Chapter: 44
After being kicked out by Louise and subsequently recruited by Marghetta, every morning upon arriving at the booth, I found myself participating in a bizarre fair across the street. Every time I stepped out, Villar looked at me with the eyes that seemed to say, “What the heck is that guy doing?” It stung a little, but I had no words to respond.
I never thought I would end up like this—a wandering soul. The one who originally called for people to help due to a manpower shortage had fled first, leaving me in a truly speechless situation. Even though Villar and others from the three kingdoms were there for protection, this image of me conspicuously slacking off felt a bit too heavy.
Still, as a civil servant, I couldn’t just dismiss Louise, a mere civilian’s words. I hope they’ll understand.
“This year’s fair is particularly quiet, isn’t it? Last year, something explosive happened every time I turned around,” I mused.
While I silently apologized to Villar in my thoughts, Marghetta, who was walking beside me, spoke up.
“Is that so? I wasn’t here last year, so I wouldn’t really know.”
“Back then, even the booth locations caused a subtle rivalry, and there was a fierce competition to attract customers.”
I could imagine that. If they hadn’t actually operated the booths themselves, it would have been a different story, but when they saw visible outcomes from the booth operations, those proud nobles would naturally start to compete. Once they’ve started, quite a few ambitious blue-bloods get a little wild-eyed trying to win.
“Fufu, I think this is all thanks to Sir Carl. I really appreciate it,” Marghetta giggled, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Just as she said, I was likely a factor in that.
The presence of the Chief Inspector and many nobles gathering just to see me—despite their youthful exuberance and competitive spirit, the line-up was enough to make them hesitate a bit. If I inadvertently helped Marghetta out, that was a relief.
“I’m glad if I could be of help. Ah, would you like more?” I asked.
“Yes, thank you!”
Marghetta blushed lightly as she grabbed a few kernels of corn from my hand. Seeing her blush brought a grin to my face, almost making me burst into laughter.
Originally, I thought Marghetta hadn’t eaten breakfast and wanted to hand her something simple, but she refused, saying it seemed undignified. Apparently, carrying food around in her hands was off-putting for her.
Yet sitting down to eat was also inconvenient. If she had the time for that, she wouldn’t have skipped breakfast in the first place.
“Well then, I’ll carry it for you so you can eat whenever you feel like it.”
“Really?”
So, I bought nearby corn, tearing off several kernels to shove into her hands. Her bewildered gaze made quite an impression.
“Now you won’t have to carry anything. Just take as much as you like.”
“T-Thank you…”
With a moment of hesitation, Marghetta lowered her head and bit into the corn I held out. After that, I decided not to dwell on her expression; it was my fault for getting too close and creating misunderstandings. Marghetta, not making a fuss over it and accepting it, was truly lovely.
Anyway, I resolved to leave it at that. Marghetta, munching on corn while looking at me, seemed like she might cry at any moment.
Look, even now, just seeing corn made her face turn all red.
“If it’s uncomfortable to eat with your hands, you’re welcome to take it like before.”
The sight of Marghetta chewing with her head bent down was rather captivating. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
That’s why I felt thankful and a bit guilty towards Marghetta. Even after rejecting her marriage proposal and not seeing her in over a year, she treated me just the same.
‘Living is tough, huh?’
If I felt this bittersweet, I wondered how the Iron-blooded Duke felt. I seemed to have gotten myself into quite a debt with the Valenti Duke family.
After spending time with Marghetta, I returned to the pastry club booth in the afternoon.
Staying outside all day was exhausting, so I got permission from Louise to return to the booth in the afternoon.
To summarize, I’d have fun outside in the morning and relax inside during the afternoon—saying this made me feel like a useless adult.
“Brother, just sit back and take it easy.”
“Brother, even watching from the back is a big help to me.”
It seemed my gaze from the corner was bothering the club members as they passed by, saying a few words. From their perspective, I could see it was a subtle intention to make me feel at ease.
‘Am I a newbie?’
No matter how I looked at it, I felt like a lone recruit stranded in a corner. I felt like the senior members were coming by telling me to just relax. Their kindness somehow turned into a burden; I felt quite miserable.
Looking at Louise, she noticed my gaze and smiled while shaking her head slightly, and I was left speechless. She was signaling for me to just be still.
I really appreciated her concern, but sitting idle while others were working was quite a chore.
“If you won’t take a break now, when will you ever rest?”
Seemingly reading my thoughts, a voice suddenly chimed in next to me. Turning my head, I spotted Rutis, running his hand through his fiery red hair with a grin.
‘The more I see them, the more curious they become.’
It wasn’t Rutis’s red hair that was surprising. It was just that all the pastry club members had different hair colors.
Louise had pink, Erich had black, and Ainter was blond. Meanwhile, Rutis, Lathir, and Tannian sported red, blue, and white hair respectively. With just six people, what were the odds of each having such different colors? I wondered if the original author made such choices.
“Hmm? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing really.”
I decided not to mention that he and Lathir standing together reminded me of a traffic light.
“Well, if it’s really nothing…”
Rutis chuckled and then slid into the seat next to me, casually offering one of the coffee cups he held.
“The aroma’s quite nice. Care for a cup?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
When I glanced at him, asking with my eyes, ‘Are you okay just sitting here?’, Rutis broke into a laugh.
“Haha! Now everyone’s gotten used to the work, we’re rotating our breaks. Seems it’s my turn now.”
Definitely, it’s best for those who can actually take a break when there’s a chance.
Nodding, I took a sip from the coffee Rutis handed me, but I couldn’t quite tell if the aroma was as good as he claimed.
“Erich made it. He was worried about you, so he went all out brewing it.”
“Is that so?”
Now that he mentioned it, it didn’t taste bad at all.
Thinking back, it actually was rather nice. Just hearing that it was made by Erich gave me a boost to drink more. I wasn’t sure about the aroma, but it definitely came with family love, so there was that.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Rutis, who had been chuckling at my drinking, suddenly turned serious. His unexpected question made me involuntarily look back over at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you really think no one noticed?”
Hah.
A small sigh slipped out.
Yeah, there were plenty of signs. The sudden arrival of the 1st Manager, and just recently, both the 1st Manager and I had up and vanished until it was time to close the booth. If they missed those clues, they wouldn’t be worthy of their royal status.
Reflecting on it, it was a little infuriating. Those who are disasters when it comes to romance—why do they think so rationally at a time like this? If Rutis is aware, Ainter and Lathir, along with Tannian, must know too. Given that they were worried about me, it’s clear Erich would be on the ball too.
“Of course, we don’t know the specifics. We just assumed something had happened.”
“You don’t need to worry. It was nothing major.”
“Is that so?”
A brief silence followed, which Rutis was the first to break.
“Thanks, Advisor.”
My hand halted mid-sip. A royal family member shouldn’t just say thank you or apologize so easily. They’re part of the lineage ruling over a nation; expressing their emotions carelessly is a big no-no. It’s something that’s been ingrained since ancient times.
…Though looking at how they behave in club settings, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s not something you say easily in a situation with just the two of us.
“Is there really anything I should be thanked for?”
“Why wouldn’t there be? You suffer the most on our behalf.”
If you guys know that, then why is it so complicated?
I nearly blurted that out but managed to keep my mouth shut while I gazed back at Rutis. Regardless of my feelings, a royal openly expressing emotions like this must have taken considerable resolve.
Once again, excluding how they acted in the club, of course.
“I’m always grateful, not just me. Thanks to you, all of us can attend the Academy without causing too much of a fuss.”
“Is that so.”
“I know that the Advisor is working hard to make that happen, like during this time.”
“Is that right?”
Awkwardly responding to Rutis’s sudden transparency was all I could muster. Even though our relationship isn’t hostile, we weren’t really that close, so hearing him express this felt embarrassing.
It seemed Rutis felt the same, as he scratched the back of his head a few times before letting out a sigh.
“I really should stop beating around the bush.”
“I can see that.”
“What I really want to say is that there are many people who are grateful to you. Definitely more than those who dislike you.”
“Ho.”
Despite Rutis being the one talking, for some reason, I felt my face heat up from embarrassment.
“No matter what worries or issues you face, there will always be people grateful to and willing to help the Advisor.”
“…”
“—That’s what Louise had me relay.”
As Rutis broke the serious atmosphere with laughter, I couldn’t help but chuckle too. This kid suddenly had me on a mission from Louise.
Shifting my gaze to Louise, I caught her looking over. She quickly flinched and smiled awkwardly. There was no reason to be angry, so I waved my hand reassuringly.
“Honestly, Louise begged me so much, I’m starting to worry that we’ll end up competing with you.”
“Why? You planning to boot me out before the competition?”
“Do you think you could just be tossed away like that?”
Hehe.
He chuckled at that, and it made me laugh too. They say laughter is contagious, and seeing this kid really made it feel true.
“If we do compete, it won’t be easy, but I’ll still give it my all.”
“How unexpected.”
“I’m already competing against five people, so what’s the harm in making it six? Besides, Louise isn’t an object, so I have no reason to step in.”
I imagined a royal, caught up in his feelings for Louise, would stop at nothing to claim her, but he’s surprisingly rational. That truly caught me off guard.
“Why? Did you expect something dramatic like ‘If I can’t have Louise, I’ll destroy everything’?”
Rutis smoothly added, “If that was my intent, I would’ve used my power to seize her.”
I quietly nodded in agreement. Indeed, compared to their statuses, the whole tussle over Louise was unimaginably trivial—almost absurd.
“An Armein knight seeks fair, clean battles and accepts defeat gracefully.”
“‘Clean’ seems like a stretch with all this rivalry going on.”
“Hahahaha! That’s just another aspect of competition.”
Before long, as Rutis finished his cup of coffee, he stood up.
“That’s why if I lose, I’ll just have to own it. Better if that doesn’t happen.”
This likely went for all four of them as well.
With that, Rutis turned back to head toward the others, but suddenly glanced over his shoulder.
“Oh, I sincerely mean it when I say thank you. If I didn’t feel that way, I wouldn’t have taken Louise’s request seriously for your sake.”
Hah.
As I watched Rutis walk away, many thoughts swirled in my mind. If he had put even half that effort towards anything involving Louise, I’d have advanced a lot by now.
He’s undoubtedly royal in situations like this, but why does that change when it matters most?
The moment I adjusted my evaluation of Rutis, a wave of late embarrassment engulfed me.
Was it really that bad?
How terrible must I have looked for Louise to even enlist Rutis? I get that I was different from my usual self, but was it that extreme?
But then again, what could I do? It’s not something you can shake off overnight, especially when you’ve struggled for the past two years.
Even now, it’s not as easy as it seems. If it were possible, I would have done it already. Yet, if someone as young as my little brother is worrying about me to this extent, that’s just downright embarrassing.
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