novelDon't come to Wendy's flower shop (7)
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Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Don't come to Wendy's flower shop (7)
Wendy was so surprised to hear Lard calling her name. She really didn't want to be entangled with this imperial knight. Above all, she was worried that he would come to some conclusions about her after seeing her at Linus National Medical Center. She didn't expect that he would relate her to Sophie, but she already felt that the man in front of her was no pushover.
"Miss, the knight is calling you."
As she continued to hold her head down, a fat middle-aged woman standing next to her spoke, gently tapping her shoulder. When the well-dressed knight appeared before Wendy, everybody around focused their attention on the two.
She raised her head, while making a surprised look on purpose.
"Oh, you are Sir Schroder."
Although it was raining hard, people pricked up their ears to hear their conversation. To these people who couldn't leave because of heavy rain, the knight's appearance before a woman who was in the same position was as interesting as any stage performance. They might have recalled the play 'Shasha that Stole Kiss from Knight', which was being performed and highly praised. Far from a banal love story, the play was about the love of a common women and an imperial knight transcending their social position, which turned out to be surprisingly popular among lots of people.
Not long ago, a red haired young man who was in charge of props at a local drama company stopped by Wendy's flower shop and gave her a couple of tickets. Of course, Wendy ignored it, thinking the title was too frivolous, and gave the tickets to her neighbor boy Ben Fork, feigning generosity.
"I came here as you seemed to have trouble here. Let's go. Let me escort you back home."
As if he didn't care about the intense attention of the people around him, Lard spoke to her casually. But the handsome knight's offer to escort her seemed to impress them. Some of them cheered bashfully here and there.
"Oh, you didn't have to go to the trouble of coming here. Please don't pay attention to me and just go. How can a private citizen like me ask a government official like you a favor?"
"Well, I worked late at night, so I was done already. If you're bothered by that, you don't have to."
"... I don't think I have any reason to accept your help. I think you're too kind to me. I've met you only twice."
"Well, just think it's my reward for your lemon tea the other day. I don't think I'm too kind to you because it is not that difficult to escort you."
Despite Wendy's repeated refusal, Lard wouldn't budge a bit. Although she was sick and tired of his tenacious questioning at the museum, his stubbornness today really rubbed her the wrong way.
"...I would like to enjoy watching the downpour a little more. The rain will stop soon, so don't worry."
People around her seemed to lament, as if they felt her excuses were ridiculous."Hey, young lady! If a cool knight asks you to go together, just pretend you won't resist and follow him! Why are you so resistant? If you keep rejecting him like that, it will eat away at your charm. Just keep in mind that what I've just said is wisdom from ages. Rain is not going to stop anytime soon. So, just follow him. Come on!"
A skinny woman standing behind her advised her. People here and there nodded, seeing eye to eye with the woman. Wendy looked down, blushing.
It was Lard who reached out to her. He willingly extended his right hand, so that she wouldn't be embarrassed. As his motion looked like a knight's formal proposal, some of the women around began to exclaim with expectations.
'Why are these people becoming so interested in me?'
Wendy closed her lips with an unpleasant look and clenched and opened her hands for a minute. After a while, she reluctantly put her hand in his, realizing that it would not be any helpful to keep standing there any longer. As soon as she did, some of them began to shout the name 'Perseyu, Perseyu' at Lard. Obviously they were calling the damn knight who appeared in the play 'Shasa Stole Kiss from Knight'.
"Lady, good decision! Hold his hand tightly."
"I wish you the same love as Shasha!"
Wendy vowed that as soon as she went home, she would clean her ears with vegent stem juice. It was was a plant that had antiseptic substance.
Inside the wagon she was seeing red, whipping off the water from the hem of her robe.
She was agonizing how she could rebuke this sucky knight, so he could never appear before her again.
"How did you know I was standing in front of the medical center?
Wendy began to question him with a low voice.
"I stopped by the medical center on business and saw you by chance."
"... You came to my flower shop the other day. I can't understand why a stranger like you is showing me this kind of favor. Excessive kindness makes one uncomfortable, as you know.
Besides, unwanted attention only offends the other person. I've been having nightmares since the accident at the museum. I was worried that someone might harm me every moment. When I see your face, I just keep thinking about the accident, which is very painful to me. Please understand me."
She decided to play hardball with him because confronting him head on was the only way for her to survive. If the other party was a conceited nobleman, he could take out a sword right away, blaming her arrogant remarks. But she knew he was unlikely to do so, based on her observation of his words and deeds up to now.
She wisely stopped him from being upset by adding that she was suffering from the aftermath of the accident at the museum. Of course, what she said was not entirely false. For example, she had a dream last night in which Yoda proposed to her. She was also nervous for the past several days that somebody would find out her identity.
"Please understand my position as I have no choice but to be wary because you are showing too much kindness to a mere common woman like me. Think about what happened a moment ago. Don't you know how much attention they paid me? It's too much for me to handle. I would appreciate it if you just pretend that you don't know me. It really drives me nuts when I think strange rumors about me might spread in my town."
After she was done, she furtively glanced at him. If he were normal, he would show some sort of guilty expression on his face, no matter how brazen-faced he was.
But Lard had a blank stare on his face at all, as usual.
"I didn't mean to get you into trouble. You don't have to be overly concerned about me. I'm not going to harm you."
He again showed extremely dull reaction, which fooled her as she was inclined to get emotional and angry with him. She trembled at his unexpected blow. She barely refrained from trembling with anger. Paying respect to her own self-restraint, she stared at the knight's face sternly. Regardless of her ferocious look, he was gazing out the window silently.
After a while, the wagon gradually slowed down and stopped. After careful knocking, the horseman in a raincoat opened the wagon door and said with a sorry expression.
"The street is very narrow here, so it's hard for me to drive into the narrow road out there."
The heavy rain dropping on the coachman's raincoat was sending up clouds of white spray. Wendy said, tightening her robe.
"Oh, don't worry. I can walk from here to my place without any problem. Thank you for your help, Sir Schroder. Please take care."
It was the black-haired knight Lard who caught her when she stood up.
"Wait. The rain is pelting so hard for you to walk alone. As I promised to escort you home, let me keep my promise, " he said, taking off the indigo cloak on his shoulders.
Wendy rejected his offer right away, barely calming down.
"No! As I told you, I can walk without any difficulty. If you show any further favor, I will feel really burdensome."
He looked at her green eyes with a frown. It was like the gardener's glance, who frowned at the flowers growing in the wrong direction. In other words, he felt like he was looking at a troublesome woman.
"You told me you were worried that someone would hurt you, didn't you? Let me escort you safely, so you won't run into trouble."
When he finished, Lard lifted his indigo cloak over Wendy and his head. As he was covering her shoulders with the cloak, it looked like she was almost wrapped in his arms. Even before she was pouting in a fit of anger, he got out of the wagon quickly. She had no choice but to walk as he led.
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