Chapter 9. End of story, new beginning (2)
The atmosphere inside the teahouse was quite serene.
Through the wallpaper and ornaments, it was possible to know that a fairly long time had been contained, and this stimulated Emilia’s sensibility.
“It feels new to think that this is where my parents came from.”
“Well, I guess so. But why did you two bother to meet outside?”
Before marrying into the Bayemurn family, I had heard that Julia was also a daughter of a prestigious family.
If they didn’t want to be exposed to the outside world, they could have gone back and forth between each other’s families or met in a secret place. If you borrowed the power of the two families, that wouldn’t be difficult.
At his words, a bitter smile formed on Emilia’s lips as she looked around the cafe.
A behavior rarely seen in her. Ludwig’s eyes widened.
“I heard that your father and mother’s family didn’t get along very well until they got married. I think it might be for that reason.”
“ah… … .”
It was a short explanation, but nothing made more sense than this.
Ludwig let out a low sigh when he finally got a rough idea of the Bayern couple’s love life.
‘It really means they were Romeo and Juliet.’
It was a background that was not properly described in the original work, so I used to get a strange feeling when I heard this kind of story.
Lately, that thought has disappeared, but until a few years ago, he considered this world to be a virtual space.
However, when I realized that the inhabitants of this world had their own stories, and that these were stories that were not expressed even in novels, I realized that this place was also real.
“These are great people. Even in that situation, looking at each other wouldn’t have been easy.”
“Yes? I was quite surprised when I first heard it.”
Love despite the opposition of the family may seem beautiful, but in reality it is not necessarily so.
On the contrary, when you get hit and run between them and get tired before you know it, your heart for each other fades away.
However, even in such a situation, I was looking for a place like this to meet even a little more.
This was also a part that showed how deep the hearts of the two were.
“Sir Stephen must have been quite persistent.”
“Phud, I only knew that at first. However, they said that it was my mother who was surprisingly persistent.”
Is that Julia?
Ludwig opened his mouth at a sight he could hardly imagine.
Emilia was busy laughing as if his appearance was quite funny. Either way, Ludwig’s curiosity only grew.
“Mrs. Julia had a quiet atmosphere… You seem to be surprisingly stubborn.”
“My mother said that the first thing I learned from my father was stubbornness. Wouldn’t that side be revealed even while dating?”
“hahahaha, does that even make sense?”
A woman running to the man she holds in her heart after throwing away the hands that are tearing her from all sides is a scene that can only be seen in fictional stories.
“Somehow, I think I know a little bit about why Sir Stefan is weak to Lady Yulia.”
“Yes? I am often surprised when I see the two of them together.”
For Emilia, Stefan, whom she had seen since childhood, was a symbol of uprightness.
When she was in front of him, he didn’t show affection to his wife, Yulia, often, and was consistent with a blunt appearance.
However, when I occasionally caught glimpses of the couple spending time together, I wondered if they hadn’t paid for their marriage for nothing.
It was quite shocking to see his father, who was strong, tear away his mother with his face stained red.
‘What about Ludwig?’
Thinking that far, I began to picture the man in front of me and my own future.
Rather than being rigid like Stefan, he belongs to the softer side than most women.
He was a man who preferred flowers to swords and tea to alcohol.
In comparison, he would be the opposite.
It was more fun to sharpen one’s own swordsmanship than to watch the flowers grow while soaking in water. At least, I don’t know if the taste for cars is similar.
‘It might be a little different.’
Unlike his father, Stefan, Ludwig was meticulous.
I was the type to notice every little change in others, and I was the kind of person who didn’t hesitate to say compliments or cherished words.
In that respect, I wonder if he responds well to expressions of affection, unlike Stefan.
‘It’s a pity that I won’t be able to see her shy.’
That would be something to think about when you go there.
On the other hand, if he were to marry, would he become insensitive to his expressions of affection?
Rather, it was expected that he would show a new reaction every day.
It might be possible for a man named Ludwig.
“Ludwig seems to be kind to his wife too.”
“Oh, my wife.”
“Somehow I feel that way. You can guess it just by looking at how he treats me.”
Seeing him flustered by his pranks today as usual, Emilia smiled mischievously.
As her mood began to rise little by little, her legs under the table began to shake little by little.
‘As expected, he’s a fun person to tease.’
I never thought I’d have fun with something like this, but what can I do? Habits learned late are even worse.
Of course, if he jokes too blatantly and with a high frequency, even the best-natured guy will probably vomit. It was very important to control this gap well.
“You waited a long time. Which apple tea would you like?”
Ludwig, who was getting thirsty for her prank, was about to get some water when a clerk came to the table with a wonderfully prepared refreshment.
In gratitude, he took out three fairy tales from his pocket and held them out to her.
Originally, I only carried it in units of at least silver coins, but when I stopped by the mule the other day, there was a small anecdote that after being caught up in a small commotion due to robbers, I also came to possess copper coins.
“Thank you. Have a good time.”
Maybe it was because he looked more like a member of a small family or a member of a bourgeois commoner class than a high-profile nobleman.
The clerk backed off, showing the two of them the same manners as treating ordinary customers.
“You are a pretty person.”
“Is that so?”
He reflexively responded to the words that came out of Emilia’s mouth as she stared blankly at the clerk’s disappearing back.
It was partly because he didn’t want to judge other girls on how beautiful they were in front of Emilia, but it was also largely because he didn’t see them because he really wasn’t interested.
“The pin you put in your hair looked good too, but didn’t you see Ludwig?”
“It’s because I’m not bold enough to carefully observe the woman in the first meeting.”
“Huh, sorry. It was very pretty.”
Emilia seemed to be in a good mood despite saying that she was sorry.
To be honest, if Ludwig had expressed his affirmation to the story a moment ago, I would have been in a bad mood.
Still, it means that on the day when the two of them came out together, the woman he had been away with took his eyes off him.
It was also something that hurt my pride as a woman.
With a much lighter heart, Emilia poured some milk into the teacup.
While Ludwig, who was sitting across from him, carefully examined the refreshments on the table, he moved his gaze and carefully observed her behavior.
It was rare that he would not hide his gaze so blatantly.
Puzzled by this, Emilia tilted her head as she put down the glass bottle containing the milk.
“What’s wrong? Ludwig. Did I do something wrong?”
Ludwig, who must have been quite focused, reacted a step late and looked away.
I was alone in my thoughts, but I felt sorry for causing misunderstandings.
“Yes? Oh, it can’t be. It was just the first time I saw Emilia mixing milk with tea, so I was amazed.”
When she was with him, she always drank straight tea or mixed with lemon.
It can be taken lightly, wondering if my taste has changed recently, but isn’t it a way to be immersed in it at some point when curiosity about being a person arises?
The current Ludwig was just like that.
“is that so? Even so, I mix it with tea quite often and drink it… ah.”
It wasn’t uncommon for her because she drank milk tea just yesterday, so she tried to answer lightly, but something got stuck in her head.
Only then did Emilia’s new model, realizing her mistake, stand still. Like a marionette with a broken thread.
“Oh, that sounds delicious. Is this a cake Ludwig would like?”
Then she takes a fork to the cake that she didn’t even eat well.
From there, Ludwig’s eyes narrowed.
“Emilia, I believe you wouldn’t want to change the subject so blatantly and go undetected.”
The series of actions were so awkward that even Ludwig, who would normally have easily passed over them, couldn’t stand it as much as today.
Emilia, avoiding his gaze, puts the cake in her mouth and mumbles.
It was too sweet for her taste, perhaps because the sugar content of the whipped cream was quite high, but she had to remain calm as much as possible in order to escape from this moment.
‘Why would you act like that… … !’
Basically, she likes tea.
She wasn’t particularly picky about her likes or dislikes, and she wasn’t the type to pick out how to drink, so milk tea was one of her favorite ways to drink it.
Still, why did Ludwig never see her drinking milk tea?
It was because of the words that Grita, the lady-in-waiting, had spoken to her shortly after returning to her parents’ house after meeting Ludwig.
At the time, they were arguing over whether or not Emilia had a crush on a man.
I was still ashamed of it, so I tried denying cancer, but Grita asked again in a calm tone whenever I was able to forget.
One day when such a tense fight continued, Grita opened her mouth in a nonchalant tone next to the owner who was drinking tea.
– From what I’ve heard, there are some men who regard women who drink milk tea as children.
– Milk tea… With just that?
– That’s right. Of course, it’s a story that has nothing to do with the lady.
At first, I thought it was an absurd story.
However, before I knew it, I could see myself avoiding milk tea, which I enjoyed drinking whenever I met him, without even having time to confirm its authenticity.
I tried to hide it somehow until this part was revealed today.
At least, if he had found out right away that he didn’t look down on women drinking milk tea, this kind of evil wouldn’t have happened.
“Lu, Ludwig.”
“Tell me.”
In the midst of the uncomfortable silence, it was Emilia who eventually drew the sword.
After all, it was something I had to face someday.
Let’s have a big heart and ask. Even if he looks at it with a strange gaze.
“Any woman who drinks milk tea… Do you look stupid?”
“… Yes?”
A question so absurd that I wondered if my ears were wrong for a moment.
As Ludwig blinked his eyes with a bewildered expression, Emilia’s face gradually turned red as well.
“I heard from Grita that some men consider women who drink milk tea to be like children… … .”
“No, who the hell… … .”
It is said that people’s notions are slightly different, but Ludwig was speechless at the unusual notion he had never heard of before.
Even more surprising was the fact that the source of the information was Grita.
The Grita he had seen so far had a lively side, but was by no means a foolish and ignorant woman.
She must have known better than anyone that such a story was not even a rumor.
“I don’t know about the other guys, but at least not me. In the first place, I’m just embarrassed because it’s the first rumor I’ve heard.”
“That, right? It’s just a baseless story, right?”
I knew it.
Only then did Emilia start sipping milk tea with a smile of relief.
Since he was more like a flower in a greenhouse that had lived without knowing anything about the world except his sword, he had such an innocent side.
As Ludwig watched her intently, he shrugged his shoulders and raised his head slightly, as if he was conscious of his gaze.
And then, carefully uttered a word.
“Would you like to drink together? Milk tea is also delicious… … .”
“It’s Emilia’s recommendation, so trust me and try it. But I don’t know if it would go well with apple tea.”
“Ah, then I’ll order another tea. Leave it to me.”
Upon his consent, Emilia immediately calls the clerk and starts reciting some of the tea leaves she enjoys drinking.
Her side profile was so innocent that it seemed that she was not her usual self.
‘It’s so delicious.’
Or are you happy that you can spread milk tea to yourself?
How are you?
‘Maybe it’s not entirely wrong.’
Although she had no way of knowing whether a woman who liked milk tea seemed immature, one thing seemed certain.
‘cute.’
For the time being, we have something to play with.
I couldn’t just lose to Emilia, so I thought I’d try my best too. Ludwig thought so, resting his chin on his chin and staring at her profile all the time.