The Power of the Saint is All Around (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter SS2

One Rainy Day

AS I WAS ON MY WAY toward the palace from the institute, a cold droplet hit my cheek. I looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds that had been there since this morning looked much darker now, and so did the rest of the world around me, even though it was the middle of the day. 

I still had about twenty minutes of walking before I made it to the palace. 

Uh-oh.

I picked up my pace, but the heartless sky didn’t wait. I dashed through the relentless downpour.

I gave up on heading straight to the palace and decided to make for the barracks of the Knights of the Third Order instead, it being closer. My hair and clothes were soaked by the time I reached the eaves of the entrance to the barracks.

“Phew!” I inhaled and exhaled deeply as I tried to catch my breath from all that running.

But now what am I going to do? Is the rain going to stop anytime soon? I’m stuck here until it does, I thought as I wrung out my hair.

Just then the door opened. “Sei?”

“Oh, hello.”

It was Albert peeking out the door. His beautiful eyebrows were furrowed, which was unusual for him. “You’re soaking wet. Come inside before you catch a cold.”

“Thanks.” I had been planning to be on my way as soon as the rain stopped, but I nodded reflexively.

He held the door open and left a space as he beckoned me inside.

As I headed in, I realized that I still hadn’t made much effort to dry my clothes. I stopped and started wringing out my skirt, causing droplets to fall onto the ground.

My clothes were a lot wetter than I had expected. If I went in all drenched like this, I was probably going to leave a big mess for them to clean up in the hall. I was glad I noticed before I actually made it all the way in.

“Sorry. Thanks for waiting.” I looked up again when I was done wringing my clothes out to find Albert covering his mouth with the palm of his hand, looking away from me. There appeared to be a faint glow to his cheeks.

Huh? I tilted my head. “Something the matter?” 

“No,” Albert said stiltedly.

That was when I remembered that in Salutania, custom and etiquette declared it improper for a woman to show her legs to men outside of her family. And here I had acted like I was back in Japan, lifting my skirt up to wring it out and showing off my ankles, calves, knees—you name it.

Albert was too much of a gentleman to point it out, so I had just made him feel profoundly uncomfortable.

“Sorry,” I said weakly. I internally begged for forgiveness as I passed by him and went inside.

Albert guided me to his office. The servant who had been inside the room saw us come in and passed me on his way out.

As it turned out, Albert’s office had a fireplace with a fire already lit. It wasn’t the season where we’d typically need one, but the hearth was always at the ready to use.

“You must be chilled from the rain. Go and warm yourself by the fire.” Albert placed a stool by the fireplace for me.

He was right. It wasn’t a chilly season, but I was cold from being all wet, and in turn I was quite grateful for some warmth. “Thank you.”

I cheerfully went over to the fireplace, and then Albert raised his hand. I looked at it in confusion. He reached forward and brushed away a strand of wet hair that had been plastered to my cheek.

I looked at his face in confusion to find his eyes round with surprise. Had he been caught off guard by his own action?

A strange mood settled between us then.

Uh… I opened my mouth to try to say something, but there was a knock at the door.

Albert snapped back to himself at the sound of someone announcing themselves and gave them permission to enter.

The servant I had seen just a moment before was back, holding a towel and a change of clothes.

I was relieved that the strange moment was gone, yet part of me wondered where things might have led, had we not been interrupted.

Yeah, right. Like anything would’ve actually happened. What am I thinking? I internally shook my head as I took the towel from the servant and started wiping down my wet hair.