The Cowardly Young Lady and the Escort Knight

Chapter 5: A First Day with No End in Sight (4)

'How dare an escort like you talk back?'

The tutor's eyes seemed to be saying that.

'Ha, look who's talking.'

What was absurd was Patrick himself.

No matter how little aristocratic refinement Cecilia had, the fact that she was an aristocrat didn't change.

And the tutor was a servant who had to serve and attend to her.

Regardless of whether she was trusted by the lord or not, she had no right to meddle in Cecilia's possessions.

"I am Lady Cecilia's escort knight. I belong to Lady Cecilia, not the Lord. Therefore, I believe that the authority to handle my request lies solely with Lady Cecilia."

Even if it was just delivering the words, the order must come from her mouth.

The owner of the escort knight Patrick was Cecilia, not her tutor, Mrs. Haltt.

He had no intention of yielding on this point, no matter what anyone said.

Even if the Lord stepped in, he wouldn't be able to break his stubbornness.

Patrick finished speaking firmly, slightly limped past the tutor.

Soon, he stood in front of Cecilia and nodded his head in greeting.

He knew she couldn't see, but he felt like he had to.

"Lady Cecilia."

Her shoulders flinched.

He thought he had called her as softly as possible, but it still sounded stiff and scary to her.

Patrick smiled bitterly and said to her, who was tightly closing her eyes and was very nervous.

"I'm sorry. It seems I have a little problem with my foot, so I need to visit a mage. I would be grateful if you would allow me a temporary absence."

"Yes? Ab...... what?"

"Absence. It means not being present, Lady Cecilia."

It was the tutor who had been firmly shutting her mouth who answered Cecilia, who was asking back.

And as if she didn't like being pointed out by him, she stared at him with an even stiffer gaze and continued.

"It seems the escort knight has hurt his foot. I think he means that he's going to leave for a while for treatment."

"Hurt...... you say? How did it happen?"

"A little while ago,"

"There was a small mistake. It's a shameful reason, so I'm sorry that it's difficult to tell you. I would be grateful if you would understand."

Patrick firmly cut off the words that the tutor was about to spill and sharply glared at those eyes that contained a vague displeasure.

Cecilia stepping on his foot with the momentum to crush it was just a slightly bigger accident that happened because she had fallen into an extreme state of panic.

There was no need to bring it up and hold her responsible.

Even if it was for the purpose of scolding her as a tutor, it couldn't be today.

'She's already intimidated, she'll be even more depressed if she hears that!'

Even at this moment, her heart must be shaking with fear.

If he pointed out that she had stepped on his foot in the midst of that, she might hesitate to even take a step for a while.

Pushing her too hard wouldn't help at all.

It was like pulling a sprout to make it grow faster.

Moreover, Cecilia had been hit by a lot of storms so far, so she was frail, so she had to be taken care of like a glass bowl until her mind and body stabilized.

To do that, he would have to be away from his seat a little longer than planned.

Patrick steeled his heart and said to Cecilia.

"I'm sorry, Lady Cecilia. I would be grateful if you would allow me to rest for a while as well as treat my foot."

"Ooh, you want to rest...... right?"

"Yes. I'm ashamed to say, but I also arrived here last night, so I don't know the internal geography. So, I want to check the location of the main areas of the castle. I want to prepare in advance in case I have to leave your side for a while like now."

He would avoid leaving his seat as much as possible, but you never know what might happen in the world.

Therefore, even if he unintentionally left her side, he needed to memorize the way so that he could find her again as soon as he finished his business.

After saying that, Patrick took a breath for a moment and glanced at the tutor before opening his mouth again.

"So, I think it would be most reliable to receive the tutor's guidance."

"......"

The tutor's eyes narrowed even more.

As if she was very displeased with the words asking her to guide him through the castle, she blatantly frowned and glared at him fiercely.

Perhaps she felt that presence?

Cecilia was at a loss as to what to do and only moved her mouth, unable to say anything easily.

In the silence that came naturally, the tutor let go of Cecilia's hand.

And while tightly holding Cecilia's fan in her hand, she opened her mouth.

"Now, you want to receive guidance from me...... is that what you said?"

"That's right."

"It seems you don't know because you've only been in the barracks. I am a tutor. I am the one who teaches the children of noble families like the Lord to become gentlemen and ladies worthy of that family. I am not someone who does chores like guiding."

She was the one who taught the children of the Lord Trebble and his vassals, but how dare he ask her to do such chores?

The tutor's eyes were bursting with anger.

'As expected, skilled workers think highly of themselves.'

Like that dressmaker, the tutor also seemed to think that she was higher than Patrick or other servants.

Maybe it was true.

The dressmaker and this haughty and picky tutor were both people who directly faced the nobles and worked.

In particular, the tutor was the teacher of young nobles, so in some ways, she was no different from their parents.

So she was able to give instructions to the maids.

'But do you think I'll back down?'

He would make the tutor guide him at all costs.

He had started talking with the intention of separating her from Cecilia even for a little while.

That way, she could relax even for a little while.

It was an added bonus to prevent the risk of it being known that he had hurt his foot because of Cecilia.

Therefore, Patrick met the gaze of the tutor, who was glaring fiercely at him, and answered in a stiff tone.

"However, I believe that there is no one other than the tutor who knows best where Lady Cecilia will often visit in the future. As you said yourself, you are the one who teaches them to become ladies, so you must know the daily life of the ladies. It would be more efficient to receive guidance from you than from a maid."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the capacity to help you. Unlike other people, Lady Cecilia is starting her studies much later, so I have to spend all my time only on Lady Cecilia. I can't use it for anything else, not even for a moment."

"I also can't leave Lady Cecilia's side for a long time. That's why I'm asking for your guidance even more, so I would be grateful if you would cooperate."

"......"

The tutor frowned and shut her mouth.

As a result, just as silence was about to fall again, the tutor suddenly burst out laughing softly.

She wouldn't have said anything funny.

But what was so funny that she laughed out loud?

Not only Patrick, but also Cecilia and the maid next to her all had expressions as if they didn't know what was going on.

Facing Patrick, who was her opponent in the argument, the tutor folded her arms and crossed her arms.

Then, she tapped her elbow with Cecilia's fan and said.

"Okay. I'll cooperate with you. There's some truth in your words too. There's no one who knows better than I do what place you, who is serving Lady Cecilia, should know the most."

"Then......"

"Yes. I will tell you. To Jenny here."

"......!"

Patrick's eyes widened right away.

As if she liked that expression, the tutor smiled even deeper and wrapped her arms around Cecilia's waist.

"I want to help you directly, but I have to tell Lady Cecilia about life in the castle now. I also have to have her look back at the actions she showed in the meeting with the Lord a little while ago."

"But......!"

Cutting off Patrick's words, who was trying to refute in any way, the tutor spoke to Cecilia softly.

Cecilia was moving her head here and there as if she was troubled.

"Hic?!"

Suddenly, she flinched greatly and made a sound.

Pain was seeping out of her eyebrows, which had been frowning sharply.

However, the tutor spoke very calmly, as if she had never heard her groan.

"Please make a decision, Lady Cecilia."

"Ah, ugh......! Do, do that......!"

"I understand, Lady Cecilia."

The tutor, who had pulled out the answer like that, looked at Patrick with a smile that seemed somehow triumphant.

"Did you hear? Escort knight. Lady Cecilia is telling you to do that."

"........"

Patrick gritted his teeth.

He had thought that things might not go as he had planned.

Even if Cecilia made the tutor guide him through the castle as he had intended, it was obvious that the tutor would try to change her mind while listing this and that.

But he never expected her to use force to make her listen like just now!

'Is she crazy......!'

Even if he raised his voice and said that she dared to touch Cecilia, she would deny it.

Moreover, since the order had already been given in her voice, there was only one thing he could say now.

"......I will follow your orders."

"Hehe."

The winner's smile towards him, who had bowed his head.

Patrick felt his mouth turning bitter.