8 Study

I was feeling overly excited because of what Cera said so I tried to cuddle myself in her arms. Rather than eating, I wanted her to hug me. However, this bliss didn't last much longer. I heard the maid giggle under her breath and it brought me back to reality. That's right, didn't I just pass out? How long was I out for? It felt like a few hours because of the dream I had, but Cera's hair is still a bit damp, which means I wasn't out for too long. I reached for another piece of meat with the fork Cera handed to me while I reclined my body and head on her shoulder.

"How long did I pass out for?" I slowly moved the fork toward Cera while asking her.

"Around 20 minutes." Cera answered and moistened the fork with her lips.

I was out for 20 minutes because I lost control of my Alm? Even right now, I have no control over my emotions or Alm. Well, it's because of a different reason from earlier, but that's not the point. I kept feeding Cera and from time to time I would steal a bite while trying to control my internal Alm.

I noticed this earlier when I attacked that annoying girl, but I'm pretty strong for a kid. Not to mention, it seems that Cera also knows how to use Alm. I was afraid of her getting hurt because her body wasn't used to it and she should have had some sort of adverse reaction by now if she didn't know how to control it. Should I ask her about it now? No. I'd ruin the mood. I want her to keep hugging me. I'm a little surprised at how much I want her to hold me. Even though right now I don't feel any sexual attraction or need, I don't want her to let me go and it makes me a bit scared for the future. I'll ask her about her family and circumstances later. Right now, I want to keep enjoying this.

"Do you like sweets?" I reached for one of the carefully wrapped cakes and unfurled it.

"I've never had any." I'm seriously stumped. If she was a noble, she would have tried sweets at least once. Since she hasn't, does that mean she's been an orphan the whole time then? This is making my heart hurt.

"Here, open up." I brought the small mini cake into her mouth and saw her eyes widen up while she chewed. I guess she has a sweet tooth. I'll make sure to get as many sweets as I can for you to try. I tried to reach for another one but Cera stopped my hand and used a napkin to clean the grease and oil from the piece of meat I grabbed earlier. Oh… that's right… didn't we just eat on the bed? I looked down and saw a few crumbs from the mini cake sprinkled on the bedsheets and Cera's gown. I still have my shoes on and clothes from earlier. As I felt her comfortable fingers nimbly jump around mine, I looked at the window and saw that it was still daytime. There's so much I have to do. Before I made plans for the rest of the day in my head, the maid spoke up.

"I'll prepare new sheets and pillows, please don't worry about it and go clean yourselves up in the bathroom." That's a good idea. I reluctantly parted from Cera's shoulder and before helping her up, I saw that she was still barefoot and the ointment from earlier had started to dry. Since the carpet is soft, it should be okay for her to walk to the bathroom. I should get her measurements and prepare clothes for her though.

"Bring me a measuring tape." I helped Cera slowly get up from the bed while I sent the maid out of the room. We were only in the bathroom for around a minute to wash up, but I noticed that a few maids were already done bedding the new sheets. Seems like not all the maids in the house are useless. I'll make sure to reward them for their efforts.

"Here's the measuring tape. I also brought you a pen and paper." The maid from earlier walked up to me and offered me the tape.

"Good job. Thank you very much." I sent her a smile and praised her for her tacit efforts. Her face looked shocked, it was just like Maddy's after I praised her in the carriage. Was I really that bad before? I decided to ignore her befuddled face and placed the pen and paper on the bedside drawer. I grabbed Cera's hands and stretched them outwardly in a 90 degree angle.

"Sorry, I'll try to be quick." I measured her arms, waist, shoulders, legs, and then I sat her down on the bed and got her foot measurements as well. She's so cute. Even though she's a bit thin from not being able to eat properly, she's still super adorable. I wrote down the measurements on the piece of paper and folded it to fit my pocket.

I really couldn't hold myself back. I gently reached for Cera's cheek with one hand started to rub my thumb back and forth along her cheekbone.

"Stay in bed today, okay? I have to run a few errands around the house, but I'll be back as soon as I can." I could feel her face getting hotter and even though I wanted to tease her a bit, I forgot the maids were still in the room. I ended up getting mesmerized by her beautiful eyes and I simply kept looking at her while I caressed her face.

"Ow" I suddenly felt a playful pinch itching from my hand.

"S-stop that. The maids are still here." Cera removed my hand from her face and shyly walked away from me to take cover on the bed.

Yup. She's so cute. I think I went too far with the teasing, so I just let her pout as she covered herself with the new blankets.

"Stand outside the door and prepare anything that she needs. Don't let anyone in the room." I ordered the maids that seemed to be lost in thought because of my actions.

"Hurry up." I made sure to look back at my little sulking wife before closing the door.

Now then, time to gather some information.

"Get me a list of all the employees in the house including guards, cooks, gardeners, merchants, and everybody that I usually interact with. I want information on all of them."

"Right away, miss-, I mean Lady Zara."

The maids scuttled away at my orders. Right then, I need to learn about my environment and the people around me before I can do anything. I also need to contract a healer and a few guards. I need to meet a renowned merchant and sell the Alm oath method. I need some startup money before I can go dragon killing and witch hunting. The Saint's baby won't be born for another 8 years, I have until then to find what I need. Until they bring me the list of employees, I guess I'll wait in the living room.

As I sat down on the sofa, I heard the front door open from the other room. Was that Maddy that walked in? Her silent footsteps made me realize how much of an expert she is. Actually, I'm more surprised that I could hear that. I couldn't hear that earlier. I think my Alm conductivity got stronger since I passed out.

"Here is the list for the employees and this one is for anyone working outside of the house." The maid that brought me the food earlier handed me some documents and placed the rest on the glass coffee table in front of me.

"Thank you." I nodded and started reading everyone's information. I have to remember everyone here to make my life easier. I don't know anybody's name and Cera might find it suspicious if I don't know the names of the people of my own house.

Time to study.