Having heard what Riley said, Nainiae cast shadow on her face as she answered,
“Yes, Young Master.”
Riley slowly opened his eyes and looked at the apple tree’s leaves that were shaking in the wind.
“When the autumn comes…”
One, two, three, four…
There were countless leaves hanging on the tree.
There were things besides leaves too.
“… you have something that you are supposed to do for me, isn’t there?”
“Something that… I am supposed to do for you?”
Having heard the question, Nainiae vacantly asked back.
Riley didn’t open his mouth anymore.
“…”
He just lied down there with a blank look on his face.
He just watched the leaves flowing in the autumn wind.
‘Is he counting the number of leaves on the tree?’
Noticing that Riley was very focused on staring up there, Nainiae followed Riley and looked up toward the apple tree leaves.
“… Ah.”
Above her head, Nainiae realized that there were things besides leaves that were shaking in the wind. Nainiae vacantly opened her mouth.
“Nainiae.”
“…”
Riley finally called Nainiae.
Meanwhile, Nainiae was not able to answer because she was vacantly opening her mouth while looking up the tree.
“You do have something you are supposed to do for me, right?”
Having heard Riley’s question again, around Nainiae’s eyes, which were already completely swelled up, tears started to form again.
“…”
With the wind blowing on her face, the tears rolled down.
With a heartbreaking voice, Nainiae struggled and answered,
“… Yes.”
“Okay.”
Riley dusted himself to remove grass on his back and butt as he got up.
“I lived comfortably through my entire life as a lazy sword young master in Iphalleta House without ever having to lower myself to anyone. So, it would sound ridiculous for me to say this to you… However, there was a time when I was having similar thoughts as you. I have a pretty good idea about how you must be feeling right now.”
Riley mumbled monotonically without any emotion. However, Nainiae, who was still looking up, couldn’t dare to turn her gaze away.
“Back in Solia, when I brought you under my wings, I think I said it like this? That I know the answer to the question you have been agonizing over. That you should take a step back and watch, and you will be able to find the answer from doing so.”
Perhaps his shoulders were sore. He spun his arms around and said to Nainiae, who was still keeping silence in tears.
“So? Have you found the answer?”
He said ‘Have you found the answer?’
Having heard the question, Nainiae, who had her mouth open vacantly, started to have her lips shake.
She still couldn’t find the answer.
No, perhaps…
“No, Not yet… I have not found it yet.”
Perhaps, finding the answer to the question was no longer important.
There was something else now, something besides the question that she had back in Solia. It was because she now had something else that she was wishing for more strongly than that.
It was…
“Nainiae.”
Riley took a step toward Nainiae and called her name.
“Don’t you have something you should tell me?”
“…”
It was not about having something that she should do for him.
Instead, it was about something she should tell him.
To that question, Nainiae was…