CH 244

Words : 1013 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

I Turned Down Ms. Anne “Hah… It’s like the moment after a storm.” “Wuff…” Now that Sebastian and Tilura had left, and it was just me and Leo in the room, I let out a sigh. Leo was sighing as well… Yes, who wouldn’t be exasperated by that? “Still… Ms. Claire…” “Wuff-wuff. Wuff?” “No, I can’t do that. She is a noblewoman. I couldn’t…” As I was thinking about how Ms. Claire had been acting before the door opened, Leo suddenly called to me. But I didn’t want to think about what she was saying… It was surprising that Leo would think of such a thing in the first place… Was it because she was a Silver Fenrir? In any case, I had been quite nervous with Ms. Claire. Ever since we had first met, I always found her to be attractive. And it was all the more evident when I was so close that I could touch her. Ms. Claire did have a rather wild side, but was also a proper lady. She never acted self-important. In fact, she seemed to dislike such people. And so even if I didn’t know anything about manners, she taught me patiently and said I shouldn’t worry about it too much. Even though I was probably making a lot of mistakes without knowing it… Regardless, up until a moment ago, we had been so close… “…I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep if I keep thinking about it.” “Wuff.” “Alright, time for bed, Leo. It’s already quite late.” “Wuff-wuff.” I said to Leo, and then petted her a little after she curled up next to the bed. And then I went into my own bed. After all, I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I kept thinking about it… And I had things to do tomorrow, so I had to hurry up and sleep. …But before I fall asleep, I have to think about how I’m going to tell Ms. Anne… That’s what I thought, but then my mind kept drifting to Ms. Claire, and so I just closed my eyes. ———— The next day, I washed up, dressed and went down to the dining hall with Leo. A lot had happened yesterday, and I wasn’t able to sleep as early as I would have liked. Thankfully, Leo woke me up in the morning. When we arrived, Tilura was rubbing her tired eyes and petting Sherry. As for Sherry, she was curled up on a chair next to Tilura and sleeping. Well, they had stayed up pretty late as well. “Good morning, Ms. Claire, Tilura, Ms. Anne.” “Good morning, Mr. Takumi.” “Go…ood…yawn…morning…” We greeted each other and then I sat down. Tilura was so sleepy that she wasn’t able to talk properly. But Ms. Anne seemed fine. Her hair was perfectly set with vertical rolls, and she was sitting straight. Though, she was sitting as far away from Sherry as possible. “…Is Mr. Ekenhart still sleeping?” “Yes. The same as always.” I did not see him in the dining hall. It had been this way before. And since Ms. Claire would have been scolding him late into the night, he would find it even harder to get up. And while Ms. Claire didn’t seem to be tired at a glance, I could see that she had dark rings under her eyes. …For how long had she been angry at Mr. Ekenhart? “Now, let’s eat.” “Yes.” “Wuff.” “Kyau.” The food that Ms. Helena made was served, and we all started eating. The smell seemed to help wake up Tilura and Sherry. Especially Sherry. The moment that the food was brought in, she raised her head and her eyes widened. She really was sensitive to smell. “It is rather good.” “Helena…our head cook, is quite brilliant.” Ms. Anne said as she ate her breakfast. Now that I thought about it, Ms. Helena had the day off yesterday, so this was Ms. Anne’s first time experiencing her cooking. And as Ms. Claire said, Ms. Helena’s food was very delicious. They were proud of their cook. As Ms. Anne ate with pleased expression, I glanced towards Ms. Claire and nodded. Once breakfast was finished, I would have to give her my answer. “Hah… I am satisfied. Ms. Claire, it must be quite a luxury to eat this every day.” “I wouldn’t say that. It’s just that she is very good. The actual ingredients are nothing special. …Unless you are saying that having such a cook is a luxury.” After breakfast, we drank some tea that was made by Ms. Lyra and Milina. And as I listened to the others talk, I thought about what to say. While I had decided what to do after talking with Ms. Claire, I still wasn’t sure how to say it. Well, maybe it was better to not overthink it. “Uhh…” “That’s right, Mr. Takumi. Have you come to a decision?” Just as I was about to talk to Ms. Anne, she suddenly turned and asked the question first. I was a little stunned…but pushed myself to continue. “…About that. The answer is no.” “…What? What do you just say? It sounded like you were rejecting…a most generous offer that I did not have to make.” “Exactly. I refuse.” Apparently, Ms. Anne found this difficult to believe. And so I made it very clear to her. Though, I was a little nervous, and my hands were clenched tightly under the table, and I was sweating a little. As for Ms. Claire, she was positively delighted by this blunt rejection, and she was beaming with joy. “…Surely… You are not going to throw away this chance to become a noble? Do you really mean to refuse me?” “Yes.” Ms. Anne was still in disbelief. For the vast majority of common folk in this world, being a noble was a very appealing prospect. However, it was not that appealing to me.

CH 244

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