I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 93
Finding her was not difficult. He just had to look for the smallest maid among the princess’s attendants.
‘There she is.’
Sarubia was working alone inside a storage room a little away from the palace.
The sparrow flew through the window, gliding to her side.
Finding her was not difficult. All he had to do was look for the smallest maid among the princess’s attendants.
‘There she is.’
Sarubia was working alone inside a storage room a bit away from the palace.
The sparrow flew through the window to her side.
“Oh, a sparrow!”
Sarubia, who was sweeping the dust in the storage with a broom, lit up at the sight.
“Hello.”
The sparrow flapped its wings gently towards Sarubia.
Suddenly, Sarubia stopped her sweeping motion.
“The sparrow… is talking?”
For a moment, Sarubia thought she had heard wrong. But there was no one else in the storage, and the door was firmly locked. Therefore, the source of the voice had to be the sparrow.
“What’s so surprising? In a world where humans can beat even the Demon King.”
The sparrow, in the guise of Iruel, teased Sarubia with a snicker. At those words, Sarubia seemed to have an epiphany.
“Wow, I must have developed the ability to understand sparrow speech.”
“Goodness, what an incredibly lively imagination you have, Miss.”
The sparrow spat out the note with a ‘ptui’ and spun around.
“Hello, little lady.”
In an instant, a man with ash-gray hair appeared inside the storage.
“Oh, you’re that uncle from last time!”
Sarubia brightened at the sight of Iruel, who had returned to his human form.
“It’s been a while, Uncle! You’re that mage, right? The one who’s good at transformation magic! You came to my room with Lord Rufus!”
“Haha, a mage you say…”
Apparently, Sarubia mistook Iruel, who could transform into a sparrow, for a human mage.
‘…I’m actually a witch, not a mage.’
Feeling a bit downcast at having his identity misunderstood, Iruel felt slightly gloomy.
Well, it didn’t really matter. Letting her keep the simpler misunderstanding wasn’t a bad idea.
“Sorry to bother you while you’re working, but the Lieutenant asked me to deliver this to you.”
Iruel strode towards Sarubia and handed her the note.
“Is this from Lord Rufus?”
Sarubia’s face brightened as she took the note. She had just heard the news that the demon subjugation campaign had ended.
Eager to meet Rufus after hearing of his safe return, Sarubia had been troubled about how to approach a nobleman given her status as a mere maid.
Sarubia quickly unfolded the note. The message written on the small piece of paper was brief.
“Do you understand what this means?”
“Yes.”
Sarubia immediately grasped the meaning behind the short sentence. The blunt and straightforward nature was indeed characteristic of Rufus’s way of expressing.
“Thank you so much for delivering the note, Uncle!”
“Look, Sarubia… I’m not really that old to be called Uncle…”
Seeing Iruel’s wounded expression, Sarubia quickly covered her mouth in realization.
“Sorry, you just seemed older, so I called you Uncle.”
“No need to apologize.”
Scratching the back of his head, Iruel looked down at Sarubia.
She really was small. So small that lifting her would require no significant effort.
Her face, with eyes, nose, and mouth neatly placed together, was adorably compact, and her arms were thin enough to be encircled with one hand.
Moreover, the way her golden eyes blinked was just so charming.
‘So small and cute…’
Iruel smiled contentedly as he observed Sarubia, feeling like a child looking at a kitten.
He hadn’t realized it during their last encounter due to the circumstances, but Sarubia was a lovely woman. Just looking at her brought happiness. How wonderful it would be if the world were filled with such small and cute beings.
‘If I become the king of this country, I’ll make sure to protect all things small and cute.’
It was during these idle thoughts that Sarubia hesitantly asked with a bashful face.
“Then, what should I call you?”
“Iruel. You can talk to me informally if you want.”
“Got it. Then, I’ll call you Roroel.”
“It’s Iruel, not Roroel.”
“I know. But Roroel sounds cuter…”
Sarubia blushed at Iruel’s correction.
“Then how about… Sir Roroel?”
“I’ll change my name.”
The witch was always kind to small and cute things, and Iruel had no choice but to follow the nature of a witch.
Thus, Iruel, who had delivered the note to Sarubia during the day.
***
Now, at night, he was transporting Rufus, who had taken the form of a black butterfly, instead of a note.
“This is her room, right? The attic room at the very top of the servants’ quarters?”
“Yeah.”
Sarubia’s room, like last time, had its window wide open. The slight difference from the last visit was that a lamp was lit. Sarubia was not asleep but standing by the window, waiting for Rufus.
Sarubia.
Seeing her made his heart start to flutter.
The sparrow and butterfly entered the room through the window.
With her hands politely joined, Sarubia bowed in greeting.
“Hello, Sir Roroel. And… is the butterfly Lord Rufus?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
The butterfly gently landed on the floor, its wings trembling slightly.
“Now, watch as this butterfly transforms into a grumpy human.”
Returning to his original form, Iruel lightly touched the butterfly. The black butterfly dissipated like smoke, forming a human shape.
Joy began to bloom on Sarubia’s face.
“Lord Rufus!”
Sarubia rushed towards Rufus without hesitation.
With a short mutter, Good gracious, Iruel stepped back to make room.
“Have you been well? Are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Rufus embraced Sarubia tightly in his arms.
It was a relief.
Just as Iruel had said, despite being mixed with demonic blood, there was no adverse reaction from touching Sarubia, who was a saintess.
‘I’m still human after all.’
Overwhelmed by this simple fact, Rufus held Sarubia even tighter.
He was back. He had returned to her side. He could stand beside her once again, alive and breathing, warm and gentle.
