Chapter 12 – First Inn Stay
Chapter 12 – First Inn Stay
“Man, Gain’s hunch about trouble was spot on. Pursuers already, huh?”
“Fernet’s information network is as impressive as ever.”
In the noisy town dining hall, I happily stuffed my cheeks with skewered meat while listening to the adults’ conversation.
The kind waitress had placed a booster seat on my chair, so I was thrilled to be able to sit by myself.
When we’re camping, it’s all salty flavors, so this slightly sweet barbecue taste was pure bliss.
“Just for having Light Aptitude, there are people who come desperately trying to kidnap you. And if word of that blessing got out too…”
Heart lowered his voice to a whisper only when saying Light Aptitude.
Munch munch, nom nom, gulp gulp. Puhah.
“…But in reality, she’s like this.”
I’d only been eating and drinking, yet my master—his handsome uncle face creased with deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes—flicked my forehead.
What an injustice.
“So, what now?”
“It’ll be a detour, but from here on, we avoid towns altogether, steer clear of the highways and cut through the forests instead. Then, once spring comes, we aim to cross the mountains. That seems like the best bet, right?”
“What about supplies and selling our materials?”
“We’ll just grab passing peddlers.”
Oh, this soup is cheese-flavored.
Nn~ So warm and incredibly delicious.
As I savored it with a blissful expression, Gain suddenly took my hand.
“Mm. You’ve got the same soup right there, so no, I won’t hand this one over.”
Gain let out a sudden puh laugh and released my hand. “You’ve been standing out since earlier with how refined your spoon-holding and eating manners are.”
“Was your home as strict about etiquette as some high nobility house?”
Come to think of it, back in our village, we just skewered things on sticks—no spoons or chopsticks—and Lily was still too little for anything but eating with her hands.
But if cutlery’s right in front of me, of course I’d use it…
I glanced down at my utensils.
“…I thought this was normal.”
“Hmph. Whatever. You can eat with your hands while camping anyway, so try to blend in with everyone else a little.”
I looked around. Everyone was slouched in their seats, barely stirring their spoons, and drinking straight from their bowls by pressing their mouths to the rim.
How dexterous…
I did as I was told, observed those around me, and ate the same way.
I recalled our promise for the journey.
This was something I needed to learn too.
“Wait, hold on! I’m a proper lady—why am I sharing a bed with Heart?!”
“What’re you on about, you five-year-old? You don’t even count as a person. Still need a crib or something? If you hate it, sleep on the floor.”
“If the little miss doesn’t like Heart, then who would you prefer?”
My master’s grinning face was seriously irritating.
…
I looked around at everyone’s faces… then crawled into the bed of Heart, who felt like a father to me.
Fernet would’ve been fine too, but then they’d tease me about liking Fernet… I only disliked Master and Gain…
Before I knew it, while I was lost in those looping thoughts, morning had arrived.
“Hey, get up.”
“C-Cold…”
Gain abruptly yanked the blankets off me. Next to the languid, oozing-with-sex-appeal Heart, my drool-smeared, puffy-faced, bedhead self—in pajamas—was tossed straight into the washroom.
The handling is so rough.
Even dogs get treated more gently than this.
After washing my face, combing my hair, and changing into the winter clothes they’d bought me, I returned to the room. Only Heart was waiting there.
He gently scooped me up and carried me to the inn’s dining hall.
Yeah, I should request a slight improvement in how Gain handles me.
“Good morning!” “Morning.”
“Good morning.” “Fufun. Washed your face?”
I pretended that morning fiasco never happened and, since it annoyed me, greeted them with an elegant, beaming smile.
Just like my dad used to do when there was no booster seat, Heart sat me on his lap.
“This one?”
“Yes. A-And that bread too.”
Heart sliced the bread with a knife, sandwiched it with bacon and salad, and handed it over.
“Wow, looks delicious!”
I smiled up at Heart, and he grinned back, patting my head.
Ehehe.
“They look completely like parent and child.”
“Yeah, they really do.”
“So heartwarming.”
…
He did kinda resemble Dad a little, but Heart was way younger.
Heart gave a wry smile. “At least make us siblings.”
True enough.
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thanks for the chapter