Chapter 51

At the time when Kathia and Deon were making some kind of pact, instead of holding Kathia to nag her about what happened, Madam Murphy just sighed deeply and simply uttered, “Don’t get involved with something too dangerous.”

In any case, the situation couldn’t get any worse. All in all, if Kathia could find hope and regain her strength with Deon, she thought anything’s fine, she thought.

Showing that unexpected attitude was something exclusive to Madam Murphy.

Jean Troy. Unlike the first meeting where he took his sword out, he started to show his completely changed attitude to Kathia.

“You’re speaking from your heart. Even if I get betrayed in the long future, I’ll trust you for now. Mostly because my master wants to believe you.”

Talking like that, Jean kneeled and apologized to her.

It took so much out of me because I had to put pressure on the wound on my neck while standing him up. Despite my silent plea for him to stop, he didn’t, so it was particularly hard.

After he calmed down, I asked the Swordmaster if he could tell someone was lying, to which he simply replied, “If someone were to lie, they’re bound to have a change in heart rate, whether it was large or small.”

He didn’t have his hand on me like Deon, but I didn’t ask how he sensed my heart rate. Even if I asked, instead of being understood, I would get a relative sense of deprivation in return, so why even bother?

Jean was among the best of the best in this world, and the power of such presence was something that an extra like Kathia would never dare to begin understanding.

“Well, if that weren’t the case, I had to be keen with my surroundings, since birth.”

By adding that comment, I kept my silence.

In any case, from that moment on, Kathia grew quite close to Jean as well. Even the wound on her neck improved and disappeared without leaving a scar thanks to all the ointment and things that were used from the Adolphe Knighthood.

For a person who had remarkable capabilities, it was easy to talk with him.

One could say that he’s rather compatible with Kathia, personality-wise.

As if their terrifying first encounter never happened, they could share a comfort that was different when with Deon.

As such, she was getting on good terms with the important people who have the ability to let Kathia be herself.

Except for one dark horse.

“Uh, shouldn’t you come in about now, Hughes?”

Kathia, who couldn’t wait to ask while holding the tea kettle, spoke.

She was trying hard to ignore his presence by any means, but today, since it was raining, she couldn’t pretend not to know.

Like he won’t get defeated by the cold, the man, who’s stuck in the corner of the terrace, shook his head while shivering and chattering his teeth.

“I-I-I’m alright. D-Don’t min-mind me…”

“Don’t pay attention to him, Kathia.”

Deon grinned and clearly ended Hughes’s sentence. Hughes glared at him with some resentment.

Hmm, it felt like he would come in if I asked him just once more.

Kathia sighed, glancing between the two men who had complete opposite expressions.

Unlike Deon and Jean who had auras of insensitivity and intimidation, Hughes had expressed goodwill close to sympathy to Kathia in the beginning but changed.

As if he was forcefully building up a wall and keeping his distance.

“How can your Highness and Sir Troy speak so lightly about trusting her so easily?! I-It’s not that I’m suspicious of the Princess or anything like that! It’s not like that but…!”

Hughes believed that Deon and Jean were excessively trusting.

So that’s why he put himself under pressure to keep an unobstructed mind.

‘Every time Deon came to visit for the last two weeks, he was persistent in coming along, but he keeps hesitating on whether or not to enter.’

Truthfully, Kathia agrees with Hughes’s reaction, thinking that it’s the most normal.

Evidently, Deon and Jean quite simply believed and accepted her.

The reason was not because they were soft, but arguably, it was closer to the leniency they were born with.

Being able to tell right from wrong depended on the leader’s level of knowledge. Not finding things difficult to believe is a leader’s specialty.

In other words, only the ones who could not protect themselves acted more sensitive like weaklings and defensive porcupines with their quills raised. Just like her and Hughes.

With a bitter smile, while pouring black tea in Deon’s cup, a strange voice emerged.

“It’s not coffee.”

“Ah, would you like coffee instead? Should I brew some?”

“You like it though, Kathia.”

“Uh…”

Kathia had an awkward expression after hearing the unexpected answer.

Because it was the taste she was most familiar with since in her previous life, she preferred coffee over black tea, but…

“How did you know? Is it obvious?”

Kathia asked while rubbing her face. In fact, even Hannah couldn’t easily guess what foods she liked.

It wasn’t because she wasn’t interested in her, it’s just that, growing up, it was her fault for just ‘liking’ it and smiling, saying everything tasted good.

Deon answered like it wasn’t that hard to find out.

“Whenever you eat or drink, your lips always tilt-up, but for ones you especially like, the tips of your eyes rise.”

“…I see. I didn’t know that.”

Something feels embarrassing. Scratching her cheek, Kathia randomly spat something out to change the subject.

“But still, don’t you like black tea more, Deon?”

This time, he paused. As if someone threw a pebble in a calm lake, it was a quite big ripple.

“…Was it that obvious?”

“No. Hm, it’s not that. It just seemed like it.”

While mumbling in a curious voice, Kathia carefully cooled her tea down by blowing over it and then sipping the tea. With her reaction that implied it wasn’t a big deal, the frozen Deon slowly raised his teacup.

Tea time with his “sister,” who prefers coffee over black tea, was unable to drink anything hot well, and has quite a sharp side to her, has always left complicated sentiments behind for the boy.