During the Grand Siege, I refused to eat several times.
I was always in a state of mental anxiety, so I didn't like to eat well.
However, when I got out of there and lived as a mercenary, my habit disappeared somehow.
Now, even if you threw a roughly boiled potato, it went into my mouth without any objection.
Of course. I had just woken up and eaten a lot of snacks on the way home, so I didn't want to.
"..."
After hearing my response, Kishian was silent.
The words I threw out without much thought came back in heavy silence, and I was a little embarrassed.
Why did he suddenly keep his mouth shut and show a gloomy look?
After waiting for a long time, his tightly closed mouth slowly opened.
"Was it because of me?"
"...Skipping meals?"
He nodded.
I thought about what to say and decided to be honest.
"I can't say no. I don't think so... I was worried."
"..."
"When I was in the Grand Palace, I was full of anxiety. At first, I was worried that the maids had done something mean to me, and then I was worried that you would find out about me... It was an environment where I couldn't feel comfortable."
"..."
"It's all in the past."
Even if I said that, his expression showed no signs of straightening.
I asked with a smile.
"What are you thinking?"
"I think I was really stupid."
The corners of his eyes were contorted as if he were joking.
As if recalling the painful past.
I let out a shallow sigh and opened my mouth.
"I can't deny that it was because of you, but it's not your fault. At that time... Anyone would have acted like you. You believed you had been betrayed."
"..."
"Don't worry about it. I must have said something useless."
I tried to relieve the atmosphere, but to no avail.
He asked, still gloomy.
"Didn't you do that when you were in the mercenary group? Rodrick... You felt uncomfortable because he demanded something unfair in return for helping you."
"It didn't happen. I think I was generally comfortable."
"..."
I knew that this would make him even more depressed, but I couldn't lie.
I indeed felt much more comfortable as a mercenary than when I was in the Grand Duchy.
I literally felt like I had found a new life.
So I ate well and rested well.
Suddenly, a sneaky laugh came out of Kishian's teeth.
"He's really shameless."
"Rodrick?"
"Nope. I."
With his mouth still full of laughter, he continued to say bitter things.
"I was so bad at you, and now I'm chasing you all the way here to get you back."
"..."
"Shameless and pathetic."
The sound of blaming himself made my heart crush for no reason.
He turned away, as if he had no intention of talking anymore.
"I'll go. When I'm next to you... You're going to be anxious."
"Kishian."
Holding on to his cuffs as he was leaving, I did it on a spur of the moment.
For some reason, I felt like I couldn't let him go like this.
If I send him back to this state, he will be left alone in a dark room to reflect on his actions.
Then he would fall into endless depression.
I didn't want to make it like that.
I cautiously urged him to stop and look back at me.
"I think I'm a little hungry. Let's go out and buy something to eat together. If only you don't mind."
He seemed to be in a bad mood already, so I thought he might throw it away.
But he couldn't shake my hand in the end.
He stood still as if he had been nailed to his seat and nodded.
I quickly washed up and put my clothes back on while he waited outside the door for a while.
After getting ready, we went down to the first floor together.
The food was still being prepared, so there weren't many people on the first floor.
Hertha, who was sitting at the table and screaming, showed interest.
"Huh? Where are you going? It's meal time."
"We're going to go out and eat."
Hertha's eyes were curious.
"The two of you?"
Did she notice something? I was not surprised at the way she looked at me.
When I returned, she seemed to bombard me with questions, so I made up my words appropriately.
"The Baron said he had something he wanted to ask me personally
"Personal request? Ahhh..."
Sometimes, without going through the mercenary group, the client entrusted the request directly to the individual mercenary.
As if she thought so, Hertha frowned one eye without asking any more.
"Enjoy your meal."
"You too. I'll be back before midnight, so don't worry too much."
After that, Kishian and I went out of the house.
My heart tightened at the thought of having a meal face to face with a man I thought I would never have to do with.
***
I had planned to go to any nearby pub and eat a decent meal, but Kishian had a different idea.
He also knew that the imperial Army was lying nearby.
Saying that if you eat in an empty restaurant, you might be noticed, he takes me to the biggest, nicest-looking restaurant in the neighborhood.
However, there was a problem.
"Reservations are required at our restaurant. If you didn't make a reservation in advance, unfortunately, you will have to come back next time."
Hearing the waiter's polite refusal, I sighed.
I've walked this far, but I felt like I had to look elsewhere.
I sighed heavily, and Kishian took a quick look at me.
Then he started dragging the waiter somewhere.
I looked at them, worried that he was going to use violence to go to a corner.
Fortunately, the fears did not happen.
Kishian pulled a shiny object from his pocket and handed it to the waiter, who then approached me with a big smile.
"I'll take you to your seat."
Whenever he asked me to come next time because it was a reservation fee, his attitude changed instantly.
I sat down in the seat he had shown me and spoke to Kishian.
"I thought we wouldn't be able to come in."
"I used the magic to create a place."
When he said that he had given him a tip, he expressed it in such a hurry.
He sat down and waited at the table created by the magic of money, and soon the food was served.
As soon as all the food was served, he pulled out the magic necklace around his neck.
He seemed to want to eat with his real face, like in the past.
After all, it was covered by a curtain, so I didn't have to show my face to people.
As I scooped up the steaming soup first, I looked at Kishian as he returned to his original face.
I could see a handsome face with clear lines and cool features, like a sculpture paInstakingly carved by God.
It was the face that made me excited and sad at the same time.
As if sensing my gaze, he put down the utensils for a moment and smiled.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"It's just amazing. If you think about it, we've never eaten out together."
His hand twitched slightly.
"I didn't pay much attention to you."
"Don't blame yourself, that's not what I told you to do."
"I didn't want to blame myself, but I kept going. Especially on the day you went out to eat with Rodrick. I've never spent that much time with you, but I feel like he's doing it for me."
"Did you follow us back then?"
On the way back, I suddenly ran into Baron Wolfstein, and I was suspicious.
I wonder if he's been following me for a long time.
It was strange to meet him by chance, but he must have been following me.
"Yes. I secretly followed you. Like a husband who wants to find out about his wife's infidelity."
"..."
"Even if you feel bad, please look at me. You didn't do anything that day; you just talked to him. How much I endured wanting to beat him."
However, since he was so quiet about his personality, he must have endured a lot.
Whenever we encountered, he could drag me away by force, but he always quietly backed away at my remark.
So that I don't get as scared as before.
Following the soup, he opened his mouth again as he sliced the meat.
"You... Do you really want to go back to the Grand Duke's residence with me? I've come all the way here for that."
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