260 - Side Story - Leonardo's Perspective - Little Lady 3
I wonder if I could go to the fortress in autumn. I asked this while carefully observing Tina's condition in the carriage on the way back from the orphanage. Right now, since we are staying in the capital for Tina's business, I cannot leave the capital on my own authority. But given the reason, even if Tina said she did not want to, I would have no choice but to persuade her, which is the difficult part.
But Tina readily agreed to this proposal.
I had been worrying about whose wisdom to borrow for persuading Tina, but I was completely taken aback. Tina had always been reasonable and rarely caused me trouble. Once she understood the situation, she set aside her own convenience because it was a special case. With her lips slightly pursed, as if to say, "I am a good little sister who does not get in the way of her brother's work."
...I cannot say Tina was happy about it, but since she said I could go, I need to make arrangements so I can leave with peace of mind.
If I cannot always be with her, having only Aaron and Giselle as guards leaves me uneasy. Aaron is one thing, but Giselle is a White Knight. In terms of combat ability, she is completely unreliable.
...I do not really want any bad sorts getting near Tina.
That is how I feel, but I cannot let my personal feelings get in the way. For Tina's safety, it is better to introduce her to the Silver-White Knights. Some of them make jokes about wanting Tina as a bride, but basically they are good-natured people. If I subtly ask them to look after my little sister while her brother is away, they will keep an eye on her more than necessary. I feel like Tina might find it a bit annoying, but I think that level of annoyance is just right. I would rather she look slightly bothered by the fuss than wait for my return crying because she is lonely.
"Leave it to me. My mother said she wants to invite Tina-sama to another tea party. Let me stop by occasionally to check on her too."
"Please do."
When I bowed to Timon, Tina also imitated me and bowed. Tina is not good with boys, but she gets along reasonably well with discerning adult men. From the adults' perspective, Tina, as an obedient and cute little girl, was well-received. I took her out hoping she might make friends close to her age at the orphanage, but if her world is going to expand, it does not matter if her acquaintances are not children.
After entrusting Tina to Timon, I introduced Tina to the Silver-White Knights we encountered on the way back. Since I had already explained to Tina the purpose of introducing her to the Silver-White Knights, she turned on the charm. I feel like she might have turned it on a bit too much, but that is her own doing, so if I end up being showered with mountains of sweets later, it is not my fault. It is Tina's fault for being cute. Every time someone offered her sweets, she smiled cutely and said thank you, which completely captured the hearts of father knights who had started being avoided by their daughters of marriageable age, and bachelor knights who had never had a single lover amid their days of study and training to become knights. It is within acceptable range as long as they just feel protective of Tina as a cute little girl, but if anyone starts talking about making her their bride, I feel like I need to be on guard. Even in that case, an atmosphere was already forming where the father knights with daughters seemed likely to step in and obstruct them.
Anyway, while I cannot increase Tina's dedicated guards from among the Silver-White Knights, it seems like Silver-White Knights on leave will voluntarily look after Tina, so I can head to the fortress with peace of mind.
During the few days before my departure, Tina packed my bags while learning from Hermine. Normally this would be a wife's job, and since I do not have a wife, I can pack my own bags just fine, but it is serving as teaching material for Tina's studies.
"The luggage is ready, Leonardo Big Brother-sama. Please check it."
Saying that, Tina brought two bags. When I placed the bags on the desk and checked the contents, they were packed with travel essentials like neatly folded change of clothes, towels, and portable provisions. She should have learned how to pack from Hermine, but something was a bit off.
"...Tina, the left and right bags have the same things inside? Did not Ms. Hartmann tell you to separate them by purpose?"
"She did teach me that. She said to separate the bags for clothes and provisions based on usability."
Even though she was taught that, she packed the bags with balanced weight on both sides. What could this mean? I could not figure out the question at all, so I asked again.
"You were taught by Ms. Hartmann, but you put clothes and provisions together?"
"They go on a horse's back, right? In that case, I thought it might be better for the horse if the weight was the same on both sides..."
"I see."
It seemed she had her own reasons and deliberately did it this way. Hermine apparently taught her based on usability, but probably let her do as she thought since her reasoning also made sense. In that case, this time it might be okay to prioritize the horse's balance over usability.
...Above all, it is the luggage my little sister (Tina) packed for me.
Having a family member prepare my luggage makes me happy. Until now, I had always done it myself, or Bart or one of the Black Knights prepared it. Having my family (little sister) handle it makes me so happy I almost feel like I cannot use it on the road.
"All that is left is to pack the lunch and water on the day itself, and it will be complete."
"...Tina, there is one extra thing in here, you know?"
This must be Tina's candy tin, I said, pulling out the tin that came out from the bottom of the luggage. I tried to return it to Tina, wondering when it got mixed in, but Tina pushed my hand back.
"It is emergency rations. Please take it. It is delicious."
"...Then I will gratefully accept it."
This should be an important treat for Tina, but apparently she is giving it to me. Since it was packed with so many provisions I could hardly believe it, I honestly did not think emergency rations would be necessary, but I was happy about my little sister's consideration.
...Having a family is really nice.
I carefully repacked Tina's affection, in the form of the candy tin, back into the bag and closed the lid. As I gazed at the two bags sitting side by side, Tina sat down next to me on the lounge chair.
"How long will you be gone?"
"I plan to stay there through the whole autumn... but I do not think I will be able to come back right away just because winter starts."
When I estimated it would be around the Divine King Festival, Tina nodded and said, "I understand." Seeing Tina looking no different than usual, I worried whether she was holding back, or whether my business trip really meant nothing to her. Especially in the latter case, as a brother, I would feel more than a little lonely.
"...Will you be lonely?"
I ended up asking, wanting to hear the word "lonely" from Tina's mouth. Even if she answered "lonely," I could not postpone going to the fortress. Besides, I knew Tina was a sensible child. I knew she was the kind of child who could not honestly say she was lonely even if she was.
"I think I will be lonely, but I have plans to keep busy, so I will be fine."
After showing a slight thinking gesture, Tina answered like this. I did get to hear "lonely" from Tina's mouth, but she also said "I will be fine" at the same time. She truly is a very accomplished little sister.
"Alfred-sama should be bringing Saint Yuuta Hiraga's research materials from Grenore soon, so I will have things to do and will not have time to feel lonely."
"Do not get so absorbed in reading the materials that you shut yourself in your room again."
When I warned her to go outside for walks in moderation, she averted her eyes. That was probably the face of someone who thinks walks are a hassle. She was probably thinking she would rather spend that time reading materials than taking walks.
"I will ask Ms. Hartmann to take you out for walks on sunny days."
"Huh? You do not have to go that far..."
"Tina, if left alone, you will not go outside. It is good to move your body sometimes."
"Uu... I understand."
She said she would keep it in mind, so I might need to not just rely on Hermine but also sound out Basilia about this. Tina, who is not good with boys, is softer on girls in compensation. She seemed to have promised to give her a ribbon too, so they were probably getting along reasonably well.
"Before Alfred-sama comes back, I want to remodel the tatami space into an even more comfortable area."
"I do not mind that... but I think spending time on the tatami in winter will be difficult, never mind autumn."
Early autumn is still warm, but as winter approaches, temperatures inevitably drop. To keep warm, the tatami would need to be placed in front of the hearth, but tatami is woven from dried grass. There is no way that should be placed in front of a hearth. I did not want Tina catching a cold, so not using the hearth was not an option.
I listed as many drawbacks as I could think of, and finally delivered the finishing blow that going barefoot in winter would also be tough. In summer, going barefoot with legs stretched out on the tatami was comfortable, but it seemed impossible to be comfortable on the tatami all the way through winter.
"What about putting Oscar on my feet?"
"As for me, I would like you to finish reading through the materials as early as possible in autumn."
Saint Yuuta Hiraga's research materials were one-of-a-kind precious items and treasures that could not be allowed to be lost. In the room where they were handled, heating would be extremely restricted. Jasper, who stayed at the Grenore residence, also struggled with the winter transcription work.
"You will need a coat even inside the room. As for usable heating, maybe just being able to bring a small wood stove into the room? A knight stands guard in front of that wood stove, so well, frankly, you will not get enough warmth."
"Jasper was going through that much hardship...?"
"Research materials are piles of paper. We do not want them near fire as much as possible."
I earnestly told Tina, to the extent I knew, about how much hardship Jasper went through in winter. Not being able to sit by the hearth fire in winter added to the difficulty, but Jasper suffered in other seasons too. In the hot summer, he could not open windows for fear of papers blowing away in the wind, and he was watched by Silver-White Knights most of the time, spoke to no one, and simply continued transcription work every single day. All of it, to bring back the research materials left by Saint Yuuta Hiraga to the Sedovara Church.
"...I understand. I will do my best to finish reading by autumn."