Pardon the Abduction, Holy Knight - It's an Emergency - Chapter 3.13

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“Wit, let’s go.”

“Keke… Master, are we leaving already?”

“Yes. Change of plans.”

The original plan was to give the man the exact opposite information of what Wit provided, to make sure he gets completely rejected.

But seeing the current situation, that won’t be enough.

“Master, then what about the fun part? Can’t Wit do something fun?”

I gently took Wit’s hand as he drooped his shoulders.

Wit looked up at me with slightly flushed cheeks.

I smiled kindly at Wit and replied.

“We will. Something even more fun.”

***

“What? The knight wants to do it again?”

“Yes. From today on, I will be in charge of cooking. Please keep that in mind.”

Since last time, Adriel started cooking without being asked whenever it was mealtime.

It’s convenient for me if he takes over, but why did he suddenly change his mind?

Didn’t he like the food I made all this time?

Actually… was my cooking not good?

“It’s not because the Lady’s food wasn’t tasty.”

“……”

Did I say my thoughts out loud?

I awkwardly asked Adriel.

“Then why suddenly…?”

“Whatever the reason, since we’re living together, I don’t want to just be a burden.”

A burden? Is this something a kidnapped person should say?

I seriously pondered whether Adriel had really fallen into Stockholm syndrome as I set the table.

“Well, I understand for now. Then while you’re cooking, I’ll be with Wit… Ah, he’s not here right now.”

I belatedly remembered that I had sent Wit on an errand.

It’s been about an hour since Wit left, hasn’t it?

Things should be getting chaotic over there by now.

Suddenly, a letter on the table caught my eye, and I opened it.

[You won’t accept my request for such a reason? Is it because of a lack of money? Didn’t I say I would manage to get the money somehow?]

On that day when I witnessed the scene of infidelity.

I had refused the request, saying I couldn’t accept customers who commit adultery.

Then the next day, the man came here to express his dissatisfaction, and when I didn’t open the door, he started leaving letters like this.

“He didn’t come today.”

Adriel, who had brought the food at some point, said to me.

When I looked at him as if to ask what he meant, Adriel continued bluntly.

“That customer who came here and caused a disturbance.”

“Ah… He probably won’t come for a while. He must be busy cleaning up the mess he’s been making until now.”

I hope he broke a front tooth or something.

As I was smiling slightly at that thought,

Adriel, who had been staring at me, asked.

“Did something happen?”

I tilted my head.

Ah, was he curious about why I was smiling to myself?

“Why? Do I look happy?”

“Quite the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

I looked at him, indicating that further explanation was needed.

Adriel slowly opened his mouth.

“Whenever that man came and left, didn’t your expression darken? It seems the same now after reading that letter.”

I blinked blankly.

Sometimes I think Adriel knows me better than I know myself.

“Ah, did I do that?”

Really… how embarrassing.

I smiled awkwardly and continued.

“Well… I guess when I see that person, it reminds me of something from the past.”

“May I ask what kind of incident it was?”

I opened my eyes wide.

I didn’t expect him to ask about this.

“Well, it’s not something I can’t talk about…”

I trailed off, my lips quivering.

Even in my past life, I had never confided this story to anyone.

What’s the point of sharing such an unpleasant story?

Besides, I didn’t like being pitied.

But with this person…

After all, once I get his signature, I’ll never see him again, so it should be fine, right?

“Well, it’s a story from long ago…”

I began speaking as if it were someone else’s story, in a calm manner.

“There was someone just like that customer in my family. He was also the type to be so blinded by love that he’d give everything away. Even going as far as to use his family’s money.”

“Couldn’t you stop him?”

I let out a weak laugh.

“If only I could have.”

Sometimes I wondered.

If I had acted immediately when I noticed the signs, would the outcome have been different?

“But it was already after the problem had occurred. The situation was even more serious because he had even taken out loans to do such things.”

It’s already in the past.

Realizing it was a meaningless act, I often felt dejected.

“In the end, well. As you might expect, it was disastrous. I still don’t understand. Why did he have to go that far? In the end, even Mom, because of that person…”

Hot…!

I quickly bit my lip.

Because Adriel was listening so well, I almost made a mistake, forgetting to talk about it as if it were someone else’s story.

I glanced at Adriel.

He wouldn’t be suspicious, would he?

Fortunately, he was just looking at me with a serious face.

“Ahem, ahem! Anyway, I guess I couldn’t control my expression as those memories came back.”

“It must have been difficult for you.”

I blinked slowly.

“…What was difficult for me? After all, it was someone else’s business.”

“The fact that you still remember something from long ago means it was a close relationship.”

“……”

“Just witnessing such things up close can be painful, can’t it?”

I stared blankly into Adriel’s eyes.

Below his furrowed brows. His sun-red eyes seemed kindly understanding of my feelings.

For a moment, captivated by that gaze, I smiled bitterly.

“It’s all in the past now. I just hope my brother has come to his senses now.”

I wonder how my remaining family is living after my death.

My family, whom I’ll probably never see again.

Now, I could only hope that my brother had come to his senses. For Dad’s sake, if nothing else.

“…Was the person you mentioned a man?”

Did I just say ‘brother’?

I should stop talking about the past now. How many times am I going to make mistakes?

I nodded calmly.

“Yes, he was a man.”

Though judging by his actions, he was closer to an animal acting on pure instinct than a person.

“That’s the end of my story. Not much, right?”

I shrugged and continued.

“Still… thank you for listening.”

My voice came out softly.

I don’t know why saying this feels so embarrassing.

I gripped the spoon, lowering my gaze.

“Shall we stop talking about this and eat now?”

…No response.

Thinking Adriel had started eating first, I was about to blow on the soup and bring it to my mouth.

“From what you said, it doesn’t seem like he was a blood relative. I suppose he was one of your servants.”

But he continued to speak to me on the same topic as before.

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

“An older man.”

“Yes…”

“Didn’t you say you liked younger men?”

“Yes… What?! No, when did I… And that sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it?”

What on earth is he curious about to ask such things?