“Young Lady……?”
“Please don’t be too startled! A little child just dropped the teacup they were holding.”
“……A child dropped a teacup?”
“Oh dear, they’re going to get scolded by their mother……. The child’s mother told them to hold it for just a moment while she paid, but I guess their grip loosened and they dropped it.”
“…….”
“Thankfully, they didn’t get hurt, but they look so shocked that they might start cryi……. Ah, they’re crying! Hahaha, how adorable!”
“Waaah!”
At the calm yet gentle tone, Tession’s stiffened expression gradually relaxed. As he listened to Cynthia’s soft, quiet voice, even his rapidly beating heart slowly returned to its normal pace.
Following her voice, what formed faintly in his mind was not his father’s violent outbursts and destructive rage, but the cute mistake of a small child.
“Ah! A large carriage is coming toward us right now. It might make quite a loud noise. Would you come a little closer to me?”
Cynthia tightly wrapped her arms around the arm holding Tession’s stick and gently pulled him toward her.
Tession slowly moved his steps as she guided him.
“Wow……. It’s a flower carriage loaded with spring blossoms. I wonder who ordered that many flowers? I think we’ll be able to smell them any moment now!”
“Ah…….”
Just as she said, once the noisy sound of the carriage wheels passed by, a sweet floral scent slowly settled in its wake. Cynthia closed her eyes and fully enjoyed the fragrance.
“Mmm……. It smells wonderful! Alright! Let’s get moving again.”
“Y-Young Lady……. Just a moment…….”
Cynthia, excited, was about to start walking again when a very troubled voice came softly from above her.
Huh?
When she looked up, she saw the Grand Duke standing there, unable to figure out what to do, with his ears and neck dyed bright red because she was clinging so closely to him.
Uh…….
Cynthia blinked and looked up at him.
Why is his face turning red…….
“……Aah! Was I standing too close?”
Only then realizing how tightly she had been pressed against him, Cynthia jumped in surprise and quickly pulled both arms away.
“N-No, not at all.”
“I’m sorry! There were a lot more people than I expected, and so……. I didn’t realize I was this close……!”
“Young Lady.”
At that moment, Tession extended the stick he had been holding on the side Cynthia had grabbed and held it behind him. Immediately, Rus, who had been standing behind them, rushed forward and took the stick.
Now suddenly empty-handed, he held out his hand toward her.
“Please take my hand.”
***
‘Mmm…….’
Cynthia quietly watched Tession, who was sitting across from her.
With his eyes closed, he carefully felt around the positions of the plates and utensils before naturally picking up his fork and moving it around the food on his plate. It looked as though he was estimating what kind of dish it was and roughly how much food there was.
Just how much practice would it take to act that naturally?
“Please enjoy your meal, Young Lady.”
“Ah, yes! Please enjoy yours as well, Grand Duke.”
Cynthia quickly replied.
She lowered her gaze to the steaming plate of pasta before her while firmly gripping her fork, but strangely, her appetite was not particularly strong.
Cynthia quietly lowered her head and looked at the hand that was not holding the fork.
‘Please take my hand.’
Was there anyone who could have refused after hearing those words?
Cynthia had walked all the way to Bailey Restaurant holding Tession’s hand tightly beside him.
Because he could not see, she had assumed he mostly did quiet activities and that his hands would be soft, but the Grand Duke’s hands were rougher and more calloused than she expected…… and yet warm.
‘Please don’t be startled, Grand Duke!’
‘Understood, Young Lady.’
Whenever a loud noise suddenly sounded somewhere while they were walking together, he would tighten his grip on her hand as though relying on her, and somehow that felt both cute and pitiful, yet also strangely exciting…….
“Ahem!”
Feeling as though her thoughts kept wandering elsewhere, Cynthia gave a loud fake cough and pulled herself out of her daydreams.
Tession, sitting across from her, opened his mouth.
“The food is quite delicious. Even though this was a sudden visit, they served food of this quality. It seems the Bailey family has hired an excellent chef.”
“Really? I’m glad it suits your taste.”
Cynthia answered appropriately as she twirled noodles around her fork.
She would be lucky if Dale did not scold her for acting so impulsively…….
“You’re right. It does taste good.”
“It seems this is your first visit to the restaurant as well, Young Lady.”
“Yes! I had planned to visit only after it was fully completed. Thanks to you, Grand Duke, I got to come here earlier than expected.”
It’s delicious!
Cynthia quickly forgot her worries about Dale and focused on the food in front of her.
“I apologize that we were unable to treat you properly due to a mistake on our side. We should have looked into it beforehand.”
“No, it’s alright! Who could have predicted that such a large restaurant would burn down overnight? Still, the damage looked quite severe……. It must be causing you a lot of trouble.”
“It was an old restaurant anyway, and we had planned to renovate it around next year. We can simply think of it as starting the necessary construction a little earlier.”
Come to think of it, was there an incident like this in the original novel? Or was it simply omitted because it was not a major event for the protagonist, Elizabeth?
After moistening her lips with a sip of water, Cynthia directed a question toward Tession.
“What could have caused such a sudden fire? Since they use fire in the kitchen, could it have spread from there?”
“They said no one used the kitchen during the night.”
“That means…….”
Could someone have sneaked into the restaurant and intentionally started the fire?
Cynthia frowned as she sank into thought.
“We will likely have to conduct a thorough investigation before knowing for certain.”
“I suppose so……. If you ever need any help from us, please let us know.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
At a comment that sounded exactly like something Elizabeth would say, Tession responded with a gentle smile. Cynthia stared at his face with her lips slightly parted.
Wow……. His face really is unbelievably handsome. Eating delicious food with a handsome man really does improve your mood!
……Ah, did I say that backward?
“Since I caused such an inconvenience today, I would like to take you somewhere nice next time.”
“Cough! N-Next time?”
Cynthia, who had been diligently chewing her food, asked in surprise.
If there was a next time, that would mean the fifth meeting between Elizabeth and Tession.
Naturally extending his hand, Tession took a napkin from the side of the table and handed it to her.
“Yes. And we should also begin discussing our future plans.”
“Future plans……?”
“The plans for our wedding.”
“…….”
Cynthia tightly shut her mouth while only her light green eyes, hidden behind special lenses, rolled about.
‘Don’t carelessly make another appointment, and delay it as much as possible! As much as possible!’
Dale’s firm voice seemed to ring loudly in her ears.
“Is there somewhere in particular you would like to visit with me?”
“Ah……. W-Well…… not really…….”
“I recall that you quite liked the garden when you visited our estate last time. Our villa in Lacrona has a garden even larger than that. May I invite you to our villa?”
“A v-villa……?”
Cynthia stammered as she asked.
Villa or not, the only thing on her mind was delaying any future appointment for as long as possible.
“Yes. I am certain you will like it.”
“O-Okay……. Would it be alright if I let you know the schedule slowly?”
Very, very slowly!
“Of course. However, the season when the flowers are at their best does not last long. To see the villa garden at its most beautiful, you would need to visit within at least ten days from now.”
“Ten days…….”
“Now that it has come up, I should order the villa to be prepared again for your visit. It should be in the best possible condition to receive you.”
Tession added pleasantly. Without losing the smile that had appeared on his face, he picked up his napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth.
“How about early next week?”
“Next week…… I-I have something to do!”
“What about the weekend?”
“The weekend……! I have something to do then as well!”
“Then what about the week after?”
“I can’t do that week either! I have something to do!”
Cynthia blurted out quickly.
The smile slowly disappeared from Tession’s lips after being rejected three times in rapid succession.
Seeing his expression gradually sink, Cynthia quietly looked away. I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped…….
“Do you have some important business to attend to?”
“Not exactly, but our family affairs have made my schedule rather full.”
As expected, the most convenient excuse was blaming the Bailey family.
In reality, Cynthia had absolutely nothing to do at the Bailey estate, so she quickly began thinking. What would Elizabeth have been busy doing?
“T-The elder relatives of our family who are scattered all over the place are coming to visit the estate. They said everyone is gathering together to discuss and decide important family matters!”
“As far as I know, Young Lady, you do not have any say in those decisions.”
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