Chapter 19 Halesia In Great Shape
Kaine furrowed his brows, his expression serious.
"Anyway, if it was going to come to this, I should've added 'stay away from the library' to the list of rules from the start."
"I can't believe the library's off-limits too..." Rhiannon muttered.
"I'll need to rethink the rules. At this point, you've got to completely avoid Sarah Belts and Prince Werner, my ladt."
Kaine rubbed his brows with his index finger.
Rhiannon watched him anxiously.
Her fate—always veering into trouble the moment she stepped outside—seemed entirely in Kaine's hands.
After a brief silence, Kaine glanced out the window.
The shadows of the garden trees had grown long—it was nearly evening.
"...Anyway, there's no point in worrying about it now. My lady, let's head home for today."
"Yeah, you're right. It'd be rude to stay too late. Halesia, thanks for today."
As they stood, Halesia, who had been watching them with a dreamy smile, hurriedly spoke up.
"Wait a second! You're leaving already!? Please, wait! I wanna see you two beautiful people talk a bit more—oh no, I just let my true feelings slip!"
Halesia quickly patted her cheeks with both hands, clearing her throat dramatically.
"Please, don't hold back! Keep talking! I don't mind how long you stay! Oh, wait!"
Desperate to keep them there, Halesia clapped her hands.
Rhiannon stared at her, puzzled.
"What is it, Halesia?"
"You two haven't talked about the important stuff!"
"Important stuff?"
"Lady Rhiannon's 'dating comments' or something!"
At that bombshell, Rhiannon's face instantly turned bright red.
(I was trying so hard to avoid that topic...!!)
In place of the flustered Rhiannon, Kaine flashed a suspiciously bright smile and replied.
"Well, you know, Lady Halesia, Lady Rhiannon is a noble lady. There's no way someone like me, of such low status, could have a relationship like that. I'll be politely denying those rumors from now on. Anyway, for today, I must take my leave now—"
"Wait, wait! You're just skimming over things! But Mr. Kaine hasn't talked about something important yet!"
Suddenly, Halesia pointed directly at Kaine, and he looked shocked.
"W-What are you—"
"First of all, why is Mr. Kaine, the butler of the Clahsen family, disguising himself as a tutor for the prince? It's not like you're short on cash or anything!"
Kaine was taken aback by Halesia's comment.
Rhiannon, realizing that Kaine had been using his conversation skills to keep her distracted, nodded.
"Oh, that's definitely true! Kaine, why are you tutoring when you left me behind?"
"I didn't leave my lady behind! There's a deep reason for this..." Kaine hurriedly tried to explain.
At that moment, Halesia pressed further.
"Since we're at it, let's just say it: Lady Rhiannon was feeling lonely because Mr. Kaine is often away from home!"
"W-Wait! Halesia!"
"She was so worried, thinking, 'Is he out on a date with Sarah?' that she couldn't sleep, and her beautiful skin turned dry and desert-like!"
"~~!"
At Halesia's unexpected comment, Rhiannon let out a high-pitched, silent scream and slumped over the desk.
Kaine looked flustered.
"M-My lady, what does that mean...?"
"Well, um, because..." Rhiannon stammered.
"...Earlier, you said something nonsensical like, 'Kaine wants to live happily with Sarah,' but did you really think I was secretly meeting with Sarah Belts?"
"Y-Yeah! What's wrong with that!?"
Rhiannon, completely caught off guard, could only get mad in return.
Hearing this, Kaine looked up at the sky and muttered, "No way, that's ridiculous...".
Halesia, who had successfully turned the conversation upside down, smiled brightly while rubbing her hands together.
"Well, with all that said, there's still so much more we haven't talked about, right? How about you two take a seat? Since we have this chance, feel free to chat as much as you want!"
"You don't have to go that far to keep us here, you devil!"
"Well, that's rude! I'm just a little loyal to my desires, okay? Now, come on, both of you, take a seat. It's going to be a long one today~."
"......"
"Oh, looks like the tea's getting a bit cold. I'll bring some more! And some special snacks too!"
With a cheerful expression, Halesia got the two to sit down and lightly stepped out of the room.
This time, it was a complete victory for Halesia's plan.
Rhiannon rubbed her flushed cheeks, feeling utterly embarrassed.
(Why is this happening...)
Though a bit suspicious, Halesia was usually sensible and tight-lipped.
She rarely made careless remarks.
But this time, it seemed like an exception.
Rhiannon never expected Halesia to go this far to keep her there.
When she quietly looked up, she saw Kaine also looking awkward, his gaze wandering.
He seemed just as confused as Rhiannon.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Kaine broke the ice.
"My lady, I have a lot to say, but can I start with one thing?"
"What is it..."
"Just to be clear, I need to deny this right away. There is absolutely no truth to the fact that I was on a date with Sarah Belts. Why do you even think I was meeting with her?"
"Well, during the tea party, you were having such a good time chatting..."
"That's it! Just that!"
Kaine looked genuinely exasperated. Rhiannon's face turned red again.
"B-but! At the tea party, you were laughing so much! You've never shown me that kind of smile!"
"That was to let Sarah Belts down her guard and get information. Plus, disguising myself as a tutor for the princes was just to keep an eye on the princes and Sarah Belts. There's a lot of info you can't know unless you're inside."
"Hmph, I don't know about that!"
Kaine lowered her golden eyes sadly at Rhiannon, who still looked suspicious.
"My lady, you really can't believe my words that much?"
"Uh..."
"Even after I've served you with all my heart, you still don't trust what I say..."
"I-I didn't say that!"
Rhiannon looked flustered.
Kaine exaggeratedly hunched his back, drooping his head and even starting to turn away and wipe his eyes.
Of course, Kaine was just pretending to be sad, but simple Rhiannon quickly grew worried.
"Wait! Is Kaine crying? I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that! I trust you completely, Kaine. ...Hey, don't be so down!"
"...So, will you believe what I said?"
"I believe you, I really do!"
At Rhiannon's words, Kaine instantly lifted his face and smiled properly.
There wasn't even a hint of tears in his golden eyes.
"Just as expected from Lady Rhiannon, so easy to read—Oops, that slipped out. Well, anyway, it's wonderful that you're so open to listening to my words."
"Hey, I heard you say 'easy to read' just now!"
"Oh no, it must be a misunderstanding on your part."
Kaine laughed lightly, returning to his usual self.
Rhiannon pouted, but deep down, she felt relieved.
(I'm really glad I could talk to Kaine face to face like this...)
Rhiannon felt a little grateful to Halesia.
Though that pushy approach had been a bit much.
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