Volume 3 Chapter 1 A Slight Discomfort
After seeing off Sir Ciel, Mr. Lucian, and Sir Rail, the reception room of the Great Temple is filled with an indescribable silence.
Arjuna's father is peacefully sleeping on the sofa, and Francois seems tired from everything, sleeping with my lap as a pillow.
I want to sleep too, but I look to Sir Roxas for help.
Sir Roxas is sitting on the sofa with his arms and legs crossed, looking completely unfazed by the long silence.
When our eyes meet, he gives me a puzzled look as if to say, "What's wrong?"
It's just that the silence is painful.
Being stuck here in silence is way worse than cooking at Lobelia Diner House.
"Um, um, pumpkin, pudding..."
Eir-Eir, sitting on the table, flaps her wings and seems to be trying to tell me something.
"Eir-Eir, it's sorbet, sorbet. When we get home, I'll make you some. Peach sorbet. It's also delicious if you add whipped cream and turn it into ice cream."
"Pumpkin...!"
"You're good at understanding that round thing's words, Lydia."
"Pudding..."
Sir Roxas says this with a look of admiration.
Eir-Eir doesn't seem to like Sir Roxas. After glancing at him, it turns its face away in a huff.
"Lydia... I want to apologize again. I'm really sorry for everything until now."
Sir Stefan, who had been staring at me in silence, said this with a serious expression.
"Um, it's okay... Your Highness, Francois, and my father were just being controlled by that monster... Famine..."
"But I... I deeply hurt Lydia."
"I feel the same way. I should have protected Lydia. ──Tiansa must have lost her life trying to protect Lydia from that monster. I couldn't do anything and got swallowed by the monster."
"Your Highness and father, it's okay now. There were a lot of things, but now I'm living quite happily... Many customers come to Lobelia Diner House, and they say the food is delicious. It's fun."
Seeing my father with a similar expression as Sir Stefan, I said this while trying to smile as much as I could.
"...Lydia. Even after going through so much pain, you haven't changed. You're still my precious Lydia, brave and kind."
"Uh, um..."
I wonder if Sir Stefan is misunderstanding something.
I'm neither brave nor kind.
I need to correct this properly.
"Your Highness, I may be enjoying cooking now, but not long ago, I was saying I hated you while mashing meat."
"Meat..."
"I'm going to crush the meat into minced meat. For hamburgers, meatballs, and sausages."
"...If it makes Lydia feel better, I don't mind how much you crush it. In fact, I want you to crush it. Me...!"
"But I won't crush Your Highness... Anyway, I'm not that kind or brave, so I also said some bad things, and it's mutual..."
Sir Stefan said he wanted me to crush it with all my strength, which made me shiver.
There's a scary urban legend whispered in the holy city about 'human meat hamburgers,' and it came to my mind.
It's terrifying.
"Your Highness Stefan. You can rest easy. Right now, Lydia has me. Well... it's not just me. As a friend, I'm by Lydia's side."
Sir Roxas said this with a sigh.
Is this what they call a lifeline?
Is he trying to help me, feeling uncomfortable after Sir Stefan apologized so much?
Sir Roxas has a kind side.
"That's it...! That's what it is, Roxas."
My father suddenly reacted strongly.
I jumped again, and Francois, who was sleeping on my lap, murmured, "Umm... big sister, sorbet..."
"While I was making Lydia suffer, I suddenly noticed that there were men around Lydia...! Roxas, who was supposed to be Francois's fiancé, is now by Lydia's side. And Ciel, Lucian, and Rail too...! What's going on, Lydia...!"
"Father, everyone has become my friends... Because you all were here, I cried a lot, but now I'm feeling better."
Father, who always said terrible things to me.
He seems like a different person.
Come to think of it, since I was little, Father has been manipulated by Famine, so I don't know what the real Father is like.
He has more expressions than I thought.
His beautiful face looks distorted because he's flustered.
"Father won't allow it. Lydia, you don't need to live in the town. Come back to the Rest priest family. Let's make up for the lost 18 years together. First, let me carry you on my shoulders."
"Father, I'm already 18, so carrying me is a bit..."
"I see... Then from now on, I will take care of you every day. With 18 years' worth of love."
"Father, I'm already 18, so I can do my own things..."
I shook my head vigorously.
I see.
Now that Father has come back to his senses, it means I can return to being the daughter of the Rest priest family.
I no longer need to be a cook at Lobelia Diner House.
But──
"Head Priest. Lydia is doing well as a restaurant cook and running the restaurant. Also, as a saint──she is fulfilling her role. There's no need to take away Lydia's freedom."
"Roxas, what are you to Lydia?"
"A friend."
"He's my friend, father. Sir Roxas, at first I was scared, but... he's my friend. I think he has a bit of a unique hobby, though..."
I can't really say he has a hobby of dressing women in maid outfits and taking them around.
I felt my face turn red. That's a secret.
I have to keep Sir Roxas's special hobby a secret.
"Lydia... did Roxas do something to you...?"
"I hope you don't misunderstand, Your Highness. Lydia, stop using confusing words."
"You talk to Lydia in a really bossy way. Are you her husband or something? Roxas, if you want Lydia, you have to defeat me first. Besides, living with a guy who has a unique hobby like that is dangerous for Lydia...!"
"Head Priest Feldur, please calm down."
Sir Roxas seems to be in trouble.
"...I hate men... I just want to be with my sister... Sister..."
Francois said while rubbing her face against my waist.
"──It seems that goddesses have a hobby of toying with men, in every era."
At that moment, I heard a smooth woman's voice from the ceiling.
When I looked up, there was a stunningly beautiful woman hanging upside down from the ceiling, captivating my heart at first sight.
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