CH 15

「Speaking of which, did you know what happened with Meari?」

Miranda-san said as she filled the bag with the baked goods I had ordered.

「Oh, what’s wrong with Meari?」

Meari, the maid who accompanied me at my parents’ house, is also a regular customer here.

「Haven’t you heard anything?」

「Yes, I never asked.」

The letter I received from Meari didn’t mention anything unusual, but I wondered if something had happened without my knowledge.

「No, Gaspar has been acting strange lately. It’s always Meari-related when that thing gets weird. So, you know…」

Gaspar is a strong middle-aged man who has a crush on Meari.

「I think Meari dumped him again, didn’t she?」

「That’s what she always do. He’s not the kind of guy who is she’s going to let to.」

When she said that, I was convinced that it was true.

Gaspar is a strong man, and in a sense, he is a famous figure in this downtown area for his unyielding manner of wooing Meari, like a doll that gets up after being rejected many times.

「He’s the face of downtown, after all. I don’t want him to be like that forever…」

「Is it enough to interfere?」

「If it stays this way, you know.」

It must have been quite a big deal for Miranda-san to be in such trouble.

「Can you tell Meari to do something about it? I’m sure she’ll feel better with a little attention.」

Miranda asks me to do so, but I don’t know if Mary, who is depressed about Gaspar, will listen to my request.

「Nhn, in the meantime, I was planning to go to the store now, so I’ll check on Gaspar. I’ll ask Meari at one point, but don’t get your hopes up too much.」

Even if I, as her master, give an order, it is Meari who responds that she doesn’t like what she doesn’t like.

「I don’t mind. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.」

Miranda said and handed me a bag of pastries. As I was about to accept it, Ryniel-sama hand reached out from the side and kidnapped the sweets before I could accept them.

「Ryniel-sama?」

“That’s my luggage.” I was about to say that, but my words were lost in Ryniel-sama’s silent smile.

「…Thank you very much.」

「You’re welcome.」

Apparently, this was the right thing to do. I was convinced by myself that in such a case, a man should hold it for me.

「Shall we go then?」

「Yes. Well, then, Miranda-san, leave the rest to me.」

「Okay. Please do so.」

I nodded lightly and left the store, saying that I would do my best. I was about to open the door to have them hold my luggage at that time, when I was stopped again by Ryniel-sama’s smile.

I thought, “That’s right, aren’t men supposed to open the door?”

「What kind of person is this Gaspar, whom you mentioned earlier?」

Ryniel-sama asked me this as I walked through the door opened by him with an open mind.

If he had heard the conversation between Miranda-san and me, he would’ve been curious. He isn’t just a man, though he sounds like a very pathetic man when you only hear that part.

「He is the owner of the jewelry store I am about to show you, and as Miranda-san said, he is the face of this downtown.」

「What kind of relationship you have with him?」

「We are just old friends. We have a relationship that involves taking care of each other and being taken care of in various ways.」

I got to know him when she was just about to become Myra’s maid of honor. Although it feels like a long time ago, I can still vividly remember the moment when I met him.

「His face is very scary, but he is quite an interesting fellow. He’s a man who has succeeded by training jewelry artisans instead of hiring them.」

Unlike aristocrats who assist artists and actors as patrons, he taught and guided them from an early age so that they can develop their own abilities, teach and train them with their hands, and bring them up to the point where they can be accepted as full-fledged professionals. It’s impossible to spend a tremendous amount of time and money to raise one person unless you have the patience and financial resources to do so. He is a drunken maniac, no doubt, because he doesn’t know if he will be useful even though he has raised them. He is a rare person who can do that.

「It’s on the opposite side of the street from Miranda-san’s store area. It’s a jewelry store, but it’s in an intricate area, so be careful because you might get a little lost.」

We entered the alley across from Miranda-san’s store, turned a few corners and came to a slightly wider street where we saw a sign for a jewelry store.

「Ryniel-sama, over there.」

Pointing to it, I call out to Ryniel-sama. Just in front of the store, a carriage is parked, making it easy to spot. The carriage seemed to belong to an aristocrat and had his family crest firmly attached to it, judging from its decoration.

「Oh my…?」

「Ohh?」

When Ryniel-sama and I saw the family crest, we stopped before entering the store.

「…This is the family crest of the Countess of Bower.」

「Yes, I hope it’s not the daughter of the lady in question.」

The first thing that came to mind was a young lady who was called Riffi, who’s uncommunicable. Just because the carriage is here doesn’t mean she’s there, but if we run into each other, it’s obvious that would be trouble. However, since Miranda asked me to meet with him, I have no choice but not to meet with Gaspar.

「Ryniel-sama, you can go around to the back entrance from that way.」

Normally, if I went through the back door, I wouldn’t be let in, but if I was accompanied by someone with whom I have a reasonable relationship, Ryniel-sama would be allowed to go inside.

「You may not be able to see the jewelry in the store, but if it is not on display, they can show it to you in a private room.」

「If that’s okay with you, I’m fine with it.」

「That’s assuring. Oh, you don’t have to purchase jewelry. The reason I showed you the jewelry store was not for the purpose of purchase.」

I don’t want to force him to buy something, unless he like it.

「I don’t mind if you beg me for it?」

I couldn’t believe my ears and my mouth fell open. It was an unladylike reaction on my part.

「Pardon? Begging?」

How can I beg him to buy something when I have no reason to ask him to buy it? I don’t what Ryniel-sama told me, but I’m surprised.

「You don’t want it?」

「I don’t!?」

If I had been extorting jewelry from him, he would have seriously bought me a face, like this one…