“Sophia, hold my hand.”
“Isn’t it just getting off the carriage? Do we have to go this far?”
Since Kyle insisted on escorting me while getting off the carriage, I just went along with it.
We did arrive in the town, but that didn’t mean all eyes were on us.
Well, that was understandable since Kyle wasn’t here for an official reason.
If he had been, we wouldn’t have just casually disembarked in the town.
He would have definitely gone straight to the lord’s castle.
“What a beautiful town.”
“Right?”
“It feels like those two weeks in the carriage were worth it already.”
Anyway, we finally arrived.
A tiny town in the southern part of the empire, so small that calling it a village wouldn’t feel out of place.
Even after about ten years since I last visited, not much had changed.
The red roofs I remembered from my childhood were still just as red as back then.
Those red brick roofs were one of the town’s characteristics, so that made sense.
“Kyle, should we head home right away?”
“I don’t mind. We can go after having a date with Sophia.”
“Really?”
I didn’t feel like going home right away either after coming to the town after so long.
After all, going home would mean hearing my mom’s nagging or just dealing with boring things.
Of course, our town wasn’t as exciting or full of attractions as other cities, but at least it wouldn’t be bad for Kyle.
It was definitely different from the north.
“Kyle, then how about a quick date before we head back…?”
“Sounds good.”
And so, I ended up going on a date with Kyle.
Mom had definitely asked me to come home, but since it had been about three weeks since her letter arrived, a couple of extra hours wouldn’t be a problem.
“No big deal.”
“Kyle, here.”
“…?”
“It’s a sausage. It’s not even lunch time yet, is it? Just fill up a bit, and we can eat later.”
“Ah…. Okay.”
I bought a sausage being sold by a street vendor and handed it to Kyle.
It was still clearly not time for lunch.
I figured we’d probably eat when we meet my parents, so I decided to just nibble on something for now.
The town might not offer many sights, but it sure had delicious sausages.
“Tasty, right?”
“Very tasty. It’s a different vibe from the north.”
“That’s because the north is usually super salty.”
After all, the north had to preserve their food for longer, so sausages weren’t made to eat right away.
Since they were kept for a while, they had to be heavily salted.
And sometimes they were even dried, so you wouldn’t get that bursting feeling when eating them.
But in our town, they were just smoked right away without salting.
So they were less salty than the sausages in Eristirol, but had a strong smoky flavor.
“But the sauce is delicious.”
And the sausage’s flavor is covered by a tasty sauce.
Just a bit salty with a hint of spiciness makes it feel like snacking.
“Since I’ve lived in the north all my life, I should try food from another town.”
I smiled at Kyle.
He was the type to not express his desires openly.
So I had to take care of him little by little.
I had vaguely mentioned it last time, but he didn’t really ask for anything particular while we were on the way here.
But I was enjoying spending time with Kyle.
“Sophia, you said you left home when you were young, but you seem to know the town surprisingly well?”
“Not much has changed. It can’t be helped.”
“But it’s been over ten years.”
“Um… but really, it hasn’t changed.”
Even though it had been a long time since I last visited, it truly felt like the town hadn’t changed at all.
As always, it was a town made of red and orange roofs.
There was hardly any difference from the town I remembered as a child.
The only thing that had changed… maybe a few shops had gone out of business?
Probably just that.
*
“Mom!”
I knocked on the door loudly, calling out for Mom.
After finishing my date with Kyle, I arrived home before lunchtime, for the first time in a long while.
I had left home at around 13, so it had really been a while.
“Daughter’s home!”
“….”
Kyle was next to me, looking slightly embarrassed, but it couldn’t be helped.
If I just knocked lightly, she might not hear it.
And… well, I had always been this kind of person.
“Sophia…?”
“…. Dad?!”
When the door opened, a middle-aged man appeared.
He looked somewhat like our dad.
But something about him seemed a bit worn compared to my memories of my father.
“Dad?!”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
I was momentarily shocked to see him.
In my memory, Dad was a tall and muscular guy.
He was strong and fit, often helping out in the village when strength was needed.
But the dad I saw after ten years didn’t look so good.
He wasn’t exactly unattractive, but his complexion always seemed healthy before.
“Why does your face look so thin?!”
“…. Something happened.”
“What do you mean?!”
“First… come inside.”
I followed Dad into the house.
Unlike the castle, it was a very ordinary family home.
The interior hadn’t changed much since the time I lived there, and it was quite plain.
“….”
It had been ten years, but was it really right that Dad looked this different?
Of course, he hadn’t lost his muscles or anything.
His body and physical build looked basically the same as I remembered from childhood.
But his face looked too worn out.
“Oh, it’s Sophia!”
“Ah, Mom.”
As I entered the living room, I was greeted by Mom, who was comfortably sitting on the couch.
In stark contrast to Dad, Mom’s face was plump and looked no different from her appearance ten years ago.
She really seemed to have changed no little bit.
Her appearance looked younger than her age, with remarkably healthy skin.
Surprisingly so.
“Uh…. who’s that next to you…?”
“Ah.”
“….”
Thinking about it, I had totally forgotten.
I hadn’t even mentioned that Kyle was coming!
I had completely spaced on that.
Since Dad hadn’t mentioned anything when I walked in, it had slipped my mind entirely.
“Uhm… that’s the Young Master I occasionally mentioned in my letters. It’s him.”
“Hello. I’m Kyle Eristirol.”
Kyle bowed to my parents.
In fact, due to the difference in status, it should have been my parents who greeted him first, but since Kyle had come as my boyfriend, that changed the dynamics.
“Uh, umm… how are we supposed to address you…?”
“How would I know?”
Mom and Dad were put in a tight spot facing Kyle, knowing he wasn’t just any guy, but a noble.
I could see them realizing that the Young Master Kyle was of very high nobility.
Mom almost looked like she was going to kneel, but Kyle stopped her.
“You can just casually call me Kyle.”
“Uh… then Kyle? Please have a seat.”
“Yes.”
So he sat down in a chair in the living room.
My parents took their seats on the opposite couch.
Honestly… it was super awkward!
After ten years of not seeing each other, it was expected to be awkward, but my bringing Kyle made it even more so for my parents.
“So… why did Kyle come over…? I never heard anything about this.”
“I’m dating her.”
“…. Sophia. No matter how much your mom may hate it, don’t tell such lies.”
“No, it’s true!!!”
I protested loudly against my mom, who looked at me like I was crazy.
“I’m really dating him. I am.”
“…. Sophia, if your dad hadn’t taken you to that boarding school back then…”
“No, it’s true! Dad?! Kyle, right?!”
“Yes, we are really dating.”
“See?!”
I felt so wronged.
I had been a somewhat innocent kid back then, but while I may have shown a little disdain towards boys when playing with them, I would always cry with boys and laugh with girls.
Still, this wasn’t fair.
As a child, I had received confessions from both boys and girls, but this was just too much!
“Sophia.”
“Dad?”
Suddenly, Dad called me with a very serious look.
A moment ago, he had looked so drained, but now he seemed to have regained some strength?
What was this?
“The Duke of Eristirol wouldn’t have a reason to meet you.”
“No, really!!!”
“Haha…”
Kyle awkwardly laughed, but I felt truly wronged.
I really did.
So very wronged!
“I’m really dating him, you know…?”
“Really, I am. I’m thinking about a serious relationship with Sophia.”
“K-Kyle?!”
Suddenly, Kyle took my hand and started saying strange things.
“We’ve actually been dating since last month. There were several situations leading to it, but I truly love Sophia.”
“O-Oh…”
Once again, I became embarrassed.
Hearing Kyle proclaiming this in front of my parents made me want to sink in my chair.
Although Kyle stating that we were dating was definitely a strong evidence, I couldn’t help but lower my head from the embarrassment.
“Ooo…”
“Wow…”
My parents looked amazed by Kyle’s words.
I felt relieved that it seemed they were acknowledging our relationship.
“K-Kyle…? Could you maybe loosen the hand-holding just for a bit…?”
I was so nervous.
It felt different being in front of my parents compared to just walking around and holding hands with Kyle in public.
“No way.”
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