You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 56

I noticed the delivered box right after waking up from sleep.

I woke up when the sun was high in the sky and raised my upper body in a daze. I lifted my weak arm to rub my eyes and slowly lowered my feet from the bed, thinking I should wash my face. But then, something hard bumped against my toes with a thud.

Huh? My eyes, not fully open due to sleep crust, squinted. I blinked my dry eyes a few times and looked down.

“…What’s this?”

A large box was sitting next to my feet. It seemed to be a rather solid box, perhaps made of high-quality wood. Feeling a different morning than usual, I fluttered my wings. I bent down and lifted the box placed next to my feet. The contents inside didn’t seem too heavy, as I could easily lift it with just a slight sense of weight.

When I shook it gently with both hands, I heard a thudding sound from inside. It’s not heavy, and it doesn’t seem to be made of glass… Why would I receive a package? It’s not something dangerous, is it? I narrowed my eyes and looked at it.

I put it back down on the floor and plopped down in front of it, sitting cross-legged. As I examined the box, turning it around, I saw what looked like a button to release the lock. I carefully stretched out my thumb and pressed it firmly. With a click, I heard it open from inside.

When I grabbed the top of the box and opened it, there were several bundles wrapped in familiar packaging inside. This packaging…

“Cookies?”

I opened my eyes wide and hurriedly took one out. Then, without a doubt, I unwrapped it. As I opened the package with a rustling sound, the beautiful shape of the cookies was revealed, and a sweet, nutty aroma wafted out.

“Unbelievable… So many?”

There were too many individually wrapped cookies to count at a glance. Can I eat all of these? Since they were placed in my room, they must be for me, right? A grin spread across my face involuntarily.

I swayed my upper body left and right, making a “hee-hee” sound with happiness. Then I picked up an unwrapped cookie and munched on it.

I wonder who sent this? I tilted my head, pondering. The servant who seemed to like Doel wouldn’t have suddenly sent it to me. Ah. Then is it from Doel? He would have had enough time to find out where the cookies came from since I’ve been receiving them for several days.

“Doel…”

He’s so thoughtful of me. I was already grateful for him bringing me a couple each time, but now he’s even buying and giving them as a gift. What a considerate young man. Karhan said these were delicious too, should I take a package to him…?

First, I should thank Doel. I should show my appreciation too.

I put down the package with many cookies still left on the bed and headed to the washroom. I washed myself thoroughly and meticulously until I heard a squeaky clean sound. After washing with hot water, almost as if parboiling myself, a warm sensation radiated from my entire body as I came out. How refreshing! I carefully dried each feather with a towel, and with a fluffy body, I left the room holding two packages of cookies for Doel and Karhan.

He’s probably still at the training grounds, right? It would be nice if it were break time so it’d be easy to give them to him. With my lips curled up in excitement, I ran with bouncy steps.

One! Two! One! Two! I could hear the shouts of people exercising hard. I looked around, searching for Doel. Where could he be? Since they were all knights, everyone was about twice the size of an average person in height and build, so I had to stand on my tiptoes and crane my neck to look for Doel.

Ugh. Just looking from afar won’t do. I went among the knights scattered here and there doing individual training. As I moved around, shrinking my shoulders to avoid being bumped by the large bodies, someone grabbed my shoulder.

“Sol.”

“Doel!”

The person who grabbed my shoulder from behind was Doel. Hearing my name “Sol” from his mouth felt a bit unfamiliar, but I immediately held out the cookie package I had in my hand.

“Cookies?”

“Yes! They’re cookies!”

Doel looked down at the cookies with a puzzled expression.

“Thank you for the cookies! I’ll share one with you too.”

I looked at Doel with a bright smile. He alternately looked at the cookies and my face, then burst into laughter. I guess he didn’t expect to receive the gift he had given. Doel reached out and took the package of cookies I offered, and immediately unwrapped it on the spot. Without hesitation, he took out a piece and put it in his mouth, chewing and swallowing. Then, without a pause, he immediately put the next cookie in his mouth.

“Eat slowly! It’s delicious, how can you eat it so quickly!”

You should savor it to make it last! I looked at Doel’s lips with a worried gaze, but he seemed to be ignoring my words and just kept chewing earnestly. Not even drinking a sip of water, I wondered if his throat wasn’t getting blocked.

He likes cookies this much, yet he’s been giving them to me without eating them himself until now? I don’t know whether to call him kind or foolish. I stood there blankly, watching the cookies disappear quickly with a distant gaze.

After a few minutes had passed, Doel, who was examining the inside of the package with one eye closed, put a refreshing smile on his face.

“I’ve finished them all.”

He turned the package upside down and shook it thoroughly. Only a tiny bit of powder came out, without a single small piece in sight. Although the packaged size wasn’t that large, about the size of a fist, it was surprising how quickly he ate them.

“I’ll bring you another package later.”

I decided that from now on, I wouldn’t accept it if Doel offered me cookies. I feel sorry for thoughtlessly eating them all. I looked at Doel with my eyebrows drooping.

“I’ll take them anytime if you offer. They’re delicious.”

As he said that with a smile, I noticed a small bit of powder at the corner of his mouth.

“Just a moment.”

I stretched out my right hand and placed my thumb on the corner of his mouth, which was curved into a beautiful smile. I gave Doel, who flinched, a stern look to stay still as I rubbed my finger. As I brushed it off, the cookie crumbs that had barely survived fell to the floor.

“There, done. You’re quite messy, Doel.”

When you eat in a hurry, it gets on your face. If I had known you’d eat them all so quickly, I should have brought some water. I lowered my hand that had been cleaning Doel’s mouth and patted his shoulder.

“You’re still new, so you have a lot of work and it’s hard, right? Don’t give up and hang in there. Work life is always tough at the beginning, you know.”

As I was speaking with a smile, I moved closer to Doel’s face. Seeing Doel try to back away obliviously, I quickly raised my hand to cover my mouth and whispered a secret.

“If it gets too hard, tell me. I’ll prod Karhan for you!”

Just trust me. I winked at him. Doel smiled awkwardly after receiving my secret encouragement. It seemed he couldn’t say much since this was his workplace. I should live up to the value of the cookie lobby I received. As I was about to spread my shoulders confidently with a trustworthy smile,

Suddenly, someone behind Doel called his name loudly. Doel turned around, startled, and twitched his eyebrows. Then, as he took a deep breath, it looked as if he was trying hard to hold back a curse that was about to burst out.

Is it that guy? Is he the one bullying Doel? Doel bit his lip slightly, then forced a smile while gritting his teeth.

“Thanks for the cookies. I have to go back to training now, so let’s meet again when I have time.”

He reached out and gently stroked my cheek, then quickly turned around and ran off. I blankly watched him go, then raised my hand to touch my cheek where Doel had pinched. Have I gained a lot of weight?

Doel’s figure had already disappeared among the other muscular men. Feeling regretful for not being able to talk properly before he left, I kicked the innocent ground. Well, he’s busy, so it can’t be helped… Thinking I shouldn’t disturb him anymore and should head back, I turned around and bumped into something.

“Ah!”

I screamed in surprise and fluttered my body, startled by a tall person right in front of my nose. What? How long has he been there! As I was having a fit alone with my eyes closed in shock, a large hand gently enveloped both my shoulders. Calming my pounding heart at the familiar body heat, I slowly opened my tightly closed eyes. A broad chest came into view.

“Did I startle you?”

“Karhan…?”

Why is he here too? He always came when I was with Doel, but I didn’t expect him to show up at the training grounds at this time. I looked up at Karhan with round eyes, and he looked down at me without saying anything. His rigid gaze fixed on me, and silence fell for a moment.

…What’s this?

I couldn’t understand why he was just staring at me without saying anything. His tightly closed mouth somehow gave the impression of a child being stubborn. Though a bit scary for a child’s gaze. As I stiffened under his metallic silver eyes, I hesitantly and carefully opened my mouth.

“Um… Karhan?”

“Yes. Speak.”

“Uh… Aren’t you busy today?”

“I finished work in advance, so I have nothing to do.”

“Ah, I see…”

I nodded, responding in an awkward tone. With my shoulders still firmly held by his hands, there weren’t many places to turn my gaze.

I blankly stared at Karhan’s neck ornament, then slowly rolled my eyes to scan his shoulders, lowering my gaze to his chest. Up close, I could see that each button was intricately engraved with the Duke’s family crest.

As silence fell as if we were in a space isolated from the world, Karhan’s low voice brought the world back.

“Did you come to exercise?”

“No, I came to give Doel cookies…”

Ah, right. This is the training grounds. There was only one reason for Karhan to come to the training grounds at this time.

“You came to see Doel too, right?”

I drew a faint smile on my face. He came to see Doel’s face and happened to see me too. Now understanding the situation, I let out a laugh like a sigh. I raised my hand and patted Karhan’s shoulder.

“Doel just went into training. I couldn’t meet him, but you should be able to…”

I’m rooting for you. I winked, blinking one eye just like I had shown Doel.

“See you later at the dining hall!”

I raised my hand that had been patting Karhan’s shoulder and waved it gently. Even Duke Karhan is wandering around, putting aside his work, at the height of his romance. What a wonderful time.

As I turned my back, not hiding my warm feelings, something gripped my wrist.