33. Seria's Secret Hobby (2)
"I Became the Maid Obsessed Over by the Northern Grand Duke?"
"Auuugh..."
Seria covered her flushed face with both hands and flopped face-first onto the bed. The tips of her ears were beet red, like they were about to burst.
"Oh, it's a novel? Come on, what's the big deal about hiding a romance novel?"
I flipped through the book with a chuckle. The cover featured an illustration of a muscular silver-haired, black-eyed grand duke tightly embracing the heroine's waist. It was a textbook, classic romance fantasy.
Romance Fantasy Novel Excerpt
"Th-the head maid recommended it, saying it's all the rage in the capital lately..." Seria mumbled from where she'd buried her face in the blanket. "I just opened it out of boredom! It's not like I'm into this cringey stuff or anything!"
"Aha, sure, and the bookmark's right at the two-thirds mark in a book you 'just opened out of boredom'? You've been holed up reading this for two days straight, huh?"
"...Just kill me now."
Seria pulled the blanket over her head, her ears glowing bright red. Our escort knight, who normally smashed enemies' jaws yelling "Pay with your life for touching my lord!", was holed up in her room, blushing over a romance novel.
She's so damn cute.
I chuckled and perched on the edge of her bed.
"Seria, come on out. I read romance novels sometimes too. Nothing to be embarrassed about."
"...Really?"
Her red eyes peeked out from under the blanket.
"Of course. You think only girls read them?"
I opened the book and scooted right up next to her. "Let's see... the male lead's Calix, huh? Similar to my name. And the heroine's Cecilia. Hey, that's like yours too."
Seria flinched and slowly lowered the blanket at my words.
"Th-that doesn't mean I got immersed because of it or anything."
"Who said otherwise? So, how far'd you get? Let's read together. I was bored anyway—perfect timing."
I flipped to the page with her bookmark. Seria gave in with a huff and pressed right up against my side, her eyes glued to the text.
Calix the Grand Duke roughly pinned Cecilia's wrist against the wall. His cold silver hair tickled her forehead.
"Did you think you could escape me, my little bird?"
"Heh heh, Seria, this grand duke guy's lines are so cringey. 'My little bird'? What even is that?"
"Y-Young master! Read quietly! You're ruining the mood!"
Seria smacked my arm in protest, her eyes dead serious.
Cecilia trembled in fear but didn't avert her gaze from his red eyes. "Your Grace, you mustn't. I'm just a lowly maid..."
"Silence. To me, you're more precious than any jewel in the world."
"Ooh, look at that intensity. But Seria, what would you do in a situation like that?"
I asked in a teasing tone, and Seria snorted.
"Obviously, the moment he grabs my wrist, I'd uppercut his jaw with my free hand, follow with a low kick to unbalance him, and take him down. You think a maid doesn't learn self-defense?"
"...It's a romance novel. Why are you breaking his jaw?"
"Even so, letting yourself get manhandled like that is a knight's shame."
Seria grumbled but urged me on to the next page. And so we lay side by side on the bed, totally absorbed in the story.
Until that scene hit.
Calix's hot lips dove into Cecilia's nape. A sweet moan escaped her, and their shadows merged into one under the flickering fireplace light...
"......"
"......"
A heavy silence blanketed the room. Two pages packed with explicit, steamy descriptions.
I swallowed hard. A sidelong glance showed Seria's face redder than an erupting volcano, her gaze fixed on the page, trembling.
Ah, this is a bit too spicy for a 12-year-old and 14-year-old to read together.
Panicking, I cleared my throat and tried to skip ahead.
"Ahem! Th-this part drags a bit. Let's move on."
Tap.
But Seria snatched my wrist.
"...Seria?"
"Y-Young master."
Her voice trembled slightly. She slowly turned to meet my eyes.
"D-do people... really do this for real?"
"Huh? W-well... if they're in love, yeah, maybe."
"Then... when you grow up, Young master, will you do stuff like this?"
Seria's straight-ball question left me reeling. Stuff like this? Kissing napes and shadows merging?
"Uh, I dunno? I'm still a kid, so... What about you, Seria? What would you do?"
"M-me?"
Seria blushed, then coughed. "Ahem. H-how should I know? I'm a knight, so... that kind of private contact? I've never done it with anyone but you, Young master, and I don't plan to."
"Liar. You were super into it earlier. Bet you imagined it."
"I didn't!"
"You totally did. Look how red your face is."
"Uuuugh..."
Seria flailed, glancing between me and the book, then overlaid her hand on mine.
"...Um."
"Yeah?"
"What if..."
Seria swallowed dryly, opening her mouth cautiously.
"What if... later, you did this kind of thing, Young master..."
"Uh, yeah?"
"The person on the receiving end..."
Seria's breath hitched. Her red eyes shook, locked on mine, unable to look away. As our faces drew close, I could see her cheeks burning, her lashes quivering. The lavender scent hit me stronger.
Huh?
The room's air turned thick and strangely charged. Seria swallowed again. Her gaze shifted from my eyes to my slightly parted lips. I gulped unconsciously.
Why's the mood like this?
Then—
"Seria! Have you seen the Young master? It's snack ti— GASP!"
The door flew open as the head maid barged in. She spotted us tangled in that awkward position on the bed and gaped.
"Oh my! S-such a scene! I-I'm so oblivious! Ahahaha! Don't mind me—carry on!"
Bang! She shut the door and vanished at light speed.
"......"
"......"
We stared at each other, frozen. A second later—
"Kyaaaaah!!"
Seria shrieked and shoved my chest.
"Guhk!"
I tumbled off the bed, defenseless against our 14-year-old swordmaster prodigy.
"I-it's a misunderstanding! Ma'am! It's not what it looks like!"
Seria bolted out the door, face aflame. I lay sprawled on the floor, rubbing my throbbing back, chuckling emptily.
"Heh heh, what a mess."
House arrest. Not bad at all. Got to learn our cute escort knight's secret hobby, after all.
House arrest, day 7. Finally, the endless room confinement ended today.
"Haa, fresh air is the best."
I stretched hugely as I stepped out the lord's castle main gate. Days of rolling around indoors had left my whole body stiff.
Beside me stood Seria in her crisp navy escort knight uniform, as always. Ever since the head maid caught us on my bed days ago, she'd been avoiding my eyes with fake coughs.
"Seria, great weather today, right?"
"...Yes. Perfect for patrols."
"Patrols? Nah, we're just out to have fun today. Sightseeing, good eats."
Seria furrowed her brow slightly.
"Young master, the lord permitted outings but stressed thorough escort duty. This is an inspection, not playtime."
"Yeah, yeah, got it. So strict."
I grumbled and took the lead. Martel territory's town streets buzzed with new life since the shampoo business. New buildings dotted the area, and folks' clothes looked sharper. Merchants' lively calls mixed with the scent of fresh-baked bread.
"Oh, it's the Young master!"
"Our territory's treasure, Young master Kalian, out and about!"
Townsfolk spotted and greeted me as I entered the market. I waved back with a sociable smile.
Suddenly, Seria, who'd been glued to my back, grabbed my hand.
"Huh? Seria?"
"Cr-crowd's thick. Can't have you getting lost."
She avoided my gaze, staring ahead. But her ear tips were already pink.
"I'm not a kid; I won't get lost. And hey, I'm almost as tall as you now?"
"Th-that's true, but... I'm the big sis!"
"Pfft, sure, whatever."
Seria squeezed my hand tighter—nearly crushing bones—but somehow, it didn't feel bad.
Cute.
I smirked and let her lead the way.