Chapter 17: Lua (4)

Now that only the two of them remained, a slightly awkward air settled between them.

But Lua was cheerful by nature. Before long, she smiled and spoke first.

“Is there anything in particular you like to eat? I may not be able to treat you to anything too expensive, but please tell me.”

Back when he had been seeing Lua in his previous life, there was hardly any food they had not tried.

Whenever he met her, he had always insisted on eating simple common fare.

It was the same now, even after his Regression.

What they ate was not what mattered. What mattered was how much meaningful time he could spend with her.

“There is no need to move elsewhere. They sell simple meals here as well. The view is good, and above all, I like how quiet it is.”

“That is true. If it is too noisy, it gets hard to talk. Then let us eat here.”

“If you do not mind, I would like to recommend the menu.”

“All right.”

Lua folded her hands over her knees, her face faintly flushed. Simon snapped his fingers and called for a waiter.

Simon knew exactly what Lua liked.

‘She ate almost anything, but she especially liked chicken served with salad.’

Once he finished ordering in an easy, practiced tone, Lua’s eyes lit up for a moment.

“You must come to places like this often.”

“Because of my work, I have many chances to meet clients. Entertaining them is part of the job.”

“Ah, entertaining clients.”

“Of course, this is not that. Spending time leisurely with a kind-hearted lady is something I myself find deeply pleasant.”

At the word “lady,” Lua looked slightly startled.

It was not a way of speaking she had ever heard in all her life as a commoner.

“Um, Mr. Saimon. You do not have to flatter me so much. It is too much for me.”

“No.”

Drawing the line firmly, Simon rested his chin on his interlaced fingers and leaned forward slightly.

“I have seen countless people in my life. A person’s true worth does not lie in appearance or ability. In the eyes, the way one speaks, the way one carries oneself...... from those things alone, one can tell what kind of person someone is.”

It was not a lie.

In his previous life, he had fought countless wars as the head of the Arcturus Family and met countless people. It was a skill he had come to master naturally.

And since he had returned to the past carrying all of those memories intact, it was only natural that he had a keen eye for people.

“And what are my eyes like?”

“They are dazzling. So dazzling that they are difficult to look at directly. More radiant even than the light cast by the statue of the Goddess in the Aueli Grand Cathedral.”

“......”

Lua felt embarrassed and thrilled at the same time. There was something in the way he spoke that stirred the heart so deeply that it was impossible to believe he was merely a commoner.

‘Of course. We have already met once before.’

He thought that a balance of modesty and the occasional honest remark would suit her well.

There was no need to keep an unnecessary distance when they were alone.

“Uh, that is...... I am really embarrassed. No one has ever said anything like that to me before. Thank you.”

“If you are grateful, could you grant me one small request?”

“What kind of request?”

“I would like to taste bread made by your own hands.”

“Bread?”

The topic shifted naturally. Simon smoothly began talking about baking.

“Your father and Mr. Pollen may be the ones making the bread now, but one day, Miss Lua, you will have to carry on the family trade as well, will you not? It would hardly be strange if you made bread yourself.”

“That is true. But Father still has no intention of it.”

“Is there a reason?”

Simon already knew the reason.

Even so, he asked.

“Well...... baking is not easy. He says my hands will grow rough, and that it is hard work, so he tells me not to do it.”

“And yet, do you not love bread more than anyone?”

“How did you know?”

“When I made my request just now, your eyes lit up. I thought it was obvious you had taken an interest.”

It was knowledge he had carried over from his previous life. In truth, Lua had often secretly baked bread and cookies for Simon behind her father’s back.

“It feels as though you are reading my heart, Mr. Saimon.”

“If that made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

“Not at all. It feels as though I am talking with a friend who understands me well. Even though we are almost strangers, I can speak this comfortably.”

“That is a relief.”

Just then, their food arrived.

A whole roasted chicken dish with salad, along with simple finger snacks and two glasses of wine.

Lua’s gaze drifted toward the wine.

Her eyes made it clear that she did not quite know what it was.

“Do you drink wine often? It looked as though they had some good wine in today, so I ordered it.”

If he truly had returned to the past as he thought, then Lua would never have tasted wine before.

And yet he had ordered it anyway, because he could never forget the look on Lua’s face when she first tasted wine.

“No. I thought it was juice, but it is wine, is it not? It is my first time. Alcohol...... will it be all right?”

“It is not a strong wine. Try savoring the aroma first, then wet your tongue with just a little.”

“Ah, yes. But this food......”

Lua looked at the whole roasted chicken with a rather helpless expression. It was the sort of dish a commoner rarely had the chance to see, let alone eat presented so elegantly.

Picking up his fork and knife, Simon gently stirred his Aura.

The chicken began to come apart at remarkable speed.

Slice. Shhk.

The carving of a former Sword Master left not the slightest bit wasted. Simon speared a plump piece of meat with his fork and knife and set it down on the plate before Lua.

“Wow...... it looks incredibly delicious!”

“I do not know whether it will suit your taste. Please, try it.”

“Yes! You should eat too, Mr. Saimon. I ought to have been the one to cut it for you.”

“It is quite all right.”

Lua cut the meat into a smaller piece once more and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes widened at once. They were already large to begin with, and now they opened even wider.

“It is so delicious...... how can it be this good?”

“Hahaha. I am glad it suits your taste.”

“This salad is so fresh too. And I have never tasted this sauce before.”

“It is balsamic. It is made from wine, and when paired with olive oil, it goes wonderfully with bread. They eat it often in the south, but it is somewhat rare to see it here.”

“That really is true. It would be so delicious if we dipped our bread into it.”

“If the contract goes through, our Company will arrange to supply it to you separately.”

“Really?”

Lua’s bright smile expressed the happiness blooming across her palate. Naturally, for the eldest son of Arcturus, it would not have been difficult at all.

It was the sort of matter that could be settled with a single word to Ranieri.

“Still, since the cost of the sauce is somewhat high, I think it would be best to sell it later as part of a premium strategy.”

“Ah, then I will need to discuss that with Father.”

“For now, let us focus on the meal.”

Simon lifted his wineglass. Lua awkwardly raised hers as well, but only blinked and stared blankly at Simon.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do next.

“Shall we make a toast?”

“Ah, a toast. I am sorry. This is my first time doing something like this......”

“It is all right.”

Clink!

Their glasses touched.

At the same moment, Lua was seized by a strange feeling.

It was not only the intoxicating taste of the food, nor merely the sweet fragrance she sensed from the wine—there was something else drawing her in again and again.

It was not the feeling one had toward the opposite sex.

It was a sense of déjà vu.

No matter how much he kept his face hidden beneath a hood, there was something more than that—something deeply familiar.

‘It feels as though I have known him for a very long time.’

She did not dislike that feeling.

And then, all at once, another thought flashed through Lua’s mind.

‘Ah, wait...... how expensive is all of this?’

She herself had been the one to offer him a meal. She had brought a fair amount of money, but now they had even drunk wine. She began to worry whether she would actually be able to pay for all of it.

“Is something wrong? Your expression has darkened.”

“Ah, n-no......”

“Please do not worry about the bill. I will pay for the meal.”

It truly was a curious thing.

Once again, he had seen straight through her heart.

“But I was the one who said I wanted to treat you. If you pay for the meal, Mr. Saimon, it feels rather rude on my part......”

“You have already paid the price, Miss Lua.”

“I have?”

“Time.”

Lifting his glass and taking a sip of wine, Simon looked at Lua and continued in a quiet voice.

“Merchants are always saying this. Time is gold...... Since you have given me such precious time, how could I possibly think the cost of the meal extravagant? Please, do not worry.”

“But still......”

“If it weighs on your mind that much, then I would be grateful if you would think favorably of the request I made earlier.”

“That is not difficult.”

Lua made up her mind.

Even if her father scolded her a little, she would try baking some bread herself.

“Um...... you said you would come in a fortnight, did you not? When that time comes, I will let you taste bread that I made myself. But I cannot promise how it will taste.”

“It is an honor.”

This time, he placed a smaller-cut piece of chicken onto Lua’s side plate.

“Here, please eat. There are still many dishes left that I want to introduce to you.”

***

After parting with Lua, Simon returned to the inn. Ranieri had not come back yet. It seemed he was still meeting with Pollen.

‘It truly was like a dream.’

Lying back on the bed, Simon grinned. Everything had been perfect. The atmosphere, the food, the conversation.

‘I must not rush. I need to approach her more slowly. Without making Lua feel burdened.’

Now he felt that one of his worries had eased a little.

‘And on top of that, I have created a decent pretext, so the Imperial Princess’s claws should not be able to reach this place.’

Simon was certain that the Imperial Princess would send people to watch him.

But now there was no longer any great need to worry.

In a fortnight, Lua’s bakery and the Arcturus Merchant Company would formally conclude their contract.

‘As long as I place Lua as the bakery’s representative and do not treat her in too conspicuous a manner, that should be enough.’

The remaining problems were to conclude a peace accord with the Aldebaran Family and shatter the schemes of the Alphonse Count House.

‘I need to go to Aldebaran as quickly as possible. I have to return within a fortnight.’

Since there was no telling what variables might arise on the way, he thought it best to move quickly. He had to return with results soon if he wanted to calm the more radical knights.

At that very moment, Ranieri came in, and Simon gave him his orders.

“We leave first thing tomorrow morning, so make the preparations.”

“You mean to go right away?”

“What, is there a problem?”

“If it were the Young Master I know, I would have thought you would spend another three or four days in bed.”

“It is not soft enough here for me to stay that long.”

“I agree.”

That answer came far too easily, and Simon frowned. But Ranieri had rendered truly great service today.

“Thanks for earlier. Truly, there is no one who can match your skill at seducing women.”

“So it went well, then.”

“More or less.”

“If you will not take offense, Young Master, I would like to correct your words slightly. I work only for the Arcturus Family and for you. It has nothing whatsoever to do with seduction.”

“If you are going to say that, then perhaps you should remove the strand of hair on your shoulder first.”

Ranieri’s eyes dropped to his left shoulder. There, clinging to it, was a single blond strand that anyone would have known belonged to a woman.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat, Ranieri brushed at his shoulder a few times. Simon snorted with laughter.

“I cannot imagine what sort of activity leaves a woman’s hair on a man’s shoulder.”

“It was a constructive discussion concerning a new shop.”

“Were you not supposed to be with Mr. Pollen?”

“I was. I only received a little help from someone working at the neighboring shop. There was a rather nice flower shop there.”

“So it was the woman from the flower shop...... truly, you are something else.”

“As I said, I merely received constructive advice regarding the opening of a new shop.”

“All right, all right.”

Waving a hand dismissively, Simon pulled the blanket over himself.

It was around that very time that word reached Marquis Taion that the eldest son of Arcturus was on his way toward Aldebaran territory.