Vol. 10 Chapter 55 - The Uninvited Guest

Even after finishing his dessert after dinner, the marquis did not show any signs of getting up and returning.

Even when my father hinted at his return, the marquis only asked if the time was right for him to return.

He just kept asking if it was time for him to go back.

I knew he did it because he didn’t want to leave Thalia behind, but it wasn’t pleasant to see his demeanor, in which he looked at my father with a mournful expression and said he didn’t want to go.

When the marquis accepted and willingly raised himself, he gripped Thalia’s hand tightly and refused to let go.

The marquis repeatedly told Thalia to “take care of yourself, eat well, and be healthy soon.”

Thalia, perhaps embarrassed by the marquis’ behavior, said it was already too late and asked for the marquis’ understanding so she could rest.

I retreated with Thalia, and it wasn’t long before I heard the sound of a carriage leaving the mansion.

After I washed up, I lay down on the bed and remembered Thalia and the marquis’ reunion, which made my chest feel heavy.

I knew they were the most precious things in the world to each other.

Karpel is that type of person in my viewpoint.

I was a little envious of them both.

Because I didn’t know if Karpel and I could have a relationship on which we could depend o each other.

And I assumed that by the time he realized what he thought was right was actually wrong, it was too late.

It’s a shame that this time I was up against his brick walls. Time does not last forever.

“Karpel, you stupid jerk……”

As I said his name, I cursed a lot.

However, because I couldn’t get rid of my troubled feeling inside, I had a broken night’s sleep.

Because I couldn’t sleep well last night, I’m not feeling well today, in fact, I’m feeling awful.

I awoke earlier than usual and went for a walk in the garden to get some fresh air. I suddenly remembered the refreshments I couldn’t give Karpel yesterday.

I then dashed into the kitchen. But there would be no one in the kitchen this time.

I couldn’t ask anyone for refreshments.

Then an excellent idea occurred to me.

‘It won’t matter if I cook at this hour!’

The kitchen was still quiet even after the sun had risen because the ingredients and side dish had been prepared since early morning.

I prepared the sweets and fruit punch to accompany them and placed them in the ice tea pot.

Because the pot was made by magic for making ice tea, it wouldn’t take long for the fruit punch to cool down.

I carried the fruit punch and sweets to the training field in a basket.

A dark memory flashed through my mind as I approached the training field.

It was such a shameful dark past.

What did I think at the time?

I scanned the training field with my head, hoping to see where Karpel was.

However, I was unable to locate Karpel.

‘Huh……? Is he in the library rather than here?’

Karpel has never missed his morning training, so I was surprised to know that he is not currently on the training field.

I placed the basket on a bench under a tree and decided to wait a while in case he hadn’t arrived yet.

However, there is a cloth draped over the bench armrest. It looked like a towel to me, but it wasn’t.

Because the cloth was thin and smooth.

I picked up the cloth casually, double-checked that it was Karpel’s shirt, and set it back down.

It was strange because the cloth hanging here was his shirt, not his coat.

I wasn’t sure if he removed his top for training because he had done something similar before.

‘Where does he go at this time when he should be training?’ 

While I was thinking, I noticed a sprawling sword in the middle of the training field. Karpel trained with the sword.

It was a real sword but with no blade and no scabbard.

I attempted to lift the sword out of curiosity. I thought I had a lot of strength, but the sword felt too heavy for me to easily lift.

Still, I’m guessing it’s lighter than the iron fry pan typically used to stir-fry anchovies.

I held the sword in both hands, raised it above my head, and then slowly lowered it.

I also want to practice Kendo again, as I did in my previous life, but there is no dojo here.

I tried to imitate a pose I saw somewhere, shout to my heart’s content, swing the sword up and down, and pose the blocked posture I saw in some movies.

Whoosshh whuishhh

The sound of the swords cutting the wind was fierce.

Others may think I’m stupid and awkward, but in my mind, I’m a swords master.

I lifted the sword as if it were a fishing rod that had been caught by a large fish, then twisted my back and swung the sword back after half a step.

Thud!

With a thud, the sword came to a halt.

I slowly reverted my gaze.

Obviously, Karpel was struck by the iron sword. The master in this training field.

He didn’t wear anything wet on his upper body, just like the last time.

I’m not sure if he poured cold water on himself, but his black pants only got a few splashes of water and didn’t get wet.

And his hair was dripping wet and clumped in front of his face.

The final boss, who casually blocked the heavy iron I wielded with only the back of his left hand, grabbed the sword’s blade tightly and easily snatched the sword from my grasp.

Even though the blade was dull, it was still a sword.

“Is your hand okay?”

Instead of responding, Karpel returned the sword to its scabbard.

‘You left the sword but kept the scabbard, huh?’

“What brings you here?”

“……While preparing for the tea party, I made some new snacks and desserts, and I thought it would be nice if you tried some as well, Karpel.”

“Please return.”

Oh, okay! I’m going. I’ll definitely go.

I turned my body, took a few steps back, and then turned it again.

“Uh, Karpel.”

Karpel turned in surprise as he wiped his wet body and hair with a towel that was lying on the bench. to where I am.

In this situation, most people would cover their chest. Instead, Karpel placed the wet towel on his back and puffed out his chest.

Both the atmosphere and his posture were awkward, but his face made him look like a model for a fitness center commercial.

His face remained youthful, but his body had matured into that of an adult gentleman.

Karpel raised an eyebrow as I looked at him.

‘No, I mean… I don’t want to look at his chest. It’s just the way he stands in a position that exposes his front body, so I can’t help but look.’

So why did he put the wet towel against his back?

I don’t think it was because he was cold.

I noticed that the area of his body covered by the wet towel was a little red.

Just like the red stain that remains after washing their freshly colored hair.

“Why?”

When Karpel asked, I came to my senses.

‘What was I going to ask?’

I had to scorch my mind to look for what I had forgotten while enjoying the work of art.

If I said I called him for no reason, it would appear that I turned to look at his naked body.

So I came here to give Karpel some snacks, but I found a sword without an owner in the middle of the training field and swung it around to learn how to wield it.

That’s what it was. I was eager to learn how to wield the sword!

“Ah, I……”

“You can’t.”

How could he say ” I can’t,” when I haven’t even said anything?

“I’d like to learn how to use a sword……”

“You can’t.”

“……”

So the “you can’t” he was referring to was genuine.

How could he have known when I hadn’t even said anything?

Karpel, who spoke firmly, gave me an unhappy look.

Karpel’s expression was as fierce as usual, but he seemed to try to push me away even more.

For a brief moment, I worried that if more time passed like this, Karpel’s mind would harden and there would be no way for me to fix our relationship.

“Karpel.”

Karpel crouched as I approached him to have a serious conversation. His chest muscle appeared to be tense.

“…….”

He drew the wet towel across his back and tried to cover his chest, but whether his chest was too wide or the towel was too short, the towel couldn’t completely cover his chest.

Perhaps because the embarrassment of taking off his top had only newly returned.

I guess it’s better for me to leave now and talk to him later when he’s properly dressed.

⇺⇺⇺⇼⇻⇻⇻

I returned to my room and napped for a few minutes.

Perhaps because I had just seen Karpel’s milky skin, I only slept briefly, but I felt like I slept deeply and awoke to feel refreshed.

To get a good night’s sleep, I had to see Karpel before going to bed, as expected.

A letter from the Zelude family arrived during my brief nap.

I assumed it was sent by Marquis Zelude to inquire about Thalia’s well-being, but it was actually sent by Clara.

I read the letter nervously, concerned that the content might be about Thalia, but I was mistaken.

The letter’s content was her expression of willingness to Krenberia’s tea party.

She wrote that she was looking forward to the invitation, but was disappointed when it didn’t arrive…… and so on.

We weren’t in a relationship where we were closed of each other to begin with.

I replied that I would invite her the next time.

Saying that it’s an informal tea party held by a little friend, Shabelle, who wants to have a tea party in Krenberia, and it’s not a place for her to attend.

Shabelle is a year older than me, but seven years younger than Clara, who is a year older than Thalia.

In my previous life, it was as if a college student wanted to attend elementary school meetings. A similar situation can be found within the empire’s society.

Furthermore, because it was an informal tea party, a candidate for crown princess could not attend.

I then sent the response letter, and Clara responded quickly.

She stated that even if this was the case, she still wanted to attend and would pay a visit.

She also stated that given the current state of affairs among the young ladies in Krenberia’s territory, it would be beneficial for her to attend the tea party.

That seems reasonable.

I picked up the reply letter from Clara and went to visit Thalia.