“Miss, I’ve checked out the book. Shall we go?”
Out into the big world.
Taylor trotted ahead, his eyes shining with excellence.
Laila giggled giddily; then, she followed Taylor with Sion.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Unexpectedly, they ended up staying in the capital for another week. Well, that should be fine, Laila thought casually.
Soon, her thoughts began to shift towards the belief that it was actually for the best.
‘It’s great not having to go back to that suffocating villain’s den so soon.’
Then, a question naturally arose.
‘…Why was I planning to go back immediately after finishing my business? I didn’t have to.’
The idea of doing something unplanned was a bit scary and uncomfortable.
Laila chuckled to herself. What was there to be afraid of?
While she occasionally found courage, she realized she was fundamentally too fearful. That thought suddenly crossed her mind.
“We’ve arrived.”
The carriage stopped.
The coachman, following Laila’s request, had brought them to “the most famous restaurant in the area.”
The two-story building looked more like a mansion where a wealthy person lived than a restaurant.
“Welcome.”
As they approached the entrance, a staff member nearby greeted them politely and opened the door.
Inside, another staff member, dressed differently, guided Laila and her party to the second floor.
As they ascended the marble stairs, an opulently decorated space appeared.
Ornate sculptures adorned various places. Chandeliers illuminated the ceiling. An orchestra played sweet music in one corner.
“It feels more like being invited to a party than a restaurant.”
“Indeed.”
Taylor’s description was spot-on. Laila was getting that impression, too.
Sitting by the window, Laila skimmed the menu.
She had only been sitting momentarily when she felt someone’s gaze.
She felt eyes on her.
It was so blatant that she couldn’t ignore it.
Looking around, Laila soon spotted a group staring in her direction.
They appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old.
All of them had clear skin and wore lively dresses.
When Laila caught their gaze, they quickly looked down and pretended to focus on their meals.
“……?”
Laila tilted her head. What’s going on?
Then Taylor’s voice reached her ears.
“They’ll come over to talk soon.”
“Huh? Who will?”
“One of the young ladies staring at us so intently just now.”
Taylor’s words were prophetic. “Soon” came quickly.
“Excuse me…”
Laila turned in the direction of the shy voice.
She was surprised to see a girl in a bright yellow dress approaching their table and starting a conversation.
With Sion.
“This is our first meeting. Which noble house do you belong to?”
“…….”
“I-I’m Beria Serthian from the Barony of Serthian. If it’s not too much trouble, I would like to invite the young master to dine with me this evening…”
“I’m sorry, but…”
Taylor spoke up instead of Sion, who didn’t even glance at the brave girl addressing him.
“He can’t speak due to psychological reasons. Please understand.”
“Uh, oh!”
The girl, who introduced herself as Beria Serthian, turned bright red.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“No problem.”
Despite hearing that Sion couldn’t speak, Bleria lingered awkwardly for a while.
“…Have a nice evening.”
But as Sion never once turned his head towards her, she eventually left, looking greatly disheartened.
From a nearby table, Laila could hear Beria talking to her friends, presumably,
“I must have made a mistake. He seemed upset. I really wanted to invite him, but, oh well, cheer up…”
Laila sat in a daze, then snapped back to reality and addressed Taylor.
“Sir Taylor, how did you know? That young lady just now…”
“That she was going to approach Sion?”
“……Yes.”
Taylor’s statement had a strange air of certainty to it, going beyond just guessing based on her staring.
“Well, it’s something I’m used to.”
“Used to?”
“Over the past four days in the library, around thirty young ladies have stared at Sion and then tried to talk to him.”
“…….”
“The thirty-first one just came and went.”
Laila’s mouth slightly agape.
Thirty-one?
Thirty-one young ladies approached Sion?
Laila glanced at Sion again, and suddenly, certain facts became apparent.
Porcelain-smooth, almost translucent skin. His delicate features seemed more suited for sculptures or paintings.
In just a year, his height surged to approximately a hand’s length, making him appear taller than his peers.
Neat clothes that fit him just right…
A realization struck Laila like a bolt of lightning.
It was only the people trapped in the confined space of Marquis Hildegarde’s estate who treated Sion as a “slave.”
Outside, no one regarded Sion as a slave.
They thought he was a noble young master, not a slave, and treated him accordingly.
Indeed, the Sion sitting here now looked every bit like the scion of a distinguished household.
There was a glow about him. And it wasn’t a glow visible only to Laila’s eyes.
Laila felt a slight nausea and covered her mouth.
She had just realized how foolishly she had been under the delusion of looking down on him.
Why had she acted like that? She scoffed so much at the people of the Marquisate for treating Sion with such disrespect, but she had grown accustomed to their gaze and behavior.
She had thought she was the only one who recognized Sion’s specialness.
But that couldn’t be true.
As Laila was still reeling from this realization, Taylor casually spoke up.
“Our Sion is quite handsome. I get jealous sometimes.”
“…….”
“It was a joke… Wasn’t it funny?”
Seeing the silence that followed his attempted joke, Taylor smoothly changed the subject, saying, “Shall we order now?”
Laila quickly glanced at the menu again, but strangely, the words under “menu” didn’t seem to register in her mind.
Struggling to make sense of the letters that refused to sink in, Laila eventually called the waiter over.
She asked if there was such a thing as a “featured menu of the day” and was told yes.
Laila followed the recommendation and ordered a meal for three. After a moment of hesitation, she added,
“If you have carrot pie, please bring that too.”
“Okay.”
Taylor’s eyes widened as she overheard the order.
“Carrot pie? Miss, do you like carrots?”
“Well…”
Laila hesitated, glancing briefly at the empty table before replying,
“I don’t dislike them.”
“Really? Carrots and you seem like a perfect match.”
“Why?”
“Miss, you’re like a rabbit.”
A rabbit……?
It was an unexpected comparison. Wasn’t that a common comment made to those with freckles and pink eyes?
Or those with unusually large front teeth.
Laila made a face as soon as the latter thought crossed her mind.
“I don’t have big front teeth.”
“I didn’t say they were big.”
“You said I’m like a rabbit.”
“That’s just a feeling. Rabbits are small, cute, and gentle, you know.”
Laila listened quietly, but she couldn’t help but retort unconsciously.
“Rabbits aren’t that gentle. They can bite your fingers pretty well…”
Seemingly noticing that Laila’s words came from experience, Taylor asked,
“Miss, have you ever raised a rabbit?”
“……Yes.”
“When?”
“A long time ago.”
The “a long time ago” part was strictly true; she had had one before the regression. Taylor narrowed his eyes.
“When you were a baby, you mean?”
“…How would that be possible?”
“I’m kidding. You’re still young, so saying ’a long time ago’ seemed odd.”
Laila fell silent. It was something she couldn’t explain.
Taylor soon shifted his interest back to “rabbits” and asked,
“Did you give the rabbit a name?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“Torizabeth.”
