Chapter 27 – A Relationship That Bothers Me (2)
Lynette had always believed it.
Of course Elsie would end up with Eclipse. For Elsie, there couldn’t be a better match than him.
But that was her arrogance.
I was too careless. There are always exceptions.
Until now, no one had been chasing after Elsie because she had been like some hidden master, living quietly in the shadows.
But once she cracked her shell and stepped into the world, Elsie proved to be an incredibly attractive person.
And Lynette had realized it far too late.
From the very beginning, Elsie herself was the exception.
And there was another reason Lynette felt uneasy.
Unfortunately, Eclipse and Elsie didn’t seem to have much interest in each other at all.
For Lynette, that was the absolute worst-case scenario.
This can’t happen…
Not long ago, Lynette had even used the information guild to dig up everything she could about Elsie.
The results showed Elsie to be a completely honest, simple commoner.
Even the guild said they struggled to find anything on her—there was so little known. That unpredictability only makes me more anxious.
She was losing sleep over this precisely because there was so little information.
“Haah…”
Lynette let out a deep sigh.
For a moment she had even suspected that Elsie might be an assassin sent from the Heugent faction.
If only that were true. Then I could’ve just bought her off with money.
But fortunately—or unfortunately—Elsie really was just an ordinary person. That line of thinking didn’t apply.
“This is driving me crazy…”
She clutched at her hair and bit her lip.
It was far too early to give up. She hadn’t even spread her wings yet—how could she let them be broken already?
Just as she was struggling against despair, a phrase popped into her mind.
“Lifetime contract…”
That was it. The very thing Elsie had wanted so badly.
“If I use that, I can definitely win her favor.”
Slowly rising to her feet, Lynette’s eyes shone with hope.
Her gaze passed out the window, landing on Eclipse’s office.
Before going to return Ash’s ring, I stopped by my room to ask Penny for help.
“I need a small pouch, about the size of my palm. Do you think you can find one right away?”
“Of course, I’ll get one right away!”
It didn’t take long. Penny soon brought me a pouch, and I placed Ash’s ring inside.
The reason was simple—rather than just handing it over bare, it felt better to give it wrapped, even in a small way.
“Penny, do you happen to know which room Mr. Hart is staying in?”
“Of course. This way.”
Following her lead, I went up to the third floor of the annex.
My room was on the first floor, close to the garden with plenty of sunlight, but Ash’s was tucked away in a rather secluded corner of the third floor.
“So this is it.”
I knocked lightly at the door. Knock knock. Soon, a man with pale sky-blue hair appeared.
“Ah, Miss Bloomhire. You came.”
Ash greeted me warmly.
I handed him the pouch with the ring.
“Thank you. What a cute little pouch.”
He smiled gently as he thanked me.
I returned his gaze politely, but couldn’t help glancing past him into his room.
Huh? Why is it so plain…?
Plain wallpaper, a plain carpet, plain furniture.
Compared to my room, his was completely ordinary—almost boring. That surprised me.
As if noticing, Ash spoke up.
“If it’s alright, would you like to join me for some tea?”
On the coffee table sat a modest tea set.
I didn’t really have a reason to refuse, so I happily accepted.
“Yes, I’d love to.”
I stepped inside.
“Excuse me, then.”
Following him, I sat down on the guest sofa and watched him work.
Born a noble, he could easily have asked a servant to do it, yet Ash brewed and poured the tea himself without help.
“Mr. Hart, I can do that for you.”
“It’s fine. I’m more used to doing it myself.”
Penny, who had been watching silently, stepped forward to assist, but Ash gently refused and continued himself.
I sipped the milk tea he poured.
“Oh, Miss Bloomhire. If you don’t mind, please try this as well. It’s one of my favorite desserts. I can’t really call it proper thanks for returning the ring, but…”
He offered me a plate of small cookies.
To me, anyone who gave food was a good person. And I never turned down food.
“Wow, thank you! Then, I’ll enjoy it.”
I popped one into my mouth and chewed.
The rich butter flavor and the way it melted softly across my tongue made me close my eyes.
“…!”
What was this? Why was it so good?
In ecstasy, I widened my eyes and asked,
“It practically dissolves on my tongue—it’s too good to be true. Where did you buy these?”
Tell me quickly. I’m going to raid the store on my day off.
If you don’t tell me, I’ll sulk. No—hold a grudge forever.
Ash’s lips curved in a gentle smile.
“A little bakery in the city called Butter Snow. It’s very famous—you sometimes have to line up at dawn to get them.”
Butter Snow? I remembered the name from the original story.
Lynette had once snuck out of the temple to buy these cookies, only to be caught by priests who tracked her down.
Yeah, this flavor is worth sneaking out for. I’ll give it that.
From now on, I decided to call them “wall-jumping cookies.” Why? Simple—because their taste makes you want to climb walls to get them.
The flavor wasn’t too heavy, so it paired perfectly with the milk tea.
A bite of cookie, a sip of tea… until suddenly, my hands froze.
What? There’s only one left already?
On the wide plate, a single lonely cookie remained.
Who had eaten all the others?
Who else? Me.
And now, of course, I knew exactly what I had to do.
“Penny, you eat it. It’s really delicious.”
I offered her the very last cookie.
“Food tastes even better when shared.”
I wanted to share this happiness with Penny too.
She gulped, glanced between Ash and me, and hesitated.
“Penny, was it? You’d better eat it quickly before Miss Bloomhire changes her mind,” Ash coaxed lightly.
Startled, Penny quickly picked up the cookie. She nibbled carefully, and her face lit up with surprise.
I couldn’t help but grin.
“Right? Isn’t it amazing?”
“Yes… it’s wonderful.”
Was it just my imagination, or did her voice sound a little teary?
“I didn’t know you enjoyed sweets this much. Next time, I’ll bring more.”
Excited, Ash then sighed.
“Ah, but come to think of it, this cookie is so popular they only sell one bag per person…”
What? One bag?
Don’t tell me the whole bag was what I just ate…?
That’s barely enough for one serving! Not even enough to cover my cheeks, let alone satisfy me.
A wave of despair swept through me.
“I can’t believe it…”
“So nobles usually send servants to line up in their place. Even then, the competition is fierce. I was just lucky to buy these while passing by.”
What is this place, a luxury boutique? A cookie shop with line-up proxies?
Well… considering the taste, I can accept it.
I smacked my lips regretfully.
Just then, I noticed Ash fiddling with the little pouch I’d given him.
I seized the moment.
“By the way, Mr. Hart—the ring you left in the classroom. The ruby set in it is so beautiful, it really looked just like your eye color.”
“Ah…”
“I’ve always dreamed of owning a jewel the same color as my eyes. But gray stones are so rare, I gave up.”
The words spilled out easily—probably thanks to the cookies.
“Well, even if they weren’t rare, I couldn’t afford them anyway.”
That part was the truth. If only it weren’t.
I let my shoulders droop, and Ash offered words of comfort.
“I told you, didn’t I? Miss Bloomhire—you’ll become a person of high status soon.”
