I lowered my stance slightly and made eye contact. I was shocked by the look in his eyes that seemed to be telling the truth.
âYou mean Sir Henry has such a cute younger sister?â
No, but if theyâre like Sir Henry, I donât think theyâll ever be as cute as the little child. Did he pick up one or two, or did they have different parents? Sir Henry seemed bewildered that I could not erase my suspicious glance.
âNo. I donât have a younger sister, but I feel that if I had a younger sister, it would be like Lady Aide. In fact, the fact that I would have an interest in Lady Aide is a perveâ¦Â Hhmm, by the way, is Lady Aide that cute?â
âIsnât it obvious? Have you seen someone cuter than the little child?â
âI havenât seen it, but⦠But why donât you honestly tell Lady Aide that sheâs cute? Iâve never heard you say anything like that.â
âHow can I say it, thatâs embarrassing.â
Sir Henry suddenly laughed. If it was a leisurely laugh earlier, and now it seemed closer to a laugh that came out of being unable to hide his surprise.
âArenât you able to talk about it properly now? Arenât you embarrassed?â
âItâs not in front of the person concerned. Itâs true that the little child is cute.â
Why are you asking for such an obvious thing? As I looked at him like that, Sir Henryâs expression turned strange. It makes me suspicious when he looks like that.
âAre you really not interested in the little child?â
I scanned Sir Henryâs face to find out the truth.
âYes. I swear, it feels like seeing a younger sister I want to take care of. Should I swear a knightâs oath?â
The knightâs oath did not have any restrictions. However, if it was a knight who knew honor, he would honor it with his life. Hearing that he even promised such an oath, I decided to trust Sir Henryâs sincerity at this point.
And I changed my impression of Sir Henry from âsomeone I really hate and need to be wary ofâ to âsomeone who was sometimes helpfulâ.
âIf you say so, I will believe you. But the little child doesnât need Sir Henry looking after her. Because I am there.â
As I said it seriously, Sir Henry turned his head to the side and cleared his throat. A very suspicious cough.
âIsnât there something more important to Young Master Kirsec than that?â
Something important to me? I was confused as I knew nothing of it.
âNow you have to think about how to convince Lady Aide. Even if you say letâs study together, I donât think Lady Aide will agree to do it.â
Right. I didnât think of that. The determined and stubborn little child, when I asked her to do something, she would say no unconditionally. By the wayâ¦.
âIf I asked the little child to do something she liked, would she say no?â
âOf course. Itâs Lady Aide.â
Sir Henry pretends to be friendly again. He spoke as if he knew the little child well. Reflexively, my mouth pouted. It shouldnât be like this. I decided not to treat him as the enemy. Again, Sir Henry might have some good answers.
âHow do I convince the little child?â
âYou have to use the advantages that Young Master Kirsec has. Excellent tutors from the Empire, it would sound enchanting to Lady Aide.â
Thatâs right, he told me earlier, but I forgot. I should mention the outstanding teachers.
âThe important point is! You have to speak gently.â
âGently?â
âYes. At that time, you shouldnât speak bluntly like now, but you should speak gently while watching Lady Aideâs reaction.â
I had spoken calmly, but when I listened to Sir Henryâs words, it seemed that there was something wrong with my tone.
âWhatâs wrong with my tone!â
âThatâs it. Didnât you just get angry?â
You said something that made me angry! But I didnât want to admit that I was angry, so I just kept my mouth shut. My cheeks get swollen with dissatisfaction.
âIf you say it in anger like that, Lady Aide would object. Think about it. When Young Master Kirsec said something, didnât Lady Aide first say that she disliked it unconditionally?â
Thatâs true.
âWas it because of my tone?â
âYes. Even the etiquette teacher kept pointing out your tone, right? Of course, it is not easy to change. But you will have to change gradually.â
What was wrong with my way of speaking? I felt bad for the comments I received from Sir Henry, he wasnât even the etiquette teacher. However, I did not open my mouth on purpose because I knew that if I spoke now, the same tone would come out again. And if I continued to use that tone even in the situation where it was pointed out, I would continue to show my shortcomings. Instead, I crossed my arms and glared at him.