Chapter 63

Due to the outrageous words R-chan let out, I sprayed the water I had in my mouth in a mist.

In front of me, R-chan was smiling brightly.

While I was coughing, Sheryl and Eric were standing there with their mouths agape.

I feel the same way. When did I ever kiss R-chan?

Even though our physical ages aren't that far apart, our mental ages are vastly different.

Even if we consider physical age, a kiss between a seven-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl is not a good thing.

Moreover, the girl is a duke's daughter. This is no laughing matter.

When did I ever kiss her?

I have no recollection of it.

While I was desperately trying to recall, Sheryl started to move.

"Hey, is that true? Rana?"

Sheryl asked R-chan with an expression that said, "It must be a joke, right?"

"It's true!"

R-chan answered with a carefree smile, like a flower blooming.

"No, that's—"

"Y-You! To do such a thing with such a young girl!?"

Just as I was about to deny it, Eric pointed at me and started to yell in a condemning voice.

His loud voice reduced my chances of defending myself.

Damn, the longer this goes on, the more troublesome it gets. I need to assert my opinion early!

"Is that really true!? If it's true, I won't let it go!"

Sheryl, influenced by Eric's words, glared at me and confronted me.

Look, things are getting complicated.

While being grabbed by the chest by Sheryl, I desperately tried to answer.

"I didn't, I didn't! I didn't do that!"

"But Rana said you did!?"

"Calms down, it's just a four-year-old's word. There must be some misunderstanding."

I tried to reason with her, speaking slowly.

Sheryl, who had been listening, relaxed her grip for a moment but then started to tremble and said:

"So, you're trying to make excuses to get away with it!?"

"Why is it like that!?"

"What kind of person are you! Can you still call yourself a man!? I'm disappointed in you!"

"Shut up, you! You're just making things more complicated! R-chan? We didn't kiss, right?"

I asked R-chan with a calm expression.

I know. You just wanted to show off, didn't you?

As a result, Sheryl and Eric's gazes also turned to R-chan.

In response, R-chan dropped a new bomb.

"Al did it, didn't he?"

R-chan tilted her head as if asking, "What are you asking such an obvious thing for?"

"Alfred, you—!"

Just as Eric was about to say something complicated, I tried to deny it, but Sheryl shook me violently, and I bit my tongue.

"A, ah, you! You did it yourself! Is that true!? Hey! Answer me!"

Sheryl screamed hysterically, but I couldn't answer because I had bitten my tongue.

"Answer me, damn it!"

"W-Wait. If you shake me like that... I can't talk!"

Sheryl, seemingly realizing what I said, slowly let go of me.

"Talk quickly."

Her eyes now looked at me like I was a criminal.

I straightened my clothes and said:

"First, I didn't kiss R-chan. Now, I'm going to ask some questions to clear up this misunderstanding."

I approached R-chan and crouched down to meet her eye level.

R-chan seemed not to understand the gravity of the situation and was smiling happily.

"R-chan? Was the kiss on the day we first met?"

"Yep, that's right! It was fun!"

R-chan answered energetically, shaking her twin-tails.

"Okay, it was fun. When exactly did we kiss?"

I smiled and asked, and R-chan looked up at me with a sad expression.

"Huh? Did Al forget? You looked like you wanted it, so I gave it to you..."

At that moment, the sound of metal from the table, where someone was picking up a knife and fork, could be heard from behind.

I could feel a chill of danger around my neck.

...Should I just run away from here?

Come on, Alfred. You have a teleportation spell. Then you can relax back at the mansion.

Such thoughts crossed my mind.

No, no. If I run away now, I don't know what will happen to me later.

I need to clear up this misunderstanding before I leave.

Remember, me. If I don't, I'll be branded with the sin of forcing a kiss.

That day, did I ever want anything from R-chan?

We met on the main street in the south, ate cookies, and then I got thirsty...

...Could it be that?

"Maybe you mean the vegetable juice, R-chan?"

"Yep, that's it!"

Sheryl and Eric, who couldn't follow the conversation, were holding their knives and forks, frozen in place.

"What's going on?"

"Let me explain. Why don't you put those weapons back on the table for now?"

"Oh, I'm so clumsy."

Sheryl smiled wryly and put the knife and fork back on the table.

Seeing this, Eric did the same.

What a joker. If only I could brush it off like that, how much easier my heart would be.

Anyway, with Sheryl and Eric now willing to listen calmly, I explained in detail about the day I met R-chan in the capital.

"Ah... So it was an indirect kiss..."

Sheryl sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest.

"Ah... You should have said that earlier."

"You made things complicated by saying unnecessary things!"

"An indirect kiss isn't a kiss, right?"

"It's something done with lips. An indirect kiss is completely different. It's a much lighter thing. But that doesn't mean it's something to do casually."

"Eric, let Sheryl handle this. We should leave."

"Right. If we stay here any longer, we might get asked some crazy questions... By the way, is there really no mayonnaise?"

A misunderstanding due to the young girl's naivety.

The incident ended with Sheryl desperately answering R-chan's questions.

× × ×

In a room of the Ringleande Duke's mansion.

The room was filled with luxurious furnishings, and a small chandelier cast a mysterious light.

Although using a magical device would be more convenient, this was due to the owner's preference.

A girl sat in a lavish chair in the center of the room.

She brushed her lustrous red hair aside and sipped her steaming tea while listening to a report.

"---The above matters are summarized in the documents. Please review them for more details. As expected, it's the person you anticipated, my lady."

The voice belonged to a woman, completely clad in black, but her graceful and rounded form made it clear she was female even without hearing her voice.

She was kneeling on the floor, speaking calmly to her master.

"Also, the Lazarus Trading Company has been unusually active recently. It's likely that something new is being developed. We are currently investigating."

"Thank you for your hard work. Please inform me immediately if you discover anything else."

She placed the teacup down carefully, without making a sound.

The woman in black replied briefly and then smoothly disappeared into the ceiling.

Of course, there was no sound from the ceiling, and it was unclear where she had gone.

She picked up the documents as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

If it were someone she could sense, she would have immediately disposed of them.

Otherwise, they could never serve as a shadow.

"Hmm, perhaps I should attend the party tomorrow. It seems I might meet someone interesting."

The chandelier's flame cast a mysterious light on her smile.