I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

Chapter 60: The Barony of Esquente (2)

The last dessert served was a pudding filled with fruit. Sirien’s face lit up as she took bite after bite of the pudding.

“Do you want to have mine, too?”

“Is that okay...?”

“I’m not really craving sweets right now.”

“Then, yes! Thanks!”

She wore a bright smile. Seeing her that happy made it worth giving up the pudding. Meanwhile, I gnawed on a bit more meat to fill up, while Sirien was lost in bliss, savoring her pudding.

The baron, on the other hand… was still swimming in a sea of despair.

“Should I first recruit some of the more amicable nobles...? But then, how many nobles would actually oppose Count Eloran ...?”

Baron Esquente was often considered a maverick in noble society. Up in the northern frontlines, commoners who achieved great feats in battle sometimes became nobles, and some of the more established aristocrats didn’t take kindly to this new class of nobles.

Count Eloran, it seemed, felt these newcomers were a threat to his position.

Well, it wasn’t entirely baseless. If the northern commanders gained more influence, Count Eloran ’s voice would indeed diminish. The former Count Eloran —my grandfather—didn’t seem to care much for these power struggles, but it seemed this generation was different.

After a long silence, Baron Esquente suddenly let out a wail.

“Ahhhh! Oh, heavens! Why have you burdened me with such trials? I can’t see anything! My future is pitch dark, not a glimmer of hope! I’m doomed; I’m bound to die like this!”

“If you’re not eating, I’ll take yours, too.”

“Absolutely not, Saintess. I’ll eat it right away.”

“Tsk.”

Sirien clicked her tongue. She must’ve been eyeing the new dessert all along. It had been a while since I’d seen her indulge her gluttony.

“Ha. I suppose I’ll give it some more thought. Eventually, a good idea should come to me. How much does Count Eloran know about this?”

“Hard to say. It’s pretty clear he knows about the leak.”

“So, the rest is uncertain. Still, thinking that we might’ve been blindsided sends chills down my spine. That’s quite an unexpected gain.”

“If you’re that grateful, then perhaps...”

“No. I told you, I’m eating it now. But I did secure that book you asked me for last time. Consider that my thanks this time.”

Baron Esquente rejected firmly, quickly devouring his pudding, as if worried it might actually get taken. Though, I doubt Sirien would go that far.

The Saintess pursed her lips and popped a grape into her mouth.

“Too much greed will get you punished.”

“I’d rather not hear that from you, Saintess. Ah, Sir Razen, are you heading straight to the training ground?”

“Unless something comes up. Is Sir Malon there?”

“Yes, he was there before I came to greet you. Now that we’ve finished the meal, shall we meet shortly? Saintess, please follow me.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

I waved goodbye to Sirien and headed toward the manor’s backyard.

* * *

[Sirien Eilencia]

After sending Razen off, I followed Baron Esquente to the study.

He often went out of his way to obtain books I needed. There was a history book I’d requested earlier, and he managed to get it sooner than expected.

He mentioned it might take a few more weeks due to its rarity, but Baron Esquente could always find a way if you pressured him enough.

As we walked down the long corridor, I noticed it was unusually quiet. Then, his chatty mouth opened again.

“Saintess, I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“How far have things progressed with Sir Razen?”

“W-What?”

Baron Esquente looked at me as if he couldn’t understand my reaction. I was utterly flabbergasted.

Shouldn’t I be the one feeling embarrassed here?

“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? Normally, you’d have to mind others, but this time it was just the two of you heading to Requitas. Are you telling me nothing progressed there?”

“Progressed? What are you talking about?”

“Seriously, Saintess. Did nothing happen at all? You went to Requitas with a man, just the two of you, and you’re saying you only worked? Aren’t you interested in getting closer to Sir Razen?”

“G-Get closer? Shut up!”

I glanced around hurriedly, but luckily, there was no one nearby. If even a single servant overheard this conversation, I’d have to eliminate everyone for the sake of my honor and dignity.

How could he say something like that without even batting an eye? I was so embarrassed, I didn’t know where to look.

Maybe I was wrong to tolerate this guy. I should’ve just ignored him, no matter what happened to him.

Making a deal with Count Eloran would’ve been better!

“You. Do you seriously have the time to worry about things like this, considering what happened earlier?”

“Oh, come now, that’s that, and this is this. There’s no point in brooding over something that won’t be solved just by worrying. I’ll just sit at my office desk and think it over properly when the time comes.”

“Ugh, you’re insufferable.”

“So, do you need my help or not?”

…But, Baron Esquente was my ally. Since he’d noticed my feelings with that sharp intuition of his, he had subtly been lending me his support.

The fact that I liked Razen was supposed to be an ironclad secret. How in the world did he figure it out?

In any case, I was in desperate need of help right now. I’d even borrow a cat’s paw if it could help me.

“Well… it’s not like nothing happened.”

“Finally! At last!”

“Shh! What if someone hears you?”

“Do you think I’d be that careless? There’s no one around here, I assure you. So, care to share what happened? Of course, no need to be too specific. Haha! I’m not that shameless.”

Shameless? Is there really anything shameless about this conversation?

Anyway, I was glad to have a chance to boast a little. I’d been itching to share this. I reached out my wrist toward the baron.

It was almost disappointing that he hadn’t noticed this yet.

“Look at this bracelet. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Oh…? Yes, it’s, uh, quite a lovely bracelet. Not all jewelry needs to be covered in expensive gems to be valuable... It suits you very well.”

“Doesn’t it? You really have an eye for things. Razen got it for me as a gift. I think he bought it while I was busy picking out clothes!”

“Ah… I see….”

For some reason, the baron’s energy deflated visibly.

But that was none of my business. Razen’s bracelet still sparkled on my wrist, and I loved the way it gleamed.

Honestly, it was the perfect bracelet, something that had become my solace whenever I had a moment to myself lately.

“So, did you and Sir Razen… kiss?”

“K-K-Kiss?! How improper!”

“So, I guess you didn’t. I figured as much. Not surprised at all.”

“Razen and I are not in that kind of shallow, vulgar relationship. It’s much, much more…”

“So, you don’t want to?”

“U-ugh.”

And just like that, I ended up imagining it.

My face burned, and I rubbed my face with my hands to cool down. I couldn’t get any words out.

If I said anything wrong now, I might just bite my tongue and look like a fool.

Even I understood the basics of relationships between men and women by now. It was impossible not to, having spent so much time among rough mercenaries.

I’d even witnessed a kiss or two in real life.

So, would I someday kiss Razen, too? Lips meeting lips, pressing against each other as if to devour each other, glistening with a hint of slickness…

And then, maybe I’d even feel his tongue—

“Eek! No, not yet!”

“Whoa! What on earth were you imagining?”

“Shut up. It’s all your fault for saying those useless things!”

“Ouch! Not the shin! That really hurts, you know!”

Even after hitting the baron’s shin five times, my anger didn’t subside. Watching him hop around, clutching his leg, only irritated me further.

“Ow, I’m bleeding here! I was only trying to help out of pure goodwill. This is too harsh.”

“The only thing too harsh here is that mouth of yours. Try saying something out of line one more time, and I won’t let it slide.”

“Hiss… Understood. I may have been a bit too hasty. I underestimated the strength of your bond.”

After giving the baron a beating, my pounding heart finally started to calm down.

Razen was probably out there swinging his sword without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the trouble I was going through.

Just thinking about it made me feel slighted. I’d make sure he gave me a shoulder massage later today.

The baron, who had been clutching his leg for quite a while, finally managed to stand up again. When we arrived at the study, there was a luxurious-looking book placed on the shelf. The baron handed it to me with a smug smile.

“By the way, Saintess, it’s not like you have much to do for the time being, right? You’ve got some time to kill until that informant arrives.”

“True.”

“I’ll need some time myself. I can’t finalize my next moves until I’ve sorted everything out.”

He was right. The baron would need to assess his connections and tally up any funds he could raise from the merchants.

All of that would take quite a bit of effort; it wasn’t something that could be done in a day or two.

As for me, this was probably my most relaxed time. Now that I’d informed the baron, the matter with Count Eloran was halfway out of my hands.

It’s not like I had absolutely nothing to do, but I definitely had some spare time.

“So, you’re asking for help?”

“Of course, I’ll need the Saintess’ help eventually, but that’s a conversation for a few days from now. For now, why not take this opportunity to enjoy the festival here in my territory?”

“A festival? Here?”

“The harvest is over, and the frontlines are quiet. If not now, then when? I’d say it’ll probably start tomorrow.”

The baron leaned in closer. Even though there was no one around, he lowered his voice as if he were about to share something important.

“Well, about this festival…”

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