For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 55 - Don't Worry

#55. Don’t Worry

Tears began to well up in Lia’s eyes little by little. She didn’t want to reveal her true feelings. But when he pressed her, she couldn’t help but speak. Perth, too, wasn’t asking out of ignorance of her true feelings. Every day, he was somehow reaching out to her. So, he couldn’t help but know, even if he wanted to remain ignorant.

“Lady Lia.”

He reached out and took her hand. Lia weakly followed as he pulled her into an embrace. As their bodies touched, her emotions surged even stronger. Sadness and shame.

“But it’s not right. We need to help even a little so that an innocent child like Shu-shu doesn’t suffer. We can’t ruin the help everyone was hoping for just because I’m angry….”

Within her, reason and sincerity were constantly at odds. In her mind, she knew she should help this region, but in reality, she didn’t want to help at all. Instead, she wanted revenge for what she had suffered.

“But I keep feeling like someone is whispering in my head. It’s unfair. I haven’t done anything wrong, so why did this have to happen to me?”

Perth silently patted Lia’s back. His small comfort seemed to acknowledge her true feelings. So Lia continued to speak, unable to bear it without apologizing.

“So, I….”

But there was one thing she couldn’t bring herself to say. What she was thinking when she grew plants in the fire, what secret the terrifyingly grown plants held. Instead, Perth whispered in her ear, the words she hadn’t been able to bring out.

“Didn’t you want to take revenge on those people?”

It felt like the whisper of a devil. Her ears tingled and burned at the same time. At the same time, Lia’s pupils, betraying her true feelings, widened. It felt like one side of her chest sank. Her body trembled like a bamboo in the wind.

“It was the first time in my life. I thought about harming someone with my abilities. I didn’t mean to confuse those people. Actually….”

She wanted to kill them. Without uttering that final word, Lia shed tears. Perth merely comforted her, stroking her gently. It was Perth who had requested a meeting with Alfonse. He knew of Lia’s anger towards them. Besides, he didn’t want to forgive them either. Despite always being judged as calm and fair, what did it matter? They had to pay the price for daring to lay a hand on her precious existence.

“I hate myself so much. For having such thoughts….”

But she refused to punish them. Perhaps it was because of the remaining trace of compassion for the child. Then she felt guilty about the darkness in her own heart.

“I’m so pathetic, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.”

It made her much more human. Perth deliberately withdrew slightly to confirm his sincerity. Then he wiped her tear-streaked cheeks with both hands. Embarrassed and ashamed, her face blushed slightly. Even the slightly tear-filled, trembling eyelashes, everything about her was adorable.

“Don’t worry.”

Her wishes will all come true because of him. Lia misunderstood Perth’s words. He meant for her to be reassured that he wouldn’t dislike her. That statement wasn’t entirely incorrect.

* * *

“I must be crazy.”

Lia couldn’t believe her reflection in the mirror. Since her body had recovered, she planned to return to work today. However, her eyes were swollen from crying so much yesterday. That was a problem, but there was a bigger issue.

“I must be insane. Why did I cry there, why-?”

The scene from yesterday kept replaying in her mind. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, it was futile. She had hardly slept all night. Unexplained shame washed over her. Though her emotions were intense, she also remembered clinging to Perth without knowing why. She wanted to scream. Even Lia, who was usually dense, knew that this wasn’t common among friends. Or was it possible between friends? It was too confusing to think straight.

“Lia, how long are you going to sleep?”

Kevin couldn’t hold back anymore and followed her to her room. The assembly time had long passed. Lia was the only one who hadn’t come out. He worried she might be unwell, but everyone around had seen Lia perfectly fine in the morning.

“Yes, yes! I’m coming!”

Thanks to her impatient boss, she couldn’t even indulge in her thoughts. She didn’t know whether to be grateful or resentful. For now, Lia wore a hat to cover her face as much as possible.

“What’s with the hat?”

“My skin gets damaged if I go out during the day.”

“A person who just worked outside in a desert climate? Since when did you care about skincare?”

“Don’t ask.”

She brushed it off jokingly, but Kevin’s face twisted. He probably touched a sore spot. In reality, it was harder to find an undamaged spot on her body than a damaged one. Lia felt guilty seeing Kevin’s expression.

“It’s not your fault. It’s my weakness.”

“Still. If I had used my abilities a bit faster….”

“Don’t blame yourself. Even if you had, the outcome would probably have been the same. You were testing your abilities to the limit. If my abilities had been intact….”

Kevin couldn’t continue his sentence. But Lia could read the rest from his pained expression. It was a story about how they would have prevented Lia and himself from being kidnapped in the first place, or how they would have escaped quickly. 

“Then let’s just blame no one.”

Lia awkwardly smiled at Kevin. In truth, even she couldn’t escape from the guilt. If only she had done this… if only she had done that… She was constantly drowning in these thoughts. Despite saying it lightly, it was a difficult conclusion. It was hard to think that way, but it was comforting to have someone understanding. Kevin hesitated before gently patting Lia’s head.

“Thank you.”

They pushed the repetitive thoughts down into the depths of their consciousness and earnestly passed on methods to increase the yield of drought-resistant crops. They ensured that they could harvest as much as possible without relying solely on their abilities. Additionally, they made sure that some edible crops that grew well in cold regions could thrive according to the local conditions. 

Though their time was short, they did their best to help alleviate the food shortage in the Hiver region. Count Hiver sincerely appreciated their efforts. Therefore, the day before departing for the palace, they decided to hold a banquet for everyone. They hoped to forget the bad and return with only good memories.

The local alcohol was potent. As they poured and drank the strong liquor, they all quickly became intoxicated and joked around. Kevin didn’t heed Lia’s protests about his injuries. He had suddenly become cheerful when drunk and had become friends with the people of Hiver. Lia avoided the tipsy drinkers and went out to the garden. Though it was cold outside, a drink or two had warmed her up just enough. Deliberately choosing only the areas covered in snow, Lia stepped carefully.

“Lady Lia, you’ll catch a cold like that.”

Perth, who had approached unnoticed, scolded her. But Lia, slightly tipsy, didn’t hear his voice. She had been actively avoiding him with the excuse of being busy working. In truth, it was just awkward to see him. But perhaps emboldened by the alcohol today, Lia didn’t avoid him and faced him.

“Mr. Perth, you should try it too. You won’t be able to do it once you go back.”

Constantly stepping on the snow, Lia smiled innocently. Seeing her smile, Perth’s face relaxed involuntarily. He followed the footsteps she left in the snow without even realizing his own facial expression. He didn’t know why stepping on white snow felt so pleasant. Even if he were to understand her feelings by reading her mind, he wouldn’t feel the same emotions. But if she was happy, then he was happy with whatever it was.

“Come over here!”

She grabbed his hand without hesitation. As they stepped outside and her cold hand stole the warmth from Perth’s hand, he looked down at their clasped hands and smiled ruefully. She probably wouldn’t know. Just by touching this hand, how many things he could discern. If she did, she wouldn’t be able to extend her hand so readily. Her efforts to avoid him for days to avoid embarrassment were all for naught in an instant. She had been caught so easily. Well, to her current self, it seemed like a good thing.

“Don’t run too fast.”

But what came out of his mouth was just a scolding. He still didn’t want to be found out. Someday, he would reveal his abilities himself, but not now. Because he didn’t want to let go of her hand. 

“Oops!”

“Be careful!”

In the end, Lia nearly slipped and fell. Quickly pulling her hand, Perth embraced her. As Lia leaned into his embrace, her face flushed. The only fortunate thing was that the excuse of being drunk already worked.

“I’m sorry…”

“Lady Lia.”

“Yes?”

Perth called Lia in a serious tone. Lia, who was trying to pull away, looked up at Perth while still in his embrace. What should she do? While hesitating for a moment, he saw Lia’s eyelashes trembling. His heart was pounding fast, too. Of course, his own heart was beating at quite a rapid pace. Seeing Lia tense up, he decided to give her a break.

“When we return to the palace… I have something to tell you.”

“Right now… it’s not possible?”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s possible right now.”

Looking at him, who was smiling softly, Lia was dumbfounded. When did he become so good at smiling? Moreover, when did he become so accepting of physical contact? When did he start walking around without white gloves? Everything was filled with questions.

“Mr. Perth, I didn’t know your hands were… so long and… pretty.”

Now Lia started to play with Perth’s bare hands as she pleased. She touched his palm and the back of his hand, feeling the texture and even measuring the length of his fingers. Then, she stretched out her hand to compare the difference in size. Perth’s palm was much larger, enough to cover hers entirely.

“Wow, Mr. Perth, your hands are really… big…”

While Lia was surprised, Perth slightly bent his hand and flexed his knuckles.

“Even when folded like this, they’re still big.”

Then he gave a modest smile. Lia lowered her head and couldn’t meet his eyes. It was hard to maintain her expression. If her expression became too awkward, it seemed like Perth would notice. Whatever that meant.

“Why are you being so… playful all of a sudden?”

Lia’s complaint was her best effort. She deliberately glared at him with an uneven expression to hide her embarrassment. But even that looked adorable to Perth.

“I was really surprised when Lady Lia disappeared.”

He tried his best to be rational. Outwardly, he acted rationally enough and tried not to show it on his face. But inside, he was boiling with anxiety. What if he couldn’t see her like this ever again? That was his thought. 

“So now I’ve decided not to hold back anymore.”

Compared to the terror of her disappearing, fairness, beliefs, and everything else were useless. He thought it was cowardly to use his abilities. Avoiding contact with people wasn’t because he disliked physical touch, but rather out of respect for them. Because he didn’t want anyone to see his true feelings. But for her, he could plunge his hands into the mud as many times as necessary. Even if it hurts, as long as he could keep her by his side.