I’m Just a Counselor Chapter 55

“Miss Vanessa, is there anything else you need to bring?”

 

“No, I don’t.”

 

In the first place, there was little I needed to pack. Anything universally necessary would already be in the townhouse.

 

When I shook my head, Sir Melvin nodded and patted me on the back, telling me to stay with the young lady until we departed. Other servants were checking the carriage wheels from last night’s snow.

 

“I hope you don’t mind if I don’t help you?”

 

“It’s my job to serve the lady well. The rest is… not particularly.”

 

I shrugged, reading in Sir Melvin’s eyes the words, “Don’t bother me. What can I do to help, I have no strength or skill.”

 

Muttering to myself, I turned around and spotted a familiar face in the hustle and bustle and called out in delight.

 

“Shane!”

 

Shane must have spotted me too, because he smiled and waved.

 

I sidled up to him and spoke to the long-lost friend.

 

“Are you going to the Islands with us?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“But you’re a gardener.”

 

“Well, I’m a gardener, but I know how to drive a horse, and I’m pretty good at… fighting, too?”

 

He whispered under his breath and his eyes narrowed. I smirked at his smirk.

 

Still, I was suddenly relieved to have Shane with us. I must have been nervous, too.

 

“So Shane will be joining the Duke and the other knights in the hunt for the Slave Top?”

 

“I suppose so, and it’s my job to bring Jeremiah the information he needs.”

 

As he finished, Shane flicked a finger across my forehead.

 

“Just in case, they might recognize your face. You heard Jeremiah, don’t do anything risky.”

 

“Ouch. I’m really going to play nice this time. I wouldn’t have said I was going to the Islands if the invitation hadn’t come in the first place.”

 

“Hmmm. Now that you mention it, I’m really curious. Why would the crown prince send you an invitation to the New Year’s Festival?”

 

“…Are you sure it was from His Highness the Crown Prince?”

 

“As far as I can tell.”

 

Apparently Shane’s contacts aren’t limited to the North.

 

I rubbed my forehead and squinted at him. Shane shrugged, then patted me on the head.

 

“Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough. If the crown prince tries to pull any tricks on you, just tell me.”

 

“Is Shane going to fend off the crown prince?”

 

“If necessary?”

 

Shane laughed. It was a joking tone, but somehow it didn’t feel like a joke.

 

“He’s a friend. Just like Jeremiah.”

 

I smiled vaguely and grabbed Shane’s hand above my head, realizing that if Jeremiah could really handle anyone, then Shane could really handle the crown prince.

 

“It’s nice of you to say that. But you’re the one doing the dangerous work, not me.”

 

“Well, yeah, but it’s more like what I usually do, so it’s okay. Remember what I said back then, vigilante.”

 

“Well, I’m worried about my friend, so whether you’re a vigilante or the leader of whatever…”

 

“Ah~ I know, it’s only Vanessa.”

 

Giggling, Shane pulled me into a hug. I patted his back a few times, just like I did Estella, then slipped out of his arms and took a step back. I felt a little overwhelmed as people stared at me and Shane.

 

That’s when Shane spoke up.

 

“But, Vanessa. The crown prince isn’t the only one who could play tricks on you.”

 

“Who else is there?”

 

“Earl Huons.”

 

“Ah.”

 

I groaned softly. So Shane knew, too.

 

“What does Shane think Earl Huons’s people are going to do to me?”

 

I asked timidly, watching his eyes.

 

“The debt between the Earl of Huons and my family has already been paid.”

 

“You never know when a promise made in words might change, Vanessa, and…”

 

Shane narrowed his eyes, as if gauging whether he should be telling me this, but then he spoke.

 

“You know, the rumors have been bad lately.”

 

“Rumors are bad…?”

 

“I don’t know what it is, but it seems that the Earl of Huons is reaching into strange places, and when a patriarch does that, it tends to become the business of the whole family.”

 

“…….”

 

“So, Vanessa, I’m afraid they’re going to get their hands on you, too, and there’s plenty to chew on with the Oppenheim name.”

 

I was tempted to dismiss Shane’s worries as unwarranted, but I couldn’t. To my ears, Shane’s words sounded very plausible.

 

The Earl of Huons’s seemed like the kind of man I knew could really do that.

 

Suddenly, I began to worry. Of course, Shane wasn’t telling me this to scare me, but…

 

‘Do you think Jeremiah would be able to protect me if something like that happened?’

 

“No one will if you don’t want them to.”

 

Jeremiah’s voice whispered in my ear.

 

I decided to trust him this time. He’s the one who told me I could always count on him, so I’d do the same this time.

 

“I’ve got the Duke, and I’ve got Shane, so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.”

 

When I finally said it and smiled slightly, Shane gave me a strange look.

 

“Last time you said it would be okay because Jeremiah would be there, do you believe in me this time?”

 

“Of course. It’s not like last time.”

 

“Yeah, well, then… I’m gonna have to make it worth your while, I guess.”

 

He muttered something I didn’t recognize and pushed me lightly on the back.

 

“You’re on your way to the princess, right? Get warm on the way out. I’ll see you later.”

 

“Yeah. Okay. See you then.”

 

“Bye, Vanessa.”

 

Shane waved again, as if to see me off. I listened to his instructions and went upstairs to Estella’s room.

 

As soon as I opened the door, Estella, who had been glued to the window, came scurrying toward me. “No!” she shouted, her face full of urgency.

 

“No!”

 

“Huh? What…?”

 

I asked in bewilderment, glancing at the window she was stuck in. I could see the spot where Shane and I had been standing just moments ago.

 

“Shane and you are friends!”

 

“…Hmm? Yeah.”

 

“I mean, I mean… you can’t get too intimate!”

 

“Huh?”

 

I blinked, still unable to figure out what Estella was talking about.

 

Estella looked at me and cleared her throat. Then she spoke again, looking a little calmer.

 

“No, I just think everyone else is seeing you and Mr. Shane was too close. He doesn’t like being misunderstood like that.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Of course, you think Mr. Shane is a good friend, and that’s why you’re comfortable with him…”

 

“Did Estella really think I looked like that with Shane?”

 

I had a sneaking suspicion that I was, but if Estella could say that, I must have looked bad enough to be misunderstood by others who didn’t know the situation.

 

In response to my question, Estella nodded enthusiastically.

 

I realized that even the most friendly gestures of friendship can still have a “huh? Are they…?” quality to them, especially between men and women.

 

Did that hug just seem a little out of line?

 

It was fine when it was Sherry.

 

Apparently, now that Shane is a man, the acceptable range has narrowed somewhat.

 

I bit my lip in disappointment, but I couldn’t ask Shane to be Sherry in front of me.

 

“But I can’t help being friends with my friends.”

 

“I know, but… it’s just your business, and I want to care about you more. Do you hate it when I do this? Do you think I’m being clingy and just doing it…?”

 

“No, why would I hate it? Estella’s just worried about me, too.”

 

“Well, by the way…”

 

After a moment of silence, Estella shook her head and sat down on the bed, holding onto my arm.

 

She clung to me and started chirping in a lark-like voice.

 

“I’ve only told you about Mr. Shane, but there’s something else I’m worried about.”