Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Rike's Curiosity
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Her sister had been absolutely delighted when she said she wanted to advance her allowance to repay her brother-in-law.
Without needing to borrow against her pocket money or strain herself, her sister had casually handed over an amount that made Chloe's hands tremble.
She'd insisted it was too much and she didn't need that kind of money, but her sister wouldn't take it back.
Told to use what she needed and save the rest for emergencies or whatever came up, Chloe could only nod with her lips twitching.
Since the conversation had already started, Chloe decided to seek Eclair's advice on experience and knowledge as well.
"Sister. What kind of food does my brother-in-law like...?"
It was a somewhat personal question, but her sister didn't mind and stroked her sharp jawline as she answered.
"He doesn't picky about food in general. If left alone, he'll buy cheap eats from street vendors or taverns, or make do with dried fruit and jerky, so it's worth worrying about... But if I had to pick, he said he likes meat."
"I see...!"
Her sister spoke as if she'd heard it from someone else rather than Roman himself, but Chloe was too busy sorting her thoughts to notice.
'Meat...! Maybe steak?'
Thinking of Roman's muscles and image, meat definitely seemed perfect.
"Roman doesn't mind bread or desserts either, so don't overthink it."
"Okay...! I'll think about it!"
When she grabbed her sister's hand to express her gratitude, Eclair looked so pleased that even the oblivious Chloe could tell.
Seeing that made Chloe happy too—a true positive chain reaction between sisters.
'But no dessert cafes.'
No matter what they said about Roman not being picky, she had no intention of taking him to her favorite spots.
The places she went with friends had atmospheres that might intimidate men, and some dishes barely qualified as proper meals...
Still, since Seria—the adventurer sister and her party—seemed to frequent various spots around the capital, Chloe figured asking her would help.
With that thought, she joined her friends once class started at the academy.
...
...
The fork slipping from Seria's hand clattered against her plate, cutting off the flow of Chloe's words.
Ting-!
"A man...?"
"Yes?"
"A man for our Chloe...?! Over my dead body—!!"
Chloe waved her hands frantically, cheeks flushing at Seria's explosive reaction.
The stares from the few other customers only made her more flustered.
"N-no, don't misunderstand! I'm definitely not saying that! And it's disrespectful to him too!"
Rike picked up a piece of bread from her own plate and shoved it into Seria's mouth to quiet her before chiming in.
"Mmph...! Mmm! Mmmph-!"
"Perfume is a matter of taste, and some professions avoid it altogether, so maybe that's it."
"Y-you think so?"
"Chloe would know better about knights than me. But take 'adventurers,' for example—they deal with monsters that have keen senses of smell, so they focus more on masking scents... And I've heard mages and alchemists skip perfume to distinguish fresh ingredients and reagents by smell."
Chloe nodded in agreement at Rike's words, which carried a subtle emphasis on "adventurer."
"Good thing I asked... I hadn't even considered that."
Seria finally chewed and swallowed the bread Rike had stuffed in, washing it down with her drink before jumping back in.
"Puha-! If it's not like that, then... how about alcohol? Sis says he keeps it simple, so he mostly gets liquor or wine as gifts from fellow adventurers or acquaintances. The boxes are fancy relative to the price, and the bottles are pretty too."
It was a bit of Seria's unique perspective, but alcohol didn't seem like a bad choice.
"That's helpful...!"
Seria gazed at the ceiling and pressed her fingertips to the corner of her eye at Chloe's bright smile.
"A man receiving a gift from Chloe... What divine blessing is this...?!"
"Seria. Want anything else? Lunch is on me today."
"...Mont Blanc! Cream puffs! An-butter!"
Rike swiftly shut down Seria's impending meltdown, and the gathering ended peacefully as the three headed back to the academy.
'...No shop recommendations. Guess I'll ask at lunch.'
With that belated thought amid the chaos.
After finishing one theory class in the Knight Department, Chloe wandered the academy during break, searching for traces of Roman.
She headed to the most likely spots, but instead of her brother-in-law, a plump white cat greeted her.
Meow~
"Oh, hi?"
The cat that had meowed at the perfect awkward moment during her conversation with Roman last time.
Chloe petted the cat as it rolled over flirtatiously at her feet and glanced around, but the benches were all empty.
Even on days without classes, Roman was usually at the academy, but today she couldn't find him anywhere.
Knock-knock-
Rike entered a restaurant with a private room reserved for special guests, rapped on the door, and peeked in to see a familiar face.
"How have you been?"
"Fine. Chloe mentioned it too, but you look healthy."
The occasional meetings between busy Eclair and Rike happened during academy lunch hours.
Their schedules didn't overlap perfectly, but lunch was the only time Eclair could squeeze out, so they exchanged letters to set dates.
It had started semi-forced from Roman's wish for his lovers to get along.
But after a few meetings, there was no reluctance, and it was even enjoyable in its own way.
For Eclair, it was a chance to hear little updates on Roman she couldn't get otherwise.
"And Chloe?"
"Probably having lunch with Seria."
"Lady Electra and Chloe seem to get along especially well."
Eclair smiled faintly, as if just imagining the unlikely pair playing together warmed her heart.
"It's rare for tastes and personalities to mesh that well. Watching them feels like they're destined for each other."
As Eclair praised Seria's unique friendliness and temperament following Rike's comment, food arrived with a knock, filling the private room.
Once the plates were set and Eclair lifted her spoon for soup, she shyly brought up the topic that had been on her mind.
"...How's Roman doing?"
"Oppa~ Well, whether you call it chains or... anyway, he's been training nonstop in the yard whenever he has time."
At the word "training," Eclair's shy expression sharpened with focus.
"Chains... I remember seeing him handle them briefly. Maintaining that level of power and skill requires no ordinary effort... He's probably grinding away in places we don't see."
Eclair based it on seeing Roman face Cutler Dwyer in Limno, but Rike was fine with that.
"Isn't that side of Oppa cool too?"
"..."
Rike smiled at Eclair, who couldn't affirm it straightforwardly and blushed instead.
"Sister, you're so girly—it's cute."
"Rike. Don't throw words like that at your elders so casually..."
After light chit-chat over their meal, they moved to tea time with black tea, a shared taste.
Clink-
Rike added milk to her black tea and stirred with a teaspoon as she spoke.
"As you know, Chloe's been putting in a lot of effort lately to repay Oppa."
"Mm. It's only right. Even if Roman says it's fine, accepting something precious without reciprocating isn't proper—and Chloe's not the type to be that shameless anyway."
"You think it'll be okay?"
Eclair felt a sense of déjà vu from Rike's question and smile, prompting her to ask back.
"...What?"
"Whether leaving Oppa alone with Chloe will cause problems."
Rike's words made Eclair raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Chloe avoids men, sure, but she follows Roman enough to call him brother-in-law... And even if she slipped up, I think Roman would just laugh it off."
"Hmm~"
"I don't have time to tag along anyway... And with that idiot Roman, who knows what mischief he'd pull—I can't even predict it. Plus, with Chloe watching, I wouldn't know how to act around him..."
Rike pouted, sensing this wasn't the angle she wanted.
"Sister, you're saying that even though you've been through it yourself. That's not what I'm asking."
"Every time with that tone... Ah?"
As Rike's words made her reflect on her own experiences, Eclair's eyes widened in realization.
The girl before her was referring to the emotional shifts that occurred during her solo trip with Roman to Limno.
"Don't you think it could happen with Chloe? What if it does? I'm just curious about your take as a sister."
"..."