An Unexpected Outing (2)
All Ethan had done was kindly offer to fit me for a new dagger, and I'd gone and blurted out something absurd — a brazen misunderstanding about noble exchange gatherings and who knows what else.
Now, with my head buried against the table and my hands clamped over my burning face, drowning in shame, Ethan spoke up carefully, as if trying to comfort me.
"I'm sorry, Lilith. I should have explained properly from the start."
"…No. It was I who dared to entertain such a foolish delusion, Young Master Ethan."
"I-it's not like it was foolish or anything. And besides, I've always been grateful that you never bother denying it when people mistake you for my fiancée."
"…I apologize, Young Master. So I have a favor to ask — please, forget every word of the conversation we just had. I… I can't possibly lift my head in front of you after this…."
"…What are you talking about? Weren't we in the middle of discussing a trip to Grainstone?"
…Well, he certainly lives up to his name as the Blackwood heir — the man can read a room like nobody's business.
Thanks to Ethan's brazenly natural delivery, as though my words had truly vanished from his memory, I managed to coax the heat out of my face. There was still a fair bit of warmth lingering in my cheeks, but the conversation had to go on somehow, so I forced myself into a shameless composure and answered.
"Grainstone Village — the little settlement where the half-dwarf blacksmith runs his forge, if I recall."
"…Ah, yeah. That's right."
"May I ask what business takes you to such a small village? Are you perhaps planning to have a new sword made, Young Master Ethan?"
"…No, it's for you. I'm having a new dagger made for you."
"For my dagger? That is… genuinely the last thing I expected to hear, Young Master Ethan."
"……."
Ethan bit down hard on his lower lip, visibly wrestling with something, doing his utmost to keep his emotions in check.
Well, with that, I could consider the shameless timeline where I'd tried to attend a noble exchange gathering at Ethan's side more or less erased from existence.
So this time, I put forward the very first question that had come to mind when he offered to have my weapon reforged.
"That said — is there really any need to travel all the way to Grainstone for a new dagger?"
"Hm?"
"I have no objection to obtaining a fine one, of course, but I couldn't help worrying that hauling me along might prove an unnecessary burden for you, Young Master Ethan."
"What are you talking about? Having your weapon made isn't a burden at all, Lilith."
"I beg your pardon?"
It's not his weapon — it's his personal maid's dagger. And that's not a burden?
For a moment I wondered what on earth he meant by that, but the alternative intent behind his words clicked into place almost immediately.
He must be thinking about the Harvest Festival in the second semester.
Just as the first semester at Luminor Academy closed with the combat department's evaluation tournament, the second semester ended with the Harvest Festival — an event in which the entire student body took part. One of the things combat students did there was venture into the hunting grounds near the academy to bring back game, and it was the only time of year when students could form parties across grade and department lines for the exercise.
If Ethan was planning to include me in his party, then strengthening my capabilities was hardly an inconvenience at all.
Concluding as much, satisfied that the reason was a perfectly understandable one, I nodded to show I'd caught his meaning.
"Understood, Young Master Ethan. I believe I can now see why having you fit me for a new dagger would be no burden whatsoever."
"…Could you tell me why you think that? I'm not doubting you, Lilith — I just want to make sure you're not spiraling off into another strange misunderstanding."
"Is it not because an increase in the strength of your exclusive maid — that is, mine — amounts to an increase in your own strength, Young Master Ethan?"
"…Huh?"
"…Was I wrong?"
"No, no…. I was just surprised that, for once, you understood correctly instead of leaping to some bizarre conclusion…."
…Did Ethan just, for a split second, hand me a rather unflattering assessment?
I decided it was probably my imagination and let it slide.
"In any case, if we're going, let's leave tomorrow morning. Believe me, I'd love to depart this very instant, but I don't think that's quite feasible."
"Pardon? Isn't Grainstone Village not all that far from the Blackwood territory? If we left now, I'd imagine it would take less than half a day."
"That's true, but I can't exactly tell the coachman to drop everything and leave right now. Besides, the carriage needs a proper inspection before a journey anyway."
"Is there truly a reason we must take a carriage for a mere trip to Grainstone?"
"Hm?"
Ethan tilted his head at me, sounding as though I'd said something odd, and I promptly mimed gripping a set of reins with both hands, waving my fists before his eyes.
"For a journey with just the two of us — you and I — there's no need to rely on a carriage. A single horse would be more than sufficient."
"…Really?"
"If we depart now, we'll arrive before nightfall, Young Master Ethan."
And so the roster of the expedition to Grainstone was settled.
With the expedition decided, Ethan and I made our way to the stables.
Stroking the mane of the magnificent white horse I hadn't seen in quite some time, I called out the name of a friend I'd temporarily forgotten.
"It's been a while, Zeraon."
'Neigh!'
"You haven't forgotten me while I was away at the Academy, have you? Well, you look healthy — that's what matters."
'Neiiigh!'
Zeraon, the white horse of the Blackwood family, who had helped me through any number of scrapes back in Dietmeier's riding lessons. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have erased the three-odd months of memories we'd shared, greeting my face with a cheerful whinny of welcome.
"…Lilith, the plaque here says 'Lucina'? And Zeraon is a bit… for a mare…."
"Let's take this outside for now, Zeraon."
'Neigh!!'
I brushed off Ethan's pointless nitpicking, took Zeraon's reins, and led him out of the stable. The thought of riding on this friend's back again after so long set my heart fluttering in a strange way.
After all, my very first riding lesson had been with him, which had bred no small amount of affection — and more to the point, driving a carriage and riding a horse were two entirely different experiences.
Personally, I found galloping on horseback far more enjoyable than driving a carriage. A horse jostled you a bit more, sure — but when you were the one in control, you barely noticed — and above all, riding let me savor the greatest thrill of the whole experience, the raw rush of speed, without a single obstruction.
"You'll be all right, Lilith?"
"Riding is a craft I mastered long before I ever learned to drive a carriage, Young Master Ethan. I fail to see why someone who has ridden in a carriage I drove would be worried."
"No, of course I know your riding skills are fine — that's not what I'm worried about…."
"I'm sorry?"
Ethan hemmed and hawed, hesitating over an answer to something that was apparently a little awkward to say outright.
Then, quite out of nowhere, he confessed to something I already knew well, dithering over our journey to Grainstone Village.
"I can't ride, Lilith."
"Yes, I'm aware. You poured all your hours into sword training instead of taking riding lessons, Young Master Ethan."
"So if we ride to Grainstone the way you suggested, the only option is for you to sit in front holding the reins, and for me to climb on behind you and hang on."
"Yes, I'm aware of that as well."
"…You're aware?"
"We would simply be traveling together on horseback, would we not? I hardly see the problem."
"……."
At my final answer, Ethan abruptly fell silent.
Then, with a somewhat stiff expression, he gave a nod of acceptance.
"All right. If it doesn't bother you, Lilith."
"I'm sorry?"
"If that's how you feel about it. Then riding together like this it is."
"…Is something perhaps troubling you, Young Master Ethan?"
"No. Nothing like that at all, so don't worry about it. Enough — let's get moving, Lilith."
"…Yes."
Something was, quite unmistakably, putting him in a bad mood.
We'd spent enough years at each other's side that I'd always thought I had a decent instinct for avoiding the sorts of things he disliked in our day-to-day life. And yet here was Ethan, plainly broadcasting his displeasure straight at me.
…I don't know what it is, but knowing Ethan's temperament, it'll probably blow over soon enough.
Chalking his behavior up to some vague oddity, I climbed onto Zeraon's back as instructed — and the moment I settled into the saddle, I felt Ethan mount up right behind me.
-Thump.
"We will now be departing for Grainstone Village, Young Master Ethan."
"…Right."
"Please be sure to hold tightly to my body so you don't fall off during the ride."
"…Right."
-Squish.
"…Hnng?!"
A hand reaching from behind had, for an instant, made contact with my chest, and a faintly mortified sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Wondering what on earth could possess him to grab my chest from behind like that, I twisted my head around — and Ethan was already apologizing.
"…Young Master Eth—"
"Sorry, Lilith. That was an accident."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I was reaching to hold onto you from behind, and my hand just… ended up there. I'm sorry, Lilith."
"……."
Well, if it was a genuine accident rather than intentional, I suppose there was no need to fly into a fury over it.
Truthfully, I was the one who'd suggested sharing a horse in the first place — raising a fuss at this point would be rather hypocritical. A touch like this was hardly outside the realm of expectation.
And this might sound strange to say, but frankly, my chest had already been groped any number of times by now.
This was very much something I could choose not to dwell on, if I put my mind to it.
"Understood, Young Master Ethan. Kindly be more careful next time."
"Yeah."
-Squish.
"…Ngh."
"Sorry — I was just trying to adjust my position."
"…It's quite all right, Young Master Ethan."
First that unthinking grip on my chest, and now this… unless he was doing it on purpose….
Oh, come off it. I know what kind of man Ethan is — there's no way it's deliberate.
Shaking off the unpleasant image that had flitted through my mind, I gave Zeraon's reins a firm smack with both hands, and the lone white horse bearing the two of us — Lilith and Ethan — broke into a run toward Grainstone Village.