The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange

5. Childhood (1)

It’s been a month since I stayed with the Eleves family as Lia’s escort knight.

During this month, I stayed close to her the rest of the time, except for sleeping time, to prevent Ria from waking up.

Is it because of my efforts, or is the time yet to come? I’m not sure, but fortunately, Lia didn’t change from a flirtatious personality to a villain. And there was no sign of that either.

I wanted to be able to do it like this from now on, so I tried harder to follow Lia.

For some reason, at some point, Lia started avoiding me.

“…… Where did he go?”

Tuk-tuk tapped the handle of her bare sword on her waist and glanced out the window at her.

The mansion of the Eleves family has a total of four floors. I searched all the floors from the 4th to the 2nd floor, the top floor, but Lia was not there. That said, Leah’s current location must be the first floor or the garden outside her mansion.

“Tsk.”

If you’re staying inside the mansion, you’re at least safe, but if you’re in the garden, the story is a little different.

Even though there are magic tools installed that act as crime prevention devices, they are not 100% safe. In fact, if you put your mind to it, it’s enough to do Haekoji.

While I took my eyes off her, someone unknown, or something that might happen and awaken Lia as her villain. I didn’t want such a disaster to happen, so I immediately moved towards the first floor.

“Oh, Cain. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Climbing the stairs, coming down the landing. His eyes met with two servant women in maid uniforms.

According to manners, I gave a light bow and replied back.

“Yes, I am looking for Lia. Do you two know where Lia is?”

“Oh, Lia-sama, you are in the garden right now.”

“Cain-nim is taking advantage of the moment when he is away, looking at her flowers.”

“Is that so? Thank you.”

Garden, flower viewing. I typed two keywords in my head and passed the employee.

But at that moment, a chuckle and a playful voice came from behind me.

“Lady Cain! Lia-sama is still a sensitive girl, so even though it’s too tight, drink it and loosen it up a bit!”

“Right! I know Cain’s heart well. If you are too overprotective, you will be hated by Lia-sama.”

“… ….”

What the hell are these people talking about? When a man chases a woman, do you think it’s because he likes them all?

I’m not chasing Leah for the sake of such petty personal feelings, but for everyone’s comfort and Lia’s future. It means doing this even while taking up my precious time.

…… The desire to say that was like a chimney, and in fact, I have seen it no matter how many times I say it.

Every time that happened, I thought, ‘Ah, yes. I see.&Quot “Okay. A single-minded Cain, who only thinks of Lia whether she sleeps or wakes up.”

Well, don’t misunderstand. ‘Cause I just do my job

I hurried my steps and got out of the mansion. The destination is an outdoor garden, and the person looking for it is Leah von Eleves.

“Uh.”

Perhaps because she had a clear goal, she found Lia within 30 seconds of starting the search.

Leah was hiding in a flowerbed in the outdoor garden, but her hiding place was where the blue flowers were blooming. Her pink hair was relatively prominent and easy to spot.

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Without making a sound of her footsteps, she moved closer behind Leah, placing her right hand on her shoulder and calling out softly.

“…… Leah. What are you doing here?”

“Hiya-!”

Then she said Leah she was like a child who had done something wrong, she freaked out and then she screamed like a cat and looked back at me.

It looks like she was surprised to see me, her eyes widening even wider than usual.

“Ka, Cain… !”

“Yes, Lia… ! Sir.”

“My, how did you know I was here?”

“I heard from Hesse and Maria.”

She crossed her arms and glanced at the second floor of her mansion. Two servants who happened to be standing by the window, who pointed me to Leah’s location. They see us from inside the mansion, smile and wave.

“Hesse, Maria! I begged you never to tell Cain!”

“The two of them are innocent. Because I asked first. So, if you are going to charge me, you just have to ask me.”

“…… Cain, do you know that sometimes you don’t feel like you’re 10 years old?”

It’s true that I’m not actually 10 years old, but if I tell you honestly, you won’t believe it, will you? I just shrugged her shoulders.

“So, why did you come out into the garden without saying anything to me? I should have made it clear. Wherever you go, it’s fine, but no matter what happens, take me with you.”

“I know Cain is my escort knight. By the way, Cain, you are overprotective of me! I want to be alone sometimes too, but it doesn’t make sense to have someone accompany you wherever you go!”

“Why doesn’t it make sense? I am Lia-sama’s escort knight.”

“Ah, no matter how much he is an escort knight. Like yesterday, it’s not like following right in front of the bathroom… !”

Lea’s face turned red as she pointed at me. I muttered calmly, in a businesslike tone.

“I am just doing my job. My lady, I have no personal feelings.”

“Oh, really… ! Call me lady only when it’s against you!”

As if she had nothing to say after mentioning her public reason, Lia turned her body around and strode forward to her. I followed Lia and added a word.

“Lia, where are you going?”

“I’m going to go to town soon.”

“Are you going out, for what purpose?”

“Visit around. I’ll be back soon, and I’ll hide my identity, so you, Cain, don’t have to follow me.”

“Yes, I understand. I will follow you as soon as I am ready.”

“…… Hey, really!”

* * *

Following Lia, who was particularly mumbling today, I left her mansion and came to a nearby village and looked around the streets.

At the center of the well-maintained road, wooden shop buildings are lined up on both sides. In the middle, there are some street vendors selling food, etc., With the stalls open.

“Hmm….”

After taking on the role of an escort knight for the first time, I didn’t know because I was so distracted when I rode the carriage to Eleveth’s mansion. Seeing so many passersby coming and going, regardless of gender and age, I get the impression that this area is a bustling town.

The territory of the Reinhardt family, to which I belonged, was also quite busy, but I can assure you that it was not to this extent. There were hardly any passers-by dressed sloppy, and everyone was wearing an assortment of people. After all, it must have been better to settle down and live in a rich county.

“Mister, how much is this boat?”

“They don’t sell them individually, they sell them in bundles of 30 for a penny.”

“So, what about this pomegranate fruit?”

“That’s sixpence a piece, isn’t it a bit expensive?”

When Lia, dressed up as an ordinary village girl, asks, she is answered with a smile by a fruit seller who looks good.

I stared at the fruit shop man. It could be that this handsome old man is the dark side that makes Leah her villain.

I keep a close eye on the uncle’s every action in order to deal with it before it happens. Leah taps my arm.

“Cain, let go of your impressions. Uncle is embarrassed… !”

“Oh, sorry. It’s because of my occupational disease.”

“…… Occupational disease?”

As she bowed her head respectfully, the fruit shop man looked at us alternately with a mysterious face. She smiled and held out something.

“Now, take it.”

“What is this?”

At first glance, it was a fruit that looked like an apple. I didn’t know what was inside, so I didn’t accept it and looked at the man with eyes demanding an explanation.

The man at the fruit shop didn’t say much, and with his big hands he cut the fruit and divided it in half. I ate one piece whole.

“It’s a fig that tastes like honey, a special fruit that only grows in this area. Haven’t you seen it?”

“Is that so? It’s been a while since I came here, so I didn’t know.”

Simply put, it’s a specialty of this town.

The man who ate half of the fruit at once cut the remaining half in half again and served it to us. Lia said, ‘Honey figs… I was going to accept it, saying ‘!’

“Uh… ? Hey Cain!”

“Uncle. How much does this fruit cost?”

“It’s free, so you can just take it. Take that, and go, lady…. No, but share it with her girlfriend.”

“Oh, I see. Then I will be grateful.”

I took two pieces of free fruit and lowered my head, and Lia grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the fruit shop quickly. I glanced at her as she was being dragged away, and for some reason, Lia’s cheeks were red.

“Lia-sama. Her face is red. Did you have a fever?”

“What’s the fever, Cain, it’s because of you… !”

“Because of me?”

Why is it because of me?

When Leah let go of my arm, I snapped a bite of her fig to see if she was poisoned. Then, as the man from the fruit shop said, the sweet taste of honey came out of the fresh fruit juice and covered my tongue.

“Ah, shamefully! Why are you eating alone?!”

“Yes, we have to make sure that the fruit is safe. Wouldn’t it be better for me, the escort knight, to collapse than for Lia-sama to collapse over a fruit I don’t know if it’s safe?”

After saying that, I cut off the other side as well. Tasting results. There was nothing wrong with both, and it was a very delicious fig that always tasted like honey.

“Oh, you alone again! It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten figs, so I wanted to eat them. Cain-!”

“Lia-sama. As I said before, when someone does a favor on the street, you have to be suspicious first. When you hand over something to eat, you must taste it after checking to see if it is poisoned. This world is not a fairy tale world. Maybe you don’t know The person who favors Lia….”

“Actually, he might be trying to harm me? I know, I know!”

“Lea, how did you know what I was about to say?”

“Yeah, Cain told me to put scabs in my ears for the past month!”

It seems that the effect of repeated learning is gradually coming out. It’s a somewhat ignorant method, but there’s nothing like repeated learning to inject information into people’s heads.

I’m glad my efforts for a month didn’t go in vain, and it seemed to shine.

“That’s right, I’m glad you know me well now. But Lia-sama, I’m asking just in case. You know what to do when a stranger approaches you asking for directions….”

“Hey Cain! I am not a child! You don’t think I even know that much?!”

Lia, who was very angry, put her hands on her hips.

“I know very well that Lia is not a child. But just in case you don’t know. When such a situation arises, I ask how to deal with it correctly, and I ask if you know well.”

“When a stranger asks for directions, tell Cain to call you! You said you would always be watching me from a step away!”

“Mmm, that’s right.”

As expected, repeated learning is the strongest and invincible. Feeling deeply satisfied with Lia’s answer, I nodded her head. Leah looked at me with her flushed face, then jerked her head away.

“Lia-sama, that is the direction to the outskirts of town.”

“…… I know! I know, but I’m going because I have something to do.”

“It’s business. Lia-nim, is she on the outskirts of town?”

The daughter of a noble family has some business on the outskirts of town.

“The man at the fruit shop said that earlier. Figs that taste like honey grow only in this area. I want to see it with my own eyes.”

“If you want some figs, I’ll tell the servant to get some for Lia-nim. So there is no need for Lia-sama to go to the outskirts where security is not good.”

“No, I’m not doing this simply because I want to eat.”

Leah stopped her steps.

“Cain. The figs you just ate, how did they taste?”

“Oh, it was delicious, right? It was sweet.”

“How does that fig compare to other fruits you have ever eaten, Cain? Doesn’t the fig side taste much better?”

“Um…. Yes that’s right.”

“Yeah, I think so too. So, I want to sell those delicious figs to other estates too?”

Oh, this is unexpected again.

“Lia, are you interested in business as well?”

“Yes, I make money. I want to give more people a taste of the delicious fruit I know. There are such good fruits, isn’t it a shame that only the people of our territory know about them?”

“… ….”

I knew from the first meeting that he was a surprisingly deep person. I hope you were thinking like this.

What should I say? After all, should we say that it is a way of thinking worthy of the daughter of a wealthy countess?

I realized that I said this not because the figs were delicious, but from a business perspective.

It seems that people look a little different.

“So, escort me safely to the outskirts of town. Cain Reinhardt.”

Leah winked in one of her eyes.

“Cain is my escort knight, so can I?”

Then, he carefully held out one of her hands.

I silently looked down at Lia’s right hand.

“Yes, I understand.”

As if a knight escorting the princess, he held it gently.

“Even if there are assassins coming out from the outskirts of the town where there are few people, aiming for Lia-sama’s supply. I’ll keep you safe. Come on, let’s go.”

“…… Cain, can you stop saying such nonsense? If you say that, you really think so!”