The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 36.2

I made Eliza wait too long.

We hurried to the carriage.

Eliza was visible through the half-open door.

Expression like a doll.

But….

“…Is she angry?”

It’s subtly different from usual.

Is she sulking, throwing a fit, or both? Or is it?

Anyway, it’s a very subtle difference. Is it because of her mood?

“…You’re late.”

“Yes?”

“No, come in.”

Eliza and Lia sat facing each other.

I sat next to Lia.

There was no particular intention.

Eliza stared at me.

Large, clear pupils like a cat’s.

Sometimes she acts like a cat.

“May I also join?”

Hermes asked, and Eliza nodded.

She sat next to Eliza.

The carriage started.

Not asking would probably mean she wouldn’t tell me, so I asked Eliza.

“But… Did you say you had something for me?”

“We’re going there now. To see that matter.”

“Where are we going?”

“To buy flowers.”

“…Yes?”

Eliza didn’t explain further.

She looked out the passing window with her chin resting on her hand.

The landscape passed over red eyes.

“…Wait, why flowers all of a sudden?”

I glanced at Lia briefly.

She seemed indifferent.

Or maybe she didn’t know.

But the gaze from Lia looking down at me suddenly seemed colder than usual.

I cautiously raised my head.

I met Hermes head-on.

She asked with her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

I don’t know either….

***

She said we were going to buy flowers, but Eliza brought me to a flower shop.

I’ve never seen so many flowers in my life.

It’s not just a place that sells flowers; it’s like a garden here.

The spacious garden was full of people tending to the flowers.

There was no one who looked like a customer.

A woman who seemed to be the owner came out to greet us.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Eliza. I heard you were coming, so I’ve made sure you can look around comfortably.”

…Did Eliza really clear out this entire space because of me?

It’s a bewildering reception.

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Okay.”

Unlike me, Eliza seemed uncertain.

He gave a brief answer and looked at me.

“Choose.”

“…Huh?”

“I want to buy a potted plant, but I don’t know what’s good.”

“Um, well. I really don’t have any taste in these things…”

“It’s okay.”

What’s this about?

What does she want from me?

Is this some kind of new high-handedness?

I have absolutely no idea of her intentions.

Why bother?

But if the owner insists, I’ll have to.

There was no need to wander around the large garden.

Among the many displayed flowers and potted plants, I found a familiar name.

“Anemone?”

It’s the flower Anna chose for me last time.

But back then, they were already grown and being sold.

Now they’re only in pots, not growing at all.

Were they just planted from seeds?

“Anyway, whatever I choose will be fine.”

So I decided to pick something familiar.

“How about this one?”

Eliza came up beside me.

I checked the name of the flower.

“Anemone….”

She smiled brightly, not sure why.

I don’t know anymore. Now.

I thought she was being difficult, but suddenly she’s asking me to choose flowers and laughing alone.

It’s easier to think there’s a cat inside.

A cat that goes wherever it wants.

Eliza told the garden owner,

“Give me two of these.”

“Understood. Will you take them right away?”

“Yeah.”

The owner soon brought two new pots.

They were securely packaged and handed over to Lia.

The inexplicable flower shopping ended like that.

As I was about to leave, I got on the carriage, and Eliza tapped her seat next to her.

“Sit here.”

“……”

It was clearly meant for me.

I followed without saying anything.

Eliza and I sat side by side.

On the opposite side were Hermes and Lia.

With a different arrangement from when we set off, the carriage started moving again.

“What… What’s going on here…!”

My head was complicated and confused.

***

Hermes shares a room with Anna.

That is, across from my room.

To respond quickly in emergencies.

After eating a hearty dinner, I returned to my room to rest, but…

“Why is this here?”

There was a pot of sea anemone I bought earlier.

On the bedside table.

When I asked Anna, she said it was a gift from Eliza.

I quietly put down the pot.

It’s still just soil without anything blooming.

If well cared for, the sea anemone will bloom into flowers someday.

Tragedy.

Eliza choking my neck.

The more Eliza acts like this, the more vividly the scene comes to mind.

As if warning me not to let my guard down.

***

Even though Eliza changed into fluffy pajamas, she didn’t forget the red blanket.

She wears it around her neck when going out.

Like when Judas first put it around her.

Sh doesn’t need it when she sleeps.

She casually uses it like a blanket and covers it with a quilt.

Even with the cat doll, everything is perfectly prepared for a good night’s sleep.

Eliza lay on her side and looked out the window.

Judas and the potted plant.

There were still unblooming sea anemones scattered on the windowsill.

Moonlight shatters outside the window.

It illuminates the pot like soft lighting.

Seeing that sight, Eliza smiled gently and fell asleep.

“Should I fill the mansion’s garden with sea anemones…?”

***

Watering once a week.

Plenty when watering once.

Place it near the window to receive sunlight as much as possible.

It’s winter, but it’s okay to leave it by the window at night as long as you don’t open the window.

So, I’m taking care of a potted plant for the first time in my life.

It’s been a few days already.

Since it hasn’t been a week yet, I watered it only once.

But I worry unnecessarily and end up checking it every day.

“Since I can’t see anything… Is it alive?”

It’s something the noble owner gave me, so if it dies, I’ll die too.

“If I kill the sea anemone, it’s a tragic future with a choking neck… Surely that won’t happen.”

What was that tragedy?

The only hope to avoid tragedy.

It’s not a game where choices are given.

It became reality where I move and judge.

Can I escape the tragedy called fate by running away?

Or is it valid to prepare a way to deal with it when that situation arises?

The reason Eliza has to choke my neck.

Will I die then?

If so, why did Eliza have to do such a thing?

Although Eliza now sometimes looks creepy, he doesn’t seem to suddenly choke my neck.

The present and the future where tragedy unfolds.

Gap between them.

What’s happening?

The reason.

Eliza’s thoughts, if I could only know.

A sudden question comes to mind.

A question Eliza asked once.

“How do you see me?”

If I return that question exactly, what would Eliza say?

Looking at the sea anemone pot that hasn’t even sprouted yet, I fell into a restless mood.

***

“Lord Judas.”

Hermes spoke with a heavy, sinking voice.

‘Right now, I was about to return with her to the mansion.’

The smiling Knights’s face stiffens.

Only her pupils move as she looks down at her wristwatch.

I asked casually, trying not to show my nervousness.

“Why is that?”

“Your reputation precedes you, and your popularity is remarkable.”

“Um…?”

“There’s someone following us.”

I nodded calmly, despite feeling startled inside. I couldn’t afford to show it.

“There might have been someone watching me from afar even the first day I met you Judas. I wasn’t sure then, so I didn’t mention it, but it’s been following me consistently for days now.”

“…For how many days?”

Hermes looked at me and then smiled confidently.

“You can rest assured. Didn’t the lady choose me precisely for such situations?”

“Lady chose you herself?”

“After a selection process, yes. That’s…”

Hermes suddenly stopped talking.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled and asked,

“Will you now go to the lady’s mansion?”

“Excuse me? Oh, well… Training is over, so I should return.”

“Hurry up. Isn’t the lady eagerly waiting for her ‘one and only’ knight?”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at Hermes’s abrupt joke.

She was smiling mischievously, like teasing a child.

One of her laughing eyes winked.

“…What’s going on? Why is she like this? Wink? I’m quite young myself, right? Well, maybe Hermes and I aren’t that far apart in age… But more importantly, I…”

My fleeting, trivial thoughts quickly disappeared.

She had sent me a signal.

We are currently being followed.

“So, it means there’s only one person following us…”

One more clue emerged.

She stopped what she was about to say and changed the subject.

‘The other party is within earshot of our conversation.’

I decided to play along with her tempo.

“Don’t talk loudly about trouble. I’m not a knight yet, and I’m not skilled enough. By the way, Hermes, what level of knight are you? Compared to an average knight?”

“Well… I belong to the junior ranks, but I’m confident in my abilities.”

“I’d like to see that.”

“Soon enough, there’ll be an opportunity.”

When we reached the main gate of the training ground and turned right, we found the place where the carriages were parked.

Our carriage was there too.

As usual, we headed there naturally.

There were no people on the way.

Not a long way to go.

A brief moment of silence.

Suddenly, the woman walking beside me disappeared.

Thump! A loud sound of something falling behind me.

“Ugh…!”

When I turned around, I saw a man lying down and Hermes pinning him down.

She acted so swiftly that I didn’t notice beside her.

‘I knew she was skilled, but from this age onwards…’

My admiration was brief.

Hermes had pinned down a man who had fallen beneath her knee.

“This guy was following me.”

Hermes confirmed my suspicions.

Underneath him lay the follower—a knight.

Shylock.

Even in this situation, he smiled foolishly.

“Wow, you’re much stronger than I heard. Lady Hermes.”

I quietly descended into Shylock.

I do not know the purpose this person pursued me for.

The possibility that Shylock harbored personal resentment against me is slim.

It may be possible, but it’s not important.

What matters now is that I know Shylock quite well.

‘A person who would risk their life for what they desire, without being swayed by petty emotions.’

And perhaps I even know what his current wish is.

And how to fulfill that wish as well.

“How will you handle this?”

Hermes asked Shylock’s disposition.

How should I resolve this situation?

Reluctantly, Eliza’s way of thinking is quite useful at times like this.

‘Fortunately, I know a bit about this man called Shylock. Having heard about his past from a future perspective, he wouldn’t have pursued me for mere personal reasons at this point. Clearly, there must be forces behind Shylock’s orders. I’ll seize Shylock’s weakness and use it.’

If it were Eliza, she would exploit Shylock to uncover those hidden forces.

Dealing with just Shylock right now would be a loss.

So how should I use him?

Even I can’t imitate that.

So, let’s go with something simple and brute.

My way.

I crouched in front of him and directly brought up the main point.

Probably the subject of his ambition.

How fortunate I am to be someone who knows the future.

“Would you like to solve the incurable diseases of your family?”

Shylock’s face quickly hardens.

The narrow smile in his eyes widens, and he glares at me fiercely.

Now I am the one calmly smiling.

With just one word, the tables have turned.