𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 “𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞” 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧?
“Viara-sama, long time no see.”
Towards the end of the party.
The one who called out to me was a silver-haired, blue-eyed handsome young man.
“Noah-sama, good evening. It’s rare to see you here.”
Noah-sama, who serves as the high priest at the church, is my older brother’s classmate and a friend of mine.
He is the third son of the Marquis family, but he was raised at the church as a child of a mistress.
He may be a bit mentally weak, but he is a gentle person with a soft demeanor and easy to talk to.
As a priest, he usually doesn’t attend parties, so I was surprised to see him wearing a rare navy suit today.
“My father summoned me today.”
“Your father?”
Seeing me puzzled, Noah-sama smiled awkwardly.
Noah-sama’s father is not someone you can call remarkable. He is a Marquis who may appear to be a good person, but he’s known for being greedy for money.
It doesn’t seem like a good thing for someone like that to summon Noah-sama, who is a child of a mistress, to a party.
“I was told that a marriage proposal has come for me, and I was introduced to a widow who has passed the age of forty.”
It seems like he intends to sell his son for money.
Although he may be publicly treated as a caretaker or adopted child. . .Nobles, they’re scary!!
Seeing me frown, Noah-sama laughed and said, “Don’t worry.”
“I declined it. I am dedicated to serving God.”
“I see. . .”
The church has deep connections with the royal family, so they will surely protect Noah-sama if something happens.
Being a user of holy attribute magic is rare, and Noah-sama, who has risen to the position of high priest at a young age, is undoubtedly promising.
Moreover, the donations gathered from the noblewomen who are interested in Noah-sama are impressive. With his mystical and innocent character, he captivates noblewomen and is the idol of the church.
However, the amount of stomach medicine he tightly holds is dangerous.
The way he nibbles on the stomach medicine like a squirrel eating nuts is something I can’t bear to see.
-Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
“Noah-sama! Please stop! Do it in the waiting room or in the carriage!”
I desperately tried to stop Noah-sama, who had already started eating stomach medicine.
“Ah! I just can’t calm down without this.”
Is he addicted to stomach medicine?
Being an addict and innocent are contradictory, so he’s disqualified as an idol!
I hurriedly took Noah-sama to a corner and hid his junkie-like behavior with stomach medicine.
Then, out of nowhere, a male servant approached us without making any footsteps or presence.
“Here’s some water for you.”
“Thank you. . . Wait, cid!?”
I widened my eyes in surprise, and cid placed his index finger on his lips.
Damn. . .! I’m dazzled by how cool he is.
Noah-sama drank the water I handed him and leaned against the wall with a pale face.
Noah-sama being so weak aroused my protective instincts, but unfortunately, I didn’t know how to protect his stomach.
“I will ask Onii-sama if he has any good medicine.”
As I said that, Cid calmly interjects.
“Miss, it’s already cruel to have a stomach medicine addiction, but making him even more dependent on medicine is even more cruel.”
How rude. When I give him a stern look, he averted his eyes with a wry smile.
After resting for a while and recovering a bit, Noah-sama said he would ride the church carriage back home.
Thinking of going home as well, I headed towards the carriage with cid and Noah-sama.
At the farewell, Noah-sama took my right hand with a beautiful smile.
“Viara-sama.”
“Yes?”
“I missed the timing, but you look very beautiful today as well. The red dress suits you well.”
Without caring about my startled reaction when he suddenly held my hand, Noah-sama gently pulled my hand closer to him.
Even though I know it’s a greeting, it’s still unfamiliar to have my hand kissed on the back.
-“Hm!”
His lips were about to touch the back of my hand. . . Right before that moment, Noah-sama’s head drooped down, and he collapsed onto his knees.
“Eh?!”
Seeing Noah-sama fall to the ground, my heart started pounding.
“Oh, are you tired? This is not good.”
Cid’s nonchalant voice echoes in the night sky, and just as I thought, Noah-sama is quickly carried and thrown into the church’s carriage.
“Eh?! Oh, this ring?!”
On my left pinky finger. It was supposed to be made as a countermeasure against Prince Roque. . .?
When Cid returned, he naturally took my hand and led me to the Duke Marcus family’s carriage.
“Hey.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“The target of this ring was just Duke Roque, right? Why Noah-sama too?”
“Men are beasts.”
Even if he says it with a stern face, I can’t accept it at all.
“Is the innocent Noah-sama a beast? You must be joking.”
“Miss, you are still a child. You just don’t understand.”
I glare at Cid’s disrespectful remark, and he averts his eyes with a composed expression.
“When I danced with Count Gremial and Marquis Zeves earlier, even though we were in close contact, they didn’t fall asleep. What kind of criteria did you set?!”
“It’s based on my own judgment and prejudice.”
“How arbitrary!”
As I got into the carriage, Cid followed and sat down.
I stared at his face sitting in front of me, and he returned a bright smile.
“You don’t know who this ring will affect, right?”
“That’s not true. It only makes them fall asleep if they have ulterior motives.”
Then maybe Noah-sama is a malfunction. There’s no way such a pure person would have ulterior motives.
As the carriage starts moving slowly, I suddenly come up with a thought.
“What about Cid?”
“Yes?”
“If Cid touches me. . .will he fall asleep?”
If he has ulterior motives.
If Cid falls asleep, it means he sees me not just as a mere protected young lady, but as a romantic interest.
As I asked earnestly, he responded with a serious expression.
“Miss.”
“Yes.”
“No mage falls for their own creations.”
“That’s right! I knew it! I knew it!!”
I was a fool to ask!
I glared at Cid, who chuckled, and turned my face away.
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