Chapter 1.4

“Then I’ll make yours.”  

“Mine?”  

“This house isn’t just for me and Amber. You live here too. That means there are two owners. Let’s match together.”  

How could he casually refer to me?  

While she was thinking, ‘Well, that’s true,’ he gently took her hand. Her heart started pounding loudly. Her face flushed to the point where she felt it burning. Yet, he simply took the thread from her grasp.  

“Can I sit closer?”  

He asked innocently, as if there was no other meaning behind his words.  

“Yes… Huh? Why?”  

“I can’t see well from here while making it.”  

“Oh, I see.”  

She felt embarrassed, her cheeks burning for no reason. She nodded, trying to act as if she was calm. Then, Sir Clyde, who had been sitting about a hand’s width away from her, moved closer until he was right next to her.  

Amber meowed softly and sprawled halfway across both of their laps, as if she was the link connecting him and her. She tried to suppress her pounding heart, smiling at the cat as she gently stroked her.  

“Oh, how cute.”  

At that moment, he echoed her words.  

“How cute.”  

“What? Why are you repeating what I said… huh?”  

She thought he was teasing her. So, she looked at him with a playful pout, but when she actually raised her head, she saw him gazing at her with warm eyes. There was no hint of teasing in his expression.  

What is this…? 

She didn’t even realize she had stopped breathing as she faced him directly. The sound of her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears. It beat rapidly, about four times.  

“…Shall we make the bracelet?”  

She felt as if his face was getting closer, and she instinctively closed her eyes and turned her head away. Maybe it was because he had been staring at her so intently.  

Goodness, no matter how overwhelming my feelings for him had become, this was too much. What if I had recklessly leaned in and kissed him? That would’ve been a disaster.  

Deliberately keeping herself busy, she rummaged through the envelope and spilled its contents onto the table. Then, she quickly grabbed a few threads to start making the bracelet and necklace, just as she had briefly learned earlier.  

“It shouldn’t be too hard. As long as you tie the knots properly… Just watch me and follow along… Sir Clyde?”

She tilted her head as she looked back at him, who remained silent. For some reason, it was too quiet beside her. At that moment, he let out a deep sigh with a sullen expression, though he seemed unwilling to ignore her words entirely. Soon enough, he asked, “What should I do?” while glancing down at her hands.

“Bracelet. You just need to tie the knots well. And since it would be boring to just make it, how about we place a little bet?”

“A bet?”

“Once we’re done, we’ll line them up. The person who makes the prettier one wins.”

“And the winner gets?”

“Hmm, the winner gets… one wish granted?”

At her words, his amber eyes quickly lit up with interest.  

In that moment, a piece of information Sir Forrest had mentioned flashed through her mind. Apparently, the original Sir Clyde had a bit of a competitive streak, so it wouldn’t hurt to occasionally provoke that side of him.  

‘Ah, he really is gradually returning to his old self…’  

Suppressing the bittersweet feeling rising within her, she grabbed his hand lightly, as she always did, and showed him how to tie the knots.  

“Here, like this. Start by making a loop to the left, then weave it through. After that, cross it with the thread below and tie it. You just keep repeating this. Simple, right?”

“Hmm. I don’t get it.”

“Really? It doesn’t seem that hard… Or maybe it is? Then I’ll show you again. Watch carefully, okay? First, you make a round loop like this…”

It wasn’t until she had tied ten knots that she realized she had been tricked by his playful words. Surely, there was no way he couldn’t understand by now. When she looked up at him, he was smiling cheekily.

“What’s this? Were you joking? Do you not want to make it?”

“No, I just wanted you to hold my hand.”

He smiled with those beautiful amber eyes. His blunt expression of affection made her heart flutter again, despite her efforts to suppress it. Pretending to be annoyed, she averted her gaze and muttered, “What’s this?” before focusing entirely on making the bracelet.  

All the while, he watched her intently from the side, though she pretended not to notice.

***

“deputy commander, what’s that on your wrist?”  

It was late in the afternoon when Sir Forrest came to visit.  

Temporarily filling in for Sir Clyde as deputy commander, Sir Forrest had recently been stopping by once a day to share updates about the day’s events within the knight order. Of course, Sir Clyde didn’t listen to a word of it.  

As usual, while Sir Forrest was earnestly reading out his report, Sir Clyde was busy playing with Amber, wishing for the cat to walk on two legs. “Amber, even that fool walks on two legs. Why can’t you?” he said.  

Eventually, Sir Forrest, seemingly irritated, crumpled his report and snapped, “What’s this?” But Sir Clyde didn’t even pretend to hear him.  

The topic of the bracelet came up then. Sir Forrest, annoyed, gulped down the tea she had brought and noticed the accessory on Sir Clyde’s wrist. In response, Sir Clyde held up his bracelet and Amber’s necklace, comparing them side by side as if to show they were a set. He shrugged and glanced toward her.  

Sitting on the sofa, she watched the scene unfold while fiddling with the bracelet hidden under her sleeve. The one she wore was the bracelet Sir Clyde had made for her. As her heart tingled with warmth, she smiled quietly to herself.  

Then, an unexpected comment broke the silence.  

“That’s the trendy glowing thread these days? Good heavens! Are you planning to get stabbed to death?”  

Stabbed? What on earth did that mean? 

She tilted her head, puzzled by Sir Forrest’s words, and noticed Sir Clyde’s expression darkening. However, his subordinate, oblivious to his superior’s reaction, continued to ramble on, unaware that his remarks were stoking Sir Clyde’s anger.  

“Take it off immediately! Are you trying to get yourself assassinated? Even if your mind’s gone soft, this is unacceptable!”  

“Huh? Assassinated? Should he not wear it?”  

She asked anxiously, having had no idea. Sir Forrest sighed in frustration and explained.  

“Of course not! People like us often move around at night. That’s why we develop night vision and operate without needing light. But wearing something like that would obviously interfere with missions and practically invite enemies to kill you.”  

His explanation, delivered with no room for argument, left her pale with worry. Goodness. She had bought it because she thought it symbolized a wish for safety. She hadn’t realized it was anything but.  

While she sat there feeling downcast, another scathing remark followed. Once again, it was Sir Forrest.  

“And what’s with that messy design? Did you actually pay money for that? What a waste of money.”  

That was because I made it…  

For the record, the bracelet-making contest ended in her complete defeat. Sir Clyde turned out to be unexpectedly skilled with his hands. The bracelet she was wearing now was much prettier than hers. As a result, she had given him one wish as his prize.  

“deputy commander, you should be grateful for that handsome face of yours. You have no sense of aesthetics whatsoever,”  

“Amber, go!”  

At that moment, Sir Clyde put Amber down and gave a short command. The cat leaped nimbly onto Sir Forrest’s lap, bit his arm sharply, and jumped back down.  

“Ow!”  

“Well done.”  

“Even the cat is starting to take after its owner! I’m speechless, really!”  

While the three of them—two men and one cat—squabbled, she fell into thought. She had intended the bracelet as a meaningful gift, but it turned out to be something dangerous for him.  

Thinking about it, he was a knight, so it would have been more fitting to give him a gift that matched his role. It seemed she had momentarily forgotten that, lost in the comfort of their current life.  

‘That’s right. Sir Clyde is someone who will return to being a knight once he regains his memories…’  

Moreover, the accessory seemed to be drawing laughter rather than admiration. It certainly didn’t suit his dignity. Feeling disheartened, she began pondering what she could give him instead.  

***

“Why? Don’t mind what he said earlier. I like this.”  

Shortly after Sir Forrest left, Sir Clyde, back to his usual relaxed demeanor, followed her around and spoke.  

It seemed he had noticed that she was upset by the earlier remarks. Since it was obvious she had been caught, she didn’t bother denying it and instead shared her honest thoughts.  

“No, it’s my fault for not thinking it through. Sir Forrest is right—it’s not a suitable item for a knight. Once you regain your memories, you’ll have to work at night again…”  

“Me? A knight?”  

At her words, he tilted his head, clearly puzzled. 

Why would I have to work as a knight again? 

Then, as if to put an end to the matter, he firmly declared:  

“I have no intention of doing that again.” 

Hestia was taken aback and immediately responded, “What?” in a flustered tone. Thinking about it, his future was his own, and she had no right to interfere. Still, a small spark of curiosity arose within her, so she cautiously asked a question.

“Then, Sir Clyde, what do you want to do in the future?”

“Me? I…”

He picked up Amber, who had been wandering around their feet, and held her in his arms. While stroking her soft pink paw pads, he answered.

“I just want to live like this.”

“Like this…?”

“Yeah. The three of us, just like this.”

What? Wasn’t that practically a proposal?

For a moment, hearing those words, Hestia unconsciously took a deep breath and stepped back, stumbling slightly. She felt a rush of heat rising from the base of her neck. It was a clear sign that her face would soon be flushed bright red.

This man… 

He was already making it hard for her to suppress her emotions. Her heart felt like it was bubbling over with an uncontrollable warmth.

Seeing her speechless, Sir Clyde added more to his statement.

“Don’t worry. I’m rich.”

“…What?”

“I heard this house is part of my property. I’ve also saved up a lot of money over the years and never spent it.”

“Oh…? Then I suppose you wouldn’t need to work…”

There was no way that was a proposal.

Hestia tried her best not to overinterpret his words. Her heart tingled with a faint sense of hope, but she knew it was heading in the wrong direction. This man was unwell, and this situation was only temporary. She couldn’t let herself forget that.

So, she forced herself to feign ignorance and replied. She said she was envious, that she would still be busy working until she saved enough money to pay off the balance for her little cottage. She even went on to ramble about how exhausting her job at the bakery was, adding that she wanted to quit as soon as possible.

Her words were a mess, a stream of trivial complaints that even she found aimless, but surprisingly, he followed along without a single complaint, listening attentively. Before she realized it, they had reached the room where she was staying.

“Oh! That’s right. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be off work at the bakery for about two weeks.”

“Really? Why?”

“The shopkeeper and her husband are traveling to visit their married daughter’s house. So, I decided to take a break too. I’ll just need to stop by occasionally to clean.”

“Then we can spend time together.”

He smiled brightly as he spoke. Seeing Sir Clyde in such a good mood, Amber wagged her tail enthusiastically in his arms. Looking at the two of them, filled with anticipation, Hestia felt her heart tickle again. She deliberately pressed her lips together, pretending to think deeply as she tried to come up with an excuse.

“I’d like that, but I might be busy. I just thought of all the things I have to do.”

“Really? Like what?”

“I want to clean, wash the bedding, and maybe try baking bread with some new ingredients…”

At that, he chuckled softly and replied, “I can help with all of that.” This wasn’t what she intended… Then again, considering they were living under the same roof, it would be strange not to run into each other.

Moreover, there were no servants around to assist with minor chores due to security reasons. As a result, they were already sharing responsibilities like cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning.

“It doesn’t sound much different from what we’re already doing.”

“Does it…? I suppose the only difference is that I won’t be going out in the afternoons.”

Her attempt to draw a subtle boundary ended in a spectacular failure. Instead, her excuse of being busy only prompted him to insist on tagging along and helping, leaving her with no valid reason to refuse.

“So, call me whenever you go somewhere.”

“All right.”

Unaware of anything, she agreed as usual. Little did she know that there was a significant reason behind his request.

And she only realized it after she had fallen so deeply for him that she could no longer push him away.