A Northern Stroll and Simple Pleasures
Finally, the clothes I wore were in the form of a plain one-piece dress.
Over it, I wore a cape to protect my body from the cold.
After all, if I had simply gone out, it would obviously have been freezing.
“Huu…”
Of course, it was still cold now.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
This was when I truly envied the northerners.
How their bodies had naturally adapted to this chill.
So this world must be a fantasy.
“Let’s eat lunch first. Actually, this is the first time I’ve come down to the territory, so I don’t know much, but do you know, Sophia?”
“Yes.”
Even if the food was from the north, in the end it was still food that commoners ate.
Most of it was grilled, steamed, or stewed.
Or perhaps just boiled?
The northern climate probably meant more boiled dishes.
“Let’s eat at an appropriate shop. You probably don’t want to draw attention, Kyle.”
If Kyle had wanted to draw eyes, he would have worn the luxurious clothes he usually favored.
But now Kyle was dressed in the kind of fabric commoners wore.
Well… aside from that, anyone could tell Kyle was from Eristirol just by looking at him.
His hair was white.
In the north, only people from the Eristirol family had white hair.
When I had come with Catherine before, it had felt the same, but the territory’s people were sharp-eyed.
I knew very well that Kyle did not want to draw attention.
“Lord, let’s go into that shop over there.”
There was an appropriate shop.
It was not lacking in any way.
It seemed they had paid some attention to the interior visible from outside.
“Hmm…”
“Lord, if it doesn’t bother you, would it be all right if I ordered for you?”
“Ah, you can do that? I would be grateful if you did.”
“Then…”
I ordered the kind of commoner food Kyle wanted, but something tasty.
The steak here probably would not suit Kyle.
It would not be extremely high-quality meat, and it would be inferior to the steak I always ate.
“Sausage, please.”
“Understood.”
The meat commoners ate was mostly sausage.
It was not the kind nobles ate with a fancy flavor, but it still had some taste.
After all, commoners had to store food for long periods, so it was inevitable.
“And this is soup, and this is meat stew.”
“Understood.”
It was the most ordinary kind of meal.
There was bread to dip, meat, and more meat.
This should be something Kyle could eat without issue.
“Let’s eat.”
We began our meal with Kyle.
Kyle probably ate the dishes I had ordered with relish.
They were not made by me, yet the sight of him enjoying them was pleasant.
After the short meal, Kyle and I stepped back outside.
“Now, where will you go?”
“Well, actually, I did come out, but I haven’t decided where to go yet.”
Yeah… well… it was probably like that to some extent.
Kyle, who had never gone down under the territory before, how would he know what was good or where to go.
I did not know either.
“Then, if it is all right with you, how about walking around the territory together?”
I thought it was not a bad idea.
Except for the unknown sights, the scenery of Eristirol was beautiful.
“That sounds fine.”
We walked the streets together with Kyle.
Fortunately, today’s weather was not too cold.
Was the god blessing us for coming out like this?
It was completely different from yesterday.
It was not warm enough to remove the cape, but it was enough.
“Sophia, how did you spend your time in the past?”
“About the past?”
“Yes.”
In the past…
Well, there was not much to say.
I had already told Kyle the gist of it before.
“Besides what I told you before, there is not much else. I simply graduated from the academy and started as an adventurer.”
There was really nothing more to explain.
“Is there anything else you are curious about?”
“By the way, have you ever tried dating or something, Sophia?”
“Dating… you mean?”
Kyle had finally developed an interest in that side.
It was surprising that the little boy who used to say he was not interested in girls was now saying such things.
Now that the coming-of-age ceremony was over, Kyle would meet a good noble lady.
It might be one of the three I had met last time?
It might not be, but one could never be sure about people.
“I have not experienced dating.”
There were quite a few people who confessed to me from time to time.
Whether women or men, either way.
Thanks to that, I had suffered greatly.
“Really…?”
“Yes.”
Well, at this age, saying I had not dated yet might seem a bit unbelievable.
But there was no choice.
Because something felt off about both of us being in a relationship.
My mind was male, my body was female.
This was a truly strange feeling.
When a man confessed to me, it felt uncomfortable, but when a woman confessed, it simply felt strange.
Logically, a woman confessing to a woman was strange…?
Even though my heart was somewhat male, feeling weird about receiving a confession from a woman was also strange.
Anyway, it was strange.
I was not a very normal person when it came to dating.
“I received confessions during my academy days or as an adventurer, but I rejected them every time.”
“I see…”
“Lord, if you have someone you like, I hope you handle it well.”
“…Yes.”
Of course, love was not easy, but if it was you, Kyle, you could probably handle it.
Whether face, body, specs, personality, all were close to perfect, so there was no problem.
Perhaps it was not bad to worry about my dating?
Even though I had never experienced dating or love at this age…
“Is it possible that Lord already has someone you like?”
I did not know much about Kyle’s love life.
Since the few ladies I had seen last time, I had not sent letters or met them directly afterward.
I thought Catherine or Lilin said they would visit the territory, but they had not come yet.
“..If that is the case…?”
If that is the case?
Well, what was the big deal.
“I will cheer for you.”
I said that with a smile.
It was not my place to care who Kyle liked or not.
Even if I was his direct servant, it was still just a servant.
Following the master’s wishes was the duty of a servant.
“If I can help you and the woman you like get along well, I will help.”
“……”
“Is it possible that you already have someone…?”
“…Yes.”
“Ah…”
Already have someone?
Was it really one of the three from that time?
The three from that time had all been outstanding in appearance, so it was possible.
Of course, I did not know much about the personalities of the other two except Catherine.
“Fortunately. I was worried before that maybe you were not a woman, but… you are.”
“…”
We continued our conversation while walking to a distance where we could see each other.
Kyle walked beside me with some uncomfortable expression.
What was uncomfortable?
I would not be uncomfortable…?
We had been living together for several years, so there was no reason to be uncomfortable.
During lessons it was fine because it was lessons, but Kyle did not show such a side normally.
There must have been something uncomfortable today.
“Hmm…”
Although it was already over and I had come back, I decided to ask Kyle.
If Kyle’s body was uncomfortable or in pain, it would be dangerous.
Kyle who had to use his body a lot for successor lessons recently, if he got injured, it would be dangerous.
And in front of Kyle’s room, I was standing there at a time when my duties were over.
“Lord, are you there?”
-Sophia?
Kyle’s voice came from inside.
Kyle answered with a slightly surprised voice.
Since I rarely came at this time, it was possible.
“May I come in for a moment?”
-W-wait!
Kyle told me to wait a moment.
Was he doing something inside?
Ah, maybe he had taken off his clothes because it was hot.
Kyle sometimes slept without his top, so I understood.
After about three minutes, Kyle opened the door.
Kyle with sweat on his face or slightly visible collarbone.
He must have gotten quite hot.
“Lord, shall I open the window for a moment?”
“…Yes.”
By the way, a good scent that was sometimes noticeable from inside was gone.
Sweet fragrance.
I still did not know exactly what kind of scent this was.
“Hnn… snif snif…”
It felt a bit sweet and hazy.
“Lord, is there any part where you are uncomfortable?”
“…Yes?”
The reason I came was to worry about Kyle’s body condition.
It was the smell too, but Kyle was more important.
“While walking the streets today, your expression did not look good… I was worried. Is there any place where it hurts?”
“Uh… no, there is nothing like that…?”
“…Is that so…?”
The expression when coming here was not good for that kind of thing…
“Lord, are you really okay? You are sweating now…”
Actually, it was not because of the heat that I was sweating, but maybe because of pain.
Yeah, no matter how strong the northerners were against cold, if they stayed outside like this all the time lately, they might catch a cold?
If that was the case, it was a story that was possible enough.
Recently, I had gone to the snowy plains every day for successor lessons.
“Are you okay?”
“…This is just because it is hot. The strange expression… maybe I misread it?”
“Yes…?”
“Just seeing a normal expression next to you, I misread it.”
“…”
Could that be…?
Well… it could be…
I had kept staring at Kyle’s face while coming here?
“Sophia, your concern for me is too much. Do not worry and go to sleep soon. It is already quite late, and a woman coming to a man’s room like this…”
“…?”
Kyle said that casually and sent me out.
Well, it was not wrong, but did I need to say such things to me now?
When I came out, the scent from before was gone, so I felt a bit regretful.