The Cowardly Young Lady and the Escort Knight

Chapter 2: A First Day with No End in Sight (1)

Sofas that exuded luxury at a glance, display cabinets and shelves with grape vine carvings, flower vases filled with fresh seasonal flowers, and a large carpet woven with intricate patterns.

The walls were covered with wallpaper with gold decorations, and the silver candlesticks installed on them were sparkling as they reflected the sunlight.

Anyone who saw this room... the reception room, would imagine how high the dignity of the room's owner would be and naturally bow their head.

However, Patrick was stuck to the wall, facing the doorway, staring blankly at the ceiling.

That was partly because he was also a resident of this room, but the bigger reason was...

"Kyaaaaaa! I hate it! Let go of meeee!!"

"........"

The screams coming from inside the two doors with splendid embossing could be pointed out.

"Don't do it! Stop...! Hee, I hate it, I hate it......!"

"........"

"Heuaaang...! Mom...! Mommaaaa......!"

That, too, was because sounds that could only lead to misunderstanding kept ringing out.

Patrick sighed again for what must have been the umpteenth time.

The protagonist of the voice wailing bitterly from inside the door was Cecilia Bedere Rosepole.

She was the little master he, as an escort knight, had to protect day and night from today, and the formidable lady who had slapped his cheek for greeting her according to etiquette.

Since she herself was going through hardship right now, he should be rushing into the room right away.

However, Patrick was not moving an inch from his spot.

The reason was simple.

Cecilia was currently getting dressed up.

'I'm glad I saw that earlier.'

Just before her bedroom door closed, he caught a glimpse of a large bathtub spewing steam in the room, which was even more luxurious than this reception room.

If he hadn't seen that, he would have rushed into the room as soon as he heard her scream.

The aftermath was scary to even imagine.

Patrick shuddered inwardly.

In fact, there was no need to take a bath in the bedroom.

Cecilia's residence was almost like a house, with a small kitchen as well as a bathroom.

Nevertheless, the reason for washing in the bedroom was probably to take care of several things that needed to be done at once besides bathing.

He sighed at the loudly ringing scream and looked straight ahead.

A man looking around the room with a toolbox.

A woman in slightly fancy clothes stretching behind several large and long boxes.

A woman in simple clothes sitting on the sofa reading a book.

They seemed to be a hairdresser, a dressmaker, and a tutor, in that order.

He understood why the hairdresser and dressmaker were here.

They were the people who would trim her hair and prepare her clothes, respectively.

But the existence of the last person was very questionable.

'Why is there a tutor...?'

'Tutor' was supposed to refer to someone who teaches something.

Was Cecilia going to be educated from the first day?

'But isn't it too early?'

The moment he tilted his head, the tutor suddenly jumped up from her seat.

Wondering if it was because she felt his gaze, Patrick was inwardly sweating.

However, the tutor passed by without giving him a single glance, knocked on Cecilia's bedroom door, and disappeared inside.

'What is it?'

He wouldn't be able to see inside even if he stared a hole through it, but he couldn't take his eyes off the tightly closed door.

And after a while,

'Huh?'

He realized that the screams that had been leaking out to the outside were no longer heard.

It seemed that the tutor had calmed Cecilia down.

"Oh my, how amazing, she calmed down right away. As expected of Mrs. Haltt. It's like magic!"

The dressmaker clasped her hands together and smiled brightly, as if she was sincerely impressed.

The skirt was shaking and making a rustling sound whenever she moved, as if there was something inside the dress.

As if trying to make him hear it on purpose, she slowly walked towards Patrick while fluttering her skirt slightly.

Then, she put her hands behind her back, leaned her head towards him, and smiled brightly.

"You said earlier? That you are Lady Cecilia's escort."

"...That's right."

Seeing her call him just 'escort' instead of 'escort knight' and looking at him with eyes that seemed to look down on him, it seemed that a skilled worker was higher than other servants.

He was used to being looked down on, but it was seriously unfamiliar for a woman to bring her face close, so Patrick pulled his neck back slightly and turned his gaze to the side.

"Is there anything you need?"

"I do~ of course I do~ Would you take off your jacket for a moment?"

".........Yes?"

He doubted his ears for a moment.

Suddenly asking him to take off his jacket, was this woman trying to make fun of him?

As if his expression was amusing, the dressmaker laughed out loud and tapped his arm lightly.

"Oh my, don't look at me so strangely~ I just want to measure your body."

".........Measure?"

"Yes. If I'm going to make clothes for you to wear, I need to know how big you are, right? So please let me measure you."

As expected, there was a lot of intention to make fun of him.

He sighed deeply inside and then faced the dressmaker who was smiling softly.

"I think it would have been easier to understand if you had said you were going to take my measurements."

"Hehe, I'm sorry~ I have a disease that makes me want to tease cute people."

"I hope you recover quickly."

Patrick retorted nonchalantly, took off his jacket, and leaned the sword he was wearing on his waist against the wall.

Then, the dressmaker took out something rolled up from her waist and suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling him about two steps away from the wall.

Then, still with a bright smile on her face, she stretched out both arms to the side and said.

"Keep your arms open like this. Spread your legs a little too."

"......"

He didn't want to because it would look very ridiculous, but he couldn't help it if he wanted to get his clothes made.

Patrick sighed again inside and took a position as instructed.

"Yes, yes, stay still~"

"......"

The dressmaker approached closely while humming a song.

She pulled out the end of the object, which looked like a belt, and started to put it on his body or wrap it around him.

He didn't know what the material was, but from the feeling when it was wrapped around his arms and neck for a very short time, it seemed closer to cloth than leather.

After measuring like that, she was writing something quickly on a small piece of paper with a charcoal pen.

There must be some kind of mark engraved on the object.

'By the way, why is she touching me so much?!'

She stroked his arm while measuring it, and when measuring his chest circumference, she almost hugged him from behind.

No, she just hugged him!

She even smiled while fondling his thighs when measuring them!

Even if he tried to express his displeasure at that sticky touch, she would know as if she were a ghost and take her hand away when he tried to open his mouth.

In the end, he couldn't say a word of complaint until the dressmaker gave him a satisfied smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yes, that's it. Thank you for your hard work~"

"...Yes, you worked hard too."

Patrick pursed his lips tightly.

The feeling of being touched stickyly wasn't disappearing easily.

'Is that how they usually measure?'

After grumbling inwardly and putting on his jacket, he looked at the dressmaker who was scribbling something on the paper.

He didn't really want to talk to her, but there was something he had to ask.

"Dressmaker, how long will it take for the uniform to be completed?"

"Hmm~ a week if it's short, two weeks if it's long? It depends on when the Countess decides on the final draft."

Patrick, who was wondering why the mistress of the castle, not Cecilia, was making the decision, soon recalled a fact that could be said to be her characteristic and understood.

Whether it was congenital or not, the master he served was blind. Both eyes.

Moreover, seeing that she slapped his cheek when he was just trying to greet her, it was clear that Cecilia didn't know etiquette at all.

Since the escort knight's uniform was also one of the elements that showed the dignity of the master he served, even if her eyes were intact, the Countess would have decided instead.

The dresses Cecilia was wearing were probably also chosen by the mistress.

"But why are you asking that?"

The dressmaker, still keeping her eyes on the paper.

From the way she was moving her hand as if drawing a line, it seemed that she was drawing a picture rather than writing.

He didn't know if she would listen properly since she was concentrating, but Patrick decided to confide his concerns.

"...I'm ashamed to say, this jacket was given to me by the head butler. Because of that, there is a concern that I will be mistaken for a butler, so I would like to wear other clothes until the uniform is completed. Is there any help I can get?"

"Other clothes... I do have them, but they won't be of much help. You'll be misunderstood for another position again. Ah, that's right."

The dressmaker smiled brightly as if she had a good idea and continued.

"The uniform will have an accessory with a crest on it. I'll embroider a scarf-type tie for you, so how about wearing that for a while?"

"Anything is fine as long as it can be distinguished."

"Hehe, okay. Then I'll prepare it and send it to this room today."

"Thank you."

As he nodded his head slightly, the dressmaker laughed out loud, as if something was funny.

"Really! You look like you're not even twenty, but you're really soldierly! The lady must be very reliable."

"Thank... you...?"

"And you're also innocent? Hehe, I'll be able to hear some interesting stories in the future."

It didn't seem to be a compliment.

'Then what does it mean?'

The dressmaker smiled again as she looked at him tilting his head inwardly, and then fixed her gaze on the paper again.

Silence fell again in the reception room.

Not only him, but no one tried to start a conversation.

Since they would hardly ever meet each other after this time, they probably didn't feel the need to build friendship.

Moreover, he had already forgotten the names that the two people had told him when they came here.

The two people probably also had his name disappear from their heads.

What was important to them, the servants, was the position, not the name.

It was enough to remember the role.

Just like the maid who came out of Cecilia's bedroom door and threw words with her body half out.

"It's the hairdresser's turn. Come in."

"Phew, I thought my neck would break."

The hairdresser smiled brightly and packed his toolbox.

As his foot crossed the threshold, the dressmaker suddenly called out to her, trying to close the door again.

"I'm going in too. The hairstyle before decorating is also important. Would you move these boxes inside?"

"Yes, I understand."

The maid said something to the inside of the door, picked up the box piled up behind the dressmaker, and headed to the bedroom.

Soon, two other maids came out of the door as if replacing her, and the three of them went back and forth between the bedroom, carrying the boxes.

"Then see you again, cute escort~"

".........Good work."

The dressmaker smiled with her eyes and waved her hand, disappearing into the door.

Soon, as the last box left the reception room, the bedroom door made a heavy sound again and closed tightly.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

In the reception room, where he was left alone, only the sound of the pendulum clock hanging on the wall was heard.

'It's good because there's no one here.'

Patrick, who felt much more comfortable because there was no need to be wary.

Thanks to that, he was able to have time to think about the scene that was happening inside the bedroom.

The most curious thing was, of course, Cecilia.

What would the beggar girl wearing rags look like when she was being 'groomed'?

He tried to imagine it for a while, but he couldn't guess at all because her first impression was too strong.

'Well, whatever happens, it'll be much better than that beggar look.'

After coming to that conclusion, Patrick looked around the room, wondering if there was anything he could do.

'The books... the contents would be difficult for me.'

He couldn't touch the chess set in the corner of the room either. Because he didn't know how to play.

Drinking tea seemed too leisurely, and he couldn't exercise because he had to go to the Count as soon as Cecilia's grooming was over.

'Then there's only one thing left.'

Patrick closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath, then began to imagine fighting someone in his head.

The opponents were men who looked somehow rowdy.

They were 'bullies who picked a fight for no reason' that he might encounter, and vile guys who wielded daggers against him, who hadn't even drawn his sword yet.

It was an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation, but in front of him, who had been eating barracks meals for a little over ten years, they were all just slightly bigger kids.

Even the natural swordsman who was mixed among them was no match for him!

Just as he was about to defeat the thirtieth bully,

Creak...

Finally, the heavy sound of the door opening was heard.