Reiju carried the tray with trembling hands, her fingers quivering ever so slightly.
She was dressed in a simple maid outfit, something Lord Ritter had casually demanded, claiming it was more "pleasant to the eye."
She tiptoed to his side and set the teacup on the table, terrified of making even the faintest sound.
"Lord Ritter… your tea." Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
Ritter leaned against the window, watching the sea. Without turning around, he asked, "Did you add sugar?"
"Y… yes…"
"How many cubes?"
Reiju froze, cold sweat staining her forehead. "T… two cubes…"
Ritter suddenly turned, blood mist swirling at his fingertips. "Wrong. It's three cubes."
"What?!" Reiju panicked. "I… I'll change it right away…"
"Relax. I'm kidding." Ritter's smile appeared out of nowhere. "I don't like sweet drinks anyway."
Reiju remained stiff as a statue, though her expression stayed politely blank.
Moria, watching from the side, burst into laughter, slapping the table. "Hahahaha! This little girl is so easy to fool!"
Enel rolled his eyes. "Boring."
The next morning, Reiju was assigned to organize Ritter's bookshelf.
"Sort it by color," Ritter instructed, leg casually crossed.
"By… the color of the book spine?" she asked carefully.
"No. By the hair color of the main character on the cover. That's far more reliable."
Reiju stared at him. "...?"
How could that possibly be reliable?
She picked up a book titled Atlas of North Blue Fish and stared at the bald fish on the cover, completely lost.
"Lord Ritter, this person… doesn't have hair?"
"Then draw some on," Ritter replied while eating pastries. "This is very simple. Why are you asking me?"
"What color should I draw, Lord Ritter?"
"Whatever you like."
That assignment kept her pondering all day. Ritter didn't interfere. Let her think. Children should broaden their imagination, after all. They possessed infinite creativity.
On the third day, Ritter asked Reiju to read the newspaper to him.
"Skip the political sections. Read me the pet stories. Something entertaining."
"Um… the Puppy Championship Finals will be held next week…"
"With more expression."
Reiju clenched her teeth and recited in an exaggerated heroic tone, "This year's competing poodle, Cotton Candy, has displayed extraordinary… um… fluffiness…"
"Now read it backwards."
"Fluffiness… uh… extraordinary display… the competing poodle Cotton Candy this year…"
"Hahahaha! Who reads newspapers backward? That's hilarious. My stomach hurts." Ritter laughed heartily, patting Reiju's small shoulder. "When it comes to reading backwards, you're the best, Reiju."
Slowly, she began to notice something unsettling…
The Lord of Mist was not nearly as terrifying as she once believed.
His demands were eccentric, but he never truly got angry with her.
His ominous blood mist never once harmed her.
Even when she accidentally knocked over a teacup, he merely waved a hand and caught the falling porcelain with his blood mist.
"Clumsy girl. Be careful not to burn yourself," he said. But there was no frustration in his tone.
One night, Reiju sat alone in the garden, deep in thought.
Under the moonlight, she gently stroked a wildflower, something that never existed in the cold laboratories of Germa.
"Do you like it?"
Ritter's voice came from behind, nearly startling her out of her seat.
"L-Lord Ritter! I was just…"
"Starting tomorrow, you will take care of this garden," Ritter said, interrupting her. He poured a cup of warm milk into his hand as if it were the most natural action in the world. "If even one plant wilts, I'll plant the Judge in a flowerpot and use him as fertilizer."
Reiju held the warm cup, and suddenly a soft giggle escaped her lips.
"Yes, Lord Ritter." This time, her voice did not tremble.
She sipped the milk, sweetness melting across her tongue.
This life… wasn't so bad?
And so,
Reiju selected the most vibrant red rose she could find, but Ritter rejected it. "Too tacky. Try something else."
She bit her lip and brought a white lily.
"No. Too white." He waved lazily. "Again."
The third time, she defiantly plucked a tiny wild daisy. To her disbelief, Ritter took it, tucked it behind his ear, and asked, "Isn't this charming?"
Reiju's cheeks flushed bright red.
On the sixth day, Ritter sent her to retrieve a book from his study. A book that, without question, did not exist.
"Lord Ritter!" Reiju suddenly clutched her skirt, her soft voice trembling with a hint of frustration. "Are… you teasing me…?"
She startled herself the moment she said it, covering her mouth instantly.
Silence fell.
There were only two people in the room.
Then
"Pfft."
Ritter laughed.
Not a cold, mocking laugh, but a genuine one, warm and bright. He reached out and ruffled her hair, the casual gesture reminiscent of someone calming a frightened kitten.
"Finally angry?" His voice was unusually gentle. "I thought you were going to stay wooden forever."
"Aiya, aiya, aiya. If you didn't get angry soon, I would've thought my ability to annoy people had deteriorated. I was already considering going to the Five Elders for some spiritual counseling."
Reiju blinked in bewilderment, meeting Ritter's crimson eyes.
There was no killing intent there.
Only… satisfaction?
"Continue," Ritter said as he withdrew his hand and reclined on the sofa. "Now bring me a fairy tale. This time, I actually want to read."
Reiju blinked rapidly, warmth blooming in her chest. A warmth she thought she had lost long ago.
Emotion.
She darted toward the study, her steps lighter than usual.
Moria clicked his tongue. "Hehehehe… Captain, you're as patient with kids as always, aren't you?"
"Don't pretend you're any different. Honestly, everyone on this ship has a soft spot for children."
Ritter watched Reiju's retreating figure, blood mist curling around his fingertips. "Tools are dull," he murmured. "But people… people are interesting."
He suddenly recalled something. "And Enel, if you keep spying on me with that damn mantra, I'll launch you into the sky. If you're worried about the girl, come over and watch openly."
A streak of blue lightning appeared inside the room.
Enel scratched his head. "This kid… this god doesn't dislike her. Oh, right, Captain, when we first got here, she's the one who let that kid escape. I heard it with my mantra."
"Humanity isn't entirely extinguished. There's still hope. And in any case, it belongs to me. I have time."
Outside the window, the sunset painted Germa's steel fortress in warm gold.
And in the laboratory, Judge stared in despair at the cartoon duck he had unconsciously doodled on his blueprint.
What am I even doing…?