「Liz-sama, what should you say to me」

「My sincerest apologies」

As soon as I woke up, I offered an earnest apology it was laughable.

It has been three days since the kidnapping. It seems three days had pa.s.sed since I lost consciousness and I slept through it. Although it didn't feel like such a thing. 

After Gilles and the chivalric order had turned up, we were rescued from the human trafficking organisation. It was truly by a hair’s breath; if he had arrived even a moment later, I would have probably died.

Mother desperately cured my injuries, leaving no visible scars behind. As expected of Mother.

「What would you have done if I hadn’t made it? It's a good thing that I made it in time」

「I'm sorry」

Awaking, I thought Gilles would speak to me tenderly, but as soon as I woke up, it was lecture time. That was because of my careless actions, I had fallen into danger. Hence, why I also understood why he was angry.

「Remaining obediently and waiting for an opportunity to leave would have been a good decision, so why did you decide to escape?」

「Because---」

「That's not a good enough excuse. Heedlessly moving. Liz-sama, please restrain yourself from taking hastier actions. Even if you're better at others in using magic, it's still a different matter in combat. You haven't personally attacked someone head on with sorcery before, have you?」

「..... But--」

「No buts. Because, if something had happened to Liz-sama, what would we do? It would have been a bitter reality to experience」

With no room to retort, I kept silent.

All of Gilles’s words were sound, it was my fault. I knew I was going to be rescued so I should have obediently waited. My hastily conceived plans and actions exposed everyone's lives to danger. If Gilles hadn't come, I would have surely died.

When I thought that, I suddenly became frightened.

「So--- sorry」

The reality of me exposing people's lives to danger was frightening. The fact that lives could have been lost because of me was frightening. And above all, dying was frightening.

If I had died again, what would become of me? Where would I be born again or what would I become? As I didn't know, I was afraid. Being separated from Gilles or Father, Mother and his Highness was frightening.

「--uhu--- Gilles, I'm sorry, I'm sorry」

Perhaps, this was the first time I had spontaneously cried.

Filled with the horrors and feelings of guilt in my head, I couldn't stop the tears from pouring out. There was a lot of tears, to be precise, a flood of tears. Having difficulty breathing, I sobbed convulsively while my tears fell down.

Gilles was surprised when I bursted into tears; somewhat coming together, he then embraced and rubbed my back. Hugging and tenderly stroking my head made me feel excessively pleased, and I kept crying.

Although I no longer knew why I was crying, but being alive was undoubtedly a happy thing - was what I thought. Being alive meant experiencing this, Gilles's worries and his embrace. If I had died, I wouldn’t ever experience this again.

「Gillesh, Gillesh, sorry, Gillesh.....----」

「It's fine now, I'm here by your side」

Slowly continuing to cry, Gilles - as always - continued to cuddle me tenderly.

「..... *sniff*, uhu---- Gillesh, tishue paper puhlease, my nose ish dripping」

「Yes yes」

Feeling refreshed after crying wretchedly, was not how it went. There still remained some horror and feelings of guilt. Thus, with a runny nose, I ended up with an unbecoming face, like any other women.

Gilles, with a wry smile, handed the tissue papers to me. Resigning, I blew my nose with all my might. The tears which came together with the mucus were tears nonetheless; they were dirty, but as it was all over Gilles, what should I do? Luckily, the clothes weren't soiled so that was a plus.

「---Gu, wh-- why is Gilles smiling about?」

「No, it's just the first time I've seen Liz-sama cry. I guess you’re still a child deep down inside, huh」

「..... I'm sorry, I'm still a child, that was why I was in jeopardy」

「Please don't cry, I was just teasing you lightly. Your usual sulking face is cuter」

「..... I'll have to question the usual image Gilles has of me」

「Yup, that's the way」

With a 「there, there」 smiling face, as he stroked my head gently, he didn't it look like he was making fun of me, and I pouted my lips. Of late, I had a feeling that Gilles was mostly treating me like a child. 

That is, to Gilles, I was still a child, hence, this treatment couldn't be helped.

..... Ah.

Was the cause because Gilles has been spoiling me?

Recently, because Father wasn't around to care, I had clung onto Gilles, so he has probably been treating me like a younger sister, hasn’t he? Gilles had mentioned he was the youngest in his family; perhaps he was pampering me because it was his first time considering me as a younger sister.

「Gilles, I'm not your younger sister, you know」

「How did that expression came about?」

「Isn't it?」

「It isn't」

I was denied with a serious look.

「I have always seen Liz-sama as my master and as a female」

「Is it my imagination that you've taken unexpected lengths to ridicule me?」

「It is done consequently because you're dear to me」

「The ends justify the means」

Hmph, I coldly responded by turning my face away from Gilles's teasing. Smiling wryly, Gilles hugged me again and stroked my head. Like I said, that's treating me like a child and not a master.

When that was conveyed, 「You have no faith」as he lowered his eyebrows and laughed..... That doesn't mean I have no faith, but I am convinced with certainty that I was looked upon like a child.

There wasn't any particular need to look from the perspective of an adult in this current situation; even if I had somehow been treated like a child, but wanting to be fawned on was also a fact.

My cheeks swelled a little; I murmured against Gilles's chest 「Stupid Gilles」, and closed my eyes.

.... Once our body temperatures became the same, I quickly fell back to sleep.