Chapter 26 Sudden Date
Rhiannon was quietly reading a book with her eyes down when she suddenly looked up and gazed out the window.
The milk tea-colored hair danced in the breeze coming through the window.
"Peaceful, huh..."
Even with the library incident, Rhiannon had completely returned to her usual routine.
Since then, Werner's persistent letters had stopped coming, and she hadn't seen Sarah Belts either.
Although she had a bit of a misunderstanding with the butler Kaine, which made things awkward for a while, that was all sorted out.
Rhiannon was enjoying a brief moment of peace.
(Well, it might be the calm before the storm... I can't shake this uneasy feeling.)
Rhiannon sighed to herself, resting her chin on her hand.
Today was the bakery's day off, so she had no part-time job, and she had almost finished the book in her hands.
Even if she wanted to chat with Kaine to pass the time, he seemed busy as ever and wasn't available.
On top of that, Halesia also seemed to be busy lately.
It looked like the two of them were up to something secretive, but they stubbornly refused to reveal what it was.
This made Rhiannon feel left out, and it wasn't fun.
"Honestly, I get that it was my misunderstanding that Sarah and Kaine were secretly meeting behind my back, but what are they sneaking around doing without me?"
Rhiannon pouted slightly and took a sip of her completely cold tea.
She felt lighter than when she suspected Sarah Belts and Kaine were secretly meeting, but that didn't mean she was okay with being left out again.
Rhiannon was, after all, a bit of a lonely person.
"They're probably up to something together, right? But I guess that means I'm out of the loop... I can be useful, you know... Still, I'm so bored... yawn, yawn──..."
Just as Rhiannon let out a big yawn, at that moment──.
"My lady, that yawn is rather unladylike, don't you think? It's a bit rude, isn't it?"
Rhiannon was startled when a voice suddenly called out from behind her, nearly falling off her chair.
"W-w-wait, Kaine!? How long have you been there!?"
"Well, how long do you think?"
With a smile, Kaine offered Rhiannon a cup of tea and some snacks.
Rhiannon reflexively took the cup, but her heart was still racing.
She hadn't noticed Kaine was behind her at all.
"I've told you so many times, make some noise when you walk! Don't just sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry about that. It's just a habit."
"I'm not an assassin, so please drop that habit!"
"Oh, I believe I mentioned I have some skills in assassination, didn't I?"
"That's way too ominous!"
Seeing Rhiannon's pale face, Kaine placed a hand on his chest and tilted his head slightly.
"More importantly, miss, do you have some time right now? I'd like to ask you for a moment."
Rhiannon was taken aback by Kaine's sudden request and stammered.
"Uh, well... I don't have any plans today, so I wouldn't mind making time for my loyal butler, but..."
"Then, after we have tea, let's go outside together."
Rhiannon's eyes widened at Kaine's suggestion.
Usually, Kaine didn't look too pleased when Rhiannon wanted to go outside.
That was because, without realizing it, Rhiannon tended to set off doom flags.
Just like the saying goes, when a dog walks, it hits a stick; the villainess hits flags whenever she steps outside.
But today, for some reason, Kaine was inviting Rhiannon out, so she wondered what had changed.
It didn't seem like he was just suggesting a break.
Rhiannon pondered for a moment, and then Kaine asked, "Miss, what's wrong?" So, Rhiannon nodded vigorously.
"Of course! I'll drink my tea right away, so just wait a moment. Plus, I look too shabby in this outfit, so I need to change..."
"Yeah, it's fine just like that. I'm gonna change anyway after this."
"Huh, what do you mean?"
Kaine didn't answer Rhiannon, who looked puzzled, and just gave a mysterious smile.
* * *
"Wow, it's been a while since I came to the center of town. It's as noisy as ever."
She elegantly hid her mouth with a fan, trying to act all composed, but it was clear to anyone watching that Rhiannon was excited as she walked through the town.
Her steps were light on the busy street, and her indigo eyes sparkled with joy.
No wonder, Rhiannon loved shopping from the bottom of her heart, but because of Kaine's strict rules, she had hardly ever been to the center of town.
Plus, it was the first time Kaine had invited her to go out.
It was only natural for her to be thrilled.
(Is this, like, a date or something, like in a romance novel!?)
Rhiannon's heart was racing.
Kaine, walking beside her, lightly scolded the cheerful Rhiannon.
"Miss, stop looking around and just walk straight."
"I know, I know. But do I look a bit like a town girl in this outfit?"
Rhiannon lifted the hem of her skirt and spun around once.
Even though Kaine told her, "You don't need to change," Rhiannon, eager to go out with Kaine, ended up changing anyway.
Today, she wore a light pink floral dress, and her half-up hair was loosely tied with a red ribbon.
She looked much more put together than usual.
Kaine smirked slightly.
"With all due respect, no matter how plain your outfit is, your noble features make you look far from a town girl."
"Ah, yeah, yeah. You're saying my face is too flashy, right? I get it."
Rhiannon pouted and turned her face away.
Kaine smiled.
"That lady is really beautiful, no matter where she is or what she's wearing, she can't hide her elegance."
"Oh, look at you, getting all good at giving compliments."
"Hehe, I'm being sincere. Oh, my lady, you're not going that way."
With that, Kaine naturally took Rhiannon's hand and turned her in another direction.
The sudden closeness made Rhiannon's heart race, and she desperately looked down to hide her flushed face.
("Oh no, I'm turning red... If it were a gentleman, this kind of escorting would be normal...")
Usually, she could interact with him just fine, but every now and then, when Kaine treated her gently like this, it strangely made her heart flutter.
This had been happening a lot lately.
Kaine leaned down and peeked at Rhiannon's suddenly quiet face.
"My lady, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing! I just saw a big ant, and it caught my attention!"
"That's odd. A big ant in this town?"
With a suspicious look, Kaine watched as Rhiannon waved her hands around.
"Don't sweat the small stuff! More importantly, where are we going now?"
"Oh, I didn't mention it, did I? It's that shop over there."
Kaine pointed to a grand stone building.
It was clear it was some kind of shop, but without a sign, it was hard to tell what it was at first glance.
Rhiannon looked puzzled.
"Uh, what's that shop...?"
"Oh, my lady, you didn't know? It's a boutique and beauty salon favored by royalty."
"R-really!? Even though I'm from the prestigious Clahsen family, I can't just go in there, right? This must be some mistake!"
"Today, we have permission thanks to Lady Halesia."
"W-wait, Halesia!? Hold on, what does that mean!?"
Pulling the confused Rhiannon along, Kaine burst into the lavish beauty salon.
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