CH 110

About Love

Isaac liked Sheila.

What was said was so shocking that Sheila couldn’t keep up.

She looked at Amy as if he was teasing her, but he was very serious. Sheila, who had never been favored by the opposite sex in her entire life, was puzzled.

‘Isaac-san said that the person he had feelings for was like a goddess or something. Does he mean me…?’

To be honest, Sheila couldn’t believe it.

But Isaac also said something else.

Like a violet blooming in the field, yet strong and tough. She was the kind of woman that had a charm as if she had a life force that could take root anywhere.

Sheila couldn’t help but let out a dry smile. She never thought she would have such mixed feelings when she found out that someone liked her.

‘I think I felt that at that time that he had unusual tastes….’

The subtle comeback at her made her feel even more pain.

“Umm, I don’t really know what to do in a situation like this, but…. I think it’s best to reject him as soon as possible.”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Sheila, who was about to walk towards Isaac, was stopped by Amy in a panic.

“Sheila, are you in your right mind? You’re not in disguise right now, so Isaac-sama will just be confused. And why are you refusing so fervently in the first place?”

“Well, I can’t afford to be in love right now. I heard from a friend a long time ago that it’s more cruel to get people’s hopes up.”

There was also kindness in rejecting someone right away when they think they weren’t the right partner. That was what Sheila’s friends said. There was also the matter of automatically sorting out those who give up right away and those who have the perseverance to hang on.

Sheila thought that was common knowledge, but apparently it was different in the royal capital. She was taken aback by Amy.

“Calm down for the time being. How are you going to say no? Are you going to suddenly say ‘I’m sorry’ when you haven’t even been confessed to?”

“That’s….”

“There are many ways to reject someone, such as implying that you have a crush on someone. But lying is not sincere, don’t you think?”

“――Uhm. You’re right….”

Sheila sagged helplessly after Amy’s reasoned admonishment.

She looked at Isaac and the others who were having a lively conversation. It would certainly be insensitive to refuse him without even trying to accommodate his feelings.

Amy looked at Sheila with a small smile.

“Why don’t you have any intention of falling in love? The way you put it, it doesn’t sound like you’re saying no because you don’t like Isaac-sama. I think you can be in love and still be a knight, don’t you?”

Sheila shook her head, oddly impatient.

“Isaac-san is a wonderful person who is too good for me. Regardless of his title as a count or anything like that, he’s manly, strong, and dependable, and I think he’s really cool.”

Sheila turned her head down. She looked like a somewhat helpless child.

“It’s just that…. I’m afraid to fall in love with someone.”

The voice was so weak that it seemed to be drowned out by the laughter of Cody and the others.

“I feel that everyone who is in love is swept up in their emotions. Even Isaac-san seemed to be out of his mind even though he was at work.”

Cody’s desire to look cool was in vain, and he was always blundering in front of Lulu, while Zechs was constantly looking for Arin-chan, the diner girl. Sheila was also watching Isaac’s feckless behavior with her own eyes.

“――I don’t want to be weak.”

Sheila was afraid because she didn’t know anything about love. She was also perplexed by the idea of being favored. Amy’s eyes, watching over Sheila, who was frightened of the unknown, were full of affection, as if he were loving his own child.

“…. Well, it’s true, love is a tricky thing, isn’t it? In the end, the one who falls in love is the one who loses.”

“Eh, is that so?”

It was astounding to hear that there was such a thing as winning and losing in love. Then, if more people fell in love with her, would she become the strongest?

‘Come to think of it, even in the village, a man who was good at hunting was popular…. Huh? Is he popular because he is strong? Is he strong because he is popular? I’m getting a little confused.’

Amy gently stroked her hair, trying to soothe the obviously confused Sheila.

His smile was mischievous, as if he was soothing a fussy child. Sheila pouted and puckered her lips, but it just made him look more and more amused.

“Still, love is a wonderful thing. Just thinking about the person you love makes you happy and makes you want to spoil them even more. At that moment, you will feel like the nicest person in the world.”

Amy was truly beautiful as he squinted his eyes. Was he thinking of someone in particular?

“On the contrary, when that person is staring at someone else, it makes my heart ache and it’s very painful. I get jealous and think bad thoughts. I think love can make a person strong or weak. ――But both kinds of love are never a mistake.”

So, there was no need to be afraid.

The soft look in his eyes, his words. They seemed to relax her heart.

“… Amy-san, are you in love, too?”

“Yes. I’m very happy just to have her come to the store. But you know what, I don’t want her to like me. Just looking at me is enough.”

Amy laughed embarrassedly at his love that wouldn’t come true.

Yet, his smile was proud, and it left a deep impression on her.

◇　◆　◇

A few days later, the sofa was finally delivered.

Claushezade didn’t even try to hide his bitter face from Sheila who diligently carried it into the teachers’ office.

“… I don’t understand what’s going on here.”

“It’s part of Claushezade-sensei’s room remodeling project that I told you about before. I’m offering to create a more comfortable space for you.”

“Are you some kind of salesman or something?”

She listened to Claushezade’s complaints while arranging the sofa. Sheila smiled with satisfaction as the two-seat sofa fit perfectly in the space by the window.

The dark green sofa looked natural, as if it had been there for a long time. Thinking about purchasing some cushions for the sofa next time, she sat down immediately.

“Ah, I didn’t use the allowance I got from Felix, so there’s no problem. I bought it with the money I earned.”

Claushezade was probably in a bad mood because he thought he had caused trouble for his master.

When Sheila, unusually attentive, added to reassure him, he blinked at her, as if she had somehow caught him by surprise.

“…. Are you all right with that? You worked hard and earned your money, and now you’re spending it on this.”

Sheila looked over at Claushezade, who was standing there looking uncomfortable, and tilted her head.

“What do you mean? This is very important. This way you can relax when you want to take a break.”

“That’s not what I meant….”

Claushezade sighed and shook his head as if giving up on something.

“No, well, it’s nothing. ――Thank you.”

“…..”

Up until now, Sheila had tried to forcibly introduce cushions, and brought in tea and sweets, but this was probably the first time he had honestly thanked her.

Feeling the warmth slowly spreading to her chest, Sheila spoke out before she got a little carried away.

“Look here, why don’t you try to sit down for a while? Clauschezade-sensei may not like second-hand goods, but it’s quite comfortable to sit on.”

“I’m not sensitive enough to worry about such things.”

She tapped the seat next to her and he obeyed obediently. Sheila was even happier and made a huffing sound.

“Cody insisted on a custom-made one, just for Claushezade-sensei, so I thought that aristocrats didn’t buy ready-made goods.”

“I’m not an aristocrat anymore.”

“Eh?”

Her legs that were swinging around suddenly stopped.

There was no emotional turmoil in Claushezade’s expression as he rested his back on the sofa. However, considering the meaning of what was said, Sheila didn’t know what kind of face to put on.

“I gave up both my title and my territory. When my parents died, long ago.”

“…. Um…..”

The air was so still that Sheila couldn’t stop breaking out in a cold sweat.

She had never even imagined that this topic would come up. Sheila began to resent her own carelessness.

“… Umm, I’m sorry.”

Clauschezade snorted as he slowly and carefully opened his mouth.

“You really are an idiot.”

Apparently, he wasn’t that angry. Sheila’s lips twitched as she inwardly stroked her chest.

“I’m sorry for reminding you about the past.”

“It’s okay. I was getting tired of talking to people who cared so much about the past.”

“Huh? But I’m also one of the people who cares about that too?”

“――Pfft.”

This time, Sheila’s eyes widened and stiffened. She clearly witnessed the soft unraveling of his stone-like face.

“Y-You laughed. Clausche-sama, you laughed for the first time.”

“Hmph. It’s been a while since you called me that.”

His face still softened from the aftermath of his laughter. His peacock-colored eyes narrowed into an arc as they gazed tenderly at Sheila.

Her chest tightened and she suddenly became concerned about the distance between the two-seat sofa.

Sheila made a writhing gesture and leaned back as best as she could to the elbow rest. She was too embarrassed to ever say how many times she had called him “Claushe-sama” in her mind.

“W-What’s with your good mood today? Did something good happen?”

“It must have been brought by you.”

“Huh? Are you that happy with the sofa?”

Sheila asked with a silly look on her face, and Claushezade covered his mouth and laughed again.

She was unwilling to be laughed at, but she couldn’t help but be captivated by the precious sight of him bending over and laughing. It was strange that Sheila felt happy just by looking at him.

‘You want to spoil them, huh….’

Sheila still didn’t understand what love was.

But Amy’s words seemed strangely clear to her suddenly.