Clockwork Maiden, Literally.

Hm! Resting Again, I Must!

--Gardia, Chronodia Household, 0743 hours--

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I saw everything in a hazy sight, my body can hardly move, and I’m having a hard time to raise my head. I wake up due to realization of last night’s heftiness, as I said earlier, I could hardly see. But it lasts temporarily, as my eyes begin to regain focus and everything can be seen again as clear as day.

“Ooh…”

“Having a nightmare, aren’t you, dear?”

My dad greeted me on the side of my bed. He had his eyes focused onto dozens of letters inside a thick book in his hand. And… Sir Champs. He stands firmly a few feet away from my dad, what is he doing here?

“Urm… y-yeah…” I simply replied. Although I actually didn’t dream of anything, it was just a bleak void.

“Even being here, you can’t get off from your bad habit, huh?” my dad said grinningly as he spoke. His eyes are still focused onto the book’s page.

“Ueh…?  W-What are you talking about, dad…?” I asked in a tone of a thief’s bluff.

“Hm… let’s see…” he popped closing the book and glared into my eyes. Heeee…! This is scaring me out.

“Do you think I didn’t anticipate for your dirty little tricks?” He said while stroking my hair. It feels pleasurable, but still, waiting for him to blurt out won’t be as pleasurable.

“Ehehehe…” I giggled lightly.

Please don’t say he’s going to punish me for doing this. My lips are twitching in a sense of fear. I switched sights to the warm blanket above my legs while maintaining a forced smile.

“You are my child, Eva. You are my daughter. Do you think your big ol’ daddy won’t know his daughter’s habits?” he stated in high confidence.

“I guess… I did think so, hehe,” I said while slightly giggling. “After all, we’ve been apart for some years, right?”

“You have your point, there, dear. But you see, even though separated in a very long distance, not even me or your mother would leave sight of you. If I were careless, I won’t be sending you letters monthly, right?” he said in a loosened voice. He isn’t angry, I guess.

I took the courage to look into his staring eyes, “Aaahahah… you’re right, dad. B-but, y-you’re not angry…?” I asked carefully. I shifted my sights away from him twice, aaah… I cannot look into him for too long. But it is odd, though… usually he would start rampaging with his endless lecturing.

“Why should I be angry to you, hm?”

“B-Be-Because I tried to sneak out…?” I said unwillingly. Both of my index fingers are touching against one another.

“At first rate I would, of course.” He said calmly.

“Uhuh, see?! He WAS planning to!” I piqued in my mind.

“But… you’re about to reach the age of eighteen, my daughter. It is not suitable for me to be raging towards you anymore. It is the time that you should start thinking of the consequences of your actions by your own self-conscious.”

“And again, though… your mother and I will always felt pained and concerned whenever we heard you get hurt or gotten into an incident or something as such. That’s why I wanted you to stay with us here at Gardia.”

Dad stretches out his legs and gets into a much more relaxing position on his wooden chair.

“Anyway… urgh…” he sighed in relief.

“Tell me, Eva. You’ve been using magecraft ever since you’re… uh… what time was it again?”

“It’s almost three years ago, dad,” I cleared out. Although my voice tone was still fuzzy, I put an effort of courage to say it out. “I get to use magecraft when I was fifteen.” I added.

“Oh, right. After so long, I trust you have full control over it. Though, it was unclear for me and your mother about what magecraft you own. Even so, the gear bevel thing on your body, I fear it might be affecting your magecraft. Sir Champs, if you’d please,”

“Yes, Master Edward.”

The old guy in redcoat walked nearer to the both of us. He bows down toward me, “Miss Chronodia, beforehand, I want to apologize for my lateness in realizing your actual state of health. If only I were sooner, I would’ve prevented this from happening.”

“Ah-no-no-no! It was inevitable, sir! It’s also my fault for not recognizing it myself! Ahahaha~” I awkwardly replied.

In his hoarsened voice, matching that of his old stature, he says “I… I see.”

“My physical prowess was far better than last night, you know? I can run the fastest if I wanted to! I may be a lady, but I can run fast without suffering significant fatigue, you know!” I boasted. “Though, it doesn’t apply that way anymore, hehe…”

“She’s right, Sir Champs. My daughter was very powerful. I give her that. That’s why, hearing of her getting collapsed like a paper getting wet by liters of water made me and my wife worried sick,” my dad said rapidly.

“Talking about gear, Master Edward… some of the maids stated that they saw a gear-like object rotating as if—pardon me—Miss Chronodia is a machine. Not to mention, it was lighting up, irradiating her upper body,” he explained.

“Huff… I don’t really like the looks of this,” my dad piqued. “If that strange gear object on your body remains, then it would bring harm to you. It was welded unto your skin, making it impossible to detach. Or… maybe the gear has a compartment that penetrates through the heart?”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?!” I nearly jumped in panic.

“Whoa, calm down, dear. What’s the matter?” My father tried to calm my sudden motion. Should he didn’t, I might’ve reached the seventh sky.

“D-DAD! Don’t say something so scary like that! I don’t want to die out of something unnatural!” I shouted loudly.

“H-Huhuh,” My dad chuckled, “We having magecrafts were already an anomaly in this world.” He stated frowningly. “To be honest, though, your situation is far more serious. Dangerous, I suppose.”

“Without you saying it, I already know!” I retorted.

“Ergh…” said my dad while rubbing the sides of his head. “I really need to delve into this matter, right away.”

“Are you going to find out of this gear thing on my body, dad?” I asked excitedly.

“Of course,” he confirmed. “But, it is something not so easy to be solved.”

“Then, let me help you! Besides, I’m the one having this trouble, hehe~”

“Hey, watch it. You’re still recovering, you know?” he retorted. “The only helpful thing you can do for me and your mother is to rest,” he ended while standing up.

“Aww…” I said in disappointment.

“Rest well, Eva. Unless you’re completely recovered from heavy blood loss, I want you to rest and don’t rebel, please.”

Sir Champs then walks to the door, opening it gently for my dad. Before my dad walks out of the door, he looks at me and says a few words.

“When you’re recovered… I’m more than willingly to take you on the road, Eva.”

In the end of his word, he smiled. And after that, he leaves the room. Sir Champs prays that I shall recover soon and firmly closes the door.

Seeing my dad acting in such a way, not only that, he said that he will take me on a walk?! T-That’s what I’m waiting for! He’s not lying about that, right? He’s promising me that, right?!

If what I’m supposed to do is just to rest easy and be obedient to him, then I would be given permission to wander around, then I’d say YES!

“Hm, hm! I will rest with full might!” I said excitedly. I quickly hugged a big pillow beside me, giggling in happiness that none might find understatement.

“Ooooh… I can’t wait!”

Amidst of my excitement, I realized something.

“I wonder… I haven’t seen mom, yet,”

…

..

.

--Gardia, Chronodia Household, 1555 hours--

As time passes, I didn’t expect it would be afternoon already. I spent the time by reading. Reading, reading, and reading. I mean, there’s no other thing I may find interesting aside from that. It’s the only way I have to kill time.

Shortly, a maid entered my room, which turns out to be Aria herself. It is the first time she entered my room this day.

“Good afternoon, Miss Chronodia,” she greeted with a smile.

Without a second, I reply, “Good afternoon, Aria. You look prettier, today,” I said with a big smile.

“My, my, you’re flattering me, miss,” she said embarrassedly. “And of course, you don’t look so well, today, aren’t you?” she asked back with a higher tone.

“What do you mean?” I replied back in a wondrous face.

“I warned you not to go, Miss Chronodia. I really don’t know what had gotten into you to think that you’d go that far,” she stated while pouring tea.

“Eh?” I retorted lightly. Shortly, I remembered. She was the first person to warn me not to go anywhere and told me not to proceed with my plans. No, wait… she’s the ONLY person that warned me not to go!

“Ehehehe~” I chuckled awkwardly as she passes the tea to me. “T-Thank you, Aria,”

“My most pleasure, Miss Chronodia.”

Whilst holding the tea cup, I apologize to her, “Forgive me, Aria.”

“For what, exactly?” she asked while keeping a smile in her face.

“I… I should’ve heeded you. I’m sorry. I might’ve no need to be strapped up in this bed for longer times, but… because I didn’t listen, it all came to this. So… I’m sorry!”

She pauses as she looks at me. She raises a smile in her face and says, “You really look like Master and Mistress Chronodia. But you are on the child-like ones, tee-hee.”

“What do you mean?”

“No need to think about it, Miss. I’m just glad that you are as good as Master Edward’s kindness, and warm as Mistress Chronodia’s,” she said while stepping a bit further from my bed.

“It was I who was supposed to be apologizing, Miss Eva Chronodia,” she bowed down while lifting her skirt a bit.

“I looked down on you when the first time you came. I thought you’re only a daughter that will bring trouble. It appears that my perspective was wrong. You are a kind person, just like Master Edward.

Miss Chronodia, I apologize deeply. From this day onwards, may I serve you once more?”

Her way of speaking is insolent, rather unfitting for a maid. But her care for someone was not to be neglected. I saw that in her. But I didn’t think she would underestimate me like that. I understand how people would react for a newcomer like me, though. Even though underestimating me, she still took care of me, served me well like none can match her.

Shortly, I smiled while looking at her. I stretched my hand forth, while saying to her.

“Yes, Aria, I fully welcome you. I hope we can understand each other for the better!”

Shortly, her eyes are blarring, smiling adorns her young face. She bows down afterwards, saying, “I will serve you with every single might, Miss Chronodia.”

…

…

“By the way, Aria,” I muttered. “Have you seen my mom—I mean, Mistress Chronodia?”

“My, my, you don’t have to call your mother like that just because in front of me and the others,” she replied politely.

“O-Oh, I see,”

“Well… Mistress Chronodia was still on her office. She hasn’t returned yet until five… I will inform you once she arrived home, Miss Chronodia,” she stated.

“Aria, come here, please.” I quickly ordered her, out of the blue.

“Y-Yes?” she said while closing in on my bed.

*flick*

“Ouch!” she mumbled as I flicked her forehead.

“Please, Aria. I called you without any title or anything, so I expect you to call me without one, too! Also, don’t mention my name by my family name. It’s too long to pronounce, right?”

“H-Huh… is it okay?” she asked.

“I’ll be angry if you don’t.”

Aria held her hand, covering her mouth as she spoke. Soon, she unveils her face completely.

“…Okay, then. Miss… Eva.”