The young lady slowly opened her light blue eyes. She noticed she wasn't looking at a familiar ceiling. She removed the blanket covering her body and slowly lifted herself to sit on the bed.
-My head hurts.
She felt her head throb as it adjusted to her current position. She rubbed it softly as she looked at the room. There was barely anything inside besides a drawer, a bed and a nightstand with a lamp. She questioned whose room she was in and then she remembered how she got there.
-Is this William's room?
Her cheeks flushed red knowing she was resting in a man's bed. She wondered if he saw her sleeping face. She questioned if she was carried in his arms like a princess, was she heavy to carry all the way to the room? She couldn't bear to look at his face after realizing all this.
"Miss, you're awake."
There was a young man who appeared by the door frame. She didn't know who he was, but she admired his beautiful golden blonde hair.
"Hold on, let me go get my master."
The young man darted out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway, leaving the young lady confused.
-Master? Does he mean William?
Knowing the blacksmith was about to come into the room, she thought about what William would say to her. She knew he must've been worried about her after being gone for so long. Especially after disappearing without any explanation.
—He must be very mad at me.
"Lucy…"
The young lady twitched at the sound of her name coming from William's mouth. She looked at him and saw he had let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes widened as she saw him rush towards her.
"Are you alright? How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?" He said, checking her body for any wounds.
The young lady took a deep breath. It was clear to her there was nothing to worry about. No matter the circumstances, William was always the same caring person.
The man flicked Lucy's forehead, "What were you thinking?!"
"Eh?!"
Or so she thought.
"You can't just disappear like that and not tell anybody about it."
"I-I am really sorry about everything! It happened so suddenly. It wasn't my intention to worry you."
The blacksmith took a deep breath, "I know you wouldn't, but even so, you have caused us a lot of worry. What were you doing anyway?"
The young lady hesitated to tell the blacksmith. She knew he was someone who she could confine in and was very trustworthy. He was giving her such hospitality that it felt wrong not to tell him. Even so, she couldn't do it. Not yet, at least.
"I was dealing with some urgent family business. I didn't think it would take that long."
"What do you mean?—"
"—Here, I brought you some tea, miss."
The young man had entered the room with a cup of tea and a small plate of snacks. He placed them on the nightstand next to Lucy and stood beside the blacksmith like it was the most natural thing for him.
Nicolas took a proper look at the young lady and murmured to himself, "So, you're the 'Lucy' master was asking about the other day."
The blacksmith, standing beside him, overheard his murmur, "Hm? I'm surprised you remembered considering you were passed out."
"…"
The blacksmith raised an eyebrow, "Did you bite your tongue or something? You've been awfully quiet since she got here."
The moment the young lady had entered the house, Nicolas had kept to himself. He had done everything he could to help William settle the house for Lucy. His usual prideful remarks were nowhere to be heard. It almost seemed like he was an entirely different person.
The young man twitched, "Not at all! I-I just..." his face turned bright red.
"I see… he, he, he."
Then again, the young man was going through puberty and Lucy was an attractive young lady. It would be understandable that he was trying to impress her. The blacksmith thought it was the perfect opportunity to tease him.
"Don't go thinking about any weird ideas!"
"I guess it is to be expected. You are a male after all."
"Shut up! Stop saying it as if you weren't one yourself! Besides, that's not it."
"—You two are really close." The young lady said as she chuckled.
She had been gone for almost a month and William had found himself taking care of the young man. They seemed very close for the short time they'd known each other. Lucy was glad William had found a new friend.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot to introduce you to my apprentice."
"Hm? Apprentice, you say?"
Lucy, knowing how William was, did not expect the blacksmith to get an apprentice. She was amazed at the news and took a quick look at Nicolas before introducing herself as she bowed.
"My name is Lucy, just Lucy, it's very nice to meet you."
The young man, Nicolas, could not help but blush at the girl's cute gesture, "My name is Nicolas Stern, but just call me Nicolas."
"Very well, Nicolas." she said as she smiled.
Nicolas was in a trance because of the girl's beauty. To help not make the boy look like a fool in front of the girl, William stepped in. "Ahem, I see you already drank the tea. Let me go get you some more."
The young man shook his head, "It's okay master. I'll do it!" said the boy, offering himself in his place just as William expected.
The young man left the room, and it was just William and Lucy once more. The silence was dreadful to the young lady until the blacksmith decided to speak.
"You caused quite a scene when you arrived."
"Please, excuse me for appearing like that."
She felt pathetic. All she wanted was to reach William's home, not to make him worry.
The blacksmith scratched his head, "Listen, your situation must be very personal to you. So, I won't ask you any more than what I already have. For now, take it easy. You can rest here until you feel better."
The young lady nodded, "Thank you for understanding, William."
"I'll leave you to rest. Nicolas will come here in a bit to bring you more tea."
The blacksmith left the room and closed the door behind him. He wondered what he could do in a situation like this. For now, he understood that he needed to let things be. The young lady was okay and that's all that mattered at that moment.
As he walked through the hallway, he met with the apprentice who was coming back with the refreshments. The blacksmith stopped him and asked, "Tell me, what were you really thinking back there?"
The young man was hesitant to say, but there was no point in hiding it from William, "I was just surprised she managed to get here by herself."
"You're a perceptive one. I'm guessing that's what's been on your mind this whole time?"
The young man nodded, "Yeah..."
Seeing the young lady worn out, William couldn't possibly let her return in her condition. Just as the young man had observed, it was impressive to see she managed to arrive at the house by herself. Although it wasn't the first time that he'd seen her going through the forest.
"For now, let's let her rest. She can stay in my room, and I'll sleep on the couch."
"Yeah, I suppose that is the best option."
"Hell, maybe I can teach you a thing or two about how to handle a woman."
"I don't need a lecture in that department from you!"