The Pure White Knight (4)
If a pretty woman asks to meet you, she's definitely out to scam you.
That warning was always followed by a string of affectionate advice. City folk are forever scheming to fleece country bumpkins. The only people you can trust in this world are family. Women prefer sturdy, reliable men like me over pretty-faced boys like you.
Most of it was nonsense, but from those lectures I learned the virtue of humility. And that if an unknown woman dangled a sweet proposal, the correct response was to refuse first and ask questions later.
Besides, tomorrow was the day I had promised to go out with Lia. So I dumped every last scrap of remaining work on Jeff and made a straight line for bed. The next morning the sun rose bright and clear, as if hinting at some vague stroke of good fortune.
"Mm. Perfect weather for heading outside."
"You must have had a pleasant dream."
"Something like that. So, nothing special yesterday?"
"Correct. Though I was held up for quite some time on account of Miss Louise, the immigrant representative."
A sigh mixed into his voice. When I glanced over, dark circles had already settled under Jeff's eyes.
"Must've been exhausting. What did she want to know?"
"Nothing of real consequence. Just things about this city, or about you, Lord Claus. Idle chatter, really."
"Be kind to her. She's a pitiful soul."
"Understood. More importantly, that woman asked me at the end to deliver a letter. Since you retired early last night, I took custody of it for the time being."
"Eh."
She's going that far? Looks like this woman really wants to make a proper life for herself in this city.
Pity stirred, but so did a faint sense of burden. After a moment's hesitation I averted my eyes instead of accepting the letter.
"Ahem. Just leave it on my desk for now. It's not as if it's urgent. More importantly—is Lia in her room?"
"Yes. She should be. But... is today the day of that outing?"
"If Lia gives the okay. Why?"
"Are you truly just going out for a stroll? That is to say, with no other ulterior motives, simply..."
Just like last time, Jeff asked the question wearing a rather tense expression. I considered brushing him off, but seeing a big man hem and haw like that made pity win out.
"We're going to look around town and grab a bite. You know, that place I mentioned before. 'The Day the Fairies Sing.'"
"Ah, the one with the delicious cakes. I've been there myself. Quite memorable—I recommended it to any number of people. Though the strawberry cake was far too sweet for my taste."
"That was my favorite."
"I-I see. My apologies, Lord Claus. I failed to recognize..."
"I was just saying. No need to apologize over something like that."
At this point the best thing was simply to ignore him. Leaving the fretting Jeff behind, I knocked on Lia's door. A voice immediately called for me to come in.
The moment I stepped inside I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then, so as not to make Lia feel self-conscious, I spoke in as even a tone as I could manage.
"New shoes?"
"I thought going out every once in a while might not be so bad."
"Can I take that as permission to head out?"
"Inspecting the changes in the city is part of a master's duties."
"And?"
"I'm also curious how you plan to relieve my boredom."
Lia wore an expression similar to the one she made when she looked at me and said "interesting." Beneath her lightly lifted foot, a casually slipped-on shoe swayed with arrogant little swings.
"So where are we going? Have somewhere in mind?"
"I was thinking we could wander around the city a bit, then stop by a cake shop for some tea. Place called 'The Day the Fairies Sing'—they've got plenty of desserts that aren't overly sweet."
"I don't recall ever telling you I dislike sweet things."
"Ah, well. That's..."
"You've been doing your research diligently, haven't you?"
I couldn't tell whether she was pleased or annoyed. After studying me with that ambiguous look for a long while, Lia finally picked up a pitch-black mask from her desk.
"Shall we go, then? It wouldn't do to be too late."
"Great. But why the mask?"
"I don't like showing my face to outsiders. It's not exactly a desirable thing either."
"Hmm... noted."
"How about you wear one too? Having people flock to us would be a nuisance."
"I don't much care for feeling stifled. And more than anything, I'm not that popular."
"Ha."
Lia let out a short laugh and rose from her seat. Feeling somehow teased and wanting to get even, I timed it just right and casually offered my hand.
"Want me to hold your hand? The city's crowded. You might get lost if you're not careful."
"Did you do the same for that woman?"
"Huh? What?"
"I'll pass. Holding hands with someone doesn't suit my dignity."
"Mm..."
"But I can allow an escort."
Lia rested her hand on my arm and lightly leaned her body toward me. There was nothing forced about it; it felt natural, and for the first time she carried not the air of someone playing at being an adult, but the genuine poise of a lady.
With the mask on as well, there was something secretly alluring about her. The scent of perfume rising from the nape of her neck made my head spin a little. As her nails dug into my forearm with a faint, lingering ache, Lia's soft voice slipped into my ear.
"Just the two of us. That's what you said."
"I'm looking forward to it, Claus."
Just as expected. A thorough man through and through.
After their first meeting ended, Ru sat alone in her room and held a session of self-reflection. No matter how soft-hearted he might appear, the Black Lady's closest aide was still her closest aide. Trying to forge a bond in so short a time had been nothing more than greed, she scolded herself.
But it hadn't been all mistakes. At the very least, the long-winded story she had poured out had clearly stirred his sympathy. The bonus lesson was that a true lie becomes far more potent when mixed with truth.
"This is how one learns, little by little."
...
"For a first attempt, it wasn't half bad."
She left herself that bit of praise and wrapped up the review. Of course, that alone could not be the end of it. Once a connection had been made, one had to cling to it tenaciously.
So before parting ways with the group, she hurriedly wrote a letter and asked the man to deliver it. Inside were official-sounding reasons that could serve as a pretext for another meeting, along with a generous helping of personal tales designed to deepen his pity.
Stories of her mother, who had died of illness mere days after giving birth to her.
Of her older brother, from whom she had been tragically parted in childhood.
And even the small, pitiable personal misfortunes that, while minor, could still tug at the heartstrings.
As she wrote without pause, she suddenly stopped her pen at the final section. Then she lifted her head and asked the man who appeared to hold the highest rank among them.
"Excuse me, I have one question. What would you say is the nicest restaurant around here?"
"A restaurant."
"Well, perhaps not a full restaurant. Somewhere we could simply have a drink and talk. Could you recommend a place like that?"
"If that's what you're after..."
...
"'The Day the Fairies Sing.'"
The cake shop that man named Jeff had recommended yesterday. The strawberry cake had been too sweet, but there were plenty of less-sweet desserts, making it a rather fine establishment. Today she had arranged to meet Claus there.
Of course, it had been her unilateral request, so there was every chance he wouldn't show. Even so, she must not be disappointed. Ru repeated that to herself.
"I can just think of it as having found a nice shop."
Those were the words she murmured for the fourth time as she ordered her fourth cake. By her standards it wasn't gluttony, but the fact that she hadn't held back was undeniable.
And after beginner's luck comes beginner's arrogance. Ru had begun to think that perhaps she possessed some real talent for intelligence work. Which was why she believed that talent would shine again today.
That belief swelled uncontrollably as the appointed time written in the letter—two in the afternoon—drew near. One o'clock. One-thirty. One forty-five. Her pounding heart made counting the seconds unnecessary.
When the clock finally struck two, she turned her gaze toward the street, full of anticipation. Had he really come? Would they meet? Might she even get close enough to dig up information on the Black Lady?
Then, when Claus's face finally entered her field of vision, the emotion that washed over her was beyond words.
"Claus!"
Overjoyed, Ru waved her arm high and called his name in a loud voice. She even snatched up her parasol in her haste, wanting nothing more than to run over and throw her arms around him.
But right before opening it, she stopped short at the sight of something odd about Claus. His posture was a little awkward, as if someone else were holding onto one of his arms.
And the next moment, Ru spotted Lia standing at Claus's side. Naturally, Lia's gaze also locked onto the unfamiliar woman waving at Claus.
"..."
"..."
Of course they did not recognize each other at first glance. Lia was seeing the White Knight for the first time without her armor, and Ru failed to properly register her presence thanks to the recognition-obscuring magic woven into the Black Lady's mask.
That did nothing, however, to diminish the scale of the displeasure each felt.
"...Huh?"
Caught between them, Claus frowned without the faintest idea what was going on. In the meantime, the Black Lady and the White Knight locked eyes once more.
After that second exchange of gazes, a faint chill entered Ru's eyes. And Lia tightened her grip on the arm of Claus she was holding.