The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 23.1

Eliza took my present.

Personally.

And not just appeared on her own, but came to me.

“Hey… You’re in big trouble,”

Richard said.

He was right.

Every noble here, hundreds of them, are looking at me.

Especially the men.

They glare at me with axe-like eyes.

They seem ready to pounce any moment.

“Who is he? That guy.”

“Never seen among the nobles… No, judging by his attire, not a noble.”

“Oh, you know. Eliza’s favorite took him to the guest house…”

Already somewhat of a celebrity.

I didn’t know that.

And now, I’ll become so famous that I can’t turn back.

Haha. How fun.

Unaware of my speed, Eliza walked casually.

On the edge of the red carpet, a single step up.

Above it, there was a throne-like chair, splendid and high.

Eliza couldn’t sit alone, it was so high that it had separate steps for the chair.

As she sat down, Lia cautiously approached and cleared the steps.

Eliza sat high and looked down.

Behind her, the antlers of a stag occasionally appeared.

“We thank you, esteemed guests, for gracing us with your presence, more precious than gold.”

Eliza spoke.

The voice of the young girl was calm and gentle.

Though not loud, it filled the spacious hall.

“We sincerely thank you for filling this vast, dark mansion with starlight.”

“What’s she saying?”

Someone murmured beside me.

From the voice, it seemed to be Lindel.

Indeed, metaphors and phrases difficult for us commoners to understand.

The invited nobles nodded approvingly with smiles.

“I am deeply grateful for your congratulations on my insignificant 13th birthday and I welcome you wholeheartedly. Although today I am the main character, that doesn’t mean you aren’t. Each of us is the protagonist of our own lives.”

I silently shook my head and clicked my tongue.

Eliza was never like a child.

Especially now.

In speech, in vocabulary.

“Please enjoy yourselves comfortably and may you delight in brightening this place.”

The guests applauded.

Even we the members of room number 13 were taken aback and clapped our hands.

“And my father.”

My eyes widened involuntarily.

Finally, the moment had come to see Eliza’s father in person.

“Duke Bevel extends his greetings to all the guests. Please welcome him with applause.”

Eliza grinned and turned her head sideways.

I followed her gaze.

The closest spot to where Eliza was seated.

Blond and red-eyed family members crowded around Narcissa.

From there, a middle-aged man walked out.

A massive figure.

A protruding belly but an overall sturdy physique.

I could sense the thickness typical of a well-trained person.

Large head and dense beard exuded masculinity and strength.

“As expected, that man must be Eliza’s biological father.”

I knew his name.

Barak de Bevel.

The woman waving towards Barak is Narcissa.

Next to her are blond and red-eyed youths of various ages.

Probably their children.

There wasn’t a single person among them with black hair.

Not even someone remotely resembling Eliza.

Barak stood beside Eliza.

Blonde and black hair sharply contrasted.

The only resemblance was their red eyes.

“…Ah.”

It finally dawned on me.

“Illegitimate child…”

A child born not legally through a concubine, but a mistake or misfortune.

A lineage considered a sin solely due to its existence.

In this world, birth alone is a crime.

An illegitimate child.

Barak smiled affectionately at Eliza.

Eliza did the same.

Externally, they appeared to be an affectionate father and daughter.

Barak greeted briefly.

“Please enjoy without any reservations.”

The formal reception began.

Nobles formed groups and conversed freely.

The center, naturally, was Eliza.

People crowded so tightly that Eliza was barely visible.

Only her voice could be faintly heard.

“Miss, the gift we brought from our estate…”

“Gifts are unnecessary.”

Eliza replied in a dry voice.

Although she rudely interrupted, no one pointed it out.

I couldn’t see Eliza’s expression, so I don’t know.

There was another center, which was Barak de Bevel, who had just appeared.

A large crowd had formed around him and his family, the Bevel family.

This group was larger than the one centered around Eliza.

Barak and the Bevel family.

And Eliza.

There seemed to be a clear distance between them, like spreading fingers.

“Judas? What are you doing? Let’s go eat.”

Richard took my arm and led me away.

“Oh, yes. Let’s go.”

Leaving Eliza behind, we headed to the dining hall.

For some reason, I kept wanting to look back.

The dining hall was a kind of buffet.

Guests could come in freely and eat as much food as they wanted.

Taking food outside the dining hall was also allowed.

“Wow….”

Each of us piled our plates high with meat.

The amount was enough to fill us just by looking at it.

“Ah….”

Someone sighed in ecstasy as they ate the meat.

The savory taste of oil filled their mouths.

And the flavor of spices.

It was clearly the first time they had ever tasted it.

Nobles passing by us eating shamelessly frowned and glanced at us.

As if they were looking at beggars scavenging for food.

The amount of food on their plates was so small that its not even a single bite.

The eating speed of a few nobles visibly slowed down under their gaze.

“Hey, stop caring about them. Eat heartily. Are we thieves or something?”

Richard stuffed a large piece of meat into his mouth with a fork.

“And you, Judas.”

This time, he pointed at me.

“Why are you so discouraged?”

Even with the protein I had longed for in front of me, I had no appetite.

Because of Eliza.

A bastard.

A sense of distance.

Bruises on my wrist.

Isolated mansion.

All of that intertwined into one.

Like completing a puzzle.

It bothered me, so I couldn’t bring myself to eat.

“What difference does it make if I care….”

The context is different.

The Bevel family.

Powerful figures in this world just below royalty.

Not comparable to Kale or Gulliat.

“Just because she’s a bastard doesn’t guarantee our relationship will be bad…. Hah, what an absurd optimism.”

Even if I know the future, Eliza’s abilities objectively surpass mine.

Her talent as a mage.

That ‘crazy fire’ is a power that could shake the world.

She’ll manage on her own.

In the first place, I’m not someone who will live here.

There’s no need to worry about it.

“Isn’t it because you feel the difference between her and yourself?”

“Yeah, that’s it! I realized that love that can’t happen after seeing the young lady among the nobles!”

“Accepting fate, the insurmountable class gap… Judas just accepts it and buries her in his heart…”

Nonsense.

… The words rose to my throat.

But because of that exaggerated fuss, the uncomfortable feeling subsided a bit.

It seems like I’m the only one who cares that Eliza is a bastard.

Do these kids already know?

Or whether she’s a bastard or not, is Eliza of the great nobility not a subject we can discuss?

“It’s not like that.”

I replied bluntly, stabbing at the meat with my fork.

“It’s not.”

Argon chuckled.

“That’s how you are at your age. That’s possible, right, um.”

Being treated like a child by someone much younger than me, is this okay?

I had no words to refute, and indeed, I just a little younger than Argon.

The meat was certainly delicious.

Among the things I’ve eaten since coming to this world, it suited my taste the most.

‘While there’s no need for the taste to be this luxurious, I wish I could eat this much every day….’

Forcing Eliza out of my mind, I thought of another wind.

***

Even after finishing the meal, there was still time left.

I was invited here as a guest, but I didn’t have anything particular to do here.

It wasn’t our place to socialize with other nobles or make connections in society.

I wasn’t here to promote my family’s name because I do not come from a noble background..

If I were of that status, I wouldn’t have been a candidate for a knight-in-training.

I wandered aimlessly, touring the mansion.

This is my first time seeing Eliza’s own building.

I always stayed in the annex.

I didn’t even want to come here.

Each corridor was adorned with ornate rugs, and sunlight streamed through thin, long windows.

There were either paintings or potted plants on every wall.

There wasn’t a neglected spot anywhere.

My admiration for the noble mansion was brief.

I’m still reluctant to return to my room, with nothing else to do.

In the end, we returned to the main hall.

Eliza’s birthday present delivery ceremony was underway in the hall.

It was an event where Eliza checked some of the accumulated gifts.

Eliza , seated on a high chair, tightly held the gift box I gave her.

“The next gift is said to be sent by Marquis de Viton.”

The steward, acting as the master of ceremonies, said loudly but maintaining decorum.

He was the steward who had rejected my gift earlier.

“Marquis de Viton is also famous for his exotic hunts. I’m very curious about what kind of gift has arrived.”

The steward, Master Miguel, cautiously opened the box.

It was a small leather bag.

It was a size suitable for a girl.

Marquis de Viton, the giver, came forward to explain.

“It’s a bag handmade by our family’s craftsmen, crafted from the processed hide of a large jaw crocodile. We used traditional techniques to create the most suitable color and design for the young lady….”

Eliza listened to the explanation with an expressionless face.

The Marquis, who had been unfolding, realized that she was bored and quickly stopped talking.

Eliza replied briefly with a sullen face.

“I’ll use it gratefully.”

Marquis de Viton stepped back, and the maid took the bag and carried it away elsewhere.

Just as they were about to introduce the next gift.

Eliza and I locked eyes again.

Now it’s a bit scary.

Among all these people, how could she recognize me so accurately?

Trying to discreetly avoid her gaze and hide behind, she gestured to me.

To me.

Everyone in the hall turned to look at me.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“Isn’t that the kid from earlier?”

“Oh, the one they sent to the annex…”

People around me stepped back.

Even my companions from Room 13 distanced themselves as if we weren’t traveling together.

Out of caution, I pointed to my face with my finger.

As expected, Eliza nodded.

Unable to do anything, I approached her.

The gazes pouring around me were sharp.

She sat on a tall chair, so i have to look up without kneeling.

“This.”

Eliza extended the gift box and asked,

“Can I check it here?”

Yes.

Whether it’s okay or not.

It’s yours now, so do as you please, don’t ask me.

Why do this in a crowded place?

Are you trying to annoy me on purpose?

… With those hidden intentions, I nodded.

“Yes, Miss.”

Eliza immediately tore open the gift wrapping.

Since there was no mention of returning, I awkwardly waited there.

Finally, what emerged was a sleeping black cat doll.

Eliza held it up.

Laughter erupted somewhere.

“Heh… So this is the vision of the lowly.”

“Did you think Miss would like such a childish gift?”

“Truly lacking in taste.”

A voice that mocks others while pretending to be quiet.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter.

I want to get off here.

Maybe those words are true.

Eliza probably wouldn’t like a gift like this.

However, contrary to my expectations,

Eliza hugged the doll tightly.

A gentle, weak embrace.

Somewhere, a squeal of delight escaped.

As if unable to resist Eliza’s cuteness, Confused, she smiled softly and asked me,

“By the way, why were you holding it? We received gifts separately. Didn’t Anna guide you?”

“No, no. That’s not true. Anna informed me faithfully.”

“Is that so? That means….”

Eliza slowly turned her head.

She gazed intently at the steward in charge.

The steward who had rejected my gift.

Eliza and I locked eyes, her expression quickly hardening.

Eliza nodded slowly and smiled.

“…I see. You may leave now. Thank you for the gift.”

“It’s my honor….”

She returned to her place.

I’m not sure. Am I walking properly right now?

Several nobles’ faces turned red.

It wasn’t embarrassment flushing their cheeks but rather a reaction on the brink of bursting from anger.

Among them, a young man glared at me fiercely.

‘Ah, he must be one of the brats who insulted earlier.’

I met his eyes and gave him a subtle, relaxed smile that a victor might give.

Confusion is confusion, and payback is payback.

What did I do to deserve such animosity?

Of course, I don’t consider myself a real winner.

You made me feel bad, so all I can do is return the same feeling to you.

I nodded graciously.

The young man, though his face was about to burst with redness, did not take action.

He couldn’t afford such behavior here.