The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

124 – Jikawood (01)

125.

The city of Mland, as befitting the capital of the Claire Empire, overflows with sights to see.

One of the three most bustling places in the empire.

A place where the empire’s history and modern culture are combined in one.

In short, it can be said to represent the empire.

If one moves in social circles, there is no one who does not pay attention to Mland.

It’s where the currents that dominate the empire fluctuate most strongly, so both sons and daughters of noble families flock there.

The Eclesia, which everyone pays attention to, is also a salon situated in Mland.

Even the area in central Mland, where Eclesia’s tearoom was located, was sufficiently bustling.

But the best places for entertainment were actually a little removed from the center of Mland.

The center of the city of Mland is where the empire’s history is gathered in one place.

Around it, the streets branching out in various directions are what truly stimulate the girlish sensibilities of young ladies.

Though, they’re all still relatively nearby.

The place where Kallen was to meet the two girls was also one of these branching streets.

Among them, it was the representative street of Mland, said to have the most to enjoy.

While catering to nobles, it didn’t just deal in extravagant or expensive luxury goods.

Even if they’re high-ranking nobles of the Empire, they’re still just girls of society.

Except for a few, they can’t throw money around as freely as one might think.

They look for things cheaper than luxury brands, yet still fashionable.

Things that still adequately scream ‘noble.’

Some aficionados say that these street artisans are in no way inferior to the artisans who make luxury goods.

And there’s a plethora of delicious dessert shops.

It might be a bit tiresome for young masters, but it’s more than enough to captivate young ladies.

There’s also no shortage of things to see and enjoy, compared to the aforementioned advantages.

It was a place where they could maintain the dignity of a noble, yet take a breather from the weight of being a noble lady.

And into that kind of street,

A boy who looked like he belonged in uniform, appeared.

“Whoa…”

“…Hey, look over there.”

“Which family’s young master is he?”

“I don’t recognize his face…”

Many young ladies.

As befits a place where girls gather, the street was always vibrant.

Sweet voices complimenting each other, and pleasant voices ecstatically reviewing the desserts they just ate, echoed.

But incongruously, one area was silent.

As if that part had been detached from the street.

The area around a boy leaning blankly against a wall was strangely quiet.

Glimpse, glimpse.

Only the many glances stealing towards the boy could be felt.

A strong physique visible through his clothes.

A clean uniform that perfectly supported that physique.

The monocle perched over his left eye made his indifferent expression even more striking, making it difficult to approach him.

Even the cane at his waist didn’t look at all out of place.

One fortunate thing was that the boy was leaning against the wall, following the clouds with his eyes.

That’s why the young ladies could hide their embarrassment while glancing at him.

Staring at someone is inherently rude.

It would be obvious to any noble lady, but the fact that the boy didn’t seem to notice eased their burden.

More than anything, the boy was so handsome that they couldn’t help but steal glances, even though they knew it was rude.

It made them think that the young nobles they often saw in social circles might not actually be that good-looking.

Some ladies even turned back after walking past.

Others settled near the clothing stores, pretending to browse while sneakily watching him.

Just as one of Mland’s main streets was becoming eerily quiet…

“…Ha. I knew it…”

Kallen, who was leaning against a wall and mindlessly following the clouds, lowered his gaze at the sound from beside him.

He turned to see a girl, hands confidently on her hips, glaring at him with a displeased look.

“I wondered why it was so quiet here, turns out it was you, wasn’t it, Kallen-nim.”

“Lichessa-nim.”

Lichessa Zikawood.

The young lady of the Zikawood family lowered her hands from her hips and approached Kallen.

“Do you think I wouldn’t notice if you were enjoying yourself while pretending not to?”

“…Enjoying myself?”

“Hmph. It’s no use pretending you don’t know. I’ve seen countless guys like you.”

Her voice was curt.

Her eyebrows, pulled down fiercely, were slightly furrowed, suggesting she was angry, though for what reason was unclear.

It was Lichessa who was late, yet Kallen asked, bewildered.

“I believe I arrived earlier.”

“…Who doesn’t know that! It’s… I’m sorry for making you wait, but I had things to do…! Anyway, that’s not the point!”

Then what was Lichessa angry about?

As Kallen tilted his head, genuinely clueless, Lichessa let out a small sigh and shook her head.

“No… Never mind. But at least you’re different from those other guys… You might really not have known.”

Lichessa was uttering only cryptic words.

Kallen silently accepted her mumbling, then looked behind her.

“Weren’t you supposed to come together?”

“Daphnis… No, Daphnis-nim won’t be coming today.”

“But the agreed-upon date is today.”

“She said something came up. It’s urgent, so I came out alone for now.”

Why is Richessa the one delivering this?

As Kalen looked at Richessa with that question in his eyes, Richessa spoke calmly.

“You know what kind of family Daphnis is from, right?”

“Information…”

“Yes. That’s right. Information is sensitive to even just a few hours, a few minutes difference. Something that sensitive came up, so I had to deliver it.”

“You two must be very close.”

Thinking back, Daphnis had been glued to Richessa’s side when they made this appointment, and other times too.

When Kalen pointed that out, Richessa’s expression brightened, a faint smile gracing her lips.

“Yeah, Daphnis and I are…”

Then, with a start, Richessa shook her head vigorously.

“Ah… Anyway! Daphnis isn’t coming today! So Kalen-nim has to be with me. Got it?”

“…Yeah. Fine. I get it.”

Her intensity was fierce, and Kalen reluctantly nodded.

This meant things were going to be pushed back as a result, and Kalen thought he needed to talk with Daphnis about it.

“…Still, well… you’re dressed okay. Hmph.”

A moment of silence hung between them, and then Richessa complimented Kalen’s appearance, perhaps feeling bad for her sharp tone.

Then, confidently, she approached Kalen, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, and gently extended her hand.

“…What are you…”

“…Huh?”

Kalen, not understanding her action, asked, and Richessa, in turn, was flustered.

“Of course you have to take my hand…!”

Was she asking to be led?

Thinking back, he remembered seeing many nobles acting like that at banquets.

The young ladies would tuck their hair behind their ears, gently extending their hands, and the nobles would carefully take those small hands.

Most of them were the ones who had danced together at the ball.

Kalen stared at Richessa’s hand for a moment, then gently took her small, cold hand.

“Eek…”

And then a twitch.

Richessa’s hand trembled slightly.

Just as Kalen was about to ask what was wrong, Richessa shook her head faintly.

“…It’s nothing. Just… your hand is bigger than I thought.”

Hmph.

Richesa fidgeted with her stray hairs, touching them repeatedly.

She gladly accepted Kallen’s consideration.

*

A person with hands bigger than she expected.

That was Richesa’s first impression.

She hadn’t expected that someone so close to the young ladies of the five great families wouldn’t know how to lead a woman.

She was also surprised at how good he looked in his uniform, but she had no intention of forgetting her purpose.

Everything was for Daphnis.

To confirm what kind of man had captured her pure heart.

If, just if, really.

If Kallen was no different from other males.

As someone who cherished Daphnis, she intended to keep Kallen from meeting her.

That was why she had met Daphnis first before coming here.

Before she met Kallen and cherished her feelings even more.

She had to judge what kind of man this boy, Kallen, was.

She had postponed their meeting by a week, claiming something had happened to Kallen.

In the end, she had lied to both of them, but as long as she wasn’t caught, it would be fine.

It was true that the Lucallin family was handling sensitive information.

But it wasn’t so sensitive that it warranted postponing her meeting with Kallen.

The rumors about Kallen had already spread throughout high society, so much that there was no one who didn’t know him.

After all, he had brought down Plache and the Lyle Merchants, so no one didn’t know the boy Kallen.

But Daphnis believed her words and postponed the meeting, so now her attention was focused on that sensitive information.

Today, and even for the week, the results of her “confirmation” would only reach Daphnis’s ears later.

Richesa stared blankly at Kallen, who was awkwardly but earnestly being considerate of her hand.

She could feel sincerity in his actions, and she quite liked that this usually calm boy was acting this way.

At least, it didn’t seem like a joke.

He was certainly different from other males, those who weren’t even as good as people.

She knew before that Kallen was the only ‘man’ she could actually talk to.

That alone isn’t enough to allow her to meet Daphnis.

Just as no one falls in love simply because they can talk to each other.

So, this is all for Daphnis.

It’s to see if Callen can truly escape being just human, if he can qualify.

Licessa poked at Callen’s hand, which was holding hers carefully.

“Stop fidgeting with my hand…!”

“…Is it uncomfortable?”

“Haa… Really.”

Somehow, it didn’t seem like it would be all that boring.