How the Useless Me Became the Beloved of the Devilish Duke Knight - Chapter 8
Chapter 8 : Rest and Return
“I thought that might be the case. You haven’t been eating much, have you? The dizziness earlier, could it be because of anemia?”
“No, um, please don’t trouble yourself ! Really, I’m fine…!”
Elma hurriedly stopped the man who let out a big sigh and reached for the menu. As she continued to feel uneasy, he tilted his head.
“Perhaps you have a constitution that can only tolerate a small amount of food?”
“N-No….”
“So, are you trying to lose weight after all?”
“Well….”
Just when it became difficult to answer, Elma’s tea, which she had ordered, was brought to the table. It wouldn’t be odd to pause the conversation, and having a sip might help to camouflage her hunger. Expressing gratitude to the waiter, Elma thinks about the strategy for what comes next.
‘I wonder if I can somehow steer the conversation to a different topic. At this rate, he’ll just keep talking about me?’
“Um, instead of that. I’d like to ask about you, if you don’t mind.”
“Are you talking about me? I feel like it’s impossible for me to say anything… for various reasons, but if I can answer, I’ll tell you. What do you want to ask?”
If you don’t want to be questioned, you can always ask questions yourself. Even so, if she expresses happiness as if eagerly awaiting it, it would make the conversation afterward quite difficult. Elma took a deep breath and composed herself.
“Why are you here in the first place…?”
“…I came here to let you rest, right?”
“It’s not like that. It may have been a coincidence between yesterday and today, but I wonder how we were able to meet again in such a short period of time…”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that. I just wanted to meet you, so I sneaked out of the castle—”
The words stopped, and the man cleared his throat.
“?I said it with a certain nuance, but I’ve already obtained permission, so please rest assured.”
‘What part of that correction is supposed to bring reassurance?’
“I’m here today because I came looking for something I lost. I was wandering around a place I knew in search of what I was looking for, and I happened to meet you. It’s just a lucky coincidence. Yeah. There’s nothing unnatural about it.”
‘I don’t think planned actions are a coincidence…’
Why does it seem like asking a question has led to even more issues?
However, various words that come to mind remain unspoken, and all that escapes is a stifled ‘Ugh!’. Elma drinks something to fill the silence.
‘It’s scary… I feel like if I ask, she’ll answer everything, but on the contrary, I feel like I shouldn’t know any more. It’s like I’m falling deeper and deeper into a depth I can’t return to.’
Realizing that it was not a good idea to dig deeper into this issue, Elma desperately searched for another topic.
‘That’s right, the lost item. I should have remembered it first. Good thing I kept it close to me!’
Elma hurriedly put her hand on the button of her collar, trying to take out the ring she was wearing around her neck under her clothes. Startled, the man pulled his chair back, but Elma didn’t notice as she was focused on the ring.
“Just in time, before I forget—um, is everything okay?”
“No, just a bit. It’s nothing. Haha. It’s just a habit… No, really, it’s nothing. Forget about it.”
When Elma looked up and gave him a suspicious look, he returned to his chair. He remained in a slightly hunched-over posture, folded his hands, and spoke humbly in an extremely solemn manner.
“You keep doing unexpected things. It’s refreshing.”
“….”
Holding back the words ‘That’s my line,’, Elma gently placed the ring on the table.
“I’ll return this to you…”
It must have been something important, as he went out of his way to look for it the next day.
However, the man made no attempt to reach for it, and he gazed down at the lost item through the mask without making a move.
“Are you planning to return it?”
“…Huh?”
“Are you sure you want to give it back to me ?”
Perhaps behind the mask, he has that serious, straight face.
Elma couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing something wrong. The outcasts of the Tarcoza family always make mistakes. Once again, Elma was at fault—
‘?No. I’m sure I’m not wrong about this matter…!’
“The fact that you came to look for it today of all days indicates that it’s something quite important, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. If you ask me if it’s important or not, well, it’s important.”
“Despite that, you don’t want me to return it?”
“….”
The man crossed his arms, lost in thought, and fell into silence. Elma watched for a while to see if there was any movement, but time passed like that. So, without saying a word, she slipped her hand across the table, pushed the ring towards him, and held it out to him.
The man extended his large hand, and just when she thought he was taking it—instead, he smoothly pushed it back towards her. The ring returned to Elma. Once again, she smoothly pushed it back. It was an unusual assertion for her, who usually apologizes quickly for anything.
‘Because I can’t just keep holding onto something so obviously expensive…’
The man, who seemed to understand that the ring would be returned no matter what, crossed his arms and groaned. Then, after clapping his hands, he began to rummage through his pockets. Elma was staring blankly, but a strange sense of déjà vu caught her attention.
“Are you by any chance trying to ‘drop’ something else this time…?”
“…Is it not okay?”
“It’s not okay! …I think.”
“But if that’s the case, we’ll lose any connection, won’t we?”
Elma opened her eyes wide. In addition, her mouth also dropped open. Silence falls for a while. The man also seemed to be silently staring at Elma. As he looked into her eyes in particular, he suddenly tilted his head.
“….?”
His hand reached out to Elma’s face as if being drawn to her – just before it gently touched her cheek. Both of them came to their senses and got up from their seats at the same time, their hands wandering around in a panic.
“Wha…wha, what are….”
“S-Sorry, this is…!”
Elma turned bright red and noticed that there was only a little tea left in the cup in front of her. She quickly gulped it down and hurriedly packed her things.
“I-I’m… I’m going home now! Thank you for the meal!”
Elma was about to leave the store to escape, but just before she left, she remembered the payment just in time. In a great hurry, she pulls out her wallet – and is grabbed by the wrist with a snap.
“Wait. Please don’t go. I don’t want it to end like this.”
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Translated by : Cutae30