“Sophia~”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Do you have a moment?”
“Could you lend me some time?”
“…. Huh?”
As I hurriedly cleaned up Kyle’s Room and stepped out, I ran into Catherine and Lily. They suddenly told me to follow them and led me somewhere.
The place they took me was just outside the main building of the castle.
“….?”
Why are we here? I was not completely out of the castle, but I was definitely out of the castle buildings.
“Sophia, I have a question.”
“A question, you say…?”
What kind of question could they possibly have that needed us to come outside? Suddenly being outside without wearing the coat Kyle gave me was a bit chilly. The two ladies who brought me also looked like they were feeling the cold, but I decided to listen to what they had to say.
“Yes.”
“How are you getting along with Eristirol Duke’s Son these days?”
“Young Master? We’re just getting along as usual, but….”
“Is that so?”
“Yes….”
Suddenly, a question about my relationship with Kyle came up. Seeing them ask about Kyle like this made me wonder if they were interested in him or something. So, I could understand why they might have wanted to come out here. There are a lot of ears inside the castle.
“Hmph… Then, when do you plan to stop being Eristirol Duke’s Son’s tutor?”
“I haven’t been acting as a tutor lately.”
I had debuted in the social circle, and Kyle was too busy with succession classes to have time for it. He had already learned everything he needed to learn over the past few years. According to Louise, he was already skilled in magic. Elin also mentioned that he had learned enough to start training with a sword.
So this year, Kyle was focused mainly on succession training.
“Young Master has been discussing matters related to that with the Duke.”
Thanks to the cancellation of other lessons, I had been spending a lot more time with Kyle. I felt it was better to be together than to be apart. Perhaps it was because we had known each other for a long time?
“I see….”
“Hmm… Is it possible for us to take a quick tour around Eristirol with you?”
“That won’t be possible.”
“Why not? Did Young Master say not to go?”
“No, that’s not it.”
He hadn’t said anything about me not doing something. In fact, it was usually the opposite; he always asked me questions.
“It’s almost time for Young Master to return.”
“……”
Right, it was almost dinner time. Kyle was due to return from his lessons with the Duke.
“Young Master always returns at this time. So we can’t go now.”
If they had asked a little earlier, I might have been able to accommodate, but it couldn’t be helped now. It was the time Kyle would be coming back.
I would then have to accept the dirty clothes Kyle brought back and either hand them over to another servant or help carry something he brought.
“I understand….”
“Yes, and since I need to ask Young Master, it really isn’t possible. I’m sorry.”
I bowed to Catherine to apologize. She looked a bit disappointed as she gazed at me. But it couldn’t be helped. Ultimately, my master is Kyle.
*
“Thank you, Sophia.”
“Not at all.”
Today, Kyle and the Duke returned as the sun was setting. It looked like they might have caught some game, as there was blood on Kyle’s shirt. I worried that he might have gotten hurt somewhere.
“Young Master, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Is that so…?”
Seeing him say he was alright made me feel he might be fine. But what if he was hiding an injury?
“Please take off your shirt.”
“…. Huh?”
“You don’t feel the cold anyway, right? It’s better to take off that dirty shirt than to wear it.”
While the pants were another story, taking off the shirt wouldn’t be a problem.
“Please take it off.”
“…….”
Kyle handed me the bloodied shirt. Though it was still dripping a bit, it was better for me to hold it than for him to wear it. By the way, it doesn’t have that occasional smell from Kyle.
“Young Master, let’s wash up right away. I’ve had the servants waiting.”
“Okay.”
Carrying Kyle’s soiled shirt, I walked back into the castle with him. Thankfully, there were no injuries on his body. I had been worried he might be hiding something, but luckily, there weren’t any.
“Young Master, are you going to visit the territory with the guests tomorrow?”
“Yes?”
“The two ladies asked me to take them along to explore the territory….”
“Did Sophia say she would go?”
“…?”
“Did the young ladies ask you, and what did you say?”
“…?”
Why is he asking that? Of course, I had to ask for his permission.
“I naturally declined since it was time for you to return today.”
“… Is that so.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t understand what he was so worried about. I had been a servant for a long time, so it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Is my trust that deficient…?
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t suddenly make plans with someone else without consulting you. So, will you go tomorrow?”
“…. Yes, I will.”
With that, I went down to tour the territory with Kyle, Catherine, and Lily. Since it was summer, the cold wasn’t life-threatening. Just enough to die from exposure after around 30 minutes of being outside without anything on?
“….”
“….”
“Young Master, you should pay more attention to your attire. There are ladies present, and your outfit seems too casual.”
“Sophia, it’s fine.”
“What do you mean…? You’re wearing pants that you only wear during exercise….”
“It’s fine.”
“Hah….”
When he was with me, he always wore nice clothes, but this time he went out looking too casual. The pants were the ones he wore during exercise, and the top looked like something he wore in class with Louise. Not stylish at all.
To be fair, Kyle’s looks made him somewhat appealing regardless.
“Why is Eristirol Duke’s Son here? We only asked Sophia.”
“I asked Young Master. He hasn’t explored the territory this month either.”
“…. I see. Eristirol Duke’s Son, you’ve improved compared to before?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
What an extravagant group. Children of a Duke and two Counts. If this group had wandered around the capital, it would have made the front page of the newspapers.
Of course, the observant people of Eristirol didn’t give us any attention. They treated our group normally so we could enjoy ourselves comfortably. But to my eyes, it appeared somewhat uncomfortable.
“We’ve eaten already, so let’s do some sightseeing as you suggested.”
“Yes.”
“It’s quite unique to be guided by Eristirol’s Duke and a beautiful servant like Sophia.”
Lily attached the adjective “beautiful” to me. Seeing a pretty girl in her late teens assign me that label made it seem like she wanted to score points with Kyle. There would be no reason she would say that otherwise.
“Hmm… What is that over there?”
“It looks like a construction site.”
Lily and Catherine were curious as they looked at the construction site of the Grand Shrine. Perhaps Kyle had liked the cathedral he had seen in the capital; he started building a shrine for the people of the territory.
Here they believed in a different religion from the one common in the Empire, so instead of a cathedral, it was named a shrine. They mentioned they would make it open to people of other religions and allow residents to use it for ceremonies like weddings or memorials.
“This will be the Grand Shrine soon to be built in Eristirol.”
“Grand Shrine?”
“Yes, it is expected to be used as a place of worship like the Borusia Cathedral. Even the North has people practicing religion, but none of them had the scale of the capital, so they decided to build one now.”
“Hmm… Well, the grandeur of a cathedral is indeed impressive.”
“Doesn’t the White Territory have such a cathedral? I saw it when I visited before; the White one seemed prettier.”
“Grandeur and beauty are different. Grandeur can be attributed to Eristirol Duke’s Son, while beauty can be associated with Sophia.”
The noble Young Master and ladies continued chatting in front of the construction site. The scale of the Grand Shrine construction provided enough conversational material for them.
In fact, the local residents were thrilled at the news that a large place of worship was being built. It’s much different from gathering in a house or a tiny chapel.
“Hmm… is there a scenic spot nearby, Eristirol Duke’s Son?”
“There is a scenic spot, but it’s a bit far from here. I wouldn’t recommend it and will suggest another place.”
As Kyle said this, he started walking again. I certainly knew there had to be a scenic spot, but I wondered why he wouldn’t go.
He had taken me there several times.
“…”
Maybe he didn’t think it was beautiful enough to show them? I don’t know.
Well, Kyle would surely charm the two if he wanted to. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t make an effort.
Neither of them seemed to be bad people, so I was in favor of it. A white-haired couple would also seem fitting.
Normally, in mangas or novels, the protagonist with white hair has a black-haired heroine, but there wasn’t a black-haired girl amongst the ladies, so it might be better if they paired off with someone with white hair.
Karin wasn’t black-haired but had brown hair, so that was a different topic altogether. Black and brown hair are entirely different.
“Wow… Is this the Knights that Eristirol takes pride in?”
“Yes, it is.”
And thus, we arrived at the training grounds of the Knights, not within the territory but the castle. I wondered if bringing the ladies here was a mistake, but they seemed to find the sight more entertaining than I expected.
Thinking about it, knights were indeed something girls loved in this world. That’s why knight and noble romance novels probably topped the bestsellers every month.
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