The One Who Doesn't Find Me Disgusting
Daisy's table was far more lavish than Leni's.
Freshly baked bread arrived alongside strips of greasy bacon. Onions roasted in a sauce that carried the sweet scent of honey sat beside them. A small plate held several boiled eggs and a wedge of cheese, with milk to drink. For a final palate cleanser, there were fresh peaches and plums.
Whether Alon Ricgard truly treated both daughters equally was something Emil could not know, but it was clear the kitchen maids did not share that sentiment.
“Mmm…”
Daisy snatched up the bread and began devouring it, then grabbed the bacon with her bare hands. Cately would have frowned deeply if she had seen it.
“My lady, please slow down a little. And it seems you’ve forgotten the fork exists.”
“Don’t worry. Mmm, I didn’t forget.”
“Then I beg you to use it. The poor fork must feel quite neglected.”
“Let it stay neglected a little longer.”
Daisy popped an egg into her mouth, took a bite of cheese, and only then released the food.
Emil let out a soft sigh, drew out a handkerchief, and gently took her hand to wipe it clean.
“Has the fork returned to your memory now?”
When he wiped the crumbs and meat grease from the corners of her mouth, Daisy gave a bashful little smile.
“That’s right. Priest, feed me.”
“You want me to?”
“Yes. You fed that girl cake with a fork, didn’t you? For me, use your hands.”
Those maids really did have loose tongues. They refused to enter the room because of the stench, yet they knew every detail of what happened inside and gossiped freely among themselves.
“I doubt the taste changes much regardless of which hand tears the bread… but if it is my lady’s request, I will gladly obey.”
“Hehe, good.”
Emil tore off a piece of bread small enough for one bite, wrapped it around a slice of meat, and dipped it generously in the onion sauce. Daisy’s eyes sparkled with delight.
“Wow, that looks delicious. I never thought of eating it this way.”
“Eating anything but bread with your hands is hardly ladylike. Please use a fork from now on.”
He held the bread out to her. As expected, Daisy opened her mouth and swallowed it in one bite—along with the fingers that held it.
The small teeth nibbling his finger were faintly felt, but it didn’t hurt.
“Yum… mmm. Huh? Why aren’t you surprised?”
“Because I expected it. More importantly, please don’t speak with my finger still in your mouth.”
“Hee, but I don’t want to.”
Daisy bit down harder and laughed.
What a little rascal.
Emil flicked her forehead lightly with his other hand. Very lightly.
Daisy made a great show of rubbing the spot and opened her mouth.
“It hurts… I’m telling Mother.”
“Then I’ll have to tell her that my lady bit my finger.”
At that, both of them burst into laughter.
Daisy stared at her sauce-smeared finger for a moment, then held it out to him.
“Here. Do the same to me.”
“…What exactly do you mean?”
She grinned.
“It feels unfair if I’m the only one biting. Priest, you bite my finger too.”
What on earth was she saying now?
He couldn’t tell whether she was joking.
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’m serious! Hurry up and bite. Hurry.”
It seemed she truly meant it.
Daisy extended her finger all the way to Emil’s lips. Good heavens, what was this?
“If I bite, my lady’s hand will be injured.”
“Then bite gently.”
“My lady, that’s…”
“Why? You don’t want to?”
She pouted, lips pushed forward.
“You would have refused if that girl asked, wouldn’t you?”
He had no answer to that.
From Daisy’s perspective, Emil had been stolen away by Leni. No matter how unreasonable her demand, he had no right to refuse.
With no other choice, he gently bit the tip of her finger.
“Kyaa!”
Daisy let out a delighted squeal.
The slender finger wriggled playfully inside his mouth. It tasted, naturally, of meat and onion sauce.
When she saw her own finger between his lips, Daisy suddenly grew shy.
“Um… this feels strangely weird.”
“Well, having your finger bitten isn’t exactly pleasant.”
“No, it doesn’t feel bad… but it’s… ugh, something feels off…”
When he opened his mouth, she quickly withdrew her hand.
She fiddled with her finger for a long while, then suddenly blurted out, “Priest, can you bite it one more time?”
“…I must decline.”
Even jokes had their limits.
Daisy pouted, lips puffed out in disappointment.
“Hurry and eat. Weren’t you the one saying you were hungry?”
“Tsk. Fine.”
She stuffed the remaining bread into her mouth in one go. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as she chewed, reminding him so strongly of a small animal that he couldn’t help but smile.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“No reason.”
He smiled again.
“My lady, now that you’ve finished eating, would you care to take a short walk outside? The days are growing colder, but it’s still noon, so it should be warm enough.”
“Oh, really? I’d love to!”
And so the two of them set out to stroll through Iredain Castle.
It had been quite some time since he last walked with Daisy.
“Do you remember this place? It’s where I first met you, my lady. I saw you playing in that grassy field over there and picked a bunch of violets for you.”
“Of course I remember! How could I ever forget?”
Emil had brought one peach and one plum in each hand. Daisy playfully snatched the plum and took a big bite.
“Mmm… I still have that violet, you know. I pressed it between the pages of a book and kept it safe.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Just then, a wind blew through.
It was now late October, and the late-autumn breeze carried a distinct chill.
Emil drew Daisy close with one arm, almost as if embracing her.
“My, aren’t you cold?”
“No… thank you, Priest.”
Daisy stayed still for a moment as if startled, then broke into a bright, radiant smile. It was the kind of smile that lifted the spirits of anyone who saw it.
“By the way, my lady, do you know the ancient imperial language? Or have you at least studied it before?”
“Ancient imperial language? No, what is that?”
Ah. He had phrased it poorly. He hadn’t meant to ask if she knew of its existence.
“The ancient empire… in other words, the tongue spoken by people long before Rosdea was founded. The original scriptures are written in that language as well.”
“Ah, I know of it! Wait, no. Not that I know it… I just understood what you meant.”
From her reaction, it didn’t seem she had ever learned it.
Then had Leni studied it alone?
“It’s quite a difficult language, isn’t it? But why do you ask? Priest, do you know it?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Really? You truly are amazing.”
Emil gave a bitter smile.
This girl thought everything he did was amazing. Knowing the ancient imperial language was hardly a remarkable feat in itself.
“In any case, you’ve never studied it. Then has there never been anyone who claimed to know the ancient imperial language?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of anyone.”
The mystery only deepened.
The only remaining possibility was that Leni had taught herself from books… but was that even feasible?
In this pre-modern society, “self-study” meant exactly that—studying completely alone. To begin with, could one even find a dictionary of the ancient imperial language?
Or perhaps Alon had learned it before bringing that illegitimate girl here.
‘…That’s impossible.’
He didn’t know what Leni’s life had been like before she came to Iredain Castle, but there was no way she would have had a tutor capable of teaching her the ancient imperial language.
“Ah, I don’t know the ancient imperial language, but I do know a few words from across the strait. One of Father’s friends was from an island beyond it.”
“Really? Let me hear.”
“Right now? Um, I don’t know it that well…”
“Even so, I’d like to hear it.”
When Emil gently encouraged her, Daisy hesitated in embarrassment before speaking.
“You are… ah, that’s not right. I love you. More than anyone in the world.”
“Receiving your love is the greatest honor I could ever know, my lady.”
Daisy flinched in surprise.
“W-wait, Priest. Did you just answer in the language from across the strait? You know it?”
“Of course. After all, I came from Tyssos.”
The language Daisy had spoken was also used on Tyssos Island, which was supposedly Emil’s homeland.
In truth, thanks to Pidea, Emil had mastered every language and his place of origin held little meaning… but Daisy had only just realized that.
Her face flushed crimson and she covered it with both hands.
She must have realized only after speaking how embarrassingly forward the sentence had been.
“Oh my goodness… Priest, is my face red? It feels so hot.”
“Yes, especially your ears. They’re bright red.”
When he answered with a soft chuckle, Daisy, mortified, covered her face with one hand and lightly smacked his chest with the other.
“You were mean.”
“I’m sorry, my lady.”
“You were mean.”
Laughter kept bubbling up.
She loved teasing others but could never endure being teased herself.
Daisy continued to pat his chest for a long while after that.