Chapter 39

In the end, the clothes I wore were in the form of an ordinary dress.

On top of it, I wore a cape to protect my body from the cold.

It was obvious that I would be cold if I went out without it.

“Phew….”

Of course, it was still cold now.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

At times like this, I really envied northern people.

It’s amazing how their bodies are naturally adapted to this cold.

That’s why this world is fantasy, I guess.

“Let’s eat lunch first. To be honest, I’ve never come down to the domain like this before, so I don’t know much, but do you know the area well, Sofia?”

“Yes.”

Even though it’s food eaten in the north, it’s ultimately food that commoners eat.

Most of it is grilled, steamed, or marinated.

Or perhaps boiled?

Due to the northern environment, there would be more boiled food.

“Let’s eat at a suitable establishment. I assume the Young Master doesn’t want to attract attention.”

If Kyle had wanted to attract attention, he would probably have worn his usual high-quality cotton clothes.

But now Kyle wasn’t wearing such clothes, but rather the kind of material worn by commoners.

Well… regardless, anyone could tell that Kyle was a person from Eristirol.

Because of his white hair.

In the north, only the people of the Eristirol family have such hair.

It was the same feeling as when I came with Catherine before, but the domain’s residents were indeed perceptive.

They knew very well that Kyle didn’t want to attract attention.

“Young Master, let’s enter that shop.”

There was a suitable establishment.

But it was definitely not a lacking one.

It seemed like some care had been taken with the shop’s interior, visible from the outside.

“Hmm…….””Young Master, if it’s not presumptuous, may I place the order?”

“Ah, would you do that? I would be grateful if you did.”

“Then….”

I ordered food that was both common and tasty, as Kyle would want.

The steak here probably wouldn’t suit Kyle.

It wouldn’t be extremely high-quality meat, and would only be inferior in quality compared to the steak he usually eats.

“It’s sausage.”

“Yes.”

Most of the meat eaten by commoners is sausage.

It’s not the kind with the delicious aroma and taste that nobles eat, but it still has some degree of taste.

After all, commoners need to preserve their food, so it can’t be helped.

“And this is soup, and this is meat stew.”

“That’s right.”

It was the most common type of meal.

There was bread for dipping, meat, and more meat.

With this, Kyle would probably enjoy his meal.

“Let’s eat.”

I started the meal with Kyle.

Kyle seemed to enjoy the food I ordered.

Although I didn’t make it, it was nice to see him enjoying it.

After finishing the short meal, I went outside again with Kyle.

“Where should we go next?”

“I wonder. Actually, though we’ve come out, I haven’t decided where to go.”

Yes, well… I expected as much.

How could Kyle, who had never been down to the domain, know where to go or which places were good?

I don’t know either.

“Then, if it’s alright with you, how about we walk around the domain together?”

I didn’t think it was a bad idea.

Except for the fact that there was only snow, Eristirol’s scenery was beautiful.

“That sounds good.”

I took a walk through the streets with Kyle.

Fortunately, today’s weather wasn’t very cold.

Was God blessing us for coming out like this?

It was completely different from yesterday’s weather.

It wasn’t warm enough to take off the cape, but this much was sufficient.

“How did you live before, Sofia?”

“You mean in the past?”

“Yes.”

The past…

I didn’t have much to talk about.

I had already told Kyle about any stories worth sharing.

“Besides what I’ve already told you, there isn’t much. I just graduated from boarding school and became an adventurer.”

There really wasn’t anything more to explain beyond that.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“Have you ever experienced something like dating, Sofia?”

“Dating… you say?”

So Kyle has finally started to become interested in that area.

It was surprising to see the kid who used to say he had no interest in women saying such things.

Once his coming-of-age ceremony is over, Kyle will probably meet a nice noble young lady.

Perhaps it might be one of the three he met before?

It might not be, but you never know about these things.

“I have never experienced dating.”

There were many people who occasionally confessed to me.

Whether women or men, from both sides.

I had a really hard time because of that.

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

Well, it might seem a bit ridiculous to say I haven’t dated yet at this age.

But it couldn’t be helped.

There was a strange feeling about dating either gender.

My mind was a woman who had been a man, and my body was a woman.

It gave a really strange feeling.

When men confessed to me, it felt awkward, and when women confessed, it just felt strange.

Common sense says it’s strange for a woman to confess to another woman…?

It was also strange that I, with a somewhat male mind, found it strange to receive confessions from women.

Anyway, it was strange.

I wasn’t a very normal person for dating.

“I received confessions at boarding school and during my adventurer days, but I rejected them every time.”

“I see….”

“If you happen to find a young lady you like, Young Master, I hope you handle it well.”

“…. Yes.”

“Of course, love isn’t that easy, but I’m sure you could handle it well, Young Master.”

Whether it’s face, body, specs, or personality, they’re all close to being unfair advantages, so there won’t be any problems.

Wouldn’t it be better to worry about my own love life instead?

At this age, I still haven’t experienced dating or love….

“By any chance, Young Master, do you already have a woman you like?”

I didn’t know much about Kyle’s love situation.

Since the few young ladies he met before, he had only rarely exchanged letters with them and never met them in person since then.

Catherine and Lily probably said they would visit the domain, but they hadn’t come yet.

“..What if I do…?”

What if he does?

Well, is it a big deal?

“I will support you.”

I said with a smile.

It’s not my place to care about who Kyle likes anyway.

Even as a personal servant, I’m still just a servant.

It’s a servant’s duty to follow the master’s will.

“If I can help you connect well with the woman you like, I will help you.”

“……”

“Do you already have someone…?”

“…. Yes.”

“Uh…..”

He already has someone he likes?

Could it really be one of those three from that time?

All three of them had outstanding appearances, so it could be.

Of course, I don’t know much about the personalities of the other two besides Catherine.

“That’s good news. I was worried before that you might be impotent, Young Master… but it seems you’re not.”

“…”

We continued our conversation as we walked through the streets where snow was falling.

Kyle walked beside me with an uncomfortable expression.

I wonder what was making him uncomfortable.

“Hmm….”

There’s no way I made him uncomfortable…?

We’ve been together for years, so there’s no reason for discomfort.

During lessons, sure, that could happen, but Kyle didn’t usually show such expressions in normal situations.

There must have been something uncomfortable about today.

“Hmm……”

Even though it was already over and we had returned, I decided to ask Kyle.

If there was something wrong with Kyle’s body or if he was in pain, it could be dangerous.

It would be dangerous if Kyle, who has been using his body a lot for heir succession lessons these days, was injured.

So in front of Kyle’s room, I was standing there after working hours had already ended.

“Young Master, are you there?”

-Sofia?

I heard Kyle’s voice from inside.

Kyle answered with a slightly surprised voice.

It was understandable since I rarely came at this hour.

“May I come in for a moment?”

-J-Just a moment!

Kyle told me to wait for a moment.

Was he doing something inside?

Ah, he might have taken off his clothes because he was hot.

I understood, as Kyle occasionally slept without his upper clothing.

After about 3 minutes, Kyle opened the door.

Kyle with sweat on his face and visible collarbone.

He must have been very hot.

“Young Master, I’ll open the window for a moment.”

“…. Yes.”

By the way, there was that nice scent that I occasionally smelled inside.

A sweet fragrance.

I still didn’t know exactly what this scent was.

“Sniff…. Sniff sniff….”

It was somewhat sweet and dreamy.

“Young Master, is there something uncomfortable about you?”

“…. Pardon?”

More importantly, the reason I came now was to worry about Kyle’s physical condition.

The smell was one thing, but Kyle was more important.

“When we were walking through the streets today, your expression didn’t look good…. I was worried. Is there any part of you that’s in pain?”

“N-No, there’s nothing like that…?”

“…. Is that so…?”

For someone saying that, his expression while coming here wasn’t good….

“Young Master, are you really alright? You’re sweating even now….”

In fact, I was worried that the sweat wasn’t because he was hot, but because he was sick.

Yes, even a northerner who is resistant to cold could catch a cold if they stay outside continuously like this, couldn’t they?

If that’s the case, it’s entirely possible.

He’s been going out to the snow field every day lately for heir succession lessons.

“Are you alright?”

“…This is just because I’m hot. As for my strange expression…. maybe you just misunderstood?”

“What…?””You probably misinterpreted my normal expression from the side.”

“…”

Is that possible…?

Well… it could be, but….

I was looking at Kyle’s face the whole time as we walked?

“Sofia, you worry too much about me. Don’t worry and go to sleep early. It’s already late, and for a woman to come to a man’s room like this….”

“…?”

Kyle spoke hastily and sent me out.

Well, he’s not wrong, but I wondered if he needed to say such things to me at this point.

Coming out of the room, I felt a bit disappointed as the fragrance from earlier was gone.