Childhood (1)
It had already been a month since I’d taken up residence in the Elleves household as Lia’s bodyguard.
For that entire month, I stuck to her side through every waking hour, only leaving her alone when I was asleep, all in an effort to prevent Lia from awakening into the villainess she was fated to become.
Whether that was because of my efforts, or because the time still wasn’t right, I couldn’t say for sure. Fortunately, Lia hadn’t changed into a villainess, nor had she shown even a hint of doing so.
That was enough to make me think I could just keep doing what I was doing, so I followed her even more diligently than before.
And yet, for some reason, Lia had started avoiding me whenever she could.
“...Where did she go?”
I tapped the hilt of the sword at my hip and glanced out the window.
The Elleves manor had four floors in all. I’d searched from the top floor down to the second, but Lia was nowhere to be found. Which meant she was probably on the first floor or out in the garden.
“Tch.”
If she was still inside the manor, at least that was reassuring. If she was in the garden, things got a little more complicated.
There were magical devices installed to serve as security, sure, but nothing was one hundred percent safe. If someone really put their mind to it, there was plenty of room to do harm.
For all I knew, some unseen schemer might strike while my eyes were off her, or some incident might occur that would push Lia into becoming the villainess she was destined to be. I couldn’t allow a disaster like that, so I headed straight for the first floor.
“Oh? Lord Cain. Where are you rushing off to?”
As I descended the stairs and reached the landing, I met the eyes of two female servants dressed in maid uniforms.
I gave them a light, courteous nod and replied,
“Yes, I’m looking for Lady Lia. Do you happen to know where she is?”
“Ah, Lady Lia is in the garden right now.”
“She’s been enjoying the flowers while Lord Cain was away for a moment.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
Garden. Flowers. I filed the two keywords away in my mind and walked past the servants.
Then, from behind me, I heard a giggle and a playful voice.
“Lord Cain! Lady Lia is still such a sensitive young lady, so don’t squeeze her too tightly—just loosen up a little!”
“That’s right! We understand how you feel, Lord Cain, but if you’re too overprotective, Lady Lia will end up hating you instead, you know?”
“...”
What on earth were these people talking about? Did they think that if a man followed a woman around, it automatically meant he liked her?
I wasn’t chasing Lia because of some petty personal feelings. I was doing this for everyone’s safety and for Lia’s future, sacrificing what little free time I had to do it.
I’d wanted to say that more than once, and in fact I had tried a few times already.
But every time, they’d only answered with things like, “Ah, I see.” “Understood. Lord Cain, so devoted you think of Lady Lia even in your sleep.” So I’d stopped trying and let it go.
Fine. Let them misunderstand however they liked. I’d do my job and that was that.
I quickened my pace and stepped out of the manor. My destination was the outdoor garden, and the person I was looking for was Lia von Elleves.
“Ah.”
Because I had such a clear target, I found her in less than thirty seconds after starting my search.
Lia was crouched down and hiding inside a flowerbed in the outdoor garden, but unfortunately for her, she was hiding among blue flowers, so her pink hair stood out sharply and made her easy to spot.
I approached from behind without making a sound, placed my right hand on her shoulder, and called to her softly.
“...Lady Lia. What are you doing here?”
“Eek—!”
At that, Lia gasped as though she’d been caught doing something terrible and let out a catlike shriek before whipping around to stare at me.
Her already large eyes flew even wider, which told me she’d been startled by the sight of me.
“C-Cain...!”
“Yes, Lady Liia...! n.”
“H-How did you know I was here?”
“I was told by Hesse and Maria.”
I folded my arms and glanced toward the second floor of the manor. Just then, the two servants who had told me Lia’s location were standing by the window, looking down at us and waving with a grin from inside the house.
“Hesse, Maria! I told you not to tell Cain under any circumstances!”
“Those two are innocent. I was the one who asked first. If anyone’s to blame, then blame me alone.”
“...Cain, do you know you sometimes don’t sound like you’re ten at all?”
That was actually true, but if I told her outright, she wouldn’t believe me anyway. I merely gave a useless little shrug.
“So, why did you come out to the garden without saying anything to me? I’m sure I told you before. You may go wherever you like, but no matter what, you’re to take me with you.”
“I know that you’re my bodyguard, Cain. But you’re way too overprotective! Sometimes I want to be alone, too, and it doesn’t make sense to insist on taking me everywhere!”
“Why doesn’t it make sense? I’m your bodyguard, Lady Lia.”
“I mean, even if you are my bodyguard, following me all the way to right outside the bathroom yesterday was a little much...!”
Lia pointed at me, her face turning bright red. I answered in an even, businesslike tone, as though none of it concerned me in the least.
“I’m simply carrying out my duty. My lady, I have no personal feelings involved.”
“Ah, really...! You only call me my lady when it’s convenient for you!”
Apparently she had no comeback once I dragged up the official reason, because Lia spun around and marched ahead of me in quick, angry steps. I followed after her and added,
“Lady Lia, where are you going?”
“To the village just ahead.”
“Is this an outing? What’s your purpose?”
“A quick inspection of the area. I’ll be back soon, and I’m hiding my identity, so you don’t need to follow me, Cain.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll join you once preparations are complete.”
“...Ugh, seriously!”
* * *
Following Lia, who was especially grumbly today, I left the manor and came to the nearby village, where I looked over the streets.
Centered around a neat, well-maintained road were rows of wooden shop buildings on both sides, and between them were the occasional street stalls with their goods laid out for sale, including food and other items.
“Hmm...”
When I first took on the role of bodyguard and came to the Elleves manor by carriage, I’d been too distracted to notice much. But seeing so many people of all ages passing by made it clear that this territory was a rather bustling town.
The lands of my own Reinhardt family were fairly lively too, but I could say without exaggeration that they weren’t on this level. There were almost no shabby-looking passersby, and everyone at least looked presentable. So this is what it meant to live in a wealthy count’s domain.
“Mister, how much are these pears?”
“I don’t sell them individually. I sell thirty for one penny.”
“Then what about these pomegranates?”
“Those are six pence each. A little pricey, aren’t they?”
As Lia, disguised as an ordinary village girl, asked her questions, the kindly-looking fruit seller answered with a smile.
I stared at the fruit seller for a long moment. He might be the very schemer who turned Lia into a villainess, after all.
It was always better to be safe than sorry, so I kept a close eye on every move the man made before anything could happen. Lia poked my arm with her finger.
“Cain, relax your face. You’re making the old man uncomfortable...”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s a habit from my line of work.”
“...A habit from your line of work?”
After I bowed my head politely, the fruit seller looked back and forth between the two of us with a strange expression. Then he gave a snort of laughter and held something out.
“Here. Take this.”
“What is it?”
At a glance, it looked like an apple. But since I couldn’t know what might be inside, I didn’t take it and instead looked at him expectantly for an explanation.
The fruit seller didn’t say anything. He simply split the fruit neatly in half with his large hands and ate one side, skin and all.
“It’s a special fruit that grows only around here, a honey-sweet fig. Haven’t you seen one before?”
“Is that so? I only came here not long ago, so I wasn’t aware.”
So it was a local specialty, then.
Having devoured one half in a single bite, the old man cut the remaining half in two again and offered them to us. Lia was delighted and about to accept them, calling them “honey-sweet figs...!” but I was one step ahead and took both pieces first.
“...Huh? Hey, Cain!”
“Mister. How much do these fruits cost?”
“They’re free, so just take them. Take those and go share them with your ladyfriend—no, with your girlfriend.”
“Ah, I see. Then I’ll gladly accept them.”
I took the two free pieces of fruit and bowed my head, and Lia grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the stall before I could linger any longer. As she dragged me off, I caught a glimpse of her cheeks, which were oddly red.
“Lady Lia. Your face is red. Could you have a fever?”
“What fever? I’m red because of you, Cain...!”
“Because of me?”
Why would it be because of me?
While Lia was letting go of my arm, I bit into one of the figs to check whether it had been poisoned. As the fruit seller had promised, a burst of tart juice mingled with honeyed sweetness and spread across my tongue.
“Hey, that’s cheating! Why are you the only one eating it?!”
“I have to make sure it’s safe. Wouldn’t it be better if I, the bodyguard, were the one to go down instead of you because of some fruit we can’t be sure is harmless?”
With that, I bit into the remaining half as well. The verdict was that both pieces were perfectly fine, and the fig was delicious all the way through, with the same honey-sweet flavor throughout.
“Ah, now you’re eating it all yourself again! I haven’t had figs in ages, and I wanted some, too. Cain!”
“Lady Lia. I told you before, but when someone offers you kindness on the street, you should be suspicious first. When food is handed to you, you should make sure it isn’t poisoned before you taste it. This isn’t a fairy tale world. For all you know, the person showing you kindness may actually be...”
“...someone who wants to harm me? I know, I know!”
“Lady Lia, how did you know what I was going to say?”
“Because you’ve been saying it in my ear so much over the past month that I’m sick of hearing it!”
It seemed the repetitive training was finally paying off. It was a somewhat brute-force method, but if you wanted to plant information in someone’s head, there was nothing better than repetition.
I was relieved that my month of effort hadn’t gone to waste and had finally shown some results.
“Exactly. I’m glad you understand now. But, Lady Lia, just in case I should ask—if a stranger approaches you and asks for directions, do you know what you’re supposed to do?”
“Hey, Cain! I’m not a little kid! Do you really think I wouldn’t know that much?!”
Lia snapped in irritation and planted both hands on her hips.
“I know perfectly well that you’re not a little kid, Lady Lia. But just in case. I’m asking whether you know the proper way to handle that sort of situation.”
“If a stranger asks me for directions, I should call you, right? You said you’d always keep an eye on me from a step away!”
“Hmm, yes. That’s right.”
Indeed, repetition was the strongest and most invincible thing in the world. Feeling deeply satisfied with Lia’s answer, I nodded, and Lia stared at me with a face flushed red before sharply turning her head away.
“Lady Lia, that way leads to the edge of the village.”
“...I know that! I know, I just have something to do there.”
“Something to do? You, at the edge of the village?”
What business could a young lady from a noble house possibly have at the outskirts of a village?
“Didn’t that fruit seller just say it? Honey-sweet figs only grow around here. I wanted to see them for myself.”
“If you want figs, I’ll tell the servants to prepare some for you and set them aside. There’s no need for Lady Lia to go all the way to the outskirts, where even the security isn’t as good—”
“No, it’s not just because I want to eat them.”
Lia stopped walking.
“Cain. That fig you just ate—how did it taste?”
“Uh, it was delicious? Sweet.”
“Compared to the other fruits you’ve eaten until now, how does that fig stack up? Isn’t the fig way tastier?”
“Hmm... yes, it was.”
“Right? I think so too. So I want to see if we can sell those delicious figs in other territories.”
Huh. That was unexpected.
“Lady Lia, are you interested in business too?”
“Yeah. I want to make money, and I want more people to taste fruits I know are delicious. If there’s such a good fruit, isn’t it a shame only the people in our territory know about it?”
“...”
I’d known since our first meeting that she had more depth than she let on, but I’d never imagined she was thinking about something like this.
How should I put it? Was this the mindset of a wealthy count’s daughter after all?
Realizing that she wasn’t saying this simply because the figs tasted good, but because she was approaching the matter from a business perspective, made her seem a little different to me.
“So, escort me safely to the edge of the village, Cain Reinhardt.”
Lia winked with one eye.
“You’re my bodyguard, so you can do that, right?”
Then she slowly held out one hand.
I looked silently down at Lia’s pale, delicate right hand.
“Yes, understood.”
And like a knight escorting a princess, I took it gently in mine.
“Even if assassins who’ve been lurking in the sparsely populated outskirts decide to jump out and aim for Lady Lia’s head, I’ll keep you safe. Come now, let’s go.”
“...Cain, could you not say such jinxed things? If you say it like that, it’ll make it sound like it’s really going to happen!”