Episode 145 A date on the hill
Episode 145 A date on the hill
The next day.
Emma came to our mansion in person.
When Butler Cleanson told me the news, I was just washing my face in my room.
“Emma? Already?”
“Yes. Shall I ask you to wait a moment?”
I roughly rubbed my face with a towel and then turned my head towards the grandfather clock. The clock hands pointed to 8:10 am.
“Tell me I’m leaving soon.”
I handed her towel to her maid and then got off her bed.
Clinson said that to me.
“Then I saw Miss Emma holding a lunch basket. It looks like something has been prepared.”
“It looks like you prepared your own lunch box.”
Clinson shook his head with a kind smile.
Emma prepared lunch herself…….
Then I shouldn’t make you wait that long.
“Clinson. Tell them I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
“Yes, boy.”
As soon as he went out, I instructed the maid to bring her plain clothes. The maid brought three sets of civilian clothes from her closet.
After thinking for a while, I chose a white shirt for the top and black shorts for the bottom.
The maid saw my attire and gave her thumbs up saying it looked good on me.
“Let me tidy up your hair one last time.”
“Okay. Please.”
The maid carefully combed my hair with a comb. When I checked my face in the mirror, I felt that my impression had definitely improved.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. Come and have a good time.”
I waved to her maid and left her room.
Emma was waiting in the lobby on the first floor of our mansion. I waved her hand at her Emma and ran her down the stairs.
“Master Luke. Good morning.”
Emma bowed slightly at the waist with a bright smile on her face.
After coming down her stairs, I quickly approached her. Then Emma picked up the lunch basket she had left at her feet.
“Could it be that you’ve been making it since dawn?”
When I asked, pointing to the basket, Emma smiled broadly and nodded her head.
“Yes. I tried to make it as delicious as possible with ingredients at home. I hope it fits in your mouth.”
“What are you looking forward to?”
“If you expect too much, it will be difficult.”
Said Emma, twisting her body slightly. Her appearance was so cute that the corners of her mouth went up slightly without me noticing.
But she didn’t want to be found out by Emma, so she quickly took care of her expression.
This is also my own skill learned while living in the imperial palace.
Then I took a peek at her attire.
It has been a long time since I saw her wearing a white blouse. And she was wearing a long brown skirt that reached just below her ankles.
The brooch I had given her as a gift yesterday was attached to the left breast of her blouse, and a cubic-encrusted hairpin was attached to her left hair.
I originally had the image of an innocent girl.
I feel a little cuter now that I’m wearing jewelry.
“Brother Luke?”
Emma blinked.
Because of the sudden call, I unknowingly made her shoulders tremble. All I did was check out how Emma looks today.
“Ah. I think I came out very cute and well-dressed today.”
“Is it cute? hehehehe.”
Emma’s cheeks were slightly reddish.
She felt strangely uncomfortable, anyway, to hear her honorifics from her Emma all the time.
I guess I’ll have to drag him outside first.
Because when we are alone, we exchange informal words comfortably.
I grabbed Emma’s empty hand as if snatching it.
“Let’s go out and take a walk first.”
“Yes, Master Luke.”
I led her out of her mansion.
* * *
“Hey, Luke.”
“Why?”
As they were walking along a deserted road, Emma suddenly stopped her steps. Because of that, I also had to stop my legs.
“Are you going to keep holding her hand?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that…….”
At the time when Emma was hesitating, Mrs. Halls, a villager from the other side, approached us with admiration as soon as she saw us.
She first greeted me warmly, and then asked how she was doing in the imperial palace.
“I was much busier than when I was doing manor duties.”
“Oh my, you said that.”
“But now I’ve adapted and I’m doing well.”
“Hoho. I thought that the young master would do well no matter where he went, but as expected.”
After a brief discussion of what was going on, Mrs. Halls looked elsewhere this time.
“Oh my, Emma. You’re going out very aggressively just because you’ve been back for a long time?”
“Ah! Well, it’s not like that. “Master Luke caught it first.”
You look a little embarrassed, but you’re telling the truth.
It was truly Emma-like to be honest.
‘Suddenly it feels like it overlaps with Flora… ….’
I quickly shook that thought away. For now, she wanted to focus on Emma in front of her.
“Anyway, seeing you holding hands with the master makes me feel happy.”
Then Emma’s cheeks turned bright red. My wife and I laughed lightly while watching that.
After saying hello to the wife, we started walking again.
“Emma. “Where should we go?”
“What? “Have you not thought about it?”
Emma asked back in a puzzled tone.
“That could be possible. Is not it?”
I deliberately went out in a shameless manner, and Emma instantly twitched her eyebrows.
“Hmm. Now that I think about it, there’s really no place I can go from here. Huh… ….”
Actually, there was a place I had been thinking about since yesterday. However, he deliberately lied because he wanted to see Emma embarrassed.
…… I really feel like I’m becoming a bad guy to Emma.
“Actually, I have a place in mind.”
“What? “So are you trying to fool me again?”
When I just laughed, Emma made a sad expression. I soothed her by making her a promise that I had no intention of keeping, that I would never do that again.
“Where are you going?”
“Do you remember the place we often went to when we were kids?”
“By any chance, Nedville Hill?”
“Yes. Let’s go up together after a long time. How is it?”
Nedville Hill was the highest hill in our territory.
Well, it wasn’t originally a hill named Nedville. However, when we were children, we often looked down on the landscape of the estate from there, and that is why we named it Nedville Hill.
And now everyone in the village calls it Nedville Hill.
“Okay. Come with me.”
Emma nodded her head willingly.
We walked towards the hill holding hands.
However, I had to let go of my hands when going up the hill, because the slope was quite steep. Holding Emma’s lunch basket instead, I kept pace with her stride.
Soon we were up the hill. Immediately after that, a breeze came from somewhere and lightly brushed our foreheads.
“It’s been a while since I came up like this with you.”
I turned my head to the left. Emma lightly ran her fingers through her brown hair, her eyes fixed on the sights of her village.
At that moment, the delicate nape of my neck that was exposed came into my field of vision.
“Luke?”
Emma must have sensed my gaze and turned her gaze toward me.
“I thought you looked pretty like this.”
“… ….”
I spoke with sincerity.
Then Emma looked blank for a moment. Soon, my entire face turned bright red.
Honestly, I have told many women that they are pretty. Especially to Cecilia, Flora, and Mulia.
But if you look at them, they are superiors to me.
Of course, in order to make a good impression, you need to speak somewhat loudly.
Of course, it is true that all three possess outstanding beauty.
But what can I say about Emma? She could compliment very naturally.
“Luke. “Are you trying to make fun of me again?”
Emma pouted her lips. I chuckled looking at that.
“No. “I really think so.”
“Oooh. After all, I was just teasing…….”
I heard Emma is so pure.
At this age, she doesn’t really realize the level of her beauty.
Emma asked me for a lunch basket.
“Are you ready for lunch already?”
“I also brought a mat just in case.”
“As expected, preparation is good.”
I unfolded the mat that Emma had brought out for her. Afterwards, we lay down, using the mat as a bedding.
As I looked at the blue sky unfolding before my eyes, I felt refreshed, as if my insides had been opened.
“It’s so nice to be able to relax like this.”
“Me too.”
“You, too, have worked hard in many ways to help in the fields.”
“Yes. But not as important as you, who do important work for the Empire.”
“What? “If you think about it, my role is something of an afterthought.”
From noble mtl dot com
What a great happiness it is to chat trivially with someone you feel comfortable with.
As we were leisurely chatting and lounging around, a signal came from the boat. Now it’s time to eat the lunch Emma prepared.
“I’m so excited to see what you made?”
“Well, it’s too burdensome to look at me like that… ….”
He said it was burdensome, so I deliberately pressed my face even further. Then Emma gave me a gentle shove on the shoulder, causing her to step back.
What Emma took out of the lunch basket was a sandwich made of rye bread.
“Oh! “I see you made a sandwich.”
“Yes. I tried my best to make it with what I had at home. I hope it fits your mouth… ….”
Seeing that Emma isn’t confident, she’ll have to eat it and check it out.
I opened my mouth wide and took a bite of the sandwich. At that moment, I opened my eyes wide.
Because it was very delicious that the bacon, vegetables, and jam went well together.
Besides, this jam was the apple jam that Emma often ate at Emma’s house when she was young!
“How do you feel?”
Emma asks carefully.
I gave a thumbs up.
“It’s delicious! Besides, thanks to this apple jam, I feel nostalgic.”
“Really? Thank god.”
Emma let out a sigh of relief as she placed her hand on her chest. After that, she started eating her sandwich too.
After lunch we spent a long time in the hills.
‘I hope the vacation continues… ….’
I looked at the blue sky and had a carefree thought.
Without expecting the slightest bit about the big thing that was about to come.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time.
“What do you have to say to me, Molly?”
Herald, the head of Baron Nedville’s family, looked at Molly who came to his office.
“Well, actually…” ….”
Molly stopped as she tried to part her lips.
She was definitely going to tell him what she heard yesterday in detail until she came to the office. However, since it was a matter deeply related to the master, hesitation arose.
“You can speak comfortably. I wonder what you’re talking about.”
The Herald subtly urged, and Molly quickly made her choice.
“I went to bring water to Master Luke’s room yesterday, and I heard a woman’s voice.”
To reveal everything to Harald, the elder of the family.
“Whoa. “Is that really true?”
“Yes. “I heard it clearly with my own ears.”
“Okay. “I understand first.”
The Herald motioned Molly out of her office.
He stroked his lower jaw and was lost in thought.
How on earth did they let a woman into our mansion?
When he returned home, Luke was clearly alone…….
“I’ll have to check with Luke first.”
The Herald folded his arms and tilted his head.