Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12 : Then Where Am I Supposed to Sleep?
As the night deepened, another light in Room 207 on the second floor of Silver Fir House was finally extinguished. Ryan finished his usual bedtime reading, closed the thick 《Analysis of Intermediate Mana Constructs》, and rubbed his slightly throbbing temples.
After a full day of running about, settling in, and that less-than-pleasant reunion in the dining hall, he was mentally tired.
He rose and went into the little private washroom to freshen up. The cold water splashed across his face, driving away some of his drowsiness. Then he changed into a plain cotton set of sleepwear—something he had dug out from his not especially large pile of clothes and judged barely comfortable enough.
By the time he came out of the washroom, drying his half-damp hair with a towel, Cosette was just coming out as well.
She had changed out of the crisp maid uniform she had worn during the day and was now dressed in that obviously oversized shirt. The hem nearly reached her knees, and the sleeves had been rolled up several times before her wrists were exposed, making her look even more slender. Her dark brown hair hung damp over her shoulders, still carrying a soft haze of moisture. Her little face was flushed pink from the heat, and in the dim room lighting, her hazel eyes looked especially gentle.
When she saw Ryan, she instinctively shrank her neck a little and softly said, “Good night, Master.”
Then...
Very naturally, she walked straight to the only single bed in the room.
Before Ryan could say anything, he watched the girl deftly lift the clean bedsheet she had just spread, still carrying a faint scent of soapberry, then slip underneath it in one quick motion. She pulled the only thick quilt over herself and wrapped herself up tightly, leaving only a small head and a few strands of damp hair exposed.
She even remembered to shift toward the wall, deliberately leaving a clear space on the outer side—more than enough room for another person to lie down.
After doing all that, Cosette closed her eyes in complete contentment. Her long lashes cast faint shadows beneath them, and her breathing soon became soft and even, carrying the peaceful air of someone who had already declared, I am in position and ready to sleep.
Ryan: “...”
Still holding the towel, he stood where he was and stared at the little bundle on the bed that had so swiftly entered standby mode. He remained frozen for several seconds.
His brain, like a rusted set of gears, jammed for a moment before slowly beginning to turn again.
Wait...
Was there not something wrong with this situation?
He walked over and stood beside the bed, lowering his gaze to Cosette’s face, which looked especially peaceful and harmless in her drowsiness. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out a finger still carrying a trace of moisture and gently poked her smooth forehead.
“Mmm...” Cosette let out a hazy little sound. Her lashes fluttered a few times, and she opened her eyes. A thin layer of mist still lingered in her hazel gaze, full of the confusion and innocence of someone just woken up.
“Master? What is it?” Her voice was soft and thick with sleepiness.
Ryan looked at her, was silent for two seconds, organized his thoughts, and then asked in as calm a tone as possible, “Why are you sleeping here?”
Cosette blinked, as if she did not understand the question at all. Tilting her head, she looked even more bewildered and asked in return, quite naturally, “Huh? Then... where am I supposed to sleep?”
Ryan: “...”
He drew in a breath and felt that he might have overestimated this girl’s grasp of common sense.
He lifted a hand and pointed toward the little door by the washroom wall, the one that had remained shut and was almost the same color as the wall itself. He had noticed it during the day, though he had not yet had the chance to inspect it.
“The room next to mine,” Ryan said, and for once there was unmistakable helplessness in his voice. “Is that not your room?”
“M-My room?” Cosette was completely stunned. Following the direction of Ryan’s finger, she looked toward the inconspicuous little door, and her eyes slowly widened.
She had seen that door while cleaning during the day, but somewhere in her subconscious she had assumed it was just a storage closet. It had never even occurred to her to open it and check.
Looking at her blank expression, Ryan could not help rubbing his forehead inwardly.
What kind of nonsense is this? The academy specially reassigned rooms for students with attendants. Was that really so master and servant could experience the intimacy of squeezing into one bed together? During the day, all those noble boys with male attendants—were they sleeping together too?
He said no more. Instead, he walked straight to the little door, grasped the handle, and turned it gently.
It was not locked. The door opened at once.
Behind it was a room much smaller than the main bedroom, only about seven or eight square meters. There was no desk and no bookshelf, only a simple single bed, a short bedside cabinet, and a few hooks nailed into the wall. Though plain, it was just as clean and orderly. The window faced the quiet courtyard behind the building. On the bed lay a neatly folded spare set of plain bedding and a pillow.
Ryan stepped aside and indicated the room with his eyes.
“There. Is this not your room?”
Cosette’s face turned red in an instant, the color spreading visibly from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears and even staining her neck pink.
She had finally realized just how enormous a misunderstanding she had made.
She had actually... simply climbed onto her master’s bed as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
And she had even left space for him.
An overwhelming wave of shame and panic drowned her at once. Compared with this, the blush she had felt earlier because of her growling stomach was nothing at all.
“I-I am sorry! I am so sorry, Master! I-I did not notice during the day... I-I will go tidy it up right now!”
The words tumbled out of her in a chaotic rush. She practically sprang off Ryan’s bed with both hands and feet, stumbling and scrambling her way straight into the little room that belonged to her. The hem of the oversized shirt swayed wildly with her movements, revealing a section of pale, slender calf.
Ryan watched her flee in utter embarrassment and shook his head helplessly. He returned to his bed, smoothed out the bedsheet where Cosette had been lying and left some creases, then lay down.
Very soon, faint rustling sounds came from next door. Cosette was clumsily but earnestly making her bed and putting the quilt in its cover. The sounds went on for quite some time before gradually settling into silence.
Night completely enveloped the room. Only the faint glow of the magical streetlamps in the courtyard outside slipped through the gap in the curtains, casting blurred patches of light on the floor.
Ryan closed his eyes and prepared to sleep.
The exhaustion of the whole day finally surged up.
And yet, just before his consciousness could sink fully into darkness, a voice came from next door—so soft it was barely more than a mosquito’s hum, carrying shame and perhaps the faintest trace of... disappointment?
“Good night... Master.”
Behind his closed eyelids, Ryan’s eyes shifted slightly.
He did not answer.
A moment later, in the darkness, he let out a sigh so soft it was almost impossible to hear.
Raising a child really was a technical skill.
That was his final thought before sleep took him.
In the little room next door, Cosette curled up beneath the quilt, which still carried the somewhat unfamiliar scent of new fabric. The warmth had not yet fully faded from her cheeks. She lay there with her eyes open, looking at the dim ceiling in the dark.
So... I really have my own room.
So... I do not have to squeeze into a bed with someone else.
There was a strange emptiness in her heart, but even more than that, there was a peculiar sense of belonging and reassurance.
This place, this tiny and simple little space, belonged to her.
She was her master’s maid, but here, she could close the door and have a brief stretch of peace entirely of her own.
She tugged the quilt higher, covering half her face and leaving only a pair of especially bright hazel eyes visible in the dark.
Tomorrow, I have to work even harder, she told herself quietly.
And then she, too, fell into a deep sleep.
Thus, the first night at Saint Roland Magic Academy quietly passed, separated by only a single wall, as master and servant drifted to sleep with thoughts that were each complicated and simple in their own way.