novelDon't come to the museum on a spring day(4)
| ← Ch.008 | Ch.010 → |
"I'm not feeling well, so let me leave now. I didn't expect to see this kind of rough scene here... It's hard for me to stand here anymore."
She stumbled for a moment, touching her forehead as if she was dizzy, in order to make her words more convincing. She hoped her reply could put her in the clear and get out of the place.
But it turned out to be her huge miscalculation when somebody firmly supported her when she staggered, which was totally unexpected.
"Are you okay?"
She saw the dark-haired knight's gray eyes when she looked up.
Staring up at his expressionless face, she was surprised and pulled away her hand at his giggling.
Looking at it, she felt as if her pretense of dizziness had been seen through.
She felt her pride was slightly offended.
"As you're feeling unwell, let me take you home. Of course, I have some questions for you as a testifier before I take you home."
Calming down her troubled mind, she tried to respond as calmly as possible.
Choosing a few words in her complicated mind, she talked in a calm tone.
"I've got a wagon waiting for me in front of the museum. I appreciate your offer to take me home, but I don't want to disturb you. I think the lady standing over there needs your hospitality more."
The dark-haired knight glanced at the lady in the yellow dress that Wendy pointed to and said nonchalantly, "You don't have to worry about her. As a knight, my deputies know how to treat a lady well with courtesy."
When she realized that it was meaningless to argue with him further, Wendy quickly changed her tactics. She decided to respond to his questions and leave the place quickly.
"So, what do you want to ask?"
At her question, the knight looked at her green eyes briefly.
"... What is your name?"
It was one of the top three questions that she hated the most. Namely, her name, the location of her house, and her hometown.
She quickly put her brain to work, agonizing over whether she should tell him her name Wendy Waltz or just any fake name. After a brief angst, she decided to point out his annoying attitude first before answering his question.
"...Is it only your deputies who should know the knight's courtesy toward a lady? I think it's courteous for you to tell me your name first before asking my name."
Watching her asking back, other knights around her held their breath, but she didn't care at all.
She felt she had nothing to worry about because she spoke her mind.
Although the dark-haired knight's voice was not at all arrogant, she felt annoyed a lot.
She clenched her fists because his emotionless grey eyes seemed to bind her tightly.
"...I'm sorry, it's my mistake. I'm Lard Schroder, captain of the 1st Knights Division of the imperial palace."
Unexpectedly, he politely revealed his affiliation and name with a pleasant smile.
As this expressionless man, who would not allow even a small loophole, smiled, she felt a bit puzzled. Above all, his smile made his gray eyes look so beautiful.
At the moment, she recalled a white poplar that she saw in the past. This knight's eyes looked like that tree. The silver poplar towering alone on a dark riverside, which she now saw clearly in this knight's eyes.
"Can I ask your name now?"
The knight who just introduced himself as Lard Schroder asked her without any reservation.
Wendy found herself obsessed with his name unconsciously for a moment, but didn't have any misunderstanding because his words weren't emotionally motivated at all.
She even thought that it might be her own misunderstanding that she saw his smile a moment ago.
As if to find the fragments of emotion in the knight's gray eyes, she stared at his eyes for a moment. Though her actions seemed provocative in his eyes, she didn't care at all.
In fact, Wendy was sincerely impressed with the imperial knight in front of her eyes.
'Oh, that's why he captivated lots of women!' She thought to herself.
His way of speaking and his voice was attractive. His glistening gray-eyed eyes were cool enough to thrill young ladies in the capital. She now decided to admit his attraction.
After she was done thinking how to respond, Wendy cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak her name as casually as possible.
"...My name is Wendy Waltz. It's just the name of a commoner woman who doesn't have anything to boast about. So, it's not something worthy of your attention."
She sighed as though it was a bit difficult for her to continue the conversation.
She felt her brief introduction was enough to quench his curiosity.
"... Do you have anything else to ask?"
With patience, she spoke in a bit of sincerity not to be caught.
"...Do you know that sticky thing on the guy's body?"
Her heart sank at his question. She couldn't figure out his intention. She replied with a more slender look, so he couldn't hide her nervousness.
"How does an ordinary woman like me know that?"
"...Oh, that makes sense."
When she looked at him quickly, he seemed to smile again. She turned her head not to care about his mixed facial expressions.
"Lord Jonathan Rankin, hand this man to Lord Wilson and put down your sword. And escort Miss Wendy Waltz to her house to repay her favor."
Wendy rubbed her head wildly because she felt uncomfortable as somebody fixed his gaze on her back while she was walking out of the garden.
'Did he notice that it was me who made the sticky grass grow? If not, why did he act so unusually? He didn't ask the lady in the yellow dress a single question!'
"I can ride the wagon by myself, so please go back. Did he say his name was Lard Schroder? If you have to obey his order, you can idle away your time around here before going back. Goodbye!"
"Wait a minute! I can't let you go like this. Are you telling me to disobey his order?"
Sir Jonathan replied in astonishment. As if he was so nervous about her getting into the wagon, he tried to wet his tongue with his lips. Obviously he was worried he might be given a severe rebuke if he let her go back home alone.
"What if my neighbors saw me returning from the museum with a young knight? I don't want them to worry or misunderstand me."
"No matter what, I've got to escort you, lady! As my told me, I need to escort Ms. Wendy back home safely... Seriously. I can't let you go back home alone like this. So, please allow me to repay my indebtedness to you and convey my gratitude to you."
"Of course, I would like to appreciate your considerations right now. I didn't do anything that deserved your gratitude, but if you want it, let me accept it, but please don't make me uncomfortable anymore."
Wendy bowed to him unilaterally, got on the wagon and shut the door. She didn't even give him a chance to get in. At a loss for words, Sir Jonathan Rankin seemed to click his tongue, watching her wagon disappearing quickly.
Back to her house, Wendy nervously threw off her shawl.
'What a state I am in!'
She opened the window of her second floor wide. She couldn't hide her frustration.
She felt she was so unlucky today. She was afraid of how today's event would affect her peaceful life in the coming days.
'Yeah, nothing will happen to me. '
She breathed out for a long time, while comforting herself, consumed by anxiety.
For the first time, she used her index finger in front of people. She hadn't used it before others for the last two years. Suddenly her heart began to pound. She felt that she had done something terrible today. It was an inevitable situation, but she felt it was a close call when she recalled it.
The captain's gray eyes, who kept looking at her, came to her mind often.
'Was he doubting me?'
Right at the moment Wendy, who had been lost in idle thought with her arms raised on the window sill, heard songs coming from the house next door. It was Benfork next door who was singing love songs at the top of his voice again today.
~The moment I saw your eyes, I realized this is the beginning of our love.
Beautiful girl, you rocked my boring daily life!
Your eyes keep coming to my mind, and maybe it's love.
Thank you for coming to me, darling! Thanks so much! Wow!~
Wendy was so upset.
'That crazed brat is driving me nuts with a ridiculous song!'
She shouted at him, "Benfork! can't you be quiet?"
He stopped singing at her shouting.
A little later a boy appeared by the window of the house facing her room.
The boy, Benfork, who had dark beard marks under his nose, showed an annoying expression.
"Hey, sis! What's the matter with you? Can't I sing in my own room?"
"If you don't shut up right now, I'll tell your father about what you and Sarah had done by the window of your room!"
After shouting at him, she closed the window with a bang.
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