Chapter 200

There was a bit of a mishap, but thankfully, it all went by without a hitch.

The committee didn’t assume I wouldn’t cause any trouble at all, or whatever they thought.

But paying for the shattered window was still a must. I ended up covering it myself instead of Grace.

I already felt bad for causing trouble, and now having to pay too made my conscience twinge. Not that I’m exactly strapped for cash.

“Alright. That should wrap things up.”

“Yeah.”

After the window was repaired, we packed our things.

For me, “things” meant just a few outfits, including my school uniform.

But Grace, being a noble or maybe just a girl, had loads of clothes.

While I made do with just a single closet, Grace needed to use an entire wall for her stuff.

‘I can’t really say anything about my fridge, though.’

In its defense, my fridge was stuffed with the food I brought.

From high-quality meat to eggs, veggies, fruits, snacks, ice cream, you name it.

In a world without computers or the internet, I had plenty of free time. I usually filled it up with cooking.

Of course, this was only in terms of “leisure.” No matter how busy I get, I need some downtime.

“First, we need to buy some clothes for Sivar. The only decent ones he has are from the freshman party.”

“I’m okay.”

“I mean, you wash them every few days, right?”

“Every day.”

I did laundry every single day. With only a few outfits, I didn’t have much choice.

There’s something like a washing machine, and as for drying, magic takes care of that.

‘It was quite the challenge at first.’

When I first used the drying magic, the results were astonishing.

It wasn’t just dried; the clothes practically turned into sand!

Thank goodness they were just regular dress shirts. If they had been my uniform, it would’ve been pretty awkward.

“From now on, let’s do laundry every five days. That means we need to go shopping for clothes tomorrow.”

“Are we doing it together? Both of us?”

“Of course. Are you serious? You think we’ll do laundry separately in the same house?”

I answered confidently, but I noticed Grace’s face turning a bit red.

I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion. Wouldn’t it be better to do laundry separately?

It could lead to an awkward situation if our underwear ended up piled together.

“That’s why it’s way better to leave the laundry to the laundromat instead of doing it yourself. Sure, walking there is annoying, but it’s a necessary hassle.”

“Oh, the laundromat.”

Now that I think about it, there was indeed a laundromat. There was usually one at every dorm.

They handle everything from basic washing to various repairs. Think of it as a specialty shop.

Since my approach to laundry has always been ‘just get by,’ I’ve never visited the laundromat. So I completely forgot about its existence.

“You’ll be using it, right, Grace?”

“Absolutely. Sivar isn’t my servant; he’s my knight. It’s only natural that household chores are shared.”

“Hmm…”

I felt unsure but somehow it made sense after hearing Grace say that.

Even if an embarrassing situation comes up, I’ll just have to roll with it. It’s something we have to endure.

“And remember to check if anyone’s inside the bathroom every time you go. Sivar, you learned to knock, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. And then there’s…”

Grace started to babble on. Most of it was about maintaining privacy.

Like letting each other know whenever we’re heading out, sharing where we’re going, and even asking for small favors for trivial things.

There was a lot more, but to sum it up, it was pretty much like sharing a room.

Simply two things though, excluding laundry and sleep.

“When you sleep, you stay beside me. If I fall asleep first, you can quietly leave. Otherwise, please stay close. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

I was someone who didn’t need much sleep, so that was totally manageable.

Grace seemed satisfied with my answer, nodding her head with a pleased expression.

“Perfect. I’d love to teach you etiquette and basic academics, but…”

She trailed off, glancing at the clock.

Since we had moved in and organized things right after class, it had gotten a bit late.

It was a somewhat awkward time to sort out dinner. She looked at the clock and spoke quietly.

“I guess we have to handle dinner at home. It’s getting really late.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

I might not know about many things, but cooking? I’ve got that down. I always cooked for myself at the dorm.

Grace seemed to catch onto my confident response and her eyes widened.

“You, Sivar? Cooking?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Hmm… Okay. I’m just not very good at it.”

More like, because she was a noble lady, she probably never had to cook. Her family would have their own dedicated chef.

At the academy, she likely just ate at the restaurant instead of cooking herself.

Once Grace gave me the go-ahead, I immediately opened the fridge.

As I mentioned earlier, while her closet was stacked with her clothes, my fridge was filled with my food.

‘Definitely meat.’

And high-quality meat at that. I pulled out some aged meat I had set aside.

Thanks to seasoning it with salt the day before, it was in a dry state. How did I know?

I read it in a book. Whenever I got bored, I would read, and among those books was a cookbook.

To get some flavor in the forest, I used every herb I could find.

‘Though what actually filled me up were the innards.’

Not that it matters. I started preparing various cooking ingredients.

I substituted spices with herbs I picked from the Chaos Forest. They’re more neutral in taste.

Next was some ridiculously expensive cooking oil. You wouldn’t believe the price when I saw it.

It hadn’t been long since they started producing oil in bulk from cotton. Just three years ago, it would’ve been five times as expensive, according to the shop owner.

Finally…

“Why are you putting in so much garlic?”

“It’s delicious.”

“I mean, I get that, but you only need a few cloves… I know in the Eastern Empire they use more, but…”

I practically dumped a whole fistful of garlic in. Grace beside me looked stunned, but I didn’t care.

I had chucked in what felt like all kinds of ingredients, but it was all good. This was my cooking showdown.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle-

“…gulp.”

The meat was sizzling beautifully on the pan. Watching it was enough to make Grace gulp.

And honestly, the smell was insane. Usually, herbs have a distinct pungent scent, but the garlic completely overpowered it.

It had almost a refreshing fragrance, stirring appetite. It was one of the tips I picked up during my time in the forest.

“Wow…”

Once the cooking was complete, Grace gasped in awe. The plating might’ve been a disaster, but I had no way around that.

Still, the steak presented so perfectly on the plate was a sight to behold.

The golden-brown surface oozed juices.

If there was something missing, it was just one thing—sauce. I planned to whip that up later.

“Delicious! It’s so good!”

“Told you.”

“Yes! Way tastier than what I had at home!”

I doubt it’s that great. Watching Grace enjoy her meal made me wear a proud smile.

To be honest, the quality of the meat was unfair; my cooking skills were just average.

I picked up a lot of knowledge from books, but I was definitely no professional compared to those who trained in cooking.

“Phew. This is the most delicious steak I’ve ever had.”

“Nom, nom, nom.”

Even after Grace finished her meal, mine was still ongoing. There was no way around it; our portion sizes were different.

What I was eating wasn’t top-notch meat like what I gave Grace, but ordinary pork instead.

I only gave the leftovers to Grace. No need to mention it, so I just stayed quiet.

“·····”

Grace was staring intently at me as I munched.

With her hands forming a flower shape and her face wearing a gentle smile.

Despite her fierce appearance, she exuded affection. Anyone could see she was filled with happiness.

“Sivar.”

“Nom, nom, nom. Yeah?”

“Umm…”

Grace stared at me intently and suddenly broke into a sweet smile.

“It’s nothing. Just forget it.”

That was a surprisingly bland response.

*****

It’s fascinating. That was the emotion I felt when I started living with Sivar.

To be honest, living at the academy was a step down compared to being back home.

First off, basic living standards. There was a laundromat, but just getting there felt like a hassle.

At home, servants usually handled the laundry for me; everything was taken care of in my room.

Adding to that, things like food, transportation, and so on. Life at the academy was generally inconvenient.

‘But today, oddly, I didn’t feel that way at all.’

However, as soon as I began living with Sivar, all those feelings disappeared.

Not that my life had changed significantly. If anything, living with someone meant more restrictions.

I couldn’t just fling my clothes around willy-nilly, and I had to be cautious while washing up too.

Yet it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Rather, it felt like something was filling my chest.

‘Now, all that’s left is to sleep well. If I can get that down perfectly…’

Grace looked at her palm, which held the usual sleeping pills she always took.

Those were pills made of herbs that induce sleep, rolled up tightly, in a small size. She had to take them every night because the nightmares would come back otherwise.

‘Is this okay?’

Whenever she was alone in the dorm, she found herself glancing over her shoulder occasionally. Just in case someone was there.

She knew no one was there, yet anxiety would flare up, preventing her from feeling relaxed.

So she tried her best not to stay in the dorm and went out to meet people.

But even that restriction only extended to women. Dealing with men was another story entirely.

Recently, even helping Professor Godin with his research had started to become a burden.

Godin was a real professor, unlike Delphoi, but even that didn’t help with the anxieties. She had thought the same about Delphoi at first.

‘…It’s probably alright not to be okay.’

Grace chuckled bitterly. As long as Sivar was there, she felt safe.

This was all just her expectation, though. Just having him around was more than enough satisfaction.

If she could even sleep comfortably, that might be too greedy. Maybe it was worth a shot, though.

‘Oh, am I wearing something odd?’

Just the thought of sleeping together made her consider her outfit. Grace quickly checked her attire.

Living with Sivar was strictly for his protection. It by no means equated to a romantic cohabitation.

Therefore, her pajamas were neither revealing nor particularly adult-like. They were long purple nightclothes.

Anything that needed to be covered was, and they reached down to her ankles. Given her figure, there were curves, but nothing blatant.

‘Why am I feeling so embarrassed… It’s just sleeping after all.’

Sleeping next to a guy was not her first time… well, sort of. There was that time she camped next to Lee Yeon-joo during practice.

But at least then, she had been in the company of Lee Yeon-joo. This was the first time she’d be sleeping alone with a guy.

‘Could it be… Sivar might show some ‘male’ side? If that happens…’

Suddenly—

Grace was engulfed in her thoughts when the firmly shut bedroom door swung open.

In walked Sivar, freshly showered, looking a mix of messy yet adorable.

His shirt was stretched out and his pants looked like a haphazard outfit; perfect for sleepwear.

And with his typical blank expression, drying his hair. Ordinary, yet it radiated Sivar’s personality.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll dry your hair for you.”

Grace placed the sleeping pills on the bedside drawer, then approached Sivar sitting on the bed.

Using wind magic to dry his hair would be quick. If I used drying magic, his hair would get damaged.

Once Sivar’s hair was dry, all that was left was to lie down on the bed and go to sleep.

“Could you… turn off the light?”

“Sure.”

After turning off all the lights, the deep darkness enveloped the room in an instant.

Grace, trying her best to suppress her racing heart, lay down on the bed.

‘Speaking of which, has Sivar received sex education? Eli must have taught him, right?’

As soon as she lay down, various worries flooded her mind. It became impossible to sleep for other reasons.

But that thought was short-lived as Sivar gradually laid himself down beside Grace. She could feel his presence vividly.

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

Sivar’s face was right in front of her. Even in the darkness, his face was clear.

When was the last time she saw him up close like this? No idea; it seemed like it must be the first.

“Uh… Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

Sivar answered her call with a nonchalant demeanor, his expression blank.

Thanks to that, Grace managed to calm herself a bit. He looked so pure (or naive?) that all her odd thoughts felt out of place.

There was no way Sivar would do anything like that. He probably didn’t even have a proper understanding of such things yet.

Occasionally hugging Eli or burying his head against her chest wasn’t due to lust. He simply missed the warmth of another person.

‘Though I’m the one who craves warmth.’

Grace squirmed a bit and carefully made contact with Sivar. She yearned for someone else’s warmth.

Sivar slowly opened his arms to make it easier for her to cuddle up. Thanks to that, Grace could snuggle close to him more comfortably.

“Sigh… Hah…”

Grace took a deep breath and exhaled while nestled against Sivar’s broad chest.

Maybe it was because he had just showered. She felt a sweet, comforting scent.

Plus, there was an occasional waft of Sivar’s natural scent. Perhaps due to spending time in the forest, it had a touch of earthy aroma.

“Grace.”

“Yeah?”

“Sleep well.”

“······Okay.”

Grace quietly closed her eyes. The furious pounding of her heart calmed down, replaced by a sense of comfort.

Nights alone used to feel agonizing, with the haunting memories of nightmares driving her insane.

Both physically and mentally tormenting nights. But tonight was just an ordinary, peaceful night.

A comfort where she could solely concentrate on sleeping without any disturbing thoughts.

‘Sivar’s here, so…’

All animals, including humans, are most vulnerable when they sleep. But if they don’t sleep, they perish.

To be able to fall asleep this peacefully is a blessing. The one granting her this blessing was Sivar.

To her, Sivar was an emblem of fortune and the knight from fairytales. A knight always ready to protect her, wherever and whenever.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll teach him basic academics too… and etiquette… there’s so much to do…’

Grace felt her consciousness sinking lower and lower. And with it came realization.

Her very own tiny fairytale had just begun. Today was the very first day.

‘And sex education… I should probably cover that too?’

But.

“Practicing might be… more effective…”

“?”

The subject revolves around an adult fairytale.

[Faith is rising!]

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