Third Person's POV
The rain drummed against the windows of the library, its rhythm steady, creating a peaceful atmosphere inside.
"Ugh~" Alaric groaned with a book on his face.
After a month and more of running laps for as long as he can stay awake, Alaric is restless on a day like this. The rain is not letting him run around which has become the sole purpose of existence it seemed.
Alaric let out another long groan, the weight of the book on his face pressing down like the weight of his boredom. He lifted it just enough to peek out at the rain-soaked window—still no break in the clouds.
"Argh~" Alaric groaned once more, painfully aware that this rain wasn't going to stop today no matter what, and even if it did, the training grounds wouldn't be in a state where Alaric could run laps.
"Must you sound like a dying animal, young master? Honestly, your groans are like a frog's croak summoning more rain." Alaric heard the voice come from his side and squinted, boredom etched on his face as his eyes locked with the cerulean ones a bit away from him.
Alaric and Eirlys were sitting on a couch in the corner of the library. Well, only Eirlys was sitting. Alaric, without even realizing himself, was lying with his back on the seat, legs lifted up and dangling on the back support of the couch.
Eirlys had a smile on her face, clearly aware of how bored Alaric was but still acted stern for no apparent reason other than poking fun.
Alaric noticed her smile and pounced on her lap, face buried in her belly, he hugged her and let out a muffled groan, "Eirlys! I am so bored."
"I am very much entertained… or so I was, sadly no more, you decided to distract me."
Eirlys chuckled, at Alaric pouting at her and patted him, "I won't be surprised if you start running circles around the couch."
"Wait! That's actually a brilliant idea!"
"Please don't," Eirlys said in a weary tone and grabbed Alaric before he could move, "You will wear the carpet down, and guess who will have to fix it? Me."
Alaric's face, which lit up at the idea of doing something physically taxing, floated back to rest in Eirly's lap like it was a balloon that didn't have its opening knotted and was running out of air.
"I rarely have free days like this," Eirlys sighed, stretching as she leaned back on the couch, "so I beg you, Master, don't make me work."
Alaric smirked, his eyes gleaming with mock authority. "A maid lazing around? Impossible! As your Master, I demand a dozen plates of sweets immediately—and you'll feed me each one with your delicate hands."
"Oh, as you wish, Master," Eirlys replied with a syrupy sweetness, her lips twitching.
They locked eyes for a moment, the air thick with exaggerated seriousness—before both broke into uncontrollable snickers.
"What are you reading, anyway?" Alaric craned his neck, trying to peer at the book resting on her lap. "Maid Skills 101? Advanced Laundry Folding Techniques?"
Eirlys didn't even glance up from the page. "Keep talking, and you'll be the first thing I fold."
"Oh, it's a skill book," Alaric observed, completely ignoring her threat. He wriggled in her lap, tilting his head to glimpse the cover. "Rank-4, huh? Are you sure you didn't, I don't know, skip ranks two and three on your way up?"
That did it. Eirlys snapped the book shut, her eyes narrowing with a mock fierceness that sent a chill down Alaric's spine. He gulped audibly, already plotting his escape—but before he could move, her hands shot out like a predator's claws and gripped his cheeks.
"Ow! Ow! Sthahhp, it hutz!" Alaric wailed, his words muffled by the merciless tugging of his face. His cheeks turned an angry shade of red, resembling overripe tomatoes by the time she finally released him.
"That's what you get for talking too much," Eirlys declared, returning to her book with a triumphant air.
Alaric flopped back onto her lap, groaning dramatically as he rubbed his tender cheeks. "You're a cruel woman, Eirlys. I may never recover."
"Good," she muttered without looking up. "Silence suits you."
For a moment, peace reigned. The rhythmic patter of rain against the window filled the quiet as Alaric lay still, his face buried in her lap. Too still.
Eirlys frowned, glancing down at him. "Did... did I go too far? Was I too harsh, young master?"
From the depths of her lap came a muffled giggle. "Hehehe~"
Her expression darkened instantly. "Alaric."
"I can always irritate you, and you'd still worry," he said, grinning up at her with an impish glint in his eyes.
Eirlys groaned, throwing her head back against the couch. "Why do I even bother?"
"Because deep down, you care about me," Alaric quipped, flipping onto his back again so his head rested fully in her lap, staring up at her with exaggerated adoration.
"No, deep down, I care about my job." She flicked his forehead lightly, but the corners of her lips betrayed a smile.
"Why are you reading that?"
"As I said I a—"
"I mean why are you trying to learn [Waterfall], from what I saw it seems like a defensive skill."
"It is. This is Miss Aurelia's go-to skill."
"No. Ugh, Eirlys, you are pretty stupid, you know that? From all the years of just reading, I am confident enough to recognize any skill and what it does within a single glance. What I am asking is, why are you learning a defensive skill as your first Rank-4 skill?"
A faint smile flickered on Eirlys's lips, though her eyes stayed on the book. "Girls need to have some way to protect themselves, I guess."
"No." Alaric's tone dropped, his gaze sharpening. "Eirlys, are you hiding something from me? Your Master?"
Her hands stilled, fingers hovering over the pages. The weight of his stare bore down on her, growing heavier with each passing second. She could feel it—an unspoken demand from her master that she couldn't escape.
"Fine," Eirlys said finally, snapping the book shut with a sigh. "I'll tell you."
"That day… when we were attacked..." Her hands tightened around the closed book. "You were constantly in danger, and I—" She paused, swallowing hard, her words caught in her throat. "I failed to protect you. Twice. I even created a situation where you would have certainly died if Lady Elowen hadn't arrived in time."
Her voice cracked, and she quickly looked away, as if ashamed to meet his eyes. "I want to be a maid who never disappoints you again. I can't let that happen a second time."
Alaric blinked, the weight of her remorse settling over him. For a moment, he said nothing, simply staring at her, stunned by the vulnerability she rarely let show.
"Are you trying to show off?"
"Huh?" Eirlys was stunned.
"Trying to one-up me, and giving me a reason like that." Alaric smiled, taking Eirlys cold hand into his and putting it on his cheeks which were still slightly red from being stretched.
"What will become of my image if I were to be ever saved by a mere maid?" Alaric dramatically exhaled like a disappointed father but that act didn't stay for long as he chuckled at himself.
"Eirlys, don't save me. Your life is just as precious, you have siblings, and you have a place to be... so, don't throw it all away by saving me. Save yourself."
"A-Alaric, that's impossible. Everyone in this manor would die to protect you."
"And what about me? How am I supposed to live after knowing that I caused the death of someone… someone like you, who was willingly serving me and fulfilling my selfish demands since my days as a child when I could barely even stand and talk?"
Alaric let her hand go and sat on the couch, cross-legged, his eyes locked with Eirlys' crystal blue ones, refusing to let her divert them from his own.
"Throwing your life away for me... it's stupid." Alaric up at Eirlys intently, the playfulness in his gaze replaced by a solemn look that made Eirlys flinch, "As your master, I order you to never learn anything if your motive is to protect me even if it costs something that is precious to you."
Eirlys, shocked by what the child in front of her was saying, stayed still but Alaric continued, "I will take care of everything else."
With their gaze locked, Eirlys and Alaric simply stared at each other for a while before—
"Pfft~ Young master, you sure have a way with your words."
"S-Shut it! I-I was simply acting."
"How are you planning to protect me when you are weaker than Lily?" Eirlys laughed, and Alaric turned his face away.
"I will take you up on that offer."
"Huh?!" Right as Alaric turned to look at her he felt himself getting pulled until he was tightly held against Eirlys in a tight hug. Her soft hand caressed his head before placing it back on her lap. Their eyes met, the clear cerulean ones that seemed like jewels and the deep blue ones that seemed as if the depths of the ocean themselves were shallow if compared, and Eirlys' lips curled up in a small, grateful smile.
"Next time, make sure to protect me, Master." Eirlys giggled, "I will return to reading now."
Alaric was too stunned to speak for a while. Eirlys wasn't one to continue teasing Alaric for long; she rarely did it, too, so he got enough time to regain his brain cells. Soon, he returned to this world.
"Eirlys..."
"Hmm?"
"I want you to do something for me."
"What is that?"
"I want you to bring me a crate of healing potions every month. At the beginning of every month, I want you to collect the old stash and throw it away. All of this has to be done in complete secrecy, no one except the two of us ever gets to hear anything about it and you will never question anything about it to me."
Eirlys stared at Alaric, the unusual request caught her off guard and she narrowed her eyes at Alaric for a while but his expression didn't budge at all. Sighing, she said, "Understood."
Alaric smiled and they both returned to their work, Alaric rested in Eirlys' comfortable lap and Eirlys was absorbed in her book.
"Eirlys..."
"What is it now?" Eirlys asked looking down at her lap.
"I can't see your face."
"What do yo— Young master, I think I will have to put my lap off limits for you."
"No!"
"Then turn your face to the side."
The rain continued to play its soothing melody for hours. Alaric who was bored beyond belief, managed to pass the time while Eirlys who had planned to read, failed to do so because of him but she enjoyed the time spent.