Chapter 117
“Let’s go.”
“Hold on to it.”
Isidor stretched out his arm as if to escort me. I fiddled with my fan awkwardly.
“I’m fine.”
“There are a lot of stairs here, so you can fall.”
I felt like I was the only one who was conscious of him, so I was nervous again when I found his white bare hands as soon as I grabbed his arm.
‘What? Why didn’t I notice it before?’
Why am I suddenly seeing it clearly?
‘He has never taken off his gloves in a formal place like this, so why now?’
I was distracted by the pale hand that caught my gaze, and as Isidor had predicted, I bumped my shoes on the low steps and stumbled.
“Be careful.”
He hurriedly embraced me, who nearly fell down, and my body was tightly pressed against his arm.
“It’s dangerous…”
He babbled in a low voice.
“Even if I fell, I would just scrape my knees lightly. To say that it’s dangerous…”
“…”
Isidor slowly let go of me, his expression looking somewhat complicated. The silence that continued throughout the walk was awkward, so I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
“It wasn’t crowded, so I didn’t have any expectations, but the play was quite fun. The actors’ performance was excellent. Don’t you think so?”
“I’m not sure. The plot didn’t feel creative in general, so it wasn’t anything special. As for the actors’ performance… I was so distracted by the Princess that I couldn’t see it properly.”
“Huh? Why? The actress was pretty.”
I was embarrassed by his speech without a filter, so I didn’t say anything.
“… It seems the Princess thought that the male actor was good-looking.”
Isidor said, narrowing his brows.
“What?”
“I don’t even remember the actors’ faces. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it even if they had three eyes.”
I became so embarrassed by his ridiculous words that I said something else.
“… Ahem. In any case, I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”
“You’re not deliberately changing the topic, are you?”
“Of course not. I thought that only the actress was pretty. Compared to Sir Isidor’s appearance, the male actor looked like the seventh leg of a squid, so he wasn’t anything spe…”
But why am I making such a strange excuse?
Feeling embarrassed belatedly, I walked to a nearby restaurant with Isidor, who now seemed to be in a better mood.
As soon as we arrived, the manager came out and guided us to a space separated from the hall. As soon as we sat down in a spot where we could see the view of the beautifully landscaped garden out the window, we got drinks and light snacks. It seems like he was asking them to prepare the food as soon as possible because I was pretending to be hungry.
‘He’s very attentive.’
In my previous life, the first person I met on a blind date because of a friend was unprepared, so it was more comparable. There was no restaurant to meet and eat in the bustling downtown crowded with people. In the end, while we were walking around in search of an empty place, it suddenly started raining and we parted ways without finishing our date.
I was staring at him because I remembered the past, but he suddenly curved his eyes like a fox.
‘What is he going to say this time…’
“Are there any ingredients or spices you don’t like? I’ll ask them to remove it.”
“Ah, not really.”
“Me neither. I’m not picky. I eat everything well. What’s your favorite dish?”
“Steak…”
While having a normal conversation, surprisingly, the waiter approached us and served appetizers.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Actually, it wasn’t just fine. I was so used to the Seymour family’s cooking that I thought it was really delicious. I was slightly hungry, so I ate well as I usually do in the presence of my father.
“Try this too.”
Every time our eyes met, he pushed a plate towards me and gave me a sweet smile that could melt people. Moreover, his table manners were also impeccably good.
“I’ll cut it for you.”
When the steak came, he took the cutlery and plate as if he had been waiting, quickly slicing the meat and handing it back to me.
‘By the way, what’s with this clean cut?’
Whatever technique he may have used, I couldn’t help but admire the steak he cut because it was still juicy.
“My fellow knights are also useful sometimes.”
Isidor muttered.
“Why?”
“I heard that the most practical and useful way to use our aura is to use it to cut the meat on a date, so I’m glad I practiced it just in case…”
“Pfft! Is that a joke among the knights of Azutea?”
Isidor blinked with a puzzled face as he looked at me laughing while shaking my shoulders.
“I practiced with aura yesterday. In the beginning, even the plates were cut, so it was a bit troublesome.”
I was confused about whether it was a joke or not, but I tried to smile and took a sip of the wine.
The course meal took so long that when he finished eating, it was already dark. I couldn’t help but feel excited because I watched a funny play, ate something delicious, and tasted a variety of drinks during the meal.
The sweetness that lingered around my mouth grew deeper as I faced the friendly gaze with a smile.
“Sir Isidor. I want to walk a bit because I’m full.”
It was a pity to part ways like this, so I spoke while looking at the well-landscaped outdoor garden at the back door of the restaurant. But at my suggestion, he suddenly pulled out a scroll.
“What is that?”
“I know a good place to take a walk.”
“I think you waste movement scrolls often. Didn’t you also use one at the auction house last time?”
I know that space movement is a high-class magic. I can’t believe there are two people around me who use movement magic like they’re having a meal.
“I have lots of it, so why not use some?”
Isidor, who had a playful expression, led the way towards the back door of the restaurant and pulled me lightly to a place with no one. As soon as he tore the scroll, my vision flashed white and the landscape slowly turned dark, spreading out a long stone wall path.
“What do you think?”
I looked around and let out a short exclamation.
The area around the long stone wall path was lined with trees, and a mysterious atmosphere was created by the reflection of the dazzling moonlight on the white wildflowers blooming everywhere. The cool breeze was blowing moderately, just enough to make it nice to take a walk.
“This place is beautiful.”
“You’re being generous with your compliments today.”
“I’m just not lying. You only take me to good places.”
I walked slowly with him, distracted by the sight of Yones District beyond the stone wall and down the hill.
“Here, it’s even more beautiful if you sit on the wall and look down.”
While I was thinking that it would be difficult to climb up because the wall was quite high, Isidor slowly knelt down and tapped his thigh.
“Step on it and go up.”
“…”
“Hm? Deborah. It’s worth the climb.”
As I hesitated, his eyes twinkled, and he continued to encourage me.
Honestly, it was an attractive suggestion, so I ended up taking off both shoes and slowly stepping on his thigh. I felt nervous as the firm thigh muscles that touched my feet tightened. I was so embarrassed for no reason that I gave strength to my arms and hurriedly sat on the wall.
After helping me get settled above him, he then jumped in a sleek motion and sat next to me. As a swordsman, he had a good athletic ability.
Isidor looked down with his long eyelashes. We could see the downtown of Yones District at a glance, and Horun District beyond the river in the distance. Isidor smiled as he watched me shake my bare feet lightly up and down.
“You didn’t have to take off your shoes. Why did you take them off? It’s troublesome to put them on again.”
“You probably wouldn’t say that if I stepped on you with my heels.”
“The Princess is kind. Much more than I thought.”
“It’s weird to hear such a thing from a really nice and kind person.”
He sent me a bouquet of flowers and politely asked me out on a date, and brought me to a theatre, to a restaurant, and a place with a great view. I wanted to know more about his refined perfection because it was somewhat suspicious, but I only found strong points today.
He was thorough enough to prepare our date in advance, knew a lot of good restaurants, and even cut the steak well. Anyone would say he was kind and perfect. Everything was so perfect that it felt unrealistic. It was like a sweet dream that would disappear right away when I opened my eyes.
I gazed at his kind profile with the moonlight streaming down. Isidor, who was looking down at the city while blinking his golden eyelashes, soon threw his gaze at the half-moon in the sky and slowly opened his mouth.
“I’m not sure. I’m not that kind. It’s my first time hearing someone say I’m kind.”
“That’s similar to the line in today’s play.”
Isidor’s brows narrowed slightly at my murmur.
“Did the Grand Duke of the North or whatever it was say something like that? It seems I impersonated him. It feels strange.”
“It was a line from an important scene. You said you remembered the plot earlier.”
“I skimmed through the pamphlet.”
‘Did he really only look at my face?’
His tone of voice was somewhat unclear, but I continued speaking without noticing it.
“I think the play we saw today was really fun.”
“… How so?”
“I was tense the whole time. The female protagonist didn’t know much about the male protagonist but fell in love with him.”
“What do you think, Princess? About the Grand Duke. Someone with a lot of secrets…”
I thought about his question for a moment, then opened my mouth.