Chapter 111 - Special Report! Dinner on the Road 5: Preparations for the Road <Ritz's Case>
After finishing the horse-riding practice well after the sun had set, Ritz shoved a half-dead Franz into the next room, left him to Lef, and then opened the door to his own room.
Edward wasn’t in the room next door, so he was probably off drinking at the bar adjacent to the restaurant.
He was tired, but he had a promise to be treated to a drink as thanks for taking over Franz’s riding training, so he couldn’t miss out on free booze.
“Welcome back~”
“I’m back.”
Since arriving in this town, it had been too much of a hassle to move, so he was still sharing a room with Anna. Hearing her cheerful voice behind him, he collapsed onto his bed.
Teaching someone with so little aptitude was, frankly, mentally exhausting.
He knew saying, “Why can’t you do it?” was forbidden, and Franz wasn’t an aspiring soldier or anything of the sort; he was a civilian. He couldn’t exactly kick him around harshly.
“Was it rough?”
Anna asked with a concerned voice, and he answered with a sigh.
“Rough doesn’t even begin to cover it. That guy. If you could give him just a quarter of your athletic ability, please do.”
“Hmm, I’d give it to him if I could, but I can’t.”
“Figured as much.”
As he lay face down, Anna, who usually chattered away, fell silent. There was a faint, tense atmosphere in the air.
Lying there, he listened intently and sensed Anna getting up from her chair and walking towards him.
The strange atmosphere made him slowly rise from the bed and turn his gaze toward Anna, where he froze.
“Y-You…”
Words failed him.
“What do you think?”
“W-What do I think…”
He found himself stammering. His thought process had completely shut down, and for some reason, he couldn’t form a proper sentence.
“Because you always treat me like a child, Ritz. Hey, hey, do I look grown-up?”
Anna spun around in front of him. The hem of her white skirt flared out, momentarily revealing her shapely white thighs.
Looking away would be too much of a waste; he couldn’t do it.
He found himself staring at Anna as she stopped and looked back at him. He unconsciously swallowed, his eyes fixed on her as he looked her over again from head to toe.
The shoes had a slight heel, from which her well-formed legs stretched up smoothly. The hem of the white one-piece dress was probably about ten centimeters above her knees. Above her slender, softly wrapped waist was a bust accentuated by gathers, making it look fuller.
Her chest was exposed in a camisole-style top held up by straps, adorned with a chic accessory that subtly emphasized the soft swell of her not-large-but-definitely-there breasts.
Her hair was down, flowing straight and smooth over her shoulders. Her lightly colored lips were a beautiful pink, and a hint of blush tinged her cheeks rosy.
Even with the makeup, the most beautiful part of her was her bright green eyes, which sparkled like sunlight.
“So, what do you think?”
Anna’s voice, asking for his opinion again, brought him back to his senses. He had been completely lost in a fantasy of pulling her close and touching her skin, so he stammered for a moment in a panic.
He suddenly remembered what he had told Franz. What was that nonsense about preferring a mature woman over Anna? He was truly disgusted by his own inconsistency.
Of course he preferred her (Anna).
Franz had jokingly asked if he was ‘staking his claim,’ but now he really wanted to stake his claim and make her his.
“Does it not suit me?”
“…It suits you. You look incredibly beautiful.”
Because he’d been lost in thought, the words that came out unconsciously were far too honest, and he cursed himself for it. But Anna, oblivious to Ritz’s panic and bewilderment, simply beamed.
“Oh, good~. Then don’t treat me like a child anymore, okay?”
“Huh?”
“Because I don’t want you to treat me like a child, Ritz.”
Does that mean I can treat her like an adult? If so, that’s incredibly bad… for my self-control.
“Because you’re the only one who treats me like a massive child, Ritz. Even though you say we’re companions.”
So that was it. If that was the case, he could agree.
“Alright. I’m sorry for treating you like a child. From now on, I’ll treat you as a companion. Is that good enough?”
“Yep. It’s a promise, okay?”
“Promise.”
He managed a smile, hiding his inner desires and conflict, and Anna nodded happily.
“Great~. Ed-san’s plan was a huge success.”
“…Ed?”
“Yeah. He said if I showed you a grown-up outfit, you’d start treating me like an adult.”
I see… so Edward was behind this. In that case, the place to direct these unbearable feelings was toward Edward.
“Anna, you can go to bed first.”
“Where are you going?”
“Going for a drink with Ed. Lock the door from the inside. I’ll take a key.”
“Okay.”
“And another thing, you’ll catch a cold in that outfit. Make sure you change before you go to sleep.”
“Ah! You’re treating me like a child!”
“It’s not treating you like a child. It’s called being concerned. You’re not used to wearing things like that.”
He couldn’t possibly say, ‘Because if I come back drunk and you’re asleep in that, I’ll probably attack you.’
“Okay. Good night, Ritz.”
“Yeah.”
Hearing Anna’s voice behind him, Ritz turned his back to avoid looking at her alluring figure and opened the door.
He hurried down the stairs and headed for the bar. Sure enough, Edward was there, leisurely emptying a bottle of distilled liquor.
“Ed.”
He was aware that his voice had dropped an octave.
“What is it?”
In contrast, Edward tilted his glass, looking exceptionally pleased with himself.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. It’s about Anna.”
At that, Edward slowly turned around.
“She was beautiful, wasn’t she? She said she wanted to be seen as her age, so I just granted her request.”
Edward’s complete lack of remorse drained the anger out of him. Getting mad now would just be a one-man show.
Resigned, he grumbled as he sat down next to Edward.
“Hey… are you trying to get me to attack Anna?”
If she had clung to him like she usually did while wearing that, he would have undoubtedly pulled her into a lustful embrace. The thought was terrifying.
To feel desire for that Anna… to even think about making a move on her… was unthinkable. It was so horrifying it made him break out in a cold sweat.
Doing something like that would definitely be… a crime.
“You’re soft. If you’re going to get aroused and pounce on Anna over something this trivial, then don’t go around spouting nonsense about being by her side for a limited time.”
“Damn it, you were testing me.”
“Well, yeah.”
“What would you have done if, by some chance, I had done something to Anna?!”
“I trust that my best friend would not commit such a crime.”
When he said it so calmly, there was nothing to say but, “You have a point.”
Edward watched Ritz with an amused expression, lifting the rocks glass filled with liquor in one hand and swirling it gently.
The ice and glass clinked together with a cool sound.
“Listen here. This is how difficult it is to have complete control over your desires. If you’re going to act as her guardian, you need to be prepared and have a much stronger will.”
He might not have been prepared. More than that, he was disgusted with himself for being tested and so easily falling for it.
“Fine. It’s my fault for having a weak will. So, Ed, I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“This town is unavoidable. But from here on out, please spare me from having to share a room with Anna.”
He asked in all seriousness, but Edward just smiled with the corner of his mouth and looked up at him.
“So you’re fine with Anna and Franz sharing a room?”
“Ah, no…”
His gaze darted around with an indescribable feeling, and Edward laughed cheerfully.
“You say Anna would be happier with someone else in the future, yet you get jealous of our companion, Franz? For a man who was known as a playboy, you’ve really lost your touch.”
“Shut up. Me and Franz will room together, and you and Anna can share. That works, right?”
There was no way to smooth things over or salvage the situation now. He said it in a sulky tone, and Edward couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.
“When it comes to Anna, you’re just a kid. Between you and Anna, I wonder who the real child is.”
“Shut up.”
Do whatever you want. In a fit of irritation, he snatched Edward’s glass and downed it in one gulp.
His irritation wasn’t just from one thing. It was this pent-up frustration that had been aching since the moment he saw Anna…
Going back to that room now was incredibly dangerous. But drinking here wouldn’t change the situation either.
That left only one course of action. Luckily, outside the inn was the entertainment district.
“Ed, lend me your sword. I’m stepping out for a bit.”
When he held out his hand, Edward handed over the sword without a fuss.
“Be back by morning.”
“I’ll be back in two or three hours.”
He was about to leave the bar in silence when Edward called out, stopping him in his tracks. Edward swirled his refilled glass of liquor, winked, and delivered the final blow with a laugh in his voice.
“The sad nature of a man.”
“Shut the hell up.”
Ritz let out a deep sigh as he stepped into the cold air. He was well aware that learning not to be shaken by something this trivial was the only travel preparation he could make for himself.