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Published at 25th of July 2017 03:46:02 AM


Chapter 10

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Chapter 10: Love – Lv 1

“How was yesterday?”

The first thing the Director said to me when I entered the director’s room were those words.

He had a teasing smile on his sweet, handsome face.

“It was fun.”

He bluntly replied with, “That’s good”.

He looked at me as if he wanted to ask something but I ignored him and placed the documents from the researchers onto his desk.

“These are the reports from the researchers.”

“Thanks.”

I quickly turned my back away from the Director and just like I’d thought, he called out to me.

“Where’d you go?”

“What do you mean?”

“So about yesterday?”

What do you mean, “So?”

I turned around to face the Director and I knew it! He had that teasing smile on his face.

It wasn’t something for me to be troubled over but it annoyed me how he was amusing himself.

That was why I also grinned.

“Are you my father, Director?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’re asking about where I went on my day off. It’s similar to a father worrying over his daughter.”

“Hey, hey. I don’t have a daughter.”

The Director also knew that I was teasing him, didn’t he? He was smiling bitterly.

“I went into town. That’s all.”

“Hoh.”

“Oh right, I heard something about you. Director, you used to be naughty, right?”

“Wait a minute. What’d you hear?”

“I wonder?”

I only know what the Captain told me while we were eating at the stalls but I made it sound ambiguous on purpose.

Since he asked with a twitchy smile, he must be guilty of many things.

It was irritating a while ago while he was amusing himself so I felt good.

“We went to the marketplace, ate at the stalls and then we looked at the various shops around the street. We returned before it got dark.”

“I see. That’s really robust.”

Robust?

We only went into town, I don’t know what’s robust about that.

I thought and the Director dropped a bomb.

“Anyway, I’m glad you had fun on your date.”

………………。

Date?

I was flabbergasted with the bomb he dropped and the Director made a dubious face.

“What’s wrong?”

“…… It was a date?”

“Yeah?”

“We only went into town.”

“We went into town with Al, just the two of you. You ate lunch and looked at the stores, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that a date?”

I continued gaping at the Director and he delivered the final blow.

“When a man and a woman go out together, it’s called a date, isn’t it?”

I want him to stop for a bit.

Date?

No, no, did the word date mean something like that?

Even when I think back, I don’t recall ever going out with a man on my day off. Other than with my father that is.

Even if I did, it was just to go buy things for the cultural festival with my classmates.

Eh? What?

Huh? What?

Was yesterday my first date?

When I realised that my face got hot.

“No, I was only accompanying Hawk-sama into town, you know?”

“Accompanying…… Al invited you and you left, just the two of you, didn’t you?”

“Yes but Hawk-sama only invited me because he had spare time, didn’t he?”

“Well even if he was free, he wouldn’t have invited a woman he didn’t like to go out with him.”

“Eh!?”

“Is it really that surprising?”

“Because, he likes me…… He likes me……”

My words gradually thinned and I looked down.

Because, isn’t that right?

It’s unbelievable for the Captain to like such an unpopular woman like me.

Well I certainly don’t think I dislike the idea but……

Heaps of thoughts ran through my mind as I looked at my feet and the Director called out to me in a quiet voice, “Sei”.

“Was Al cold to you?”

“No….. He helped me when I got off the carriage and properly escorted me…… But isn’t that something aristocrats normally do?”

“Well, yes it is.”

“I thought so. He held my hand while we were walking and treated me to lunch.”

“Yeah?”

“When we returned he gave me a present.”

“Present?”

“Yes.”

I took the box out from inside my skirt pocket and passed it to the Director.

Inside was the hairclip I received yesterday.

When I looked at the hairclip I received from the Captain again this morning, the gems embedded in it are different from the ones at the shop.

It was lighter than blue. The blue-grey colour matched the Captain’s eye colour so now I’m a bit hesitant to return it.

I could buy the clips at the shop if I saved up but I wonder if it was alright for me to receive something this expensive.

In the end, I worried about whether to return it or not and put it in my skirt pocket.

The Director picked it up, opened the box and looked inside. He looked surprised but it was only for second. He closed the box and returned it to me.

“Sei, it’s common for aristocrats to help woman while they’re getting off carriages and escort them while walking.”

“Yes.”

“But at least, Al never gave accessories as presents.”

He stopped his teasing smile a while ago. The Director said so in a serious tone.

From his attitude, I knew that the Captain didn’t just casually give me this hair clip.

I looked at the box in my hand again. Now that I realised this, my face heated up again.

“Is it really okay for me to receive something this expensive?”

“Just take it if you don’t hate it.”

When I grumbled the Director quietly smiled and said in return.

I didn’t say anything. I just moved my neck and nodded.

 

“How do you do, Sei?”

When I went to the library to return a book I’d borrowed the next day. I met Liz in front of the door.

She also seemed to have just arrived.

It was rare for me to meet her in the corridor.

We never arrange to meet. I come to the library for work so the times I come also varied.

That’s why even if I come to the library, there are also times when I don’t meet Liz.

“Oh? You’ve changed your hairstyle today.”

“Yeah. It’s hot so I decided to do it up.”

“I see. That’s a nice hair clip you have.”

“Ah, thanks.”

The door squeaked open and I let Liz go in first.

Liz immediately when to find the book she wanted.

As for me, I handed the book I brought with me to the librarian and went to look for another book to borrow.

As expected, as soon as we met, Liz pointed out that I’d changed my hairstyle.

Liz was really fashion-conscious. She’d perfectly noticed that I had tied my hair up.

The hair clip was the one I received from the Captain. It was somewhat embarrassing so I inadvertently mumbled.

“Hey, Sei. That hairclip is really pretty. Would you mind letting me have a closer look at it?”

“I don’t mind but……”

She called out from behind me when I was standing in front of the medicinal herb books.

When I turned around, Liz had a beautiful smile on her face.

I don’t mind showing it to her but it was troublesome to do my hair up again after unfastening it. But I don’t mind showing it to her if I didn’t have to unfasten it so I answered.

I couldn’t show her while we were standing so we moved to where the desks were. I sat down on a chair and Liz stood behind me.

She didn’t touch it but she was looking at it very closely.

“This is good workmanship.”

“Thanks.”

“The embedded gems are really nice.”

“Really?”

“Yes…… Hey, who gave it to you?”

“Eh? Why?”

“Well, it seems a bit expensive for everyday use. That’s why I thought that someone must have given it to you. Was I wrong?”

“No, you’re right.”

“Did Hawk-sama give it to you?”

“H-how do you know that?!”

“How……? I think it’s pretty obvious.”

She was right about the Captain giving it to me. I was surprised and turned back, Liz looked shocked.

Eh, what’s with that?

Why is it easy to tell?

When I asked her about it, Liz sighed and lifted her index finger in front of me.

“First, rumour has it that Hawk-sama is always together with the same woman.”

“Wow.”

“I think that person is, of course, you.”

Seriously?

I haven’t heard that rumour, you know?

And what’s with “that”, huh?

Then, Liz lifted her middle finger.

“Second, the gems on your hairclip perfectly matches up with Hawk-sama’s eye colour.”

“You looked really closely, huh……”

“Of course, the gems give the hair clip a nice finish.”

“No, not that, I meant at Hawk-sama’s eye colour.”

“Hawk-sama’s eye colour is the Margrave family’s special trait so it is well-known.”

“I see.”

“Those are the two reasons that come to mind.”

“Still can people make a connection that quickly just because the gems match the colour of Hawk-sama’s eyes?”

“Yes, certainly. It’s well-known that Hawk-sama favours Sei.”

“Well-known?!”

“Besides, it’s common in this kingdom for men to give his colour to the woman he likes.”

“His colour?”

“Like the colour of his hair or the colour of his eyes. Men generally gift things that match the colour of their eyes.”

“I see.”

I didn’t know this.

So that means, the Captain likes……

No, no. Wait, wait.

It’s impossible for me to think further than that!

What should I do? Was it really okay for me to receive this?

Director, you definitely knew this, didn’t you?

Why didn’t you tell me!?

I wrapped my hands around my head while sitting and I heard Liz giggling.

“Sei, you’re so red.”

“I’m…… I’m not used to these kind of things!”

“Oh, is that so?”

Ah, I can’t believe Liz was lecturing me on love when she’s about 10 years younger than me. Liz watched me warmly when I lifted my face up. I’m really want to run away.

Ah, seriously I want to run away!





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