Royal Capital Barga (17)
As I sat alone, doggedly working my way through the meal, the two of them returned.
Lady Gerlach had shed her outer layer and looked considerably more at ease, while Young Master Maximilian came bearing a glass of juice packed with cool ice.
"Please drink this as well while you eat."
"Ah, thank you."
I sipped the juice carefully. The moment the chilled drink slipped down my throat, a coolness spread through my entire body.
"Phew…"
I'd already eaten a great deal of rich food, so something cold had been exactly what I craved — and the timing could not have been better.
Once the juice settled my stomach, I felt I could manage a little more.
"You really do eat well."
I stopped mid-forkful. Had I been too greedy…? A flicker of embarrassment rose in me. I should have been more careful in front of others…
Forcing myself to keep eating even though I was already full had been a mistake.
"I—I should stop now."
"Is that so?"
"Yes… I am full, but I was going to finish it because it seemed such a waste."
Lady Gerlach regarded me steadily.
"You don't usually eat things like this, do you?"
"It's too expensive. I can't."
Still, I had a bit more leeway these days and was eating reasonably well in my own way.
"Max, you're rather thoughtless yourself."
"About what, exactly…?"
"With your money, you could feed her decently enough, couldn't you?"
Uh… um…?
"She steadfastly refuses to accept it."
The young master suddenly shifted the blame onto me. Though, to be fair, it was true…
As a rule we paid for our own meals, and when it came to ingredients we pooled our money and bought them together.
"That isn't the young master's fault. I told him I couldn't accept it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. We eat together. I can't just take from him one-sidedly."
Lady Gerlach smiled brightly, as though something about the exchange delighted her.
"I can't decide whether to call you kind or simply stubborn. Even if the Meyer family is only a southern barony, they ought to have that much money, no?"
"That's all the more reason to be careful."
I was careful precisely because we were companions. If it were someone I'd only see for a day, would I bother fretting over such things?
Lady Gerlach suddenly reached out and stroked my head with a gentle hand.
"I truly am fond of you. Won't you come to me after all?"
"I must decline."
"I see. If you came to me, I would grant you a baronetcy. Should you have family, I would help them relocate and provide ample support."
What? A baronetcy? Even though I didn't know much about noble titles, I knew that one was larger than it sounded.
It was a lifetime rank that could not be passed to one's children, but it was still a title that allowed one to call oneself a noble. Could a ducal house even bestow such a thing? That, I wasn't sure of.
"I'd give you a grand mansion as well, and assign servants to you."
The offers of support only grew larger. Honestly — honestly! — it was a proposal most ordinary people would find more than tempting.
But why was Young Master Maximilian, sitting right in front of me, glancing this way and that and fidgeting so restlessly? The sight of him was rather amusing.
"And since you claim to be a mage, I would provide research funding as well. Finally, should you achieve great results, I would even bestow a baronetcy upon your children."
In short, she was promising to treat me properly. But I was of a status that could not belong anywhere else.
"Miss Rosemarie!"
The young master suddenly raised his voice.
"P-please don't press so hard on someone who has already declined."
He stepped forward on my behalf. I was deeply grateful for the sentiment. I had no intention of accepting Lady Gerlach's proposal either, and because he had spoken first, I found the courage to refuse as well.
"I'm sorry."
Even after hearing my refusal, Lady Gerlach only smiled faintly — the look of someone who had known all along that I would turn her down.
"What a pity."
She turned her gaze on Young Master Maximilian and crooked up one corner of her mouth. It looked almost like mockery. The young master clenched his fist so tightly his hand trembled.
I still could not make sense of the relationship between the two of them. At first they had seemed hostile, then almost friendly, and now I couldn't tell whether they got along well or poorly.
Once the meal was finished and the plates cleared away, tea and sweets arrived.
"Dessert, is it…"
The moment I saw them, a small regret settled over me. I should have left room instead of forcing myself earlier!
The tea was truly delicious, and it soothed my overfull stomach.
I had always thought of tea as little more than water steeped with leaves, but I never expected the difference to be this great… What I'd drunk at the café earlier had seemed good enough, yet the tea served at the restaurant was different from the very first breath of its fragrance.
After we finished dessert as well, we parted without further incident.
"Today was enjoyable."
"Th-thank you."
I spoke while holding the paper bag that contained both the clothes Lady Gerlach had bought me and the ones I had changed out of.
"Whatever for? It was money spent for my own satisfaction. There's no need."
Was it pocket change simply because she was a noble — and a great noble at that? All the more reason I must not forget to be grateful.
"I should still thank you."
"You truly have a kind heart."
Lady Gerlach offered a gentle smile. Had a man seen it, he would surely have lost his heart to that beautiful expression. It was that charming, that lovely, that alluring a smile.
More to the point, Lady Gerlach delivered us to the Meyer mansion herself.
"Th-thank you so much for today."
"Go on inside."
I had originally meant to look around the capital a little more, but those plans had fallen through. I glanced at the young master, who had stepped down with me.
"Please go in first. I'll have a brief word and then follow."
I looked back and forth between the young master and Lady Gerlach.
Should I really go in? I now understood that the two of them were not "that sort" of pair. But was it right to simply leave them like this? I had meant to wander a bit longer…
Since the young master said nothing more, I hesitated, then made my way toward the mansion. What on earth were they going to talk about…? Should I enhance my hearing and listen in?
That would be rude, though…… After some deliberation I gave up the idea, opened the front gate, and went inside. Without looking back, I headed for the mansion proper.
Once I was inside, I left the door slightly ajar instead of closing it and peered out behind me.
What were they talking about…?
The distance was too great to catch any sound, so I enhanced my vision with a blessing and even layered another blessing on top of it. I fretted and craned for a look — only for the two of them to finish their conversation almost at once.
"Uh… uh?"
The young master was already walking back toward the mansion as if nothing had happened, and Lady Gerlach climbed into her carriage and drove away.
I sank down in front of the door and fell into thought.
Had they really not been anything special to each other? They were Academy classmates, and marriage talks had even passed between them.
Had I been overthinking for nothing? I truly didn't know…
"What are you doing?"
"Y-young master?"
When had he come in? I scrambled to my feet and put the question to him.
"S-so… is that it for today?"
There were still three or four hours left before sunset. Even though we had returned to the mansion, there was time enough to go out again and look around at least one more place.
"You must be tired. Please rest."
His words left me feeling disappointed. But what could I do? He said to rest.
"Yes…"
With a regretful heart I headed for the stairs. Climbing them diligently, I reached the third floor, and on the way to my room I ran into Sister Mary.
Her eyes went round as saucers.
"S-Saintess? Th-that outfit is…!"
Sister Mary, startled to see me looking completely different from when I had left…
"Just… something came up."
"Congratulations."
I had no idea how Sister Mary had interpreted my words. What on earth was she congratulating me for……
I entered my room in a slightly dejected mood.
Then I put my clothes away in a rough sort of order and sank into thought.
Young Master Maximilian and Lady Gerlach did not seem to share any special relationship. Then what about the young master and me?
Simple companions? Friends? Or something else…?
I didn't really know…
I didn't even know why I should care about it in the first place…
"Ah, I don't know!"
A full month had passed since I began living in the capital.
I spent the days occasionally going out for amusement, borrowing books from the temple to read, and searching for new alchemy recipes.
"What will you do today?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure?"
"You have no intention of going to the temple, I take it?"
My relationship with the capital temple was rather delicate. They had forgiven me after receiving Mandragora and the like… but that didn't mean I particularly wanted to visit.
On top of that, the fact that rumors about me had spread through the capital weighed heavily. I was flustered, not knowing where the stories had come from. It certainly hadn't spread from that single incident alone.
"Since the rumors have gotten out, it can't be helped."
Word that a saint had appeared in the Metis Church — one with a distinctive hair color.
It didn't identify me perfectly, but I still needed to be careful. When the rumors reached the Church itself, they had been ready to bury their heads in the ground. Through Sister Mary I conveyed that such a reaction would only make things more dangerous, and that they should exercise restraint.
"I think I'll just do some alchemy."
At present I had more than five hundred gold on hand. The Church had silently provided financial support, and since I wasn't spending any of it, the money had simply piled up.
"That sounds good as well."
"What will you do, young master?"
The young master had been cautious of late, as though something weighed on his mind.
"I don't particularly have anything to do. I'll run some errands."
"Then go ahead."
Things had been rather free lately… I had tried to pursue research in my own way, but my motivation was low. There had been a great deal of work, and I had settled for rough inspections and casually looking into new materials.
For now I decided to go through the books I had gathered from the temple and select materials to use in combinations.
What was the advantage of the capital, after all? That goods of every kind gathered there. I could obtain things I had only ever seen in illustrated guides or books — so I might as well put them to use!