Chapter 31
“They said demons don’t like people… but are you sure that’s true?”
I figured Vasago must have been staying at the inn, but I never imagined she would be so close with Kate.
I was relieved things smoothed over for now, but at the same time, it bothered me that Kate was getting involved with Vasago.
“Reina? Why is it so noisy outside?”
At that moment, the front door opened and Estelle peeked her head out.
She must have come out after hearing the commotion while she was getting ready.
Estelle trotted outside and, spotting Kate, greeted her with a bright smile.
“Oh, Miss Kate, you’re here too. Hello!”
“Yes, Estelle. Hello. Are you going somewhere today? You’re dressed so pretty.”
Kate bent down to meet Estelle’s eye level, smiling warmly as she asked.
Estelle shrugged her shoulders happily, spun around in place, and replied,
“Reina and I are going on a picnic.”
“A picnic?”
“Yes. But it was noisy outside, so I came out to see what was going on.”
Kate gave her an awkward, embarrassed smile.
“Oh dear. You heard that all the way inside? How embarrassing.”
“I could hear something, but not clearly. Did something happen?”
Estelle tilted her head innocently, not suspecting a thing.
Kate glanced at me, as if silently asking if it was okay to explain.
But when Estelle tugged at her arm and begged softly, Kate leaned close and whispered,
“Well, you see… Reina almost got caught up in something dangerous aga—”
“What?!”
Estelle cut her off, shouting loudly before Kate could finish.
She marched over to me and grabbed both of my arms.
“Reina! What happened? Are you okay?”
I was completely flustered.
“Wait, is she really this strong?”
Every time Estelle shook me, my whole body lurched back and forth violently.
“Are you really okay? Why aren’t you answering?!”
She shouted in distress, but I felt wronged.
“Because you’re not giving me a chance to answer, that’s why…!”
I wasn’t lying—she really didn’t give me time to respond.
The moment I opened my mouth, she shook me again, and I was too busy planting my toes on the ground to keep my balance so I wouldn’t fall and accidentally hurt her.
Only when Kate stopped Estelle did I finally manage to speak.
“I’m fine.”
“Liar! You didn’t get hurt anywhere?”
“Nope.”
“I won’t believe it until I see for myself!”
She grabbed me again, making my stomach churn.
“S-someone save me!”
If she shook me any more, it really would get dangerous!
How could someone smaller than me shake me around so hard I felt seasick?
Was this real? This was basically a ride on land!
Yes—that feeling, that fear, that queasiness—I had felt it before.
It was exactly like when I rode that playground spinny-ride as a kid, the one that worked like a centrifuge.
You’d take turns spinning it endlessly, over and over, but you couldn’t admit defeat first because of your pride… That fear and dizziness were identical to this.
The only difference was back then it took several kids to spin it. Here, Estelle was doing it all by herself.
Barely managing to stay upright, I held out a palm toward her, silently begging her to stop.
“Estelle, calm down. Reina’s telling the truth. It was just my misunderstanding.”
Thankfully, Kate spoke up before I had to endure another round.
Estelle released me and turned to Kate.
Thanks to that, I collapsed onto the ground and caught my breath.
“Some suspicious person approached Reina, so I rushed over. But it turned out to be someone we both knew.”
“Someone you knew?”
“Yes, Vasago. He stayed at our inn before. And apparently he’s been helping you study? What a coincidence!”
Kate clapped her hands in amazement.
Then she turned back to me, who was just starting to recover from the dizziness.
“I thought she was in danger again, so I wanted to help.”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“Fine? Last time you got hurt because of Cesare!”
Kate scolded me, hands on her hips.
Clearly, she wasn’t happy with how lightly I treated the last incident.
But I was confident.
“It’s not like I just sat there and took it!”
I had shown that thug boss Cesare a taste of my own strength, after all!
Pounding my chest proudly, I declared,
“If I’m in danger, I bite back!”
Smack!
“But we’ll still worry.”
“Ouch…”
Kate lightly smacked my back, unable to hold her frustration in.
“Anyway, so you’re going on a picnic? You two have gotten close, haven’t you? No wonder both your faces have been so bright lately.”
Shaking her head with a smile, Kate looked between me and Estelle.
Then she lifted a basket and showed it to us with a grin.
“I actually packed some sandwiches earlier. Perfect timing.”
“Sandwiches?”
“Yes. I asked Thompson to make them for brunch.”
Sandwiches?!
My eyes sparkled at her words.
I quickly took the basket and peeked inside.
“Wow…”
Just as she said, sandwiches filled the basket.
Not only that—there were neatly prepared fruits too.
Estelle peeked in beside me, and our eyes met as we both lit up with joy.
“If I’d known you were going on a picnic, I would’ve asked for a proper picnic lunch. What a pity.”
“Not at all! These sandwiches are more than enough!”
And I meant it.
To be honest, after that whole commotion earlier, I was already drained before even leaving for the picnic.
Of course, the main goal was to lower Estelle’s stress levels—so regardless of my exhaustion, I was determined to go.
“It’s just… packing lunch and getting myself ready feels like such a chore now.”
Originally, I’d planned to pack up some side dishes nicely, make a cute lunchbox, and even coordinate outfits with Estelle.
But I was too wiped out to make a nice bento or dress up.
I wondered how to get maximum effect with minimum effort—and suddenly Kate’s words solved everything.
Lunch was handled with Thompson’s sandwiches, and as for outfits, I could just go as I was.
“Right. It’s not like I matter much anyway.”
Estelle, all dressed up, was plenty adorable on her own.
Her pink hair tied half-up, a simple yellow dress with frills on the collar and sleeves that added cuteness, and a white layered pinafore over it.
Even her socks and shoes matched with yellow and frills!
“She’s so cute.”
How could she be this cute? She really was my vitamin, my energy potion!
Compared to her, I didn’t matter at all. Just looking at her made me happy.
I couldn’t help but grin slyly inside.
“Oh, look at the time. I should get back. I slipped out in the middle of work, so I need to return. Have fun on your picnic! And… think carefully about when you’ll be coming back to the inn—”
Kate winked at me, waved, and hurried off before I could say anything.
“Honestly. She’s impossible.”
Clearly, she didn’t want to hear me say I might not return right away.
I shook my head, watching her shrink into the distance.
“Well, at least we don’t need to pack a separate lunch. I’ll just leave the side dishes at home and we can head out. Right?”
I smiled brightly at Estelle, happy about this unexpected stroke of luck.
But her reaction was strange.
Her brows furrowed, lips pouting, and arms crossed.
Completely different from how excited she’d been over the sandwiches earlier.
Confused, I dropped my smile and stepped closer.
“You met Vasago?”
At Estelle’s question, I nodded. Kate had mentioned it anyway, and it was true.
Estelle’s voice turned curt as she muttered,
“I don’t know why Vasago keeps trying to see you. I wish the two of you wouldn’t meet at all.”
With her gaze fixed on the ground, she mumbled quietly.
