North x Northwest

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Lil clenched her fists so hard that her palms crushed. She felt an unusual sensation, as if her entire body was being tickled, even though no one was tickling her. Meanwhile, Ed traced the bridge of her nose with his fingertip, which was crinkled from the foreign phenomenon she was experiencing.

“Then… if you feel like it, write a book.”

“…A book?”

‘I’ve never considered writing a book… Actually, I never imagined I’d even be able to write one because I’ve only read a few books and most of them were about how to become a refined lady… I’m not sure if I’ll ever want to write in the future, so if I want to do this, it feels like it has to be now… But I’m no academic nor a researcher either. Most of all, I’ve never heard of a woman writing a book… Is this even possible?’

However, Ed seemed determined regardless of his awareness of Lil’s confusion.

“Think of it as something you can leave behind as your legacy…”

Looking into the eyes of a flustered Lil, Ed added.

“…in this world.”

***

Later that night, a bird chirped beyond the window.

Ed fell asleep while wrapping Lil in an embrace from behind her back. Just a few hours ago, she couldn’t overcome the exhaustion and fell asleep, but now that she had woken up, she couldn’t get back to a proper sleep no matter how hard she tried. Lil was unaccustomed to such a pleasant state of excitement, so it wasn’t until the third or fourth time that she woke up that she realised that what she was feeling now was the thrill of looking forward to something.

When she checked the clock, she discovered it was already dawn, and that if she waited a little longer, she would witness the sunrise. Additionally, now that she was aware of it, it seemed like the servants who woke up early could be heard making noises.

Despite the fact she didn’t say it out loud at the time, Ed’s suggestion shook her.

‘He’s an emeritus professor* at the Imperial Clairaut after all, so writing is probably part of his daily routine. The idea of me writing an entire book, not just a few pages, on the other hand, is completely foreign to me. Ed even said that if I decide to try it, he can connect me with the Imperial Clairaut or even recommend a professor…

…I have always asked myself what kind of life a woman like me can lead other than marrying and having children…

When I was younger, I believed that accumulating enough achievements as a soldier would allow me to live a meaningful life. After all, men, both nobles and commoners, gain honour serving as soldiers when going to war to fulfil their duties and gain esteem on the battlefield. I thought the same thing: that there was nothing I couldn’t do. But when that failed, I thought I could make money through commerce and joined forces with the Southerners to suppress the Empire’s violence… But now, I’ve been given the change to actually share my knowledge! Regardless of the outcomes of my previous endeavours, I’m kinda excited to have another branch in my life. It’s fun to see that I can accomplish more and more things.’

However, just a day after Lil spent the night with her eyes open like that…

“…You pathetic fraud!..”

“..!”

Lil’s fist hit the surface of the water. Ed stood motionless like a convict being punished and received the full splash of water. He knew that if he dodged it, he wouldn’t be able to avoid greater disaster later.

“It would’ve taken less time to hear the words that weren’t lies!”

“No, Liloa. That’s really not…”

“What?!”

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry for shamelessly trying to make excuses. I was wrong.”

Her reaction was nothing to be surprised by because Ed’s crimes were way too many.

Discussing the Imperial Clairaut while eating breakfast, their conversation had naturally flowed to his ancient research, which led to artefacts and Lil’s necklace. Ed had decided to tell Lil everything, so he revealed even the smallest details. And because he said whatever came to mind, everything he had kept from her before spilt out unconsciously… and his sins were endless… After several failed attempts, Ed eventually managed to calm Lil down. He then suggested that practising moving in water would help her muscle recovery and improve her mood. As a result, they indulged in several acts of love disguised as rehabilitation training in the pool. Lil liked the spacious and luxurious pool, which felt more like a small lake, so the atmosphere between them became cheerful again.

That was until Ed, who was swimming next to Lil, remembered the mermaid.contemporary romance

“Something comes to mind now that we’re swimming together.”

“What is it?”

“The mermaid…”

“What about the mermaid?”

“It reminds me of what the mermaid said to you…”

“..?”

“…”

“Tell me now.”

In the end, Ed had no choice but to reveal everything. So, he told her that the mermaid already knew that Lil was a “woman” due to the influence of the necklace. That Bellus felt that Lil was under the protection of divine power and that probably was the reason why it treated Lil kindly. Or that it called Lil the “Daughter of God” and told Lil that it exchanged the blessings of Orsay and the blessings of Forma. And because of that, Ed began speculating that the necklace most likely contained the divine power of Forma, the god of beauty in ancient mythology.

“Oh, was that why she put those pearls only on me?”

“I guess you can say so. But I’m not entirely sure…”

“You said it was because of the difference in the length of our hair! You lied again!”

“I-it was like that…”

“I couldn’t trust you in anything!”

“But I faked everything for a reason…”

“And now I have to second guess everything! I’m all confused because there were so many times when you lied! ”

“…”

Lil glared at him as if she remembered a long forgotten grudge.

“So, what about Admiral Retiro’s hobby of collecting scalps? Or feeding human fingers to his man-eating pet fish? Were those real? What are the chances I actually come across a display case full of scalps somewhere in this mansion?!”

“..!”

Lil charged at Ed.

She aimed for his upper body, causing him to fall backwards, taking her with him. As they sank to the bottom of the bathtub in a spray of foam, Lil kept wrapping her arms around her opponent’s neck. Ed struggled reflexively, but Lil managed to come behind him and skilfully dodged him left and right.

‘…It’s perhaps because we’re underwater, but moving is much easier than outside the bath. If we repeat this for a few days, I will probably regain my strength a lot faster…’

The two repeatedly defended and attacked, slowly becoming surrounded by bubbles borne from their intense struggle. As much as Ed wanted to comply with Lil’s attacks, his first instinct was to fight back, so they tossed and turned while swinging their hands and feet at each other. But regardless of their serious efforts, their attacks didn’t have much of an impact because of the water’s resistance.

So, their impromptu game would only end as one of them rose to the surface first. That was why they were busy grabbing each other’s torsos and ankles to lower themselves until they both began to gradually run out of air. Thinking that Lil would go on till she actually died, Ed eventually hugged her tightly and immediately tried to stand up, making Lil’s shout break through and refract through the water droplets. Ed then had to plant himself firmly on the floor and held on to Lil’s body which was fiercely struggling to break away.

As soon as Ed reached above the surface, he took a deep breath while a stream of water fell from his head and hit the surface of the water. The belated realisation that they fought each other to death in a waist-deep pool, was kinda amusing to Ed.

Lil, who was still in his arms, screamed the moment she was lifted in the air.

“Let go of me!”

“..!”

As she was being held by her waist, her pride got hurt and she flapped her limbs wildly. Ed quickly put her down before one of them would get injured and Lil reflexively pushed his chest away while taking a step back.

After wiping her face, Lil looked back at him and began shouting again because Ed was clearly struggling to hold back his laughter.

“Don’t laugh!”

Ed, immediately straightening his face, fumbled with his earlobe and tried to explain.

“Well, I didn’t mean to fight back…”

“Was this funny? Was this funny to you?”

“No, it’s just that you are so…”

“Shut up!”

Unlike her irritated reaction, Lil also saw the irony in their situation especially when she looked at the water lapping at his waist. While Lil secretly had to bite her tongue, Ed contorted his face to hold back another fit of laughter. But even when he forced his eyes to glare, he couldn’t help but smirk. In the end, Ed was only able to control himself by lowering his eyes.

“I was in the wrong.”

“…”

Lil sighed and glared at him. Both of them were out of breath, but for some reason, their breathing didn’t ease even though it had been a while since they had been out of the water. Lil shook her head firmly as Ed slowly gazed up at her again.

“I’m sorry. I was really wrong.”

“It’s Fine!”

“I didn’t mean to take you lightly. If it seemed that way, it was my mistake.”

“I said it’s fine!”

Despite her words, her face became serious as if it wasn’t fine at all. Ed’s shoulders were still rising and falling, and it was the same for her. Lil eventually waded her way through the water and out of the pool, trying to act as serious as possible.

– – – – –

Footnote:

Emeritus professor: Is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in “professor emeritus”. [WIKI]

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