Chapter 48: If you can't avoid it, enjoy it!

Chapter 48: If you can't avoid it, enjoy it!

Miss Olivia shouted at me.

"Take it off!"

Such a provocative phrase from Miss Olivia. I hugged myself and replied to her.

"Kyah, how can you use such suggestive language?"

Miss Olivia was irritated. She claimed she hadn't said that and, looking at the gloves on my hands, repeated her demand.

"Take them off, I'm going to get a refund!"

Such a flirtatious remark to make me remove them.

I fiddled with the mittens on my hands, snorting at Miss Olivia's command. They were small but still usable, so why ask me to remove them?

I felt like I would lose the memories associated with them if I returned them, so I steadfastly refused Miss Olivia's request.

"Why bother with a refund?"

"They're too small!"

"If you stretch them, they'll fit."

"That's not why I bought them!"

"I thought you purposely bought them small for this purpose."

In front of Miss Olivia, I waved the tight-fitting gloves, putting on an act.

"They're warm and nice, what's the problem?"

Miss Olivia glared at me. Her eyes were like she was about to devour me, but the corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile.

I responded to Miss Olivias smile.

"Clothes are supposed to stretch when worn and shrink when washed, isn't that so? It's good to stretch them out and use them anyway."

"Still"

Miss Olivia felt sorry.

Sorry for buying me small gloves. She said gloves that are too tight could restrict blood circulation and are bad for your health, but I felt that returning them would fade the memories we made, and they were too precious.

"Are they really much too small?"

Just looking at the gloves made me laugh.

I remembered Miss Olivia, with a runny nose, trying desperately to put on the gloves.

Deciding the negotiation was hopeless, Miss Olivia sighed deeply and, looking at the gloves on my hands, said.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"The chick has become a chicken."

Miss Olivia remarked upon seeing the stretched embroidery of the chick on the gloves. Due to forcefully pushing my hands in, it was inevitable that the embroidery would stretch.

Touching the stretched embroidery on the mittens, I spoke to Miss Olivia.

"This little one also needs to grow. That's how we raise and eat it."

"You can't eat gloves."

"I know."

Miss Olivia pouted and bit into a piece of chocolate.

"You're mean."

"I know."

A day that started with a small mishap.

We hadn't left the mansion in a week. While Miss Olivia had been pestering me to visit her forest friends, I had avoided seeing faces I wasn't eager to see in Hamel.

It was certain that I would growl at them and Miss Olivia would bite them. Considering the master's dental health is also a virtue of a butler, I had decided on confinement.

Although I was glad that Miss Olivia wanted to go out, I hoped she'd wait a while longer, wiping the chocolate off the corner of her mouth.

"Speaking of which, Miss Olivia."

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember the wheeled chair I made for you last time?"

"The wheeled chair?"

Miss Olivia, who seemed to have banished the monstrosity from her memory, pondered for a while. Whether she remembered the ill-fated invention Benzx No. 1', now lost to history, remained uncertain.

I cautiously asked in anticipation of the Porxsche No. 1' to be born in December. Even if Miss Olivia didn't like it, I planned to ride it. Still, it was polite to consider the car owner's opinion.

I awaited Miss Olivia's reply with a tense heart.

"Hmm"

Click.

She broke a piece of chocolate and chewed thoughtfully. To jog Miss Olivia's memory, I mimed pulling a nearby chair like the one with wheels I had mentioned.

"The chair I could push from behind while Miss Olivia rolled the wheels."

"Hmm Ah! The wheeled kindling?"

Kindling?

As the inventor of the kindling, my pride took a hit.

"It's not kindling, it's Benzx No. 1'."

"You gave a name to wood?"

"Benzx No. 1' Anyways, what do you think about that kindling? I think it's quite wonderful."

Miss Olivia firmly shook her head.

"I don't like it."

"But I haven't said anything yet."

"You're going to make it again, aren't you?"

Miss Olivia was quick to catch on where she didn't need to be.

I countered her assumption, knowing that I needed to change her perspective now so that she would enjoy the test driving later.

If she unwrapped it and didn't like it, that would be a problem too, so I began my persuasion, keeping in mind the cost of 3 million gold.

"This new model is different."

I included a hint of mania.

"Created with the latest magical technology and significant capital investment"

I felt an unusually vivid sensation against my back.

"Oops"

Ah, surely not. No way.

My eyes trembled as I looked back at Miss Olivia. I saw her pale face, taking in deep breaths, trying to make herself lighter.

It was supposed to be a hilarious situation

I felt like laughing because it was so cute.

But this

Uh

"Miss Olivia."

"Wah! (Why?)"

"Well"

Miss Olivia, holding her breath, urged me.

"Say it quickly I can't breathe (hurry up, I'm suffocating)."

"Well by any chance, Miss Olivia."

Did you forget to put on your underwear?'

I couldn't bring myself to voice such an explicit question. Instead, it was the black underwear stuck in the corner of the bed that answered for me.

Underwear of a villainous size.

Hmm.

I gently placed Miss Olivia back onto the bed.

"I concede."

" Uh"

Leaving the self-declaring dieter behind, I quickly fled the room to cool my flushed face.

***

On the way to visit the friends in the forest.

-Rururuk

Riding in the handcart, Miss Olivia wore a pleasant smile. It was a common sight on the streets, the handcart. Miss Olivia, riding in it, looked around gleefully.

"This is fun."

"Miss Olivia."

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you just let me carry you?"

I spoke cautiously to Miss Olivia, dressed in a black gown, having made herself up on this rare occasion to go out, but now sitting in a handcart.

She had pulled her hat deeply over her face, trying to hide as much as she could, but it was impossible to avoid the gazes of the people directed at us.

Miss Olivia then said to me,

"It's not okay if your arm hurts."

"Aren't you uncomfortable? And the people are looking"

Miss Olivia replied, pressing down her hat even further,

"It's okay. That's better than Ricardo being in pain."

My heart swelled with warmth.

Compared to her first time out, Miss Olivia seemed less concerned about people's stares, but a rapid change was impossible. Whenever we might meet someone's gaze, she'd flinch, pressing her hat even deeper.

Although we were traveling to places without people, it was impossible to avoid the gaze of one or two passers-by on the streets. I feared this rare outing might become a regrettable memory.

She would protest if I offered to carry her. If I did not suggest going out, she'd scold me for not keeping my promise. As her butler, I yearned to always do what was best for her.

We need to hurry.

And I was about to pick up the pace until I overheard a conversation between a father and child passing by.

-Dad that looks like fun.

-Indeed

Hmm?

-Dad used to play like that too.

-Really? Let me try too!

-No, dad's back hasn't been too good lately

-Why!

I recalled that, in the past, I'd also played like this.

Riding the handcart, pretending to be a king,

Speeding down a slope too quickly and getting hurt.

Paradoxically, by brazenly drawing attention and moving on, it appeared to others as playful escapades of an immature noble lady.

"If you can't avoid it, enjoy it," the saying suddenly sparkled in my mind.

I felt a surge of confidence.

I threw a meaningful remark at Miss Olivia.

"Miss Olivia, isn't this too slow?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you want to go a bit faster?"

"?"

Miss Olivia looked at me with shaky eyes.

"Ah no?"

I pressed her hat down firmly and grabbed the handle of the handcart, stating,

"Gear third."

"Eh?"

-Hwaeek!

A scream from Miss Olivia echoed across the path.