Yoshiro: Okay, I seemed quite enthusiastic on this chapter because it is kinda cute so…
Enjoy……. 😀
Arc 1: The Rebellion - The Beginning Chapter 3.5
To a different feel from the usual, Sophia woke up frowning.
This feeling continued to stay with her. What's this feeling about? Even being half asleep, Sophia found out without the need to make a check.
The bed was different. Not just the bed, the room, or even the wind that can be considered her friends, everything was different. The reason was because this is not Albion.
"I did come to Veris, didn't I…."
Murmuring slightly, Sophia realized that the sun has risen quite a bit from the windows and sighed. Just like that, she knows that it's not Albion. In Albion, Sophia's time to awake has been decided by astronomology and divination by what's called the Elders or the nobles of Albion. As there's only being early and never late, Sophia will never be able to sleep till such a time in Albion, even if the realms have been flipped upside down.
Reminiscing the few pleasant times where she went back to sleep, Sophia positioned face-down and bury her face into her pillow. (TL: Here, 二度寝 was used to represent, 2nd time sleep, which basically meant waking up and sleep again. On the next line, 三度寝 was used to represent wake up, sleep, wake up and sleep again, but in English it's hard to use a word for that, so I will just used "going back to sleep again" while explaining it here.)
Just when she's about to experience going back to sleep again, there was a knock on the door. To that sound, Sophia suddenly realized that this is a demon realm for ladies where they are not to be losing their focus even just a bit.
At the same time, she also remembered her shameful display yesterday.
Using magic to blow off a person who was concerned about her matters and having her true feelings perceived and exposed, she ended up crying involuntarily. Since her life of 17 years, it's one of three rare shameful display of her. At the very least, that's what she thought.
Remembering her display, she writhed in agony but she thought that if it's him, he could become her friend. She was making such a light hope. To Sophia, it could be her very first friend of the opposite gender.
That's why before she fell asleep yesterday, she swore not to make another disgraceful display but she ended up oversleeping and she was even thinking of going back to sleep a 2nd time, making her feel embarrassed. Ashamed, she thought she should at least reply to the person behind the door.
"……who is it?"
"It's Yukito"
"…..who?"
Replying like that having not remembered Yukito's name, on the other side of the door, Yukito gave a tired expression, placing his hands on his knees, originally thinking that after the matter yesterday, they should have been slightly closer and was visiting Sophia's room in high spirits.
As Sophia keep murmuring 'Yukito', she finally remembered that he was the person in-charge of talking to her and was the one she blew away with wind magic, spilled out her true feelings to and shown her shameful self to. That was what she was made to realize.
Sophia could feel her anxiety within her. Talking gloomly about disliking being called the 'Celsus Maiden' and without even asking the name of the person who listened to her, she forgot his name the next day.
Wouldn't she be mistaken as a very wilful lady? The instant she thought of that, an even more reserved knock could be heard from the door.
"…..breakfast, ah, it's already lunch, isn't it? I came to tell that Dio-sama wish to have lunch with you…what do you think?"
Hearing a depressed voice, Sophia could immediately tell what kind of an expression Yukito on the other side of the door is making.
"That's bad", thought Sophia, and she left the bed, and realized she was still wearing a thin nightgown and gave the exact same thought again, "this is bad".
As it was a warm night yesterday, she ended up sleeping lightly dressed, but as expected, she can't leave the room in the this. Additionally, looking at herself in the big mirror in the room assigned by Dio, she thought of "this is bad" for the 3rd time. (TL: Wanted to use "Crap" but it doesn't feel like what Sophia would say so yeah, "this/that is bad" lol)
Her usual flowing golden hair, due to sleep, has bed hair all over, and her awaken face couldn't be said to be healthy even with flattery, far from her usual appearance. Though her beauty still overwhelms many females, sadly or obviously, to the Sophia now, what she needs to compare is not the many females in the world but herself in the normal days.
Should she apologize even if she has to display her appearance that no longer radiating like the sun and as mysterious as the moon? Or rather get mistaken than show herself? The result of her pondering was something simple she thought of.
"Would you mind waiting for a while?"
"Haaa, I don't mind." was the reply given and at that instant, Sophia quickly started her change.
There's a wide open grassland near Earl Uren's castle and Dio, who invited Sophia to lunch and his attendant, Yukito, were having a cheerful time at the lunch area.
Though Yukito and a few others went out of their way to bring a table and laid delicious food that make one misapprehend whether one is hungry, they were cheerful on a different reason.
"I wonder why why Sophia-sama can be so pretty."
"True. Why is she so pretty."
When two men of apparent age gather, no matter how different the world is, the topic would usually be the same. If there's a extraordinary opposite gender in the vicinity, that's the only choice.
"I only managed to see her once yesterday but Yukito managed to talk to her, right? What did you talked about?"
"She didn't really talk about much, you know. How should I say this? I feels more like listening to her grumble."
"Grumble? Like?"
"It seems that her title of Celsus Maiden have given her quite some grieve. That's why at least during the period here, she would hope for none of those"
"So that's why you suggested for us to have lunch outside, isn't it? Aren't you thoughtful?"
"I just thought that 'Maybe she has very few chances of eating her meal without needing to consider the surroundings.' Since it's a different country, as expected….."
Realizing the lightly blowing wind stopped, and seeing the 'giant' male escort leading Sophia, he closed his lips. As this is a meal between Dio and Sophia, unless talked upon, Yukito was told not to do anything beyond an attendant.
"Sophia-sama. I thank you for accepting my invitation."
"That's my pleasure. It's an honour to be invited. Diorood-sama."
Like a prince, he bowed beautifully, while Sophia too replied gratitude with grace.
Bishounen Bishoujo(TL: Beautiful man, Beautiful woman. I prefer the romanji of this line.) Though such words appeared in this mind, it vanished as for some reason, it just doesn't suit it. Dio is, in a general, bishounen. It's just that Sophia is so beautiful, that it just doesn't balance out.
Though that said, Dio also excels in the treatment towards the opposite gender. He managed to draw out topics from Sophia, and sometimes mixing in his words, as the fun mealtime reaches its end.
When the food was being cleaned up and they were drinking something like red tea post-meal, Sophia, as if determined, looked at Yukito for a bit before returning her sights to Dio quickly and informed.
"Is it fine to have Yukito wake me up too tomorrow morning?"
Instantaneously. Yukito was exposed to a gaze of wanting to shoot the person down and bloodlust by the large stature escort, Larg that causes Yukito to feel chill down his spine.
Though Dio made a puzzled expression on an instant after listening to it, seeing Yukito shedding cold sweat from a side glance, he decided that it was interesting in its way and consent it with a smile.
"Then, I shall have Yukito do the same from tomorrow onwards. Do you have any other requests?"
"Let's see…. At night, can I borrow Yukito as well? As a conversing companion."
"Feel free. It's fine, right? Yukito."
Having lost his rejection rights, Yukito can only nod against Dio's smile and Larg's bloodlust.
That night, Sophia and Yukito wasn't really talking excitedly, just looking at the situation outside, passing time. Yukito had actually various topics prepared so it was quite anti-climatic for him but seeing how comfortable Sophia was, "Well, it can't be helped." was something he thought.
It is a full moon tonight and watching that full moon, Yukito tried to make an example of Sophia's beauty with it but failed. He couldn't think of anything.
Battered by his own lack of imagination, Yukito peeked at Sophia who was sitting on the chair and smiled bitterly.
Sophia is currently in a state of falling asleep, while ever so slightly swaying her head. As I was thinking of how early she got sleepy seeing how late she slept in, Yukito called out to Sophia.
"Sophia-sama. If you wish to sleep, please do it on the bad."
"……Nn, that's true……"
Standing up from the chair, Sophia made an unsteady steps towards the bed, almost falling a few times on the way where Yukito supported her, finally managing to reach the bed somehow.
"…..sleepy….."
"I can see that. I will come to wake you up in the morning, so please do sleep."
"……Yukito….what's my name…?"
Towards the almost half-asleep question, Yukito was baffled slightly, but decided to answer seriously.
"Sophia Leedsberg-sama, it is"
"…..It's Sophia…. Please call me Sophia….I hate adding 'sama' to it…"
Yukito was even more baffled to that. She is definitely half-asleep. It was a request that will definitely be forgotten in the morning. He felt that it's useless to answer seriously, but seeing the slightly tear-choke Sophia, Yukito called out Sophia without 'sama', without opposing.
"Then, allow me to call you by Sophia."
"…..ehehe, Yeh…."(TL: this is quite hard to translate so I am just going to explain it here. 'I did it' or ‘Yeh’ is translated from 'yarimashita'. However, below, Yukito convert it to 'yatta' which can mean both "Yeh", and also 'I did it' too. The above can be said to be a more polite form and meant the same actually. )
Just as Yukito wanted to ask "What is there to "Yeh" about?", Sophia has already started sleeping silently. As leaving her in her white robe was bad, and Yukito can't be the one changing for her, it will be the job of the female attendants of the castle from here on.
Smiling wryly at the defenseless sleeping Sophia, he murmured Sophia's name once more.
"Sophia….."
While leaving the room in reluctance and murmuring that she likely would not remember, his heart leapt in the moment of happiness that he had grasped. Realising that it wasn't a moment of time was when he saw Sophia's reddened face next morning.
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