Chapter 65

“Does it suit me?”

I’m evaluating my appearance alone in front of the mirror.

Although I’d already worn these clothes once a few days ago, I was checking them once more.

Since the skirt was an ordinary long skirt, it shouldn’t look strange.

The sweater I was wearing on top was warm, which was good, and it looked appropriately ordinary.

This should be enough, shouldn’t it?

It’s not enough to be outshone by the Imperial Princess, but this much…

“Why am I suddenly comparing myself to the Imperial Princess?”

It was really a pointless thought.

Why did I suddenly compare myself to the Imperial Princess?

It was something I said that even I didn’t understand.

Have I finally gone crazy?

“Sigh.”

I stopped examining my outfit and went outside as promised with Kyle.

Since it was still winter, the weather was cold.

Of course, I wasn’t freezing to death since I was wearing four layers of clothes.

“Miss Sofia.”

“Young master.”

Unlike me, Kyle came out wearing just enough clothes.

It was natural since he wasn’t as sensitive to cold as I was, so he didn’t need to wear multiple layers.

“Let’s go down right away.”

“Yes.”

I went down to the village with Kyle, passing through the castle gate.

There wasn’t anything special on the way down.

We just had an ordinary conversation with Kyle.

“Father said he’ll remain as the family head until the end of this year. He said there are too many affairs to entrust to me right after I became an adult.”

“Is that so? Then you can live comfortably until the end of this year.”

“Yes. So I want to do whatever I need to do by the end of this year.”

Things to do… I wonder if Kyle has anything to do now.

I thought about it briefly, but nothing came to mind.

In the past, there were his social debut and coming-of-age ceremony, but now all of those are over.

I pondered what he might have to do as we walked, but I really couldn’t think of anything.

“Do you have anything in particular that you need to do, young master? I can’t think of anything…”

“There’s a lot. So many that I’m worried.”

“Is that so?”

Quite a lot, huh.

I guess Kyle has many things to do that I don’t know about.

“Don’t you have a lot to do too, Miss Sofia?”

“I…”

Do I have a lot to do…? I’m not sure.

I hadn’t thought of anything in particular to do except quitting my job in a few months.

“I don’t know.”

“Is that so? Well, it’s something you can think about slowly.”

“Yes.”

“Young master, if it’s not rude, may I ask a question?”

“A question?”

There was something I’ve always been curious about.

Every time we come here, I wonder why we come here.

“Why do you come to this restaurant every time we come down? Since the first time, you’ve always visited only this restaurant.”

“Ah.”

It was really strange that we visit this restaurant every single time.

It’s not like there’s only one restaurant in Eristirol, so why this one specifically?

Coming here every time is a bit strange, isn’t it?

“I guess I’ve been coming here all the time without realizing it.”

“Yes.”

“Well, there’s no special reason. It’s just because this is the place I first came to with Miss Sofia when we came down.”

“…”

“That’s really the only reason I keep coming here. Ah, would you like to try a different place next time?”

“I’m fine with anywhere the young master wishes.”

The reason was somewhat endearing, but there wasn’t any particular problem with it.

It’s not like I had any complaints about coming here.

I just asked out of curiosity.

Because it’s the place he first came with me, he kept coming… Honestly, it felt nice.

It felt like commemorating the place we first visited.

“Then let’s try a different restaurant for dinner today.”

“Yes.”

Thus, we had lunch eating the food served to us.

Since we’d already been here several times, there wasn’t any particularly new feeling or sensation of it being extremely delicious.

It just felt comfortable because it was time spent alone, without the Imperial Princess, after a long while.

Come to think of it, there hadn’t been such comfortable time like this in days.

Since the Imperial Princess arrived, I hadn’t had time to rest like this, and Kyle was always with the Imperial Princess.

“Is there any food you can’t eat, Miss Sofia?”

“Food I can’t eat… There’s none for now. There’s food I dislike, but nothing I can’t eat.”

There’s nothing I can’t eat.

In my past life, I had tried all kinds of food, including pig’s large intestine, liver, beef blood, and extremely foul-smelling raw fish.

There was nothing in this world that I couldn’t eat.

“What about food you dislike?”

“Hmm… Sweet food…?”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d like sweet food.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

To Kyle, do I look like a woman who likes sweet food?

Well, most women generally like sweet food, so he might think that.

In fact, the women around me also like sweet food, so it’s understandable.

“Hmm…”

“Is there any food you dislike, young master?”

I wasn’t in charge of managing Kyle’s diet, but it just came up in the flow of conversation.

Kyle asked me, so I asked him back.

“If I had to choose… vegetables.”

“Vegetables…”

What a childish answer.

Disliking vegetables…

“Pfft…”

He’s clearly grown to be at least two heads taller than me, yet his disliked food is vegetables… I thought Kyle had become an adult, having gone through his coming-of-age ceremony and various other things, but he’s still a child younger than me.

“Meat suits my taste better than vegetables.”

“Is… that… so… pfft…”

As an employee, I know I shouldn’t react like this, but it was honestly so funny that it was hard to hold back.

“It’s okay to laugh if you want to. I like seeing Miss Sofia’s smile.”

It’s okay to laugh?

Permission granted.

Then…

“Pf… pfft… Young master, you’re not a child anymore, so disliking vegetables is too…”

“Too what?”

“It’s childlike and cute. Honestly, it’s really funny.”

“Haha…”

“Next time, I’ll ask the castle’s chef to leave out vegetables. Since our young master dislikes vegetables.”

“I’d be grateful if you did that.”

Talking with Kyle was extremely comfortable.

Recently, something had been making me very uncomfortable, but talking with Kyle like this was so comfortable.

I’ve always felt this comfortable, so why have I been uncomfortable lately?

“Now, let’s get up. It’s inconsiderate to stay seated for too long.”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t quite an escort, but I used Kyle’s hand to get up from the chair.

Then we left the restaurant and walked down the street, entering a clothing store.

Not that store selling sexy dresses from before, but a truly ordinary store.

It was a store selling clothes that late-teenage girls would wear.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go with Miss Sofia right now, so we came to a place like this. Is that okay?”

“… Yes.”

If Kyle wants to come, there’s nothing I can do.

And unlike last time, there weren’t any strange clothes, just a store selling really ordinary clothes, so there was no problem.

If it had been a store selling strange dresses like last time… it might have been too much.

“Today’s clothes are pretty too, but I still want to buy you other clothes. Since Miss Sofia is pretty, you’ll look even prettier when dressed up.”

“To say I’m pretty, that’s not really…”

Isn’t that a bit much?

Compared to the noble ladies I’ve met so far, anyone would choose the other ladies over me.

Even though my past life was as a man, and my mind is a mix of male and female, my physical appearance itself doesn’t change, so that’s even more the case.

“No. You really are pretty.”

“…”

Kyle looking at me and saying that so seriously.

Somehow the atmosphere was different from usual.

An extremely serious feeling.

I hadn’t seen this expression even at the coming-of-age ceremony or the debutante.

“You shouldn’t tease an adult.”

Why is he so seriously saying I’m pretty?

“You shouldn’t say such things after spending time with Her Highness the Imperial Princess, Lady Catherine, and Lady White.”

“Well, they’re not around anyway.”

“Still, what’s not right is not right.”

“Hah… Fine. Then let’s just choose clothes. Clothes for Miss Sofia to wear.”

“Yes.”

Anyway, that’s how Kyle and I started picking out clothes.

Maybe because Kyle knew I disliked wearing clothes with heavy exposure, he didn’t recommend that kind of clothing.

It was really fortunate.

If Kyle had forced me to wear them, I would have had no way to avoid it.

If a noble and employer said so, I, a commoner and employee, would have had no choice but to wear revealing clothes.

“I think this kind of clothes would suit you too. What do you think?”

“I’ll try it on.”

Kyle recommending a few women’s clothes while looking at me, unlike last time, he recommended ordinarily pretty women’s clothes, so I just decided to try them on.

In fact, if he had recommended ordinary clothes last time, I would have just worn them.

No, I did wear that strange dress back then too.

So I started changing clothes in the dressing room.

My clothes were a long skirt and knit sweater, so they were extremely warm, but once I took them off, I felt very chilly.

So I changed faster.

A dress style that slightly reveals cleavage.

“Ah…”

Is it because they’re large?

When I just looked at it, I had no idea it would look like this.

For this kind of clothes, it would actually look better if they weren’t visible.

Unnecessarily revealing cleavage actually makes my body look bigger.

My actual weight isn’t that heavy, but being like this felt like it was having the opposite effect.

“How is it…? I feel like it makes my body look too big…”

I came out of the dressing room wearing only the dress, turned my body, and spoke to Kyle.

It wasn’t an extremely tight dress but a flowing one, so it was comfortable.

If only the chest area could have been resolved, it would have been good.

“…It suits you.”

“…?”

Is that so…?

To my eyes, it’s not particularly appealing.

But Kyle said it suits me.

Has my fashion sense grown old?