The Reason I Keep Avoiding My Childhood Friend

“Please get to the sage’s study as soon as possible.”

“He’s suspicious. You shouldn’t have brought him.”

It seems that the uncle felt the same anxiousness as I did. That man was really suspicious.

“I am worried about the accident. It’s not too far away, so we’ll part ways soon.”

“Nevertheless. Is it okay to be in a same space with a stranger?”

For a moment, I felt strange with the uncle’s words. However, I did not reveal my inner feelings as he looked sincerely worried about me.

“That’s, it’s fine.”

“Still, if you think something is going to happen, shout out loud. I will keep my ears open.”

The coachman’s expression was full of concern that the man was a scoundrel and might do something bad to me. However, if my intuition was right, I don’t think what the Uncle worried about would happen. So I just signaled him to leave.

At that time, the person who didn’t seem to know that we were talking about him came forward.

“We’re not leaving?”

Unintentionally, we’re talking among ourselves while being next to the person we’re talking about. But that person was also odd. The desperation right before this had disappeared and he looked very confident. It’s like having me as a guest in his carriage.

“I’ll leave it to you, Uncle. Drive safe. Safety comes first.”

The uncle responded to my request with a flat face. So the carriage started. Compared to the first time, it was quite fast.

It’s not that it was very fast. We were in the middle of the capital after all, and we shouldn’t speed in such a place, no matter how impatient we were. Knowing that, the uncle was just driving the carriage a little faster.

As soon as the carriage started, the other person seemed more relaxed, like he was out of danger. As his nervousness faded, his whole atmosphere changed. However, it only left a sense of incongruity.

The clothes that he was wearing, revealed between the robes, were obviously brand new and made of luxurious materials. He was a high-ranking person, so why does he act like someone being pursued?

Was I observing too much? The pupils of his eyes hidden by the robe hood were revealed. Eyes with intense red pupils curled into fine lines.

Huh? Come to think of it, have I seen this person before? It reminded me of a familiarity I hadn’t felt before. I’m sure I wouldn’t be familiar with the extremely handsome face, but it wasn’t completely unfamiliar either. It bothered me that I felt like I had met him before.

“You must have been uncomfortable because it was a request from a stranger but thank you for the ride.”

He knows that his own insistence had caused discomfort. I thought he was a person without such sense when he demanded me while acting.

“You’re not hurt, right?”

“Yes. We didn’t even touch. I did it only because I was in a hurry. Please understand.”

It felt strange that he honestly admitted that it was acting. His attitude was so polite that I couldn’t make a fuss to tell him to get off.

So he was not a bad person? How hurried must he have been? There’s no way a person like this would get involved in anything bad.

Unknowingly, I tried to accept this situation naturally, but then I got startled.

Did he persuade me even though he didn’t do anything? In addition, thinking about it calmly, this situation was like blackmail using self-injury. Because he was the one who suddenly jumped into the carriage and begged for a lift.

I thought I lived a smart life for the second time in my life, but I was still foolish. Just looking at this guy’s handsome and pretty face makes me lose my mind. I need to get myself together so I didn’t get dazed any more. I was at the edge of my seat.

“Are you visiting the sage’s study?”

“Yes. Isn’t it a great coincidence that the Lady is also going to the sage’s study?”

That’s right, what’s the percentage that the timing is right? I was very uncomfortable with the staggeringly awesome coincidence. Once I doubted it, I began to doubt everything. The way he acted like he was being chased and the way he wore such a clumsy disguise.

I couldn’t discern the man’s identity. However, the disguise that didn’t work out bothered my eye, and it looked even more suspicious. Can I take this man to the sage’s study?