Where am I...? I started to panic at my unfamiliar surroundings and tried to sit up.
Young Man with Piercing
"Ah, she woke up, Docteur! Wow! I knew you'd have pretty eyes!!"
Man with Glasses
"Carlos, stop screaming in the poor girl's ear. I'll sew your mouth shut."
Two men I'd never seen before were staring at me. Startled, jumped back away from them. Who are they?
Man with Glasses
"See? You were carrying on so much that you scared her."
Young Man with Piercing
"Huh? She's just a little surprised, that's all."
Kira
"Um, excuse me, but who are you...?
Carlos
"My name is Carlos Hayes. Nice to meet you, Kira." "And this is Docteur Flynn."
Flynn
"Hello. We live here in the castle with Lord Vlad."
Oh, that reminds me... Vlad said he lived with two other men.
Kira
"Nice to meet you... I'm Kira. Um, so this is..."
Carlos
"Yes, this is the castle we live in. Lord Vlad saved you from a burning building and brought you here."
A burning building... That's right, the gallery was on fire and I rushed inside! I clearly remembered desperately calling for help as I stared at the flames engulfing my surroundings. Vlad saved me?
Kira
"Where's Vlad? He's not hurt is he?!"
Flynn
"There's no need to worry. That old goat has a body of steel. You couldn't kill him even if you tried."
Carlos
"That's right! Le Voivode is invincible!"
Wait, I'm so confused. Old goat? Le voivode? Are they talking about Vlad? They certainly seemed comfortable calling him those things, so maybe they were just affectionate nicknames?
Carlos
"See? He's right there, alive and well."
I followed Carlos's gaze and saw that Vlad had just entered the room.
Vlad
"You're awake! Morning, Kira."
Kira
"Vlad..! Are you sure you're not injured?"
Vlad
"I'm just fine, as you can see. Not a scratch on me. But..."
He trailed off and looked down at my ankle, his crimson eyes narrowing sorrowfully.
Vlad
"I'm sorry I didn't come save you before you got injured."
Kira
"Please don't apologize. If you hadn't come, I'd..." ".....Thank you, Vlad. Thank you so much."
Vlad
"Of course. I'm just glad you're safe."
Kira
"The painting of the wheat field!"
Vlad
"Don't worry. I gave it to the art dealer you live with. It was unscathed."
Kira
"'m so, so glad..."
Flynn
"You risked your life for a single painting? I don't know if you're reckless or just a thoughtless fool."
Carlos
"Docteur!"
Flynn
"If both of you had burned up in that fire together, your death would've been in vain."
... Faust is right. I shouldn't be congratulated for my actions at all. If Vlad hadn't come to save me, I certainly would've died in that fire. But...
Flashback
Theo
"He told me that he hopes this painting will give hope to the people here who are suffering through poverty."
Flashback Ends
Kira
"I wanted to protect that painting no matter what. Because...it's a symbol of hope for everyone."
Flynn
".....Hope? What do you mean?"
Kira
"The person who painted it..." "It broke his heart that people are sad and quarreling with others due to these dark times." "He painted it thinking that maybe it could offer them even a glimmer of hope..."
Flynn
"A painting can't fill people's hungry bellies. And it can't change the world in any dramatic way. But people's hearts..."
Kira
"Yes--it could change them, even a little bit." "If each person had even a small change of heart, it could lead to a brighter tomorrow."
Carlos
"That's a wonderful sentiment, Kira. I love it."
Suddenly a flat voice spoke.
Vlad
"The fire..."
Kira
"What?"
Vlad
"That fire was caused by the citizens--by the sparks of their rebellion." "Your kindness is beautiful. I think it's a wonderful thing. But is that enough?" "Is that enough to change tomorrow? To change the future?"
Vlad...? He's acting differently all of a sudden... He was talking to me, but he had a very faraway look in his eyes.
Vlad
"Oh, Carlos? Have you finished getting Kira's room ready?"
Carlos
"Of course. I made her bed and put flowers by the window and everything."
Hm? I'm staying here? I thought with confusion. Carlos added in a cheerful voice.
Carlos
"Hey, Kira. Let me know if you need anything at all and I'll get it for you."
Flynn
"You'll only be here till your ankle heals, but I would suggest not putting your trust in Charles or else you'll regret it later."
Carlos
"Someone's got to take care of her, though. You should make yourself at home, Kira."
Kira
"Wait a minute!"
Vlad & Carlos
"Hm?"
Kira
"I really appreciate the gesture, but if I don't go home, all the residents will worry about me!"
Vlad
"You don't have to worry about that. I told the owner of the mansion that I'd be looking after you until your ankle heals." "Plus, Carlos is the town doctor. You'll get excellent medical care here."
Carlos
"Docteur here may look scary, but he's actually a priest. And he makes really great medicine."
Flynn
"You don't need to tell her about me."
Carlos
"So it's best if you stay here."
Kira
"I couldn't possibly put you out even more than I already have. You already saved my life!"
Carlos
"You don't want to stay with us?"
How can I say no when he's looking at me with big puppy dog eyes?!
Vlad
"Ahaha. It's decided, then! It's going to be so fun having you here. Don't you agree, everyone?"
Flynn
"Haah... I think you mean 'it's going to be so NOISY having you here."
This has turned out to be a bigger ordeal than I expected!
In the end, I agreed to stay at the castle until my ankle healed. And that night, I fell asleep in the soft, fluffy bed that Carlos had made for me.
???
"You're still not awake? Oh, well. Hehe. I could stare at you forever."
Nngh... I hear voices... opened my eyes and saw Carlos-Henri sitting by my bed, peering down at my face.
Kira
"Waah! Carlos-Henri!"
Carlos
"Morning, Kira! I came to wake you up! Now, what would you like first?"
Kira
"Um... I want Vlad first."
Carlos
"That makes sense. You two seem very close. I'd really love to be in the mix somehow, though..."
Kira
"I was only joking! I'd like breakfast first, please."
Carlos
"You were joking?! Hmm, that's a shame but okay. Breakfast is ready."
Kira
"Really? Thanks for going to all this trouble for me."
Carlos
"Not at all! I enjoyed cooking for you! I wouldn't mind if you did something to thank me, though..."
Kira
"Hm? Like what?"
Carlos
"Just call me Charles. We're going to be living together for a while, so there's no need to be so formal. Will you?"
Kira
"Sure, that's not a problem at all, Carlos."
He smiled happily and then winked at me.
Carlos
"Go on and eat breakfast. I have to go wake up Lord Vlad and Docteur."
~~~~
Kira
"Wow... This is amazing!"
I changed and sat down at the table. There was salad, fruit, crispy bacon, eggs, and pastries. It looked like a fancy breakfast buffet. Carlos might even give Sebastian a run for his money for best cook! I silently vowed to work on my cooking more when I suddenly heard two sets of footsteps.
Carlos
"C'mon, Lord Vlad! Wake up already! Kira's already eating breakfast!"
Vlad
"...Nn."
I turned and saw Vlad trudging along with Charles pushing him from behind.
Kira
"Um... Morning, Vlad?"
Vlad
"......Mm."
Carlos
"Sorry, Kira. Lord Vlad is always like this before he wakes up in the mornings." "Okay now, le Voivode. You sit down here. Aaaand, sit."
Vlad
"...Nn."
Carlos
"Hey, Kira. I'm gonna go wake up Docteur, so can you fix Lord Vlad's crazy hair?"
Kira
"Huh??"
Carlos
"Don't worry. He usually wakes up eventually as I'm fixing his hair for him. Now, time to wake up Docteur..." "He's much harder to wake up. Please let him not be too violent this morning..."
Charles mumbled to himself as he scurried away to his next task. Vlad was obediently sitting in his chair, but his eyes were totally vacant. He has such a beautiful face that when he sits so still like that he looks like a porcelain doll... I'll fix his hair now.
Kira
"...I'm going to fix your hair now, okay?"
Vlad
"......"
He must toss and turn terribly in his sleep to have his hair stick up in all directions like this! I walked back behind him and slid my fingers through his silver hair.
Kira
"Oh my gosh! Your hair is so soft and silky!! I'm jealous."
It felt so nice to touch his hair I got totally absorbed in my task. All of a sudden he grabbed my wrist.
Vlad
"That tickles, Kira."