The first few minutes of their interaction convinced Pierrot of one thing. 

Helena wasn’t the woman he had thought of. 

At first, her dignified aura had frozen him with both awe and an air of mystery as if time had itself wrapped around her fingers. He would be lying if he said that she, with her bewitching and captivating beauty–especially her unusual golden hair, which sparked whenever she moved–didn’t strike him as suspicious. But as time passed and words were exchanged, that suspicion grew into interest, and with interest, a different perception would follow. 

Helena had saved him, though despite having the right to brag or even ask Pierrot for compensation, she had instead blamed herself. The judgement she had put on herself made her ask for forgiveness when she didn’t need one. 

It was the first time Pierrot had met such a person. His curiosity only became stronger. 

She clasped her hands together, both palms pushing against each other. Her eyes were squeezed shut in an expression of regret and embarrassment. She just realized the emotional turmoil she had just lashed out on him. Faint, red strokes painted her cheeks. 

“I-I’m sorry for showing you something so unsightly,” she said. “Again, there’s no need for an apology.”

“This will be the last of my apologies. I promise.”

“That doesn’t sound promising.”

“S-sorry….”

Truth be told, Pierrot still had many questions that clawed their way into his head. But at the moment, after such a scene, he deemed a moment of respite would be necessary. Besides, he was still hungry. Helena started eating as well after a quiet, soft yet audible growl made its way out of her stomach, adding more thin, red lines to her cheeks. 

A few minutes and bites later, the three plates had already been emptied. Hunger turned into satisfaction. Not a single grain of rice was left stranded alone on the vast wooden surface. Meanwhile, the fish had been devoured, leaving only the bones, which crumbled without any meat supporting them. Last but not least, he took one big gulp of water from the glass beside his plate. It quenched his thirst like a cold and refreshing waterfall. Before he knew it, he was already two glasses down.

In the kitchen, Helena stood with her back facing Pierrot, the scrubbing sound echoed. Once he peeked at her, he found the lady of the house cleaning the plates and other cooking utensils. 

With no hesitation, he approached her and took one of the plates for himself. 

“Miss–Helena, Please let me help.” 

Even with one arm only, he thought that something as simple as dunking it in water would be sufficient. It pained him to contribute nothing, so helping with even the smallest chore could ease his worry. 

Also, it served as a nice, firm stepping stone into his new life as a one-armed man. As long as he could perform basic and simple activities, this predicament might haven’t turned out for the worse. 

In fact, as ridiculous as it might sound, he somewhat preferred it that way. Quiet and peaceful, away from terrors that could snatch his life away from his grasp. 

“It won’t be necessary. There’s not really much of it, after all,” Helena said, hands still scrubbing the plates without missing a beat.

“But two people will make it faster, right? And even without my right arm, my left arm is completely fine.”

“Ah, I’m not doubting you. It’s just that you just woke up, right? There’s nothing wrong with taking a bit of rest.”

“....”

“Besides, I’m not that heartless to let an injured person handle a basic chore like this.” Helena flashed a smile at the end.

“Then how about this? You can think of it as my rehabilitation. I’m sure a little movement here and there won’t hurt.”

“Hmm….” Helena made an audible humming sound. It took her a few seconds before coming to a decision, and that was taking one step to the side to make room for Pierrot. Then she handed a few pieces of cutlery. “Then please wash these.”

“Understood.”

They began working on the dishes together. None of them said anything, letting the sound of a brush rubbing against the plates and water splashing become the ambiance. Soon, all the plates and cutlery were spotless. 

“Thank you. This is the fastest I have ever done the dishes.”

“Two people make a dream work, right?” Pierrot took the last plate and placed it on a wooden rack, leaving it to dry. It wasn’t that much of a work, but the accomplishment of doing something–no matter how small it was–still fulfilled him. “Is there anything else I can help with?”

“....I would ask you to rest again, but that’s not what you want to hear, isn’t it?”

The way Helena spoke depicted Pierrot as a stubborn child. He let out a stiff chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck. It wasn’t something to argue about since he also felt the same way about his stubbornness. 

“Then,” Helena said, tilting her head towards the outside. “Why don’t we take a walk?”