75: Patrolling

It’s morning.

I greeted the morning sun in a good mood and satisfied myself with a delicious breakfast. I don’t know if we’re patrolling today, or something, but we’ll be walking a lot.

I was waiting for Captain Weller outside the Fernand Empire 2nd Guard Station.

The guards that were also going on patrols were glancing at me, making me feel embarrassed.

“Morning. You’re actually here. Don’t hesitate to tell me when you’re tired.”

Captain Weller was wearing a ten-gallon hat and his full blue knight uniform. Compared to him, I was wearing a brown sleeved tunic and blue trousers… I was dressed really plainly. It has been a while since I’ve worn my hair in a ponytail. I covered my hair with a blue scarf as recommended by Ada-san. I’ll be covered from the sun with this.

There was another person with Captain Weller; he was a tall and thin man. He also had slender eyes. His name was Bayne. Apparently he was here because “I don’t know what people would say if I walk around town together with a girl.” But I’m sure that it was because Captain Weller felt anxious alone if something were to happen.

I’ve only walked around the main streets, but Captain Weller’s patrol started in the backstreets. We even walked in the side streets where people were hanging their wet laundry. They walked slowly so I was able to ask them about things that I was curious about.

It was fun to walk around by myself but it was also fun to walk around with other people.

A lot of people called out to Captain Weller as we walked around probably because guards were familiar with the people around town. 1)

“Oh my, so you’re with a girl today?”

“Mm.”

“I made too much, so take some with you.”

“Thanks.”

“Captain, the ball got on the roof and I can’t reach it, can you get it?”

“Kiddo, what’re you doing? Fine.”

He replied curtly to them even though they were showing him a lot of affection. Even so…

“Because I’m not the Captain.”

They tricked me.

I always see his worn out figure at the Hen Inn so I thought he was just an old man. I apologized to him in my mind. He was the person who Roberto-sama chose to ask about my whereabouts. There was no way he wasn’t an excellent person. He was probably really good at communicating with people.

I’ve only had brief conversations with people even while on my walks. Captain Weller was really close with the people in town.

“Captain Weller is really good at getting information. He’s good at gaining people’s trust. Well, he’s also really skilful,” Bayne-san narrowed his eyes a little as he happily told me this. Captain Weller was a respectable superior.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

We started our patrols in the afternoon and ended it at night.

We had lunch at a popular restaurant in the lower district. The restaurant had set meals with fried meat, vegetables and stew. The flavouring was very crude; they used a lot of salt and the flavours were really diluted, but the meal sizes were large. There were people drinking alcohol at lunch and talking really loudly so I was nervous, but I was able to eat my meal peacefully because Captain Weller and Bryan-san were there. “You’re really brave, aren’t you Ayesha?” they said. If I was by myself then I probably wouldn’t be able to enter. Thankfully, it was the captain’s treat.

I did desk work at the Guard Station in Captain Weller’s office whenever it rained.

I borrowed a desk at the corner and made a report about the places that we walked around. Captain Weller stuck around and intensely dealt with documents that weren’t concluded yet. He didn’t blame me even though he had to deal with extra work, a.k.a me, but he did complain.

“Ayesha, have you met the rumoured 『Kind Hottie』?”

“I think I’ve seen someone like that from the distance… Or not?”

“I’ve been doing a lot of comparisons, but I’ve never actually met him.”

I see. I often hear that it’s like being with Captain Weller. People say, “He’s like the captain. He’s definitely king and his looks are definitely up there. I get so excited when he says thanks. It’s like I’m young again.”

“Ayesha, you’re close to Roberto-sama and he’s admired by a lot of ladies. Does he also make your heart throb?”

“I’m nervous about a lot of things, but he doesn’t make my heart throb in that way. He’s just someone I work with.”

That’s right. I have a lot of opportunities to meet beautiful people, but I’m not aware of them. They won’t have anything to do with me after I stop being a noble.

I wonder if there’s something wrong with me as a girl since my heart doesn’t throb.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

Captain Weller even took to me to places with bad public order and it became known that there was a girl walking around with him. I got better at walking and I could even keep walking without worrying about my soles wearing down. Unfortunately, I got tanned enough that it was hard to say that I was still fair-skinned. Parasols didn’t suit commoners, so I had to use cucumber packs with Ada-san every night. The sun’s rays are so frightening.

I finally met the 『Kind Hottie』after I completed embroidering the lily on the ribbon of the bluish grey dress.

A young man held his hand out to me when I somehow got separated from Captain Weller, lost and then stumbled and fell onto the pavement.

He has ashy green eyes and soft white golden hair that went all the way down to his shoulders. I don’t know anyone with these colours. I turned the pages in my mind, but he wasn’t anywhere in the noble almanac.

His eyes shook with worry as he looked at me.

(Who is he?)

I was frozen on the floor on all fours and couldn’t reach out to the hand that was in front of me.

I couldn’t blink. I even forgot how to breathe.

My heart stopped before it could throb.

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