Don’t Tame It [Novel]

26.

I suppose my pace really is slow.

That was unexpected. Whenever I moved with my peers, I always walked with quick, short steps for fear of falling behind. My mind was perpetually scattered; one thought would trigger another, and I often lost my focus entirely.

That was why I walked slower than others. Once, the Sea Anemone, unable to endure my lack of urgency any longer, had grabbed me by the nape of my neck and dragged me along.

But Diego walked just as slowly as I did.

At least I won’t get fired for walking slowly.

As I let out a sigh of relief, I added a remark, driven by a sudden, lingering worry.

“I was late today because I got lost, but I’m usually very good at keeping appointments.”

“Is that so?”

Diego replied perfunctorily, as if it didn’t really matter whether I kept appointments or not.

However, I nodded my head more vigorously than ever. We turned back, retracing our steps through the forest of tall fir trees toward the starting point. At the fork in the path, we chose the right.

A building identical to the one we had seen moments ago appeared. The front door was a slightly lighter shade, the stairs were a bit higher, the windows were more numerous, and the shrubbery was denser.

Javier, who had stepped ahead, opened the front door. Mia was pacing back and forth in the doorway.

Catching sight of me, she rushed over with a tearful expression.

“I should have gone to fetch you. I’m so sorry, Physician Rios.”

I did not know why she was apologizing.

“Why? I was the one who said I’d go alone, and I was the one who got lost.”

At those words, Mia’s eyes went round. Diego, looking at the girl who was muttering, “But…,” and at me, with my indifferent expression, smoothed the atmosphere by saying, “Come, come.”

“This matter is no one’s fault. I will not hold you responsible, so you need not worry.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Mia bowed her head. The tension that had been lingering between them vanished without a trace.

I stared intently at Diego. That was his ability.

As if it had been a mere delusion that he had been standing right beside me a moment ago, he was already standing at the opposite pole of where I stood. On land where the sun shone and songs filled the air.

* * *

“Physician Rios, why are you sitting there?”

At Mia’s call, I, who had been slumped on the carpet, snapped my head up. My eyebrows twitched.

I had been organizing the books the servants brought in; when had I started reading?

Even with a moment of distraction, things like this happened instantly. I let out a sullen sigh, as if this were not the first or second time.

I shouldn’t have turned the page, no matter how interesting the title was.

I had already read all of them at least once, yet I had ended up devouring the pages as if it were the first time.

I must have a nature susceptible to temptation.

Brushing off my skirt as I stood up, I finally turned my gaze to Mia. She broke into her habitual smile as our eyes met.

“Please have a snack while you work. Aunt Juana baked sweet potato pies.”

“Sweet potato pie?”

My eyes sparkled. Sure enough, the trolley Mia had pushed in carried a sweet aroma.

Setting down the book, I quickly changed my gloves and zipped over to the sofa.

In the meantime, the swift-handed Mia had already finished setting the teacups. She poured fragrant black tea and slid the cup in front of me.

However, I didn’t even glance at the tea; I took a large bite of the sweet potato pie.

Wow.

A silent exclamation burst forth. I had felt it while dining with Diego on the first day, but Aunt Juana’s cooking skills were top-tier.

They couldn’t be compared to the university cafeteria. To think this was a sweet potato dish made by her.

I’m glad I came to Norte.

As I closed my eyes and chewed, the perfect sweetness filled my mouth. When I opened them, I met the gaze of Mia, who was standing opposite me.

She was staring straight at me with eyes as sparkling as mine when I was observing a heart.

Uh….

I wore a flustered expression and rolled my eyes, not knowing what to say. After hesitating, I put a pie on a plate and held it out. For me, this required a great deal of courage.

“……Eat.”

“Oh, no.”

Mia waved her hands frantically, taking a step back. I pulled the plate back with a gloomy expression.

Mia hurried to explain.

“I cannot take a pie from your portion, Physician. If I did, I would be scolded by Aunt Juana.”

“…….”

I looked at her, confused. Noticing my bewilderment, Mia added with a smile.

“She is full of enthusiasm, wanting to fatten up Physician Rios nicely. It’s the first time she’s been this passionate since Butler Adolf. So, if I were to steal your food……. Oh, my.”

Mia shuddered as if the thought were terrifying. She observed me with a fixed gaze.

“And His Grace would be angry at me, too.”

I chewed my pie and looked at Mia once more. It seemed she had the gift of reading people’s hearts; she offered answers without me ever needing to ask a question.

Perhaps Mia had purchased a manual at a bookstore. She must be well-versed in the unspoken rules I was unaware of.

I need to go to a bookstore as soon as possible, too.

While I swallowed the pie and made a determined resolution, Mia muttered in a meaningful tone.

“They say His Grace ordered Aunt Juana to provide a sweet potato dish for Physician Rios at least once a day.”

Oh, my.

I took another bite and nodded. Fortunately, my employer was a man of integrity who faithfully carried out the promises inscribed in the contract.

Just then, Mia muttered in a small voice.

“To like sweet potatoes so much. I, on the other hand, am sick of sweet potatoes…….”

That could happen. It wasn’t written that everyone in the world had to like the same things.

That was why the world ran more peacefully. If everyone in the world liked sweet potatoes, I would have had to jump into a fierce brawl to secure my own portion.

It was a good thing, as I had no talent for fighting. I didn’t have to compete; my share was simply provided.

I suppose I will continue to have no interest in things that everyone else covets—gold or jewels, those noble, glittering things.

I was satisfied with sweet potatoes. As long as I had them, providing a subtle sweetness and a pleasant sense of fullness, I didn’t care what happened to anything else.

“Haa.”

The languid breath I exhaled seemed to smell of sweet potatoes. That, too, was a very happy thing.

* * *

“Ahem.”

At the loud throat-clearing sound announcing an arrival, I stopped and turned my head. Sir Miguel Flich was standing at the door, scanning the office with dissatisfied eyes.

My gaze met his. Miguel spoke to himself, loud enough to be heard.

“Not any bigger than my office.”

I blinked my indifferent eyes and observed him. Like the Dean, his stomach was bulging, and his belt was hanging on by a thread. His eyes, nose, and mouth were exceptionally small compared to the surface area of his face.

There was a fish that immediately came to mind.

An Ocean Sunfish.

The Ocean Sunfish—no, Miguel—puffed out his chest and pushed his belly further forward, acting haughty. I stared anxiously at his belt, which looked ready to burst.

“You’re from the Royal Medical College? Which class did you graduate from?”

“The 195th.”

“A fledgling whose diploma ink hasn’t even dried. Ah, for your information, I am from the 177th.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Miguel’s time-bomb of a stomach. I wanted to avoid being struck by shrapnel if his belt were to suddenly explode.

Miguel, expecting the respectful courtesy due to a senior, frowned when no greeting came.

“Kids these days have no manners.”

Without asking for permission, he strode into the office and asked, his eyes fixed on the bookshelf.

“How is Professor Figueras?”

I missed the timing to answer as I was contemplating the definition of “well.” If “well” meant health, he was fine.

But if it meant “financial status,” he was not. Not long ago, I had heard from a jellyfish, who was as chatty as it was hairy, that the mine Professor Figueras had invested in had turned out to be nothing but rocks, leaving him bankrupt.

I found such ambiguous questions difficult. I was curious about how other people managed to grasp intent and answer so readily.

Perhaps there really was a manual being circulated that only I didn’t know about.

I should visit a bookstore. Where might the largest one in Norte be?

While my thoughts branched off into absurd directions, Miguel threw out a spiteful question.

“Has he gone even more bald?”

That was something I could answer with confidence. I preferred specific questions.

“Since last year, he hasn’t been able to cover his crown with his remaining hair, so he has been wearing a wig.”

“Kee-kee-kee.”

Miguel burst into laughter at the unexpected news about his old friend.

I didn’t know why he was laughing when he had been angry just a moment ago. Perhaps he was as self-centered as the Sea Anemone who liked to show off.

Miguel added, with a much more cheerful expression, acting even more haughty.

“That fellow, he loved free things, so he ended up bald after all. You know, whenever we have a meal together, I pay for everything, yet he’s the one who acts all high and mighty. What is so great about being a boring, old professor anyway? The world, you see, is all about money. Don’t you agree?”