“She’s still alive? She’s stubborn, just like…”
“I’m a genius, so I know where you’re going with that, but it’s best if you don’t say anything more outright, Mr. Julius. You mustn’t.”
“Why do you have to meet her?”
“Because I’m worried. Aren’t you?”
Mr. Julius only sighed. He said not a word, but I felt like he was calling me a good-natured idiot.
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