84 – Reward (3)
This is the shop Elisha recommended.
This was Marie’s brief commentary after taking a bite of an appetizer to whet her appetite in a fairly atmospheric restaurant.
Even though the price range of the food written on the menu wasn’t very high, I wondered if they could serve food of this level.
Cut the terrine made from shrimp and vegetables with a fork into appropriate sizes and bring it back to your mouth.
Marie smiled in satisfaction as the moderate umami and soft texture melted in her mouth.
A smile of relief appeared on Bell’s lips as he watched it.
“Looking at your smile, the meal you served looks pretty good.”
“Hmph, no matter what anyone says, it’s the place Elisha recommended. Isn’t it strange that it doesn’t taste good?”
Disparaging the food here is like disparaging Elisha’s tongue.
She is also an old friend, but that is impossible for Marie, who admired Elisha more than anyone else.
Even if I didn’t like the look on the face of a commoner smiling in front of my eyes, I had to refrain from undercutting this food.
“Rather than that, I managed to think of asking Elisha.”
“Besides you, she is the only daughter of a noble family around me who would know about a restaurant with such an atmosphere.”
“Huh.”
Marie chewed on Belle’s words, slicing the terrine with a fork and putting it into her mouth until her last bite.
Soon after, she rinsed her mouth once with the bottled water in the glass next to her, and she finally spoke after wiping her mouth with a napkin.
That too with a serious expression.
“It doesn’t matter in front of me, but in front of Elisha, you’re the daughter of a noble family, so refrain from saying such things. It wouldn’t be very nice to say that to him.”
“… Keep in mind.”
Even though her actions were pointed out out of the blue, Bell calmly carved those words into her heart without raising her eyebrows or revealing her displeasure.
He would, too, because he knew the burden and weight Elisha had on her family and her father.
Since I forgot about it for a moment, I said it casually, so I was rather grateful that Marie reminded me of that fact.
The reaction was so natural that it flowed like flowing water. Rather, Marie, who spoke her words, opened her eyes wide and fell asleep.
“… Aren’t you going to ask more?”
“What?”
Unlike Marie, who continued her meal slowly, Bell, who had finished her previous appetizer, asked in a calm voice.
Marie, now able to read her Belle’s mind a little bit, noticed that even though she knew what she was going to say, she was trying to pretend she didn’t know.
“About Elisha and her family. If you’re the daughter of the Crozel family, you’ll have a background worthy of everyone’s envy, and you’d think it’s normal to be rather proud of it when others mention it.”
At least the moment Marie said that, she thought that Belle would ask her more deeply about Elisha and her family.
Marie’s tone just now sounded like she was telling Elisha to refrain from mentioning her family.
That’s why she felt sorry for her, but Bell stopped her attention.
He’s probably not stupid enough to not know the meaning of those words.
For Marie, the action seemed like something only someone who knew the whole story would do, so she felt a great sense of difference.
Actually, that was the case.
“Well, you are right. If it’s the Crozel family, it’s probably the family headed by Prince Balzac of the Red Sword, and it’s also a family with a deep history and one of the most representative loyalists of the empire, so it’s enough to be proud of. But….”
Bell finished drinking the cool water placed next to her, cleared her throat, and then opened her mouth again.
“Being proud doesn’t mean being comfortable, right? At least, I think my father is like that, and if I think I was born into such a family, I feel more pressure than proud.”
“A feeling of pressure… ?”
Marie’s eyes widened at the word Elisha had also mentioned.
She was in fact incomprehensible to her.
Far from being burdened by the fact that she was born into such a blessed family, Marie always felt only gratitude and pride.
So even when Elisha brought that up, she couldn’t sympathize with her very much.
All I had to do was to say that it was okay and that you would be able to do it.
From noble mtl dot com
“Yes. That I have to achieve something, or at least reach that level. I don’t even know that kind of pressure, and I wonder if it’s a little distorted to hear that someone grew up in a good family.”
She felt that even her friend of ten years could not understand.
Looking at the sight in front of her of a man from a commoner background who was understanding, Mari felt that various thoughts intersected.
Perhaps this man can do it.
To save the past days of a girl who had to endure amid the oppressive sense of duty.
Even if it’s not now, I’ll be very happy when that day comes.
So, without even realizing it, Marie conveyed her words with hope to the man who was fiddling with the napkin with a carefree face as usual.
“… You might be able to help Elisha.”
I hope that such a day will come.
With her sincere wishes, she immediately turned her attention to the food that was coming onto the table.
The next time she and Elisha suddenly thought it was a place she would definitely want to visit.
* * * *
“It was a pretty good meal. She honestly didn’t expect much when she heard that you were entertaining…. It was a good choice to ask Elisha.”
After finishing her meal, Marie, who was mouthwatering about the sherbet served as dessert, burst out with favorable reviews.
Bell nodded her head with a smile of relief at the thought that she had finally crossed a great mountain.
She wasn’t even thinking about it.
“That’s right. Thanks to you, I didn’t hear a single word from you. When I go back, I should say thank you to Elisha.”
Bell let out a sigh of her own at the thought of the growing debt Elisha had accumulated.
Fortunately, the creditor was generous and didn’t charge interest, so it’s a shame.
Meanwhile, Marie gave advice with an uneasy look in her eyes, wondering if Belle was really coming back after just spitting out “I have to say thank you.”
“You’re not going to go empty-handed, are you? At least, as a token of appreciation, buy a small snack and bring it to me.”
“Are you my mother? Even if you don’t nag, I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”
“Hey, even if I give you some advice… !”
The atmosphere, which had been fairly mild until just now, turned 180 degrees with each other’s words.
Belle is not a child herself, as her Belle is, and Marie is annoyed at meddling with her in everything.
On the other hand, Marie was annoyed at Bell, who listened to her kindly even though she gave her advice.
While we were arguing for such a long time.
Before I knew it, I ran out of the sorbet for my last bite, and it was time to leave the restaurant.
Still, thinking that a moodless man was trying hard to treat a lady, Marie tried to take out her wallet in advance, asking if she would pay her half the cost.
“It’s okay, put it in. I won’t buy it even if you ask me to buy it next time.”
When Bell, who realized the meaning of the action of taking her hand to her bag, cut it off early, the corners of her mouth went up on both sides.
Anyway, it’s okay to spend this kind of pennies or not, but Bell, who was trying to live up to his convictions of treating her to the end, looked pretty cute.
“… Does that mean you’ll keep what you said? Why are you saying extraordinary things?”
“Thank you for thinking of me as something special.”
“Nuye, nuiye,” Said Belle, with a face that showed no sign of gratitude on her part, and took her hand into her bosom.
Marie’s gaze goes there, wondering if the other side is also trying to get out her wallet.
After a while, the thing that jumped out of her arms while she was rummaging through was something completely unexpected for her
Took.
Without saying a word, Bell took out a paper bag and put it on the table.
Looking at the situation, it was a structure that could have been made between a black dealer and a buyer, but the reality was different.
Marie, who knew what was inside, stared at her bell with trembling eyes, her eyes wide open.
Bell smiled bitterly when he realized that the question of why he was bringing this out now was contained within it.
She couldn’t possibly have thought that she didn’t notice when she looked at her like that.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? If you want to have it, say it. Just don’t act like a kid whose toy was stolen.”
“Who said that… ! I don’t want it at all!?”
At the thought that she had been caught by an unsuspecting man, Marie reacted in surprise as if she had been burned.
She honestly had a little bit of anticipation when the paper bag landed on the table, but her bell’s moody words made her honestly forget the answer.
Anyway, he’s like a stupid commoner.
At such times, even if you notice, it is a gentleman’s duty to silently take out her bracelet and put it on her wrist.
Do I have to tell you all these things one by one?
Mari was determined not to take it out even if it was embarrassing.
Basrak.
In the end, Belle, who was worse off, took out the contents of the paper bag, and her gaze followed.
What do you do if you just turn your head pretending not to? I really can’t hide my eyes.
“I will take care of the present for Lorne, so take it thinking that this is a present for you. I give it to you because I think it will be difficult to pay off all your debts with today’s meal.”
It seemed like she had corrected it, and even her corrected attitude made Marie feel dissatisfied.
He really is a man who doesn’t like anything.
At times like this, isn’t it essential to say something basic like “I thought it would suit you better”.
It doesn’t mean that I want to hear such sweet words from a man like this, but it does mean that I have to change my basic attitude towards women.
However, it was admirable that he noticed her intentions and tried to hand her a gift, so he decided to accept it.
“… No mood. If you are going to give me a bracelet, please fill it yourself.”
“There are so many requirements.”
Bell lost his sense of humor at the shyly extended wrist and complaint-filled tone, but it’s true that he made her suffer by making her get involved in useless things, so she decided to listen to her for just one day.
After undoing the seam of the bracelet and putting it on her wrist, I manually closed the seam again, and Marie retrieved her hand that had been held out.
Until the end, her head did not turn in the direction of her bell, her chin resting and looking out the window, her cheeks were red as seen from her library at sunset.