• The direct continuation of “A Man’s Worries”

“…Lucia, your hands seem to be hurt.”

As usual, Phil casually visited Ragulen, but when I thought he was going  to revert to his exuberant self, I saw that he was staring at my hands with confusion on his face.

What is he looking at?

I followed his gaze and looked at my hands. At that moment, I suddenly realized. Apparently, my hands were chapped.

As it was this time of year, the last few days had been extremely cold, yet I still used cold water even if it stung.

Before I knew it, my skin had grown increasingly chapped.

…However, it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t cook, yet. I tried not to worry too much about it, but Phil noticed it right away.

“Uhm, it doesn’t hurt that much?”

“There’s no way that’s true. You’re a young girl. Besides, you’re bleeding. Last year wasn’t this bad, was it?”

“I guess that’s because I had a lot to do lately. There’re a lot of jobs that use water—such as cooking and cleaning—but, when I said it doesn’t hurt that much, I meant it!”

Even when I said that, Phil didn’t seem to be convinced.

He was worrying too much. Certainly, the winter was somewhat worse this year, but this was something that should be commonplace.

No matter how much I emphasized that, Phil remained downcast.

Usually, he was a cheerful fellow who’d always smile, but when he made such an expression, I couldn’t calm down.

Unable to stand it, I subtly hid my hands behind my back.

When I timidly averted my gaze, Phil gave me a troubled stare.

Then, he stood up as if having made up his mind.

“…I’m sorry. Can you tell Alves that I’m returning to the capital for a bit?”

“Eh? Returning to the royal capital? Could it be, are you going back right now?”

“Yes, that’s right. I recalled some unfinished business… Well, it might take a week or longer. As soon as I’m done, I’ll be back here. So, can I leave my belongs here?”

“Of course, that’s fine.”

“See you!”

Phil departed with only a light coat on.

I went after him, but his back was already getting smaller. When a tall person speedwalked with long strides, he was surprisingly nimble.

As I admired such an odd thing, Phil made his way to the royal capital. Before anything else, he turned around once and waved at me, but after that, he suddenly sped up and vanished in a blink of an eye.

…Usually,when he returned to the royal capital, he’d be shadowed by glum while his horse trudged slowly along. Right now, it was as if he was an entirely different person.

“…Phil, so you can actually ride that fast.”

That was my first time witness such a side to him.

　　　◇

A week later.

“Here you go.”

When he arrived at our house, Phil’s hair was bedraggled.

But after I welcomed him, he smiled and held out a small jar;

A container with a lid that could be held with both hands.

While the jar was of a plain color, it was adorned with a beautifully colored string, making it look very adorable.

“This is…?”

“I’m acquainted with someone who is knowledgeable with injuries and illness in the royal capital. During my return in the royal capital, I met him. When I consulted him about your chapped skin, he gave me this ointment.”

“Huh, it’s an ointment?”

As I hesitated, Phil pushed the small jar into my hand with a smile on his face.

“While it won’t heal immediately, it’ll slowly treat the injury and prevent it from getting worse. Moreover, he also said that it has a preventative effect. Hence… Won’t you take this as payment for my stay?”

“But—”

I looked down at the jar.

As he smiled, Phil prompted me to open the lid. Upon doing so, a sharp, unique, scent wafted across nose.

Its contents were translucent, had a glossy surface, and resembled oil.

The quality of such medicines varied depending on the price. Despite coming in a modest container, the ointment itself was mixed evenly without any rough grains. It seemed to have been prepared very carefully.

…Unlike what its appearance suggests, this doesn’t appear to be cheap.

I could only stare at it. Thus, Phil removed his gloves, took the jar, and lightly scraped off the surface of the ointment using the tool inside it.

“This amount should be enough. Although, I also heard that it’ll be painful considering your skin is torn… Are you alright?”

He proceeded to apply it to the back of my hands and fingers rather sparingly. At the same time, he peered into my eyes with concern.

Indeed, it stung quite a bit.

However, the pain only lasted a brief moment. Afterwards, when the oil and fat covered the wounds, the pain subsided.

Since the ointment hadn’t been spread evenly, I rubbed my hands together to spread it. It was as if my hands were wrapped in a thin layer of cloth.

“How do you feel?”

“…It feels pleasant. But is it really alright for me to receive this?”

“Of course! I’m sure the man who shared it will be happy to know you used it!”

I stared at Phil’s smile, before quietly turning to look at Alves.

It’d been a bad habit of mine to rely on my brother when it came to making difficult decisions.

In my defense, my brother was older than me and had many experiences. Unlike me, he wasn’t ignorant and could make firm decisions.

…Thus, even though I was 17-years-old as of today, I relied on him again.

For some reason, Alves had a somber expression.

But when his gaze met mine, he smiled as usual before sighing as he approached us.

“It’s a good deal. Take it. I was worried about your hands, too.”

After that, he patted my hand with his large palm.

It was as if I was a toddler—nevertheless, I didn’t dislike being patted by his big hand.

…No, if anything, it made me happy. Was it because he made me feel safe?

“Well, if my brother says so. Thank you, Phil.”

I received Phil’s jar.

Then, a gentle smile spread across Phil’s handsome face.

“Great. Well then, I’ll trouble you once again. Unfortunately, my vacation has become shorter, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

Phil sighed, yet he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Then, he immediately relaxed. He sat down on a chair and stretched.

Phil’s bright smile seemed to have the power to make people happy.

When Phil arrived by horse, Yurana had an exasperated look on her face when I offered him water. But now, she was chuckling in secret. For some reason, Alves—who was scowling earlier, was also smiling as he sat down across from me.

Looking at the three of them made me feel happy.

It was the same happy feeling I got when Alves stroked my head with his large hand.

---

***T/N: Took quite a long break from this story, but here I go! There are 3 more short stories after this.

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