Strike while the iron is hot, they said.
Since the ancestors were never wrong, it’d be much better to follow their words.
‘……Or maybe not.’
However, as soon as the front gate of House of Hessen came into view, my firm resolve began to waver.
“Bianca, young lady?”
The guard at the gate widened his eyes. I shrank back a little at his reaction, but I forced myself to be brave.
“I sent a letter to the Duke……”
That was when it happened.
“Bianca!”
I heard Ricardo’s voice.
He must have run all the way to the gate—his face was flushed with urgency. His hair was tousled and unkempt from the wind.
Yet there was no sign of fatigue. As I stared at the liveliness in his face, I awkwardly held out the robe I was carrying in my hand.
“Ah.”
His eyes looked like he had completely forgotten about the robe.
……What should I even call this situation?
I’d seen Ricardo plenty of times before, but today felt different. Awkward. Unfamiliar.
Maybe it was because of the unmistakable joy written on his face.
I couldn’t figure out what to say, and I couldn’t even remember what we usually talked about.
‘We were always just fighting.’
Or maybe I was just tired.
It must’ve been the aftereffects of the spell Peril cast.
“Th-then I’ll be going now!”
No sooner had I quickly said my goodbye than Ricardo blocked my path.
“……?”
It didn’t seem like he had anything to say—more like a reflexive action. As I tried to move in another direction with a puzzled look, he blocked me again.
I stubbornly changed direction, but Ricardo repeatedly stood in my way.
“What are you doing……?”
“My business isn’t over yet.”
When I tilted my head as if to say ‘then talk’, Ricardo cautiously suggested,
“Shall we walk for now?”
What is this? Does he really have something important to say?
His expression looked serious enough that I found myself agreeing without thinking.
As we walked for quite a while.
“……Actually, I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I, uh, had a late lunch.”
Then Ricardo shamelessly said,
“Then you can watch me eat. That might make you hungry.”
……I don’t even know where to begin pointing out what’s wrong with that.
* * *
Still, Ricardo wasn’t entirely wrong.
It was unexpected, but he had even made a reservation at the most famous restaurant in the capital.
“By any chance, is this errand something you had to take care of at a specific time?”
“Yes.”
Ricardo replied with a shameless face.
So much for something important to say.
This was just killing time out of boredom!
I shook my head and glanced at him.
“By the way, where are you coming from?”
Ricardo flinched visibly at my words.
No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t look like someone who just stepped out of the estate. And on top of that, Ricardo, who normally didn’t use perfume, had a faint scent on him.
“Let’s just say that.”
Why was that answer so vague?
Even his neck turned red……
I awkwardly fiddled with my ear and changed the subject.
“So, where are we going now?”
“There’s a cafe I had in mind.”
His response came immediately, like he had been waiting.
“You know a cafe? Doesn’t seem like it.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Then he confidently led the way.
“Oh dear, this is unfortunate. The place is full right now, so you’ll have to wait a little.”
The problem was, the cafe didn’t have any seats.
Ricardo looked a bit flustered but quickly regained his composure.
“It’s alright. There are plenty of cafes in the capital.”
“R-right.”
But if Ricardo had forgotten anything, it was that around this time of day, most cafes in the capital were packed with people.
He was turned away multiple times, and while his expression remained calm, his eyes betrayed his unease.
I couldn’t bear to watch any longer and opened my mouth.
“Umm, do we really have to go to a cafe?”
“I wanted to do something you enjoy.”
“……”
“I feel like all we’ve done together are things you dislike……”
I was at a loss for words.
“So you looked it up?”
“I asked for other people’s opinions, too.”
“……”
“I’m not that familiar with the capital, you see.”
After pausing to find the right words, I carefully spoke up.
“I also like taking walks. I enjoy having ordinary conversations too.”
Ricardo paused.
“And what about you? What do you like? Do you have any hobbies?”
I never imagined I’d be the one asking such a question.
“I……”
His answer didn’t come for a long while. He just kept looking at me.
When I tilted my head, Ricardo parted his lips, then smiled bitterly.
“None.”
“Then it’ll be fun to discover them from now on.”
“……!”
“Isn’t it exciting? To find out what you’ll end up liking.”
The sun slowly began to set. I started walking toward the House of Hessen.
“The weather’s nice, so I’ll take you back.”
“Haa, Bianca. A gentleman doesn’t get escorted by a lady.”
“Then you should consider it an honor.”
When I insisted, Ricardo let out a small sigh and followed me.
“Besides, the Roygin carriage is at the House of Hessen, isn’t it?”
“You leave no room for rebuttal.”
“You’re the same. You never back down from a word.”
“Compared to you, I’m nothing.”
“For someone like that, you sure talk well.”
“Maybe it’s because I enjoy talking with you.”
Just like now.
Look at him making people speechless.
Unable to say anything back, I saw Ricardo let out a quiet laugh.
“Did I make you speechless again?”
“Yes. That’s seriously a talent.”
“I’ll work even harder on it.”
“Th-there’s no need for that.”
If he did, I really wouldn’t be able to get a single word in.
“Bianca.”
At that moment, Ricardo called me.
“Now that it’s certain Seiren is connected to the temple, the imperial family will likely focus on concealing his existence.”
“……!”
“Through that process, I just want you to stay safe.”
A short twitch passed his eyes.
“The one who had been hiding his presence chose to reveal himself to you for the first time.”
Ricardo stopped speaking, seemingly finding it difficult to continue. Then he forced a wry smile.
“……Is it because he wants you to leave this place?”
I flinched at his words. But I couldn’t bring myself to answer. In the past, I had denied that very question.
Besides, once I confessed that I was an outsider, there was no telling how he would react.
Because it was Bianca’s wish? Even if I explained otherwise, that would be the only thing Ricardo heard.
I couldn’t lie about it.
And in the end, it was Ricardo who stepped back first. As if nothing had happened, he changed the subject.
“Since we didn’t make it to the cafe today, can we try again next time?”
“So the cafe really was the errand.”
“Two birds with one stone.”
How does that even make sense?
Before I knew it, we arrived at the House of Hessen. But the carriage I expected to be nearby was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe it was parked inside—Ricardo naturally guided me toward the mansion.
“It’s been a while since I visited Hessen.”
But then, Ricardo suddenly stopped, and I bumped into his back.
“……!”
Before I could even rub my sore nose, Ricardo quickly turned around.
“I should be heading back now.”
He forced a faint smile.
“Today was enjoyable.”
At the same time, I spotted Harnen standing under the persimmon tree. While I was swallowing a gasp, Ricardo started walking toward him.
“……”
Seeing his face darken in an instant, I unknowingly clenched my hand.
……How can he look like that?
Maybe that’s why—before reason could stop me, my body moved first.
I rushed ahead of Ricardo and strode toward Harnen. I even quickened my pace, afraid he might catch me.
Once I reached the persimmon tree where Harnen stood,
I kicked the tree without warning.
Thud!
The moment I confirmed the persimmon hanging from the branch had fallen onto his head, I grabbed Ricardo’s wrist and started running.
“Run!”
How long did we run? Only when I could taste the metallic tang of blood at the back of my throat did I stop.
Panting for breath, I looked back and saw Ricardo’s eyes wide open.
“He doesn’t know it was me……right?”
Now that the deed was done, anxiety kicked in. But Ricardo didn’t respond—he just blinked blankly, dazed.
Then suddenly, he burst into laughter.
“Pfft!”
“I’m being serious!”
Even so, Ricardo showed no signs of stopping his laughter. I couldn’t figure out what was so funny.