7. Arthur and Kei
“Hmmm… something feels heavy…”
The next morning, Arthur woke up feeling a soft sensation along with the weight. Strangely, it was the first time in a while that he had a pleasant awakening. He hadn’t had that dream of being executed, which had been haunting him recently.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Kei's sleeping face, breathing peacefully, and...
“KYAAAAAA!!”
He couldn’t help but let out a scream that sounded almost like a girl’s. Despite living a second life, this man still had almost no experience with the opposite sex.
“Wait, wait, what’s going on here? Huh? Did I do something...?”
Arthur had always been treated specially due to his healing ability, and his relationship with his fiancée had been terrible. Because of the revolution, he ended up never having those kinds of experiences in his past life. So, waking up to a girl sleeping in the same bed was too much of a shock for him.
“Ah... I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep too. I’ll prepare breakfast right away.”
“Ah, um... Why is Kei here...?”
Seeing Arthur flustered by the unexpected situation, Kei chuckled softly, amused.
“Hehe, looks like Marianne was overthinking things. I just came to check on you because I was a bit worried about you. By the way, did you sleep well last night?”
“Last night, huh...”
Now that he thought about it, it did seem like he slept soundly for the first time in a while. Maybe it was because she had been there with him? It was probably because of her. Perhaps, thanks to her, the nightmares were gone. She had been there for him in his past life, and now, in this life too, she was helping him.
Arthur felt grateful and thanked the person who had saved him, not only in his past life but also in this one.
“Thank you, I was able to sleep so soundly. If you don’t mind, would you sleep like this with me again and hold my hand?”
“Eh? Sleep... together...? You mean...?”
Seeing Kei’s face turn bright red, Arthur realized the implication of his words and, his own face also flushed red, he hurriedly tried to explain.
“No, that’s not it. I didn’t mean it like that... I just meant you could hold my hand until I fall asleep. I won’t do anything, of course.”
“Ah, so that’s what you meant. Hehe, looks like Arthur-sama just wanted to be spoiled...”
“Wanted to be spoiled, huh...”
Arthur himself felt that it made sense when he was told he wanted to be spoiled. He had never had anyone to lean on. Even his family had been almost like strangers. His mother disappeared soon after giving birth to him, and his father was too busy with work to pay him much attention.
His older brother would occasionally talk to him, but he had only met his younger brother, Modred, a few times. There had never been anyone to sleep next to him like this.
“But, that’s true... I may not be able to be your mother, but I think I can be your older sister.”
“Eh? Mother? Older sister?”
Arthur looked at Kei with a confused expression as the conversation seemed to not align. The truth was, Arthur couldn’t even remember his mother’s face, and as for having an older sister—he didn’t even know what that would be like. He didn’t have any emotions related to it.
Well, he didn’t quite understand it, but if Kei wanted to act like an older sister, that was fine. He intended to do anything to respond to her loyalty.
Besides... being spoiled by someone was something he could never have imagined in his past life, but somehow, when he was with her like this, his heart felt at ease.
With that thought, Arthur nodded.
“Ah, well, if that’s the case, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, of course. But in return... could you tell me more about yourself, Arthur-sama?”
“About me...?”
Arthur reflexively asked her to repeat her words. No one had ever wanted to know about him like that. Everyone had only cared about his abilities.
Even the maid from his previous life hadn’t tried to understand him. She would give him whatever he wanted if he asked, but she never tried to learn his preferences. So, hearing her words made him feel happy...
“I’m really glad I made Kei my personal maid.”
Arthur thought this from the bottom of his heart, feeling his chest warm.
“Hehe, if you say something like that, you’ll make me embarrassed. You can rely on me even more, as your personal maid, Arthur-sama.”
Then, Arthur began to tell her all sorts of things. He explained how he felt a little concerned about being naïve about the world, how he was interested in the street vendors Kei had taught him about in his previous life, and what he liked and disliked.
Though none of it was particularly interesting, Kei listened with a joyful expression the entire time. And that made Arthur feel something new and made him truly happy.
And so, Kei truly became his personal maid.
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