122 - The Sweet Shop and Pudding
"Are you alright, Kalisa?"
"...I am. It's just water, so it won't leave a stain. I am fine."
Back in the room, I spread out Kalisa's maid uniform. As Kalisa said, what Basilia threw was apparently just water, the wet parts only looked darker from the water soaking in, with no strange smell or color. If that's the case, it really will be fine once it dries.
"I will change. I will be a little way off, but please stay in the room."
Saying that, Kalisa went out to the waiting room, so I decided to spend my time relaxing. I settled in front of the fireplace and resumed the embroidery I'd left unfinished when Diet visited.
...So peaceful.
She was a girl like a typical villainess, but I felt like thanking Basilia for showing up. I can't forgive her for deliberately splashing water on Kalisa, but she seemed to have reflected on it, so I'll let it slide as a child's mistake. More than anything, she's a wonderful girl for taking over Diet's company.
...The problem is how fast that girl will learn Reversi, huh.
Diet seemed to have the idea of teaching the rules to a beginner, but I don't know if Basilia, having learned Reversi, will be able to meet Diet's demands. Being too weak or too strong are both bad. If she's around the same strength as Diet, there's no problem, but if she's so weak that Diet isn't satisfied, there's a danger Diet's attention will come back to me.
...Should I run away now?
Leonardo told me too. Don't just hole up in your room, since we're here, you should do some sightseeing.
...Going out, huh.
Since I'm on a trip, I do think sightseeing is a meaningful way to spend time. This world is different from my previous life, the transportation network isn't very developed. Means of travel are on foot, or animals like horses and donkeys, and the carriages or carts they pull. Naturally, few people go traveling, and it's not uncommon for most people to live their entire lives without ever leaving the village or town they were born in. Considering that, it's no exaggeration to say I've already done a lifetime's worth of traveling since Leonardo took me in. I left Mey Village, went to the Wiyack Valley, lived in the city of Grenore, moved to the city of Mandez due to an accident, and now I'm in the great city of Lagarette. After this, I'll apparently reunite with Leonardo and head up the river back to the city of Grenore, for a commoner, that's an astonishing distance traveled.
...With all this moving around, you'd think I've had enough sightseeing, right?
I think that, but we've been traveling so much that I feel like we haven't really done any proper sightseeing. So maybe I really should go sightseeing at least once.
...My guardian (Leo) did tell me to, after all. And I can escape from Diet too, so it might be good.
As I was starting to feel a little positive about sightseeing, Kalisa came back after changing. She went to change clothes so her outfit should be different, but it looks the same.
"...And so, I apologize. Shall we return downstairs?"
Now that Kalisa, who's accompanying me, has finished changing, I could go back to the sunroom, but I managed to get away fair and square. It's not a place I'd want to go back to. That said, even if I relax in my room doing embroidery, Diet might come again after getting bored of Reversi with Basilia.
...Maybe I should try going out for once?
When I suggested going out to Kalisa, she said we should go to the sweet shop Cidur recommended. Since Leonardo trained him, Cidur's suggestions are limited to places where women and children can go by themselves. We're also bringing guards, so it shouldn't be that dangerous.
I put on a thick coat and went downstairs. Since Kalisa said she wanted to see the city, we decided to travel by carriage. The coachman who drove the carriage to Lagarette was a Black Knight, so he's been left behind at the hotel as one of my guards. So whenever I wanted to ride a carriage, I could do so immediately.
Naturally, going around the city in the large carriage meant for long trips felt a bit dull, so we borrowed a small carriage with cute decorations. It has the Blendrel Trading Company's emblem as a design, so apparently it's easy to tell at a glance that the passenger is a guest of the hotel.
While waiting for the prepared carriage to come around to the entrance, I could see Diet and the others playing in the sunroom. Even though it's snowy outside, the sunroom looks warm.
...Ah, Mr. Cidur.
Cidur, who seemed to have been entertaining Diet in the sunroom, caught my eye. I didn't want Diet nearby to realize I was going out, so I put my finger to my lips and made a 'shh' gesture. Cidur gave a wry smile and turned his back to me. It seems he'll pretend not to have noticed.
While this was happening, the carriage arrived and I waited for the step to be lowered. The Black Knight acting as coachman gave a wry smile, saying I could have waited in the room until preparations were done, but for me who wanted to get away from Diet as fast as possible, waiting in the room was not an option.
With the coachman's escort, I went up the step and sat down on a seat with soft cushions. As I waited for Kalisa to come in next, Diet jumped into the carriage with small footsteps. Poor thing, he made his entrance with Basilia's hand firmly gripped in one of his.
"That's not fair! Where do you think you're going to play all by yourself?"
Now then, where should I start with this. I was trying to sneak out, but I got caught. Cidur was supposed to look the other way, but when did he notice?
Diet sat down next to me as if he owned the place, and Basilia sat down next to him. I'd asked for a small carriage, but this is a 'small' carriage prepared by wealthy people. Having three children sit side by side is no problem at all.
"...Shall I throw them out?"
"Finding the culprit comes first."
For now, I ignored the two children who'd boarded and looked at the man who was trying to get on the carriage after Kalisa. The man with a foolish-looking face wearing well-tailored clothes was the one who brought Ethel's invitation. According to Diet's explanation, his false name is Kyuubee. Judging from the name, he's in the bumbling position back at the main house.
"We're full. Adults need not apply."
"Then you could just make that maid get off."
"Why would Kalisa have to be kicked out?"
As I furrowed my brow at him boarding without permission and saying whatever he pleased, Diet told me something interesting.
"Don't be so mean. Kyuubee was the one who informed me you were going out."
"That's a shakedown. Throw that man out."
From Diet's statement, I understood there was no need to hold back with Kyuubee. He was trying to board my carriage without permission. For my guards, he's definitely someone to be removed, and if he's Diet's attendant, he should certainly understand the risks of trying to force his way into the carriage of someone who has guards.
This time, before Kalisa could move, the outside guards acted. One of them grabbed Kyuubee by the scruff of his neck, pulled him back, and threw him down. He was supposed to be in the bumbling position, but Kyuubee must have had some training. He skillfully broke his fall and only ended up landing on his rear.
"How rude!"
"Who's being rude here?"
I can guess what kind of person Ethel is, but he's traveling incognito. So beyond what Ethel introduces himself as, he has no higher status, and there's no need for me to be particularly deferential to his attendant. Ethel, who calls himself just a traveling retiree, has attendants who are just attendants. If one of them forces his way into a carriage carrying a daughter from another house, it's only natural he'd be removed by her guards.
"Miss, Kyuubee was..."
"Which would you prefer?"
Sukebei and Maru came late, so I forced a choice on them without allowing any objection. Either be removed as a shakedown, or follow as Diet's guards like shadows. They must have understood from my expression that I was already furious. Sukebei held Kyuubee down, and it seemed only Maru would follow.
...Honestly, what a nuisance. Really a bumbling position, huh.
To Maru, who obediently sat on the driver's seat, I then turned back to Diet. Now then, what should I do about this. Diet's expression was completely unconcerned, not noticing my irritation at all, while Basilia, who'd already had her spirit broken once, looked utterly contrasting.
"...Why did Diet board my carriage without permission? Shouldn't you be having fun playing with Basilia-chan in the sunroom?"
"Basilia's too weak, it's boring!"
"She's a beginner who just started Reversi today, you know? It's natural she's weak."
What's he going to do with such a short temper? Everyone starts as a beginner. It's natural to be weak. If he can't even wait for her to develop, he should just play with people who are already good at existing games like Saik.
"Anyway, I'm going sightseeing, following my guardian's (Leo) orders."
When I told him bluntly without wrapping it in cotton that I didn't have time to play with Diet and he should get off, Diet started saying things like "I'll come with you too," acting all kind.
...You don't need to come with me. Like, I'm going out because Diet's a pain, so don't follow me out too!
In the end, I gave up on driving Diet away. You could also say I got tired of choosing words to drive him back. Hinting didn't work, being direct didn't work, he just insisted on coming along no matter what, and there was no reasoning with him.
...Why is he clinging to me like this?
If he wants a friend, there's already Basilia, who's obedient and docile toward Diet. There's no need for him to cling to me. I don't think there is, but for some reason Diet clings to me.
...I really don't think he actually likes me, right?
While I was thinking about such things, we arrived at the sweet shop and ate the cake Cidur recommended. There were so many varieties I was torn, but with the plan of sharing half with Kalisa, I ordered two. When I ate one, I couldn't help but furrow my brow.
...Ah, sweet. Too sweet...!
Eaten with bitter coffee, half of it might be about right. It's just too sweet. It might taste like this if you concentrated sugar, honey, and starch syrup and solidified it. It was a shockingly sweet, like being hit in the head with a sugar cube.
"...It's not to the young lady's taste, is it."
Kalisa tried her portion too, but it seemed it didn't suit her either. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"Make me some pudding when we get back to the room."
"Yes."
I want pudding to cleanse my palate. The hotel room has a small kitchen attached, so guests can cook for themselves without relying on the restaurant. We can procure tools and ingredients from the hotel, so I should be able to make it right away when we return.
"What's pudding?"
"It has nothing to do with you, Diet."
Diet, who immediately joins the conversation the moment I let my guard down, latched onto pudding too. The cake was too sweet for me and painful, but Diet seemed fine with it. His plate was already empty. He looked like he could still eat, so I cut the remaining cake into small pieces and shoved them into Diet's mouth. Diet blinked in surprise for a moment, then obediently chewed the remaining cake. When I tried to feed him the rest of the cake like that, Basilia got angry, so I shoved cake into Basilia's mouth too.
...Feel like I'm feeding baby birds?
The cake was too sweet and didn't suit my taste, but I didn't want to leave it. That was my only motive, but it was unexpectedly fun. Apparently only Kalisa and I found this overly sweet cake not to our taste, as both Diet and Basilia finished theirs.
...No, I fed her, but Diet, you should be more careful. You're a prince, aren't you?
Eating things you're given without caution seems bad. Mainly in the sense of the danger of poisoning. I wonder if Diet hasn't lived that kind of life.
...Ah, but Alfred-sama also ate the deep-fried chicken without caution, didn't he? Hm? But Timon-sama did check for poison first? Huh?
Alfred was like a storm, but he was cautious about food. Which means Diet's education might be insufficient.
"...So, what kind of food is pudding?"
"Well, if you can beat me at Saik, I'll let you eat some."
Since Reversi wouldn't be a contest, I suggested Saik, but even when we returned to the hotel and played Saik, I still won. But since he'd played it more, I think it was a fairly good match. Did that give him confidence? For some reason, Diet started playing Saik against Kalisa with pudding as the stakes. Kalisa is terrifyingly strong at Saik, so she was able to create a close match even against Diet. Whether Diet gets to win probably depends on Kalisa's mood.
"So this is pudding. It's delicious."
"I prefer this level of sweetness."
Since I was leaving Diet's company to her entirely, Ethel also participated in this match. Naturally, I lost to Ethel, who is an adult, so I humbly presented him with pudding.
"Grandfather..."
Diet, who apparently lost while his attention was elsewhere, returned to Ethel's side. Stared at by his great-grandson, who looked like an angel on the outside, Ethel silently ignored this pleading attack.
"This pudding is the right of the victor."
Tonight's pudding exists only for the victor. There is no pudding for those who cannot achieve even a single win.
The old man Ethel was surprisingly merciless.
In a world where it's normal to never leave the village or town you were born in, Leonardo also moves around quite a bit. Grenore (hometown) near Empire territory (sold by parents and moved) capital (orphanage where he was left with Saromon) Vilup Fortress (vocational training) capital (Silver-White Knight) Lugmilama Fortress (war) Grenore (Black Knight) Mandez, Lugmilama, Restham (rotating winter stays). There's even more if you include the details.
Typos and missing words will be handled another day... I fixed the typos and missing words I found.