A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

On the day of the "Shipboard Festival," the most exciting festival in Astarnia, where flashy celebrations were common, the entire country was wrapped in a wave of enthusiasm.

From every corner came loud laughter and cries of astonishment, the buoyant atmosphere fueling even greater excitement. People couldn’t walk quietly; even adults trotted toward the harbor with springy steps.

Even inside the house, the noise was lively but not unpleasant—in fact, it brought a smile. The innkeeper, no exception, smiled softly as she tightened her grip on the broom she was using to sweep, then casually glanced up at one corner of the second floor, where three private rooms were lined up.

“Of course, they’re not getting up,” she murmured.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Though it was past early morning, it was still the usual sleeping time on days when Rizel and the others were not active as adventurers. Not getting up meant they wouldn’t be taking on any quests today, which also proved they intended to participate in the festival.

Still, it was odd to see such normalcy. After all, it was a special festival, and wouldn’t they want to wake up early and head out?

At that moment, the sound of a door opening suddenly echoed. The innkeeper lowered her broom and looked toward the noise.

“Welcome back! You’ve been enjoying the festival ahead of time... or rather, I guess not,” she said with a wry smile.

Jill, clearly uninterested, averted his gaze and headed up the stairs. From his tone, Rizel probably hadn’t woken yet, so Jill made a beeline to Rizel’s room rather than his own.

At the door, he reached for the doorknob and peeked inside for a moment. Confirming without a doubt that Rizel was still asleep, he opened the door without knocking.

“Hey.”

He squinted his eyes, unaccustomed to the dim room, and feeling the stuffy warmth of the closed space, loosened his collar as he approached the bed. Though he tried to wake him quietly, Rizel made no response.

Standing beside the bed, Jill looked down at the sleeping face. Normally, Rizel slept facing sideways, but today he lay facing upward—it struck Jill as a trivial but unusual detail as he reached out.

“I told you to get up, so get up.”

Jill recalled Rizel’s words from the previous night, when he said he’d be going to the festival and asked to be woken at a decent hour. No matter how much he continued as an adventurer, Rizel’s mornings were still rough.

Jill gently swept the hair that had fallen onto Rizel’s cheek back behind his ear with his fingers, as Rizel usually did for him. The slight trembling of his eyelashes showed he felt the unusual touch.

His gaze then slid down to the one unbuttoned shirt button—usually, they were all fastened. Whether it had come undone by accident or from restlessness in sleep, Rizel probably didn’t unbutton it himself, no matter how uncomfortable.

“If you’re not getting up, I’ll just leave you to sleep.”

Jill moved his hand to the loosened collar and fastened the button with one hand. He noticed a slight movement in Rizel’s throat, which was exposed but should not feel tight; perhaps he was thirsty. Jill opened his mouth to speak again.

“Hey.”

“Mmm...”

After several calls, Rizel finally opened his eyes faintly.

He turned his face slightly, as if searching for the owner of the low voice. The soft sound of his hair sliding across the pillow reached Jill’s ears.

Confirming he was awake, Jill moved away, tracking his hand with his eyes as Rizel turned over and buried himself once again under the sheets. Jill knew it wasn’t for a second sleep but out of lingering reluctance. He sighed in exasperation, relieved that Rizel was finally awake.

“Have you been smoking?”

“Can you smell it?”

Jill frowned, lifting a hand to his mouth. Though he couldn’t smell it much himself, it must have transferred—the familiar scent faintly reached him.

Rizel, lying back and looking up at Jill, smiled. His sleepy eyes were calm but somehow sweeter, as if younger people nearby would fuss over him, telling him to stay in bed and be pampered.