How to Tame That Gentle Hero - Chapter 9.5

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The rain fell incessantly.

The sky over Crevasta, now entering the rainy season, poured down water with flood-like intensity. Under the dense clouds that obscured the sun, street vendors had all gone inside due to the rain, and shop sales had entered a lull.

Because of this, Resena was busy dealing with paperwork that had piled up for three weeks. Although her father had looked over most of it, Resena had recently given instructions to the guild and had been to Amarast for that matter, causing the backlog… She needed two bodies to handle all the work.

“Finally, it’s done……”

Resena slumped over her desk and stretched her arms forward. Seeing this, Del smiled slightly and set up some tea on the left side of the desk. Still in that position, Resena stretched and lightly stretched her neck.

Having been in a fixed position for so long, there were cracking sounds, but they gradually subsided.

“Del. What kind of black tea is it today?”

Since returning from Amarast, Del and the maids seemed to have accepted that Resena had completely changed. Because of this, they occasionally showed her affection.

This time was no different, as Del answered kindly.

“It’s a black tea called Amarast Candy. Recently, Amarast has begun trading in larger volumes, so the guild staff looked for items worth importing, and this was one of them.”

“I see… I wonder if it’s a bit different from regular candy black tea?”

“Yes. It’s a flavored tea with the scent of saffron that grows in Amarast and a rich floral aroma. It’s mainly supplied to the Amarast royal family.”

“Hmm……”

Resena picked up the teacup and smelled it. The quite fragrant dried rose scent mixed with saffron stimulated her nostrils. Resena smiled slightly and took a sip.

The rich aroma delicately touching her sense of smell felt pleasant. Moreover, it didn’t leave the bitterness that flavored teas sometimes could, which was truly satisfying.

“This tea is definitely very good. Let’s add it to the formal import items right away.”

“Understood.”

“Tell the assistant to bring all the documents related to importing this tea. To expedite the import, even though I’ve finished today’s paperwork… we need to process all the related documents first. We’ll also need to consider things like customs duties.”

“Yes. I’ll call the assistant right away.”

After watching Del leave, Resena finished the last sip of tea. The clean feeling of no taste lingering in her mouth was really nice.

After processing the remaining ten documents, Resena rose from her seat. As the sound of the pouring rain hitting the window reached her ears, she approached the window and looked outside.

“It’s raining a lot. Just like in my previous life.”

Although Eldis’s actions had changed, leading to different developments, this much remained the same. Typical of Crevasta’s rainy season, raindrops bounced off the lush greenery, filling the outside with both a fresh scent and a heavy water smell. After placing her hand on the cold glass of the window, Resena lowered it again.

“……”

Suddenly remembering the kisses she shared with Vernas, Resena blushed and touched her lips. Still recalling the soft sensation that had touched her lips, Resena half-closed her eyes and pressed her own lips against the back of her hand.

“Vernas……”

He must be working alongside Eldis. While being in a close position with his superior, he could also occasionally face jealousy from Eldis since they’re rivals when it comes to loving her. But strangely, she couldn’t imagine Eldis being jealous.

Eldis is truly a good person. That much she knew well. But for someone who is kind to everyone to feel jealousy—could anything be more unsuitable for him?

“Hehe.”

Resena smiled slightly and left the office. With Del following behind, Resena headed toward her room. On such a rainy day, she wanted nothing more than to lie on her bed and read a book.

However, as she reached her door, she encountered the head maid who was bringing a letter on a silver tray.

“Luna. What letter is this?”

“It’s a letter from the Imperial Palace, miss.”

“Ah… from His Highness Eldis.”

Resena unfolded the gold-decorated paper sealed with a red stamp. As she slowly scanned the elegantly written sentences in neat handwriting, a smile spread across her face.

“The Crown Prince is truly kind.”

“What did he say?”

“Well…”

Resena hugged the letter and smiled affectionately. The handwriting still seemed to come alive and wriggle before her eyes. As the content remained vivid in her mind, Resena took a breath and answered.

“He said it’s expected to rain for a while, so he’d like to visit the mansion and talk.

“My goodness…”

“Of course, this time just me alone, without Renard.”

“Congratulations, miss.”

At Luna’s words, Resena laughed softly.

“He wrote that he’ll bring lots of gifts, so I should look forward to it. Truly, His Highness is undoubtedly the model of a kind guest.”

“It certainly seems that way.”

Resena unfolded the letter again and committed the visit date written at the bottom to memory. August 15th—that’s tomorrow. Given the rainy season, it would likely still be pouring then, but Eldis seemed to miss her terribly after not seeing her for a few days.

“Well then, Luna. Could you have someone bring me some books? A couple of books on trade and a few detective novels should be enough to pass the time today.”

“Yes, miss. I’ll bring them right away. By the way, will you be having dinner in the dining room?”

Resena shook her head. She knew that her father and mother had been summoned to the Imperial Palace.

“I don’t want to eat alone. Renard also went to the palace because Captain Daren called for him. I’ll eat in my room today.”

“Understood, miss. I’ll prepare it right away.”

“Thank you, Luna. I appreciate it.”

Resena entered her room and wrote a reply to Eldis’s letter. Thinking that her round handwriting was quite cute despite being written by herself, Resena pressed the red seal and handed the letter to Del.

“I’ll send a messenger bird right away.”

“Yes. Please do.”

Walking to the bed and flopping down, she saw the ceiling painting once again.

The image of Sernaus, the God of Light, defeating monsters was the kind that erased the thought that Sernaus had allowed the “Light of Sernaus” to be used by the wrong person.

‘But… Eldis will destroy the world himself.’

The scene looked so sacred that she couldn’t imagine the future she had seen—Eldis using the power given by the god to capture the black mage, to capture Tom Baker.

But now she knew.

No person, no matter who they are, is perfectly unworldly. Even priests move for the benefit of their temples. Even Saint Lorona simply does her best within her capabilities.

Perhaps there are no miracles beyond human selfishness.

“……”

After finishing her meal, Resena began reading the book brought by the maid while lying down. She looked forward to seeing how this detective novel, which she was reading purely for entertainment, would end.

By the time she finished reading, it was already 10 o’clock. Feeling drowsiness creeping in, Resena crawled under the bed covers.

“Good night, miss.”

When Del greeted her, Resena smiled slightly.

“Yes. Good night to you, too, Del.”

Del bowed and turned off the lights completely. Resena pulled the blanket up to her neck with a comfortable feeling, wrapped herself in the blanket, and began to fall asleep.

After several dozen minutes had passed.

Resena found herself standing in a green space she had never seen before.