Guided by Berna, we were shown to the dining room in the lord’s chambers. At the far end of a long table, suitable for many people, six meals were laid out.
“Normally, as this is the lord’s room, we aren’t allowed to use it, but since there are many people today, it’s a special occasion. Please, have a seat.”
“Berna, that was quite a gamble. You don’t know what punishment you’d receive if the lord found out. Though, since they never come here, it’s unlikely the lord will ever know. Hahahaha.”
The mayor laughed with an air of relaxed confidence, stating that it was impossible for the lord to find out.
(But the lord’s daughter is right in front of us… Well, knowing Caro, I don’t think she’d get angry over something so trivial.)
“Berna, you really went for it. But there are only four of us. Who are the other two supposed to be?”
Caro asked Berna about the discrepancy in the number of meals prepared.
“The other two are Mother and Older Brother. I expect they’ll be back soon… Ah, they’re back! Please excuse me for a moment.”
With that, Berna left the room.
“Mother, Older Brother, welcome back. For tonight’s dinner, my friends are here, so I’ve decided we’ll have it in this room. Please change your clothes and then come.”
Berna’s voice could be heard from outside the room.
A little while later, Berna’s mother and brother entered the room.
“Thank you for waiting. I am Berna’s mother. My daughter is in your care.”
“I am Berna’s brother. We met earlier in the fields, but you probably don’t remember me?”
“I’m Kent. Please take care of me. …Ah. That’s right, we did meet earlier.”
“I’m Caro. Please take care of me.”
The four exchanged greetings. Berna’s mother and brother had been working in the fields. Though they hadn’t spoken directly, Kent recalled when prompted.
“Even the mayor’s family participates in farm work?”
“Ah, it’s embarrassing, but we’re short-handed. Berna usually helps with farm work too, though she wasn’t here today because she had to clean the house.”
“Oh, Father!”
The mayor answered Kent’s question. Berna blushed and looked down, perhaps embarrassed.
“R-Right. I need to prepare dinner…”
Berna said as if she had just remembered.
With enough dinner for everyone already laid out, all that remained was to sit and eat. Kent felt it was perhaps too presumptuous to use the fine tableware, and they were certainly not of good quality. Kent thought they were likely not the inn’s own tableware but those used by the family.
Berna prepared the drinks (water) and poured them into cups for everyone. Her movements were very elegant.
“Then, let’s begin.”
Berna finished her preparations and said, taking her seat last.
“We will begin our meal.”
What was laid out was flat bread, some kind of grilled meat, and a soup with wild vegetables. While it might be considered good food for commoners’ class, Kent and Caro, who had become accustomed to more refined tastes, found it lacking.
“Kent, Caro, how did you find the food?”
“It was delicious.”
“It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.”
When Berna asked after the meal, Kent and Caro gave polite answers.
“Oh? I’m glad you enjoyed it. Then, I’ll clear the dishes.”
Berna began clearing the finished dishes with elegant movements.
“I’ll help too.”
Caro joined in to help. Berna was surprised by her actions.
“Caro, how are you so elegant in your movements?”
“I used to work in the food and drink industry until recently…”
While Berna’s movements were good, they couldn’t compare to Caro’s. She cleared the tableware with fluid, graceful actions. Berna’s family seemed surprised. The customer service honed at Marie’s Bakery, combined with the etiquette she had been taught as a noble, had seemingly led to Caro’s skill improvement.
“I was surprised by Kent-kun, but Caro-san is amazing too.”
The mayor said with surprise.
“I’m not particularly aware of being amazing…”
“Thanks to Kent-san, I learned many things.”
While Kent wasn’t particularly aware of it, Caro was grateful to Kent.
“I was taught etiquette from scratch by a maid who was dispatched as an education supervisor by the previous lord. I was trained to lead the hospitality efforts when the lord visited. I was proud of that, but seeing Caro’s movements made me realize I still have much to learn. Next time I visit, I will show you how much I have grown.”
“I look forward to it.”
Berna declared her resolve to Caro. Caro replied with a smile, thinking that she would be back next month.
“Kent, Caro, aren’t you staying the night?”
Berna said sadly.
“I’m sorry. We’ve already arranged lodging for today and need to return. We have to explore the town tomorrow, so it will be a while before we meet again. But if you start attending school next year, we’ll be able to see each other almost every day.”
Kent said kindly to Berna.
“I suppose there’s no help for it. I’ll just wait patiently until then.”
Berna seemed to accept this.
“Well then, thank you for everything.”
“Thank you for everything.”
Kent and Caro bowed to Berna and her family and left the mayor’s house.
“I’m glad we gathered more information than I expected.”
“That’s good.”
On their way back, they looked satisfied with the amount of material they had collected thanks to the mayor’s cooperation.
Kent and Caro returned to their lodging and entered their room.
“We moved around a lot today and got sweaty. Caro, what about a bath?”
“Kent-san, this inn doesn’t have a bath, you know?”
“Huh?”
Kent, who had assumed there would be a bath, was surprised. Caro, who had apparently done some research beforehand, seemed to be aware of the inn’s facilities.
“So, I’ll go borrow a tub and a towel.”
With that, Caro left the room. A little while later, Caro returned with a tub of hot water and a towel-like cloth.
“Kent-san, let’s dry off then.”
With that, Caro began to undress. Kent had already seen her naked many times, so perhaps she had become accustomed to it, and no longer showed any embarrassment. Despite her lack of shyness, Kent felt a touch of loneliness.
Kent also removed his clothes, dipped the towel into the tub of hot water, took it out, and wrung it out.
“Alright Caro-san, I’ll dry you off.”
Without being asked, Kent began to dry Caro’s body. Caro offered no resistance and was dried by Kent as he pleased.
“Then, it’s your turn now, Kent-san.”
This time, the roles reversed, and Caro began to dry Kent’s body. After that, they both finished drying each other.
“They said we can return the tub tomorrow, so I’ll put it in the corner. Well then… Kent-san, it’s time…”
Caro embraced Kent. Since they were both naked, their warmth transferred between them. They then entered the bed.
“Kent-san, after I returned home, I had to sleep alone, so I was lonely. It really is calming to feel your warmth.”
“Me too. I’m happy to have a girl by my side.”
“Kent-san, while you say that, weren’t you sleeping with Marie every night after I left? It’s a shame I feel like I’ve lost some ground.”
“Well, I won’t deny that…”
After Caro returned home, Kent had been sleeping with Marie. Since work had become busy after Caro’s departure, he would fall asleep immediately upon getting into bed, so it had truly just been sleeping together…
After that, it had been a while since they had been together, so Kent and Caro made love late into the night.
