Episode 9
“Did you already go to the guard post?”
Even though I had only walked around the inside of the bookstore, I hadn’t thought he would return this quickly, so I asked in surprise, and he nodded his head slightly.
“Yes. I’ve taken care of it. Are you finished with your business now?”
“Yes. I’m done. Let’s return to the mansion now—”
“Then, may I see to my own business now?”
“Huh? Ah…… yes.”
I, who had been thinking he would take me back as well, was momentarily flustered. And soon, that bewilderment changed into shame and embarrassment.
Why had I thought he would naturally take me back?
It had been the same when we came.
Why had I thought he had come to the village for me?
Perhaps he had come to the village because he had business and had taken me along on his horse as a gesture of kindness.
Feeling my face burn, I waited for him to leave quickly. But he, whom I had thought would leave right away, stood still and looked at me.
“……You said you had business. Aren’t you going?”
“My business requires you, my lady.”
“What?”
Me, necessary? What did that mean?
Bewildered as I was, it didn’t take long before I understood what he meant.
***
“Your business…… is here?”
Confused by the familiar building before my eyes, I asked, and Rakein nodded.
“That is correct.”
“…….”
I looked at him in bewilderment, then turned my eyes back to the building.
I had followed him because he’d said he needed me for his business, but the place he guided me to was a famous restaurant in the village.
It was a place with a good atmosphere and good food that I had visited once or twice. Of course, that was before I died.
Wondering if it was already lunchtime, I checked the clock in the distant square and was shocked.
Before I knew it, it was past two in the afternoon.
I had thought it had only been an hour or two since we arrived in the village, but so much time had passed…….
‘Come to think of it, lunchtime has long passed.’
After seeing the clock, I understood why he had come to a restaurant.
I had heard that knights consumed a lot of stamina and ate their meals on schedule.
Rakein had missed his mealtime as well, so it was understandable that he was hungry.
‘250 cart for the counterfeit, 5 cart for the romance book……. I still have 45 cart left, but the food here was pretty expensive…….’
I couldn’t remember how much the food here cost. I had never paid for food before.
The Countess or my half-sister had always paid.
What was certain was that, considering the restaurant’s reputation, the food and drinks, plus a tip, the 45 cart in my pocket would likely not be enough.
‘If I had known this, I would have borrowed a little more.’
I bit my lower lip slightly. It was out of regret, thinking that I should have borrowed another 50 cart, no, 100 cart from the pawnbroker.
Wondering if I should suggest going to a cheaper place, I looked at Rakein, only to see that he had already gone inside the restaurant and was talking with a waiter.
I couldn’t hear what was being said, but shortly after, Rakein walked toward me.
The waiter stood in that spot, watching us.
I suddenly thought it would be nice if the story was that there were no seats and we had to go elsewhere. It was a famous restaurant, so that seemed possible.
Unfortunately, the words that came from Rakein’s mouth were the opposite of what I had hoped for.
“It seems seats have opened up since lunchtime has passed. Let us go in.”
What could I say when he had already secured a table? I had no choice but to follow him inside.
Despite the mealtime having long passed, the restaurant was nearly full.
The waiter guided us to a terrace seat with a good view of the village. The table was neatly set with glasses and everything needed for the meal.
The waiter pulled out a chair for me to sit, then handed the menu to Rakein. After politely saying to ring the bell if we needed anything, he went inside.
Glancing around, I saw that there were five tables on the terrace, and unlike the inside where empty seats were sparsely visible, all were occupied.
Looking at the empty seats inside, I suddenly recalled a memory of coming here with the Countess and my half-sister.
Thinking back, they had always reserved seats that weren’t like this, seats hidden from others’ view.
Now I knew that behavior had been to minimize my exposure to the outside, but back then, I had believed my half-sister’s words without doubt—that it was the best seat in the restaurant.
The menu had been the same.
“What would you like to eat?”
Seeing Rakein open the menu and hold it out to me, I blinked for a moment.
I realized that I had never once chosen my own menu until now.
Following his words to choose, I looked down at the menu, but from the names written there, I couldn’t tell what I had eaten before or what I should order.
Because the food and drink I had here had always been ordered by my half-sister.
So I left it up to Rakein.
“What is delicious here, Sir Hekeuseu?”
Since he believed this was my first visit to the village, I thought he wouldn’t find such a question strange.
“This restaurant is famous for its meat dishes, but do you like steak?”
Steak, steak…….
Hearing his words, I quickly scanned the menu.
Just as he said, steak was a popular menu item, placed at the very front of the menu, but when I saw the price, any desire to order it vanished instantly.
‘50 cart per serving? What makes it so expensive?’
With the money I had now, I couldn’t pay for even one serving.
Surprised by the higher-than-expected price, I hesitated, and Rakein pointed to the bottommost steak on the menu.
“This steak is the most famous dish here. It comes with plentiful vegetables and fruit, so I believe it will suit your tastes, my lady.”
“Ah, yes……”
I nodded at his explanation, but while I was hesitating over whether it was really okay to order, he took the menu and rang the bell on the table.
Shortly after, the waiter appeared with an order slip.
“One Moratium steak and one Bereute steak. Well-done for the Moratium, and medium for the Bereute, please.”
Rakein’s actions in ordering from the waiter were extremely natural. He seemed like someone who came here often.
The waiter who had taken the order confirmed it once more.
“One Moratium steak well-done, and one Bereute steak medium. Would you like any drinks as well?”
“Drinks……. What kind of fresh fruit juice is good these days?”
“Since kuyamong is in season, I would recommend kuyamong juice.”
“Kuyamong should be fine for my companion. How does kuyamong sound?”
I had been watching the exchange between Rakein and the waiter when he suddenly looked at me and asked, flustering me inwardly.
‘Kuyamong?’
It was a fruit I was hearing about for the first time. Unable to ask “What is kuyamong?” right there on the spot, I nodded.
“It’s fine.”
“Then one kuyamong and one lime, please.”
“Understood.”
The waiter wrote all the orders on the slip, then bowed politely to us and disappeared inside.
Once the waiter left, Rakein immediately apologized to me.
“I apologize for daring to speak informally to you just now.”
“Informally? What……”
I tilted my head in confusion, then remembered that he was referring to the sudden question he had thrown at me while talking to the waiter.
“How does kuyamong sound?”
Seeing him apologize to me over just that one thing left me at a loss for words.
The more I looked at him, the more I couldn’t understand how someone so upright and inflexible had become my half-sister’s man.
‘Well, I had never spoken to him during the two years he was my escort knight, except when absolutely necessary…….’
At first, it was awkward to have a man by my side, so I couldn’t talk to him well, but by the time I got used to it, I learned he was my sister’s man and closed my mouth.
Perhaps that was why Rakein before me now kept feeling like a different person from the Rakein I had known.
“No. There is no need to apologize. In that situation, it would have looked stranger for Sir Hekeuseu to speak formally to me. Rather, what kind of fruit is kuyamong?”
I deliberately changed the subject. For some reason, I disliked seeing him apologize over something so trivial.
I didn’t know if he had noticed my intention, but he readily answered the question.
“Kuyamong is a yellow fruit about the size of a fist, with plentiful juice. It is said to be sweet and sour, so I understand it is a favorite among young ladies.”
“I see. But how is it that I’ve never seen it at the mansion?”
As with most nobles, the House of Count Croizen received fresh seasonal fruits daily from a contracted fruit merchant, and some of them would end up on my plate.
So if kuyamong was a popular fruit among young ladies, I should have tried it as well.
But I had no memory of such a fruit as he described.
I had only asked out of curiosity, but his lips stiffened rigidly.
“I understand that it is something Lady Biateu cannot eat.”
After a brief silence, my expression stiffened as well at my half-sister’s name flowing from his lips.
If the waiter hadn’t brought the food just then, a rather heavy silence would have likely descended between us.
“Your meal is here. Where shall I place the Moratium steak?”
The waiter, carrying the food on a large tray, lifted the plate with the steak and asked.
“Place it over there. The kuyamong juice as well.”
“Understood.”
When Rakein pointed toward me, the waiter set the plate down before me. Soon after, a transparent, pretty glass filled with kuyamong juice was placed beside it.
The other plate and a large glass of lime juice were placed before Rakein.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I replied in a low voice to the polite waiter and turned my gaze to the plate, only to be surprised. The plate that had been in front of me moments ago was gone.
Wondering where it had gone, I raised my head to see Rakein placing my plate before him and cutting the steak with a knife. He had pushed his own plate aside.
“Sir Hekeuseu, I can cut it myself.”
Flustered, I reached out to take the plate and spoke urgently, but he did not yield.
Lifting the plate so my hand couldn’t reach it, he pointed at the kuyamong juice and spoke.
“I shall cut it for you shortly. Would you please have your drink in the meantime?”
…….
To get the plate back, I would have to stand up, but there was no guarantee I could get it back even if I did.
Instead, I would only draw people’s attention, so I had no choice but to do as he said and take a sip from the glass of kuyamong juice.
“Ah……”
The refreshing yet sweet-and-sour taste spreading throughout my mouth made my eyes go wide.
How could I not have known such a delicious fruit existed?
While I was marveling at the taste and looking down at the glass, Rakein’s voice was heard.
“Fortunately, it seems to suit your palate. Please try the steak here as well.”
He placed the plate he had taken back before me.
Before I knew it, the steak on the plate was neatly cut into bite-sized pieces.
“Thank you, Sir Hekeuseu. I will enjoy—”
Embarrassed, I was greeting him and reaching for my fork when a man’s voice came from behind me.
“Well, who do we have here? Isn’t it Sir Hekeuseu, the Sword of Croizen?”
My hand, gripping the fork, froze as if turned to ice. I felt the gentle expression that had been on my lips moments ago twist on its own.
It couldn’t be helped. I knew the owner of this voice all too well.
How could I forget—the voice of Leonard, my former fiancé who had driven a dagger into my heart.