A Story of a Noble Lady Who Was Ravaged by an Incurable Disease and Covered in Bandages All Over Her Broken Body; After Healing Her, She Turned Into a Stunning Beauty and Started Desperately Courting Me - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: It’s Almost Time to Say Goodbye to Setsuna-sama… (Alicia’s POV)

After we had a really fun time eating cake at that chiffon cake shop…

We took a little walk around town afterward, then came back to the Elfemina family mansion. Right now, we’ve just gotten back to my room.

“You must be tired, Alicia-san. You’re not feeling worn out from going out, are you? How’s your body feeling?”

“I’m totally fine. I had such an amazing time today. Thank you so much, Setsuna-sama.”

“Haha, is that so? Good then. You were walking around town with a ton of energy today, Alicia-san. You barely wobbled or stumbled at all—I was really relieved to see you moving so steadily.”

“Hehe, that’s all thanks to your escorting, Setsuna-sama. You really looked after me the whole day… thank you so much.”

I bowed my head a little as I said thanks to Setsuna-sama.

Honestly, I was kinda nervous about going out into town at first… but because Setsuna-sama stayed right by my side and escorted me properly all day, the anxiety just melted away. I ended up walking through the streets feeling super happy.

“Oh, and Sils-san, thank you so much for today too.”

“No no, I was just tagging along. I barely did anything. If anything, thank you for taking full responsibility for escorting my lady. Thanks to your perfect escorting, Setsuna-sama, I could stick to my lady’s orders and stay completely in the background like a good shadow. I mean, I’d be terrified if I broke my lady’s command, y’know?”

“H-hey, Sils! What are you even saying…!”

Sils said it with a laugh, so I shot her a half-lidded stare while muttering that.

“Hehe. Just kidding. Anyway, thank you so much for today, Setsuna-sama.”

“Yeah. Thanks for keeping me company while I was out. Well then, I think I’ll head back to my room now.”

“Okay, got it. Thanks again for everything today. Looking forward to tomorrow too, Setsuna-sama.”

“Same here. See you tomorrow. Excuse me.”

—…slam

With that, Setsuna-sama left my room. Now it was just me and Sils inside.

“Hehe, today really was so much fun… I can’t thank Setsuna-sama enough…”

“Yeah, you were smiling the whole time today, my lady. You looked so happy. That cheerful vibe was coming off you so strongly I could feel it over here too.”

“Eh? W-was it that obvious on my face? That’s kinda embarrassing…”

“Embarrassing? How come?”

“W-well… it makes me look kinda childish, doesn’t it? I’m older than Setsuna-sama, so I wanted to act a little more mature and dignified… or something like that…”

When Sils pointed that out, my cheeks warmed up a bit and I mumbled those words.

“Hehe, you don’t have to worry about that. Sure, you’re older than Seras-sama, but to me both of you are still basically kids. Kids should just act like kids and laugh and have fun—that’s the best. Plus, I’m pretty sure Setsuna-sama would much rather see a girl who’s always smiling and looking happy than someone who’s pouting or making a serious face, y’know?”

“Fweh!? Ah, c-come on…! S-Sils, you always say stuff like that…”

“Hehe, sorry sorry. Still, today was the first time I actually talked to Setsuna-sama, and wow, he’s way kinder than I imagined. Now I totally get why you and the other attendants always speak so highly of him. He escorted you perfectly around town today too—he really is a gentleman.”

“Yeah… he really is. Setsuna-sama is such a gentle person. From the very first time we met until today, he’s never changed… he’s just so kind.”

I nodded at Sils’s words. Setsuna-sama truly was an incredibly gentle man.

He spent the whole day escorting me around town today. He even looked up the chiffon cake shop—the place that holds so many memories for me—beforehand.

And when we were inside the shop and I suddenly remembered my mother and started feeling sad… Setsuna-sama picked up on it right away. He kept throwing cheerful topics at me so I wouldn’t sink into sadness.

The fact that he’d do all this for me… I really think Setsuna-sama is kinder and more wonderful than anyone else.

“Yeah, he really is a gentle person. And from the way he acted, you could totally tell how much he treasures you, my lady. Seeing someone care about you that much made even me, your attendant, feel really happy.”

“Eh? S-Setsuna-sama… treasures me…? R-really…? Hehe, if that’s true then… I’m happy…”

“Yeah, it’s true. So… at some point, you really should tell him how you truly feel, okay?”

“…Eh? W-what are you talking about, Sils…?”

“Hehe, no need to play dumb. I’ve been serving you for over ten years now—I can tell what’s in your heart.”

“Eh? Ah, u-um…”

“Hehe, you blushing like that is pretty cute too, my lady. But feelings don’t reach people unless you actually say them out loud. So if there’s something you wanna tell Setsuna-sama, I think you should say it properly. He’s not gonna stay here forever, y’know.”

“…Eh…? …Ah! R-right… that’s true…”

When Sils said that, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

(Yeah… Setsuna-sama’s hometown isn’t here in the royal capital…)

He told me he came from a small town in the Grande territory. So his hometown isn’t this city.

That means once my rehabilitation request is finished, Setsuna-sama will probably go back to Grande territory.

I’d been having so much fun every day that I completely forgot about that fact… that I won’t be able to stay with Setsuna-sama forever…

“…Yeah. Once the request is done, Setsuna-sama’s definitely going back to Grande territory, isn’t he…”

“Exactly. So if you leave things unsaid, it’s just gonna hurt you more later, my lady. Personally, I think you should make sure to tell Setsuna-sama what’s in your heart someday.”

“Yeah… you’re right. Okay… before Setsuna-sama goes back to Grande territory… I’ll definitely tell him myself one day.”

I nodded at Sils’s words. I don’t know exactly when Setsuna-sama will leave for Grande.

There’s still the dinner party and stuff left, so he won’t go back right away… but my rehab request is definitely gonna end soon. So before that happens… I want to tell Setsuna-sama properly.

(And also… I wanna give Setsuna-sama something as thanks for everything…)

That thought popped into my head too. Setsuna-sama has done so much for me. I wanted to give him something real to show my gratitude.

But what would Setsuna-sama like? I wish I knew what he wanted…