The Cowardly Young Lady and the Escort Knight

Chapter 14: First Day Getting to Know Each Other (7)

Cecilia shut her mouth, hugging the cushion with a sullen face.

It seemed she was quite disappointed about her request being rejected.

But her air of pitiableness, like someone sitting forlornly in a rainy alley, lasted only a moment; soon, she slightly lifted her head towards me again and parted her lips.

“Um, Pat… Can I ask you something……?”

“Yes.”

“You said earlier, right? That you don’t really like sweet things. Then what kind of things do you like?”

I didn’t know why she was asking such a thing, but since I had received a question, I had to answer.

I rubbed my chin, thought for a long while, and then answered with a sigh-laden voice.

“………I apologize. Nothing particularly specific comes to mind. I tend to find everything delicious except sweet things……”

“Then, among the lunch you ate earlier, what was the most delicious? Hmm~ Was it the meat dish, the steak perhaps?”

“That’s not it. The stew tasted the best. However, I thought the steak was the most overwhelming in appearance.”

A piece of meat, wide enough to take up most of the plate and thick enough to be about a finger joint, was grilled there.

Its appearance, seemingly stimulating primal instincts, was magnificent enough to elicit spontaneous admiration, but the actual taste, quite regrettably, fell short of the stew.

This was because the steak had cooled down, causing the meat to harden.

Unlike stew, which used meat bones for broth and was seasoned, steak was simply grilled meat, so its taste dropped sharply as it lost temperature.

It was fortunate it was good quality meat; if they had used mediocre meat like in the barracks, my jaw would have ached from chewing.

Furthermore, since the stew was quite rich with chunks of meat, I had been able to somewhat compensate for the lost flavor and taste by dipping the steak slightly into the stew.

“Thanks to that, I was able to finish it all.”

“I see.”

Cecilia nodded her head significantly and gave a gentle smile.

“So you finished the steak~”

“Yes? Ye-es.”

“And you said you wouldn’t eat because I couldn’t~”

“…………”

Thump.

‘Oops!!’

I felt as if my heart truly plummeted.

At the same time, the memory of myself unleashing that series of arguments at the Tutor surfaced, and my face began to burn hotly!

As if she could clearly see that very image, Cecilia added even more laughter to her voice and continued speaking.

“What was it you said to the Tutor earlier~ That one shouldn’t eat deliciously in front of someone who can’t eat~”

“That…! It is true that I said that, however……!”

Perhaps due to embarrassment? My voice cracked slightly as I made excuses, my face flushed red.

Finding that incredibly amusing, she giggled out loud and continued.

“But even though I was sitting right here, you ate it with gusto~ Even finding a way to eat it deliciously, cleaning the plate completely!”

“Leaving food uneaten is not a good act…! I couldn’t help it……!”

“So even though I was feeling down because of what the Tutor said, you were eating oh-so-deliciously with the stew, completely unfazed!”

“That’s not true!”

I shouted loudly without realizing it.

Seeing her startle and freeze immediately, I hastily bowed my head.

“I apologize, Lady Cecilia. I didn’t realize……!”

“A-are you angry? I-I’m sorry. My teasing must have been too much.”

“Not at all. I wasn’t angry, but rather, a little—no, quite—flustered…. I truly apologize!”

“N-no. It was my fault for teasing……. It’s not your fault, Pat. I’m sorry.”

Cecilia mumbled in a barely audible voice and curled up.

At the sight of her tightly hugging the cushion, extremely tense, I shut my eyes tightly and berated myself.

‘How foolish! Knowing Lady Cecilia is timid……! No matter how flustered, how could you shout then!’

It wasn’t even something to get so flustered about in the first place.

It should have been something I could have easily brushed off gently.

Yet, failing to handle it properly and shouting loudly, I had committed an act absolutely unacceptable for someone serving a superior.

It was fortunate that Cecilia's disposition was gentle; if she had been ill-tempered, she would likely have punished me for insolence.

I sighed deeply inwardly.

The problem was what came next.

Whether frightened by me or not, Cecilia simply clamped her mouth shut.

Because of that, the silence that descended upon the room was incredibly heavy and awkward.

So much so that it was obvious Jenny would reprimand me when she returned.

‘I need to fix this.’

At the very least, I had to ease Cecilia’s tension.

To do that, speaking to her seemed the best course of action.

After opening and closing my mouth several times trying to speak, I took a deep breath and finally managed to open my mouth.

“……Lady Cecilia, I have something to tell you.”

“Y-yes.”

“It is true that I ate while you were feeling down, but I was not enjoying the meal.”

“Th-that must be so. Yes, of course I believe so! Naturally!”

“Yes. I couldn’t taste anything, so it was merely filling my hunger.”

As if drawn by those words, Cecilia moved her head slightly to face me.

“You… couldn’t taste it……?”

“Yes. Until you ate the pudding and smiled, Lady Cecilia, I couldn’t taste anything at all.”

I was simply relaying what I had actually experienced moments before; nothing was fabricated.

The stew, the buttered bread, even the salad—only after she smiled at the sweetness of the pudding did I finally perceive their flavors.

‘Come to think of it, it's strange.’

It didn’t seem to be merely because of the atmosphere.

Because even when eating in the barracks dining hall amidst shouting, although it was hard to swallow, I had still tasted the food itself.

“I know it might be hard to believe as I myself find it strange, but it was truly like that. It is true I didn’t keep my word, but please know that at least I wasn’t enjoying the food while you were feeling down.”

“After I smiled, it tasted good……”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“………Hehe.”

Cecilia chuckled softly, fidgeting with her hands clasped around the cushion.

“Um… how should I put it… Ehehe, I feel incredibly shy. Don’t you feel anything saying things like that, Pat……?”

“Yes? Ye-es, I simply stated the facts, so there’s nothing strange. Which part makes you feel shy?”

“Yes? Y-you’re asking that?!”

Startled, Cecilia buried her face in the cushion.

After making a sound akin to a groan in that state for a moment, she soon lifted her face and stammered out words.

Her cheeks flushed rosy pink.

“While I was, feeling down… you couldn’t taste anything… and when I smiled, you could… taste it, you said.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ooh… So, that sounds like… my smile, gave the flavor…! Like to P-Pat, I’m, that much of an incredibly precious person, it sounds like……!”

“It doesn’t just sound like it; it’s true, Lady Cecilia. You are a precious person to me.”

“Yes?! A p-precious person, am I……!”

Tilting my head at the sight of Cecilia crumpling the cushion in shock, I continued very calmly.

“Yes. Someone I must protect preciously. As you are the one I escort.”

“…………Ah, that.”

Hearing my answer, Cecilia suddenly placed the cushion beside her and leaned limply against the sofa backrest.

Her flushed red face not only cooled instantly, but somehow seemed to start emitting a chilly aura.

Kicking her feet slightly, making her dress skirt flutter, she threw out words as if spitting them out.

“That’s right…. Pat is an Escort Knight, after all…. Since we haven’t even known each other for a day, there couldn’t possibly be anything else, could there……”

“Anything else? Was there something you were thinking of?”

“No…. Nothing…. It’s just, like the Count said, I guess I can feel relieved now that I have a good Escort Knight……”

“Yes, you have nothing to worry about, Lady Cecilia.”

Just as I had replied to the Count then, I spoke firmly, my voice resolute.

“Whatever happens, I will protect you. Even if it means sacrificing my life, absolutely.”

“………………”

Cecilia, who had been slumped against the backrest, hesitantly sat up, fumbled for the cushion, and picked it up again.

And then, her face flushing red once more, she hugged the cushion tightly.

As if intending to burst it completely,

very, very tiiiightly.

“Hiee, too intense…! It’s way more intense than I imagined……!”

“Lady Cecilia? What’s wrong? Did I say something strange?”

“I-it’s not strange…! B-but still, sacrificing your life…! For me, you don’t have to exaggerate like that……!”

“Yes? It’s not an exaggeration; I’m serious. Didn’t I mention I’m not good at empty words?”

“Uwaaaaa……!!”

At that, she now even started stomping her feet while hugging the cushion!

At her incomprehensible behavior, I could only blink my eyes.

‘Why is she acting like that……?’

I had merely stated the facts as they were, just as I thought and felt them.

Why she was not only feeling shy but also getting excited nearly to the point of frenzy was completely beyond my understanding.

“I’m back~ Hmm……?”

So a moment later, when Jenny, who had returned to the drawing room carrying several books, saw Cecilia causing a commotion on the sofa and asked me with her eyes, ‘What happened,’

‘I have no idea.’

I shrugged my shoulders widely, conveying that meaning fully.