Chapter 13: Looking Back on First Times with the Exiled Marquise, Part 3
As expected of the best high-class inn in town.
It even had separate baths for men and women.
And surprisingly, the baths were filled with hot water.
Maybe it’s because I usually rely on Purification Magic, or maybe it’s because of my usual frugal nature, but soaking in the bath actually made me feel anxious, worrying that I might dirty the water.
…That’s a lie.
Far from feeling anxious about the bath, my mind was completely filled with the reality that after getting out, I would have to spend the night in the same room as Erika Solntsalri.
What should I do?
Should I try to make some kind of conversation so she doesn’t get bored?
It’s nothing to brag about, but I have absolutely zero stock of topics that women might enjoy.
I’ve heard that talking about things like flowers goes over well, but should I talk about wild grasses with medicinal properties?
No, that’s impossible. I don’t have the confidence to keep a conversation going all night just talking about wild grasses. Should I perhaps mix in talk about the shapes of trees useful for traps?
No, that won’t work, I retorted to myself.
It’s nothing to brag about, but in the three years since I entered the academy at twelve, not only have I never been popular with girls, I’ve never even made any ‘proper’ female friends. It’s fundamentally impossible for me.
I was aware that I was thinking about useless things to avert my eyes from reality.
But at the same time, I was also convinced that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t even be able to look her properly in the face.
That must be why. The moment I opened the room door, still lingering on the thought of whether I could somehow pad out the conversation with seasonal medicinal herbs, the sight that jumped into my view like a surprise attack made me abandon not just words, but even thought itself.
She was simply beautiful.
Dressed in the nightwear provided by the inn, her figure standing on the balcony, exposing her damp, post-bath hair to the night air, was simply beautiful.
I couldn’t see her face since her back was turned, but I could tell from the Golden-colored Magicka enveloping her that she was relaxed.
As if drawn to her, I stood beside her.
At the academy, I could never look at her directly from the front, so I always tried to position myself to her side, wanting to see at least her profile.
Compared to back then, the distance between us is much closer now.
That’s why I realized she wasn’t actually relaxed.
That as she gazed out at the darkening town, she was deep in thought about something.
Suddenly, I desperately wanted to know what Erika Solntsalri was thinking.
Was it about the academy?
Was it about the family she parted from?
Was it about those who exiled her?
Or perhaps, was it about her best friend, the Maiden of Light?
Whatever she was thinking about, I wanted to listen to her and respond.
Whether it was worries, complaints, anxieties about the future, or perhaps hopes and desires for what lies ahead.
I wanted to listen to her story and respond.
I wanted to tell her that she had me.
“Shin Longdagger.”
My name was called unexpectedly, and I suddenly remembered to breathe.
You could say I snapped back to my senses.
My heartbeat instantly went haywire, and I felt breathless.
Thinking, This is bad, I suppressed the instinct that wanted to keep gazing at her profile and shifted my gaze towards the town.
I looked at the Cobblestone streets illuminated by the sparsely scattered streetlights to calm myself down.
Since the room is on the fourth floor, I have a good view of the quiet town.
Count the cobblestones. Didn’t a senior adventurer once say that counting things helps people calm down?
As I desperately tried to calm myself, a hesitant voice and a faintly felt gaze came from beside me.
“Is this your first time too?”
First time for what?!