“Haa.”

I was definitely fine this morning, so I didn’t know why I felt so drained now. I wasn’t sure if this was the right situation for the phrase, but the saying “you can endure hard work, but not hard people” wasn’t wrong.

I had planned to stay here until I got my ring back, but like this, I wasn’t sure I could take it.

I let down my tied-up hair and sat on the bench. My knees felt strangely stiff, and I thought they might be swollen. I hadn’t stood for that long, but I had a guess why. I kicked my blanket like a madwoman every morning, so it would be strange if I wasn’t sore. After a moment of hesitation, I took off my stockings and shoes and lifted one leg.

“Miss Lily?”

I was massaging my calf with my head down when a voice in front of me made me gasp. I had no idea when he arrived, but there stood Endymion, holding a basket in one hand, looking at me.

Sure, we’d already seen everything there was to see, but it was still embarrassing. Without a word, I lowered my leg and fidgeted. Endymion smiled brightly and offered me the basket.

“Um, what’s this?”

“Cookies baked with dried fruit and nuts.”

“Why… are you giving me this…?”

“I was worried because you keep skipping meals.”

“Uh, um. Th-thank you.”

He was being so obvious, how had I not noticed? It was awkward facing him and overwhelming being in this situation, but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. After all, he didn’t know that I knew about his feelings. So all I had to do was act normal. I calmed myself down.

As I set the basket down beside me, his persistent gaze landed on my leg. My cheeks heated up.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“It’s more swollen than usual. Did you fall?”

“…Ah, no. It’s nothing like that. I just overdid it a bit yesterday.”

How did he even know what my legs normally looked like? His tone was so casual that it gave me chills, but I answered as calmly as I could. Think positive, he just has keen observation skills. That’s all.

With nothing more to say and desperate to put my stockings back on, I looked around. I really wished he would leave. But then Endymion smiled gently and suddenly knelt on one knee beside me. What is he doing? Eyes wide, I stared as he spoke kindly.

“Let me massage the muscle.”

“…Excuse me? N-No, it’s fine! Really! I-It doesn’t hurt!”

I was so startled I waved my hands and shouted. This—this was something I definitely couldn’t take lightly. Whether he didn’t understand or was pretending not to, Endymion spoke softly again.

“If you don’t loosen the muscle properly, it’ll hurt more tomorrow. Please don’t refuse.”

“I’m really fine. Truly, honestly…”

“You’ll be standing all afternoon, won’t you? Just lift your leg for a moment. I won’t hurt you.”

“It’s not about the pain…”

“Are you uncomfortable because your legs are bare?”

“……”

If he knew, then he should’ve just not said anything. Now my face wasn’t just hot, it was spinning.

“Please think of it as a simple medical procedure. I’m just worried about you, Miss Lily.”

“I-It’s really fine.”

“I’m not fine. I won’t do anything weird, so don’t worry.”

“I said I’m fine—ow!”

Feeling like I’d get swept along if I stayed any longer, I hurriedly put on my shoes and stood up, only to twist my ankle. The situation was so ridiculous I nearly cursed.

Endymion quickly stood and supported my wobbling body, helping me back into the chair. Then, just like before, he knelt beside me and grabbed my leg. I yanked my skirt down, but as he looked up at me from below, my ears burned.

“Are you alright, Miss Lily?”

“Y-Yes, I’m fine. More importantly, my leg…”

I couldn’t tell if my body was hot or if Endymion’s hand was cold, but his cool palm grazed my aching ankle. For some reason, my lower belly started to tingle. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, trying to pull my leg away, but he had such a firm grip I couldn’t escape.

“If you tense up, the muscle might cramp. Try not to resist. You’re a good girl, Lily.”

At the gentle sound of my name, I froze. Don’t tense up? In this situation? Every time his large, solid hands softly kneaded my calf, my body jolted. His hands moved from my ankle to my calf, then the inside of my knee—definitely nothing like the ones at night. Still, the position was so suggestive that I couldn’t stop blushing.

“Miss Lily, how does it feel?”

“…It feels better than before. You’re quite skilled, Commander.”

“I’ve gotten used to it over time. During training, it’s common for ligaments to stretch or muscles to seize up. Please try standing up for a moment.”

Endymion said this as he lowered my leg. His manner was so composed that I felt embarrassed for having worried. I tried to act as if nothing was wrong and slipped my feet back into my shoes. Though there were faint handprints left on my pale skin, there was no stiffness or pain in my ankle anymore.

“How does it feel?”

“Much better. Thank you.”

“That’s a relief. Then I’ll take my leave. Please be sure to eat what I gave you earlier, if possible.”

“Yes. Um… thank you for your concern.”

“Think nothing of it.”

As he stood up from his kneeling position, his voice sounded very close. I reflexively took a step back and gave my thanks. Watching Endymion walk away with a gentle smile, it was hard to believe this was the same person who had been following me around so persistently just moments ago. I sat down as if collapsing, then hastily put on my stockings.

From now on, no matter how uncomfortable it gets, I’ll never take them off in public again.

When Lucy came back after lunch, she teased me with a mischievous question, “So where did your commander go?” leaving me flustered.

“What are you talking about?”

“Commander Lucen came by with a basket full of food just for you. I swear, his eyes were dripping honey.”

“It’s not like that!”

I sighed at Lucy, who laughed without a care in the world, completely unaware of the turmoil burning inside me.

In the afternoon, work wrapped up without incident, and I finished my reports. After some hesitation, I returned to my room carrying the basket Endymion had given me.

Picking out a few pieces of dried fruit, I realized, to my dismay, that all the fruits and cookies were exactly the ones I liked.

He really was an overwhelming person.

***

Since I had the day off for once, I let myself be lazy and went out for a walk. That’s when I happened to run into Regulus and ended up listening to him talk.

“So, yeah, Noona. Commander Ares went ‘Wah!’ and I went ‘What!’ and got blown away. I wouldn’t have lasted before, but this time I managed to hang in there. For like five seconds, though.”

“That’s impressive, Regulus. Commander Fenrir is incredibly strong.”

“Right? I respect him a ton, second only to Commander Endymion! I’d be too embarrassed to say that to his face though, so please keep it a secret. Oh, I respect Commander Odile too! Commander Damian, well… it’s not like I dislike him, but I don’t really want to admire him either.”

As I stroked Regulus’s hair while he babbled away excitedly, I remembered something he had said earlier—“Commander Ares seemed in bad shape after a rough mission, but he’s better now.”

It probably wasn’t because of the mission, but because I had drained his energy as soon as he returned. When I heard that, I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even lift my head. Still, thanks to Regulus, the turmoil in my heart calmed a little. His cheerful voice somehow made me feel grounded in everyday life.

I first met Regulus when I was aimlessly wandering the palace like this. It was about a month after I entered the palace, and he had become commander of the Golden Order around the same time. He was burdened by the expectations placed on him.

A commoner from a rural town in the east, a genius handpicked by the emperor himself, the youngest commander ever—those titles followed him everywhere. He was worried about what would happen if he couldn’t live up to that image.

Though my situation was different, I had also agonized a lot after becoming a succubus. Even if I couldn’t offer advice, I was good at listening, so I would lend him an ear whenever we met. My words were mostly generic comforts, but Regulus quickly regained his energy and started calling me “Noona.” Ever since then, I started feeling a bit of affection, like I’d gained a younger brother.

“Do you not like Commander Inferno?”

“No, it’s not that I dislike him. It’s just… hmm. Don’t tell Commander Damian, but I think he’s just annoying. He doesn’t even train and he’s still stronger than me.”

Honestly, I agreed that Damian was annoying, but I couldn’t say that out loud, so I tried to put it nicely.

“Not to generalize, but they say kind people are often weak, and strong people tend to have bad personalities.”

“Huh? Yeah, totally. Actually, all the other commanders are kind of jerks in their own ways, even if they act nice in public. Commander Damian’s just consistent through and through. Commander Endymion used to be really scary back when I was in the Silver Order, but lately he’s mellowed out a bit.”