C117
In the darkness, his bluish gaze was particularly piercing.
I startled, as if I were on fire, then quickly turned my head forward.
As soon as the theater lights came on, I jumped from my seat while watching the actors greet the audience in a stiff posture as if they had a cast around their necks.
"Let's go," Isidor calmly extended his arm as if to escort her.
I fidgeted with the fan.
"It's not necessary."
"There are many stairs here, so you might fall."
I felt like I was the only one aware, so I grabbed his arm and found his white bare hands, and I became nervous again.
"Why didn't I notice it before?"
What is the reason they suddenly appear so clearly in my eyes?
"He has never been without gloves in such a formal place, so why now?"
I was distracted by the pale hand hanging at the edge of my gaze, and, as Isidor had predicted, I stumbled, hitting the tip of my shoe against the step.
"Be careful."
He quickly wrapped me up when I was about to fall, and my body was pressed against his arms.
"It's dangerous." He murmured in a low voice.
"Even if I fall, only my knees will be slightly hurt. It's not dangerous at all..."
"..."
Isidor slowly lowered his body with a somewhat complicated expression on his face.
The silence that continued throughout the walk was uncomfortable, so I coughed once and opened my mouth.
"There weren't many people, so I didn't have expectations, but the play was quite enjoyable."
"Well. The plot wasn't good because I didn't feel any creativity overall. The actors' performance... I was so obsessed with the princess that I couldn't see it properly."
"Eh? Why? Th-the actress was pretty."
Embarrassed by his way of speaking, I blurted out anything.
"... Did the princess think the male lead was handsome?"
Isidor said, slightly furrowing his brow.
"What?"
"I can't even remember the actor's face. Probably even if he had three eyes, I wouldn't know."
"Hmm. Anyway, I'm hungry."
"Aren't you deliberately changing the subject?"
"No. I thought only actresses were pretty. Compared to Sir Isidor's appearance, male actors are like the seventh leg of a squid..."
But why do I keep coming up with strange excuses?
Feeling belatedly ridiculous, I headed to a nearby restaurant with Isidor, who seemed to be in a better mood.
As soon as we arrived, the manager came out and led us to a separate space off the hallway.
There was a beautiful garden outside the window, and drinks and snacks were served as soon as we sat down.
It seemed he took seriously that I was starving because he ordered the food to be prepared as quickly as possible.
"He's very considerate."
In my previous life, the first blind date I had was incomparable.
There was no place to sit and eat because the place was crowded.
In the end, after thirty minutes of waiting to find an empty spot, it suddenly rained, and we parted ways.
The past came to mind, and as I looked at him, he suddenly rolled his eyes like a fox.
"What on earth is he going to say this time?"
"Are there any ingredients or spices you don't like? I'll ask them to remove it."
"Oh, no."
"Me neither. I eat everything. What's your favorite dish?"
"Steak...."
Surprisingly, as we carried on a normal conversation, the waiter served us an appetizer.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"Yes, it's fine."
"That's a relief."
Indeed, it wasn't outstanding, but it was enough for me, who had gotten used to the Seymour family's cuisine, to genuinely enjoy it.
As soon as it was served, I ate it as I usually do in front of my father.
"Try more of this too."
Whenever our gazes meet, he pushes the plate and smiles sweetly as if melting people.
Moreover, his manners were impeccable.
"I'll cut it for you."
As soon as the steak came out, he took the cutlery and the plate as if he were waiting for it, quickly cut the meat, and handed it back.
By the way, what is this flawless cut?
He couldn't help but admire it because the steak he cut was still juicy.
"Gentlemen are useful at times."
Isidor muttered.
"What?"
"The most practical and useful way to use aura is to cut meat on a date, so I did a good job practicing both just in case..."
"Pfft! Is this a joke in the style of an Azutea knight?"
Seeing me smile, shaking my shoulders, Isidor blinked with a perplexed look.
"I practiced with the aura yesterday. At first, even the plate was cut, so I had to work hard."
I wasn't sure if it was a joke or if he said it seriously, but I took a sip of wine with a smile on my face.
The meal had lasted a long time, and when we finished eating, it was already dark everywhere.
After watching a fun play and enjoying a delicious meal, along with various drinks served during the meal, I couldn't help but feel excited.
"Sir Isidor, I'm full and want to take a walk," I said as I looked at the back door of the restaurant towards the carefully arranged outdoor garden. At my suggestion, he took out a scroll.
"What's that?"
"I know a good place."
"I think you tend to waste movement scrolls often. Didn't you use one at the last auction too?"
Spatial movement is known as high-level magic.
There are two people around me who use movement magic as casually as food.
"Why not abuse them if I have several?"
Isidor, with a playful face, walked towards the back door of the restaurant and gently led me to an empty space.
As soon as he broke the scroll, his vision turned white, and the landscape slowly changed, revealing a long stone wall.
"What do you think?"
I looked around and let out a brief sigh.
There were trees around the long stone path, and the cold moonlight reflected on the white wildflowers that bloomed everywhere, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
A cool breeze blew enough to make walking easy.
"It's really cool."
"Today, compliments are generous."
"I'm not lying. You always take me to wonderful places."
I walked slowly with him, distracted by the view of the Yones district that I could see over the hill.
"Here, it's even better if you sit on the wall and look down."
When I thought the wall was quite high and it would be difficult to climb, Isidor knelt down slowly and tapped his thigh.
"Climb."
"..."
"Eh? Deborah. It's worth climbing up here."
While hesitating, he continued to encourage me with his bright eyes.
As it was a frankly tempting offer, I ended up taking off my two shoes and slowly stepping on his thigh.
I could feel the tension of the muscles in his thigh under my feet.
Completely embarrassed, I put force in my arms and quickly leaned my hips against the wall.
He, who helped me position myself well from above, quickly made an agile move and sat down beside me.
Perhaps, because he is a knight, he is very athletic. Isidor lowered his long eyelashes and looked down.
I could see the Yones city district below, and in the distance, I could see the Horun district across the river.
Isidor smiled as he saw me gently moving my bare feet up and down.
"It wasn't necessary for you to take off your shoes. Why did you take them off? It's troublesome to put them back on."
"If I stepped on it with them, you probably wouldn't say that."
"The princess is sweet. Much more than I thought."
"It's strange to hear something like that from someone who is really kind and friendly."
He sent flowers, politely asked for a date, took her to a play, a restaurant, and even to a place with a wonderful view.
His refined perfection was somehow suspicious, so I wanted to know more about him, but today I only found his strengths.
He is meticulous enough to match the route in advance, knows many restaurants, and even cuts steaks well. Anyone would call him kind and perfect.
He was so perfect that he flowed like water and felt unreal.
Isidor looked down as he blinked his golden eyelashes, then slowly opened his mouth while looking at the crescent moon floating in the sky.
"Well. I'm not very friendly. It's the first time I've heard someone say that."
"It's similar to the line from the play we saw today."
Isidor's forehead slightly furrowed at my murmurs.
"Did the North Grand Duke or something like that mention something like that? It's as if he's imitating it. It's strange."
"It was a line from a scene that was important in its own way. He said he remembered the story."
"Because I looked at the brochures."
Did he really just see my face?
His tone seemed a bit disturbed, but I kept talking without realizing it.
"I enjoyed the play I saw today."
"...Really?"
"There was tension all the time. The female protagonist didn't know much about the male lead and fell in love."
"What does the princess think? The Grand Duke has many secrets..."
I pondered for a moment and then opened my mouth.