"Aren't you walking a bit too fast? How about taking it easy and enjoying the scenery?"
"..."
"Knight Ferris?"
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Even after Matthew and Ferris left the fortress and reached the civilian district.
Ferris showed no sign of slowing down.
His mind was far too preoccupied to even think about his pace.
'No way... no way did that lady fall for a playboy like him!'
It was an enemy he hadn't seen coming at all.
There hadn't been the slightest hint during those two days they'd spent eating and sleeping together.
So what on earth had he done since arriving here to make the lady act like some shy maiden?
'I should have stuck by her side... was that my fatal mistake?'
After accompanying the lady and Matthew to meet the Northern Archduke, Ferris hadn't been able to guard her.
Once they'd entered the fortress, there weren't any real threats anyway.
And even an exclusive escort knight was usually given a day or two of rest after a mission.
But he never imagined she'd fall in that short time.
"Knight Ferris!"
"Quiet."
"Knight Ferris, not that—if you keep walking like this—"
"I said quiet! ...Eek!!"
Bam!
Ferris felt a sharp pain in his head as he walked straight into something and tumbled down.
Clutching his throbbing forehead, he looked up to see a stall post jutting out.
Lost in thoughts of Matthew, he hadn't even watched where he was going.
Matthew reached out a hand with a worried look.
"Are you all right? I tried to warn you about the obstacle ahead..."
"...Don't warn me about that. Just get to the point."
"Sorry."
Ferris hesitantly took Matthew's hand and stood.
Though he'd accepted the help, his face was still full of displeasure.
'Was it these little acts of consideration that landed a critical hit on the lady?'
He was a rare kind of man in the North.
Suspicious looks aside, Northern men were all burly, muscle-bound machos with zero consideration.
They believed that was the right way and acted accordingly.
But Matthew, not from the North, was different.
He wasn't overly muscled, giving him a lean build that wasn't scrawny at all.
His tailored suit accentuated his figure perfectly.
Suspicious appearance notwithstanding, objectively speaking... he was the kind of pretty boy Northerners might call a "parasite brother-in-law."
"Why are you staring like that?"
"...It's nothing. Anyway, Matthew, how exactly did you seduce the lady?"
"Seduce...? What do you mean?"
Matthew genuinely cocked his head, as if he had no idea.
"Isn't 'seduce' usually for, like, conquering a fortress?"
"I mean how you pierced her ironclad defenses."
"Hmm...? Sorry, I don't really follow..."
"Ugh..."
"More importantly, look over there. There's a stall."
Despite Ferris's glare, Matthew stayed focused on sightseeing.
Before they knew it, they'd reached the heart of the fortress city's civilian district.
A fountain frozen like a work of art, with a square radiating out from it.
Four major roads stretched from the square in all directions, bustling with carriages, people, and stalls.
"Knight Ferris, look! Northern special lamb skewers. Let's try some!"
"..."
Ferris shot a glare at Matthew, who was excited like a child.
He had no choice but to follow along.
The lady had ordered him to keep Matthew company, after all.
"Welcome! One skewer?"
"No, two please."
"Hmm... friends with the knight, eh? No offense, but you got the coin for it?"
The skewer vendor eyed Matthew's face.
Maybe it was prejudice, but guys with shady looks like that often grabbed their food and bolted.
Matthew casually opened the chest pocket on his suit jacket.
"How much per skewer?"
"One imperial silver each."
"Two it is, then. Hmm... but I only have gold coins. Can you make change?"
"Y-Yes?!"
"You lunatic!"
The sudden gold coin from his pocket startled not just the vendor, but Ferris too.
One imperial gold was worth a hundred silvers.
Buying two skewers and getting ninety-eight silvers back.
But that wasn't the real issue.
"Put that away, quick!"
"Pardon? Ah... got it."
"Flashing gold in a market like this is like advertising 'pickpocket me!'"
Northern winters were brutal.
Beasts starved by the cold prowled villages when they couldn't find game.
And it wasn't just beasts.
Winter meant fewer outings and vanishing jobs as a matter of course.
Those without savings turned to plundering like beasts just to survive.
To their eyes, Matthew looked like a plump, juicy chicken.
"I was clueless. My apologies."
"Just don't do it. No silvers either. I'll cover it."
He pulled out a silver and paid for the skewers.
God forbid Matthew fumbled for change and dropped a gold coin.
"Here are your two skewers! Thanks for your service, knight!"
"...Sigh. Here, two skewers."
"Ah, one is fine for me."
"What? Then why'd you want two?"
Matthew took one skewer and pressed the other into Ferris's hand.
"I wanted to buy one for you, Knight Ferris, for helping with my sightseeing... but things got awkward."
"I've eaten hundreds of these since I was a kid..."
"But doesn't it taste better shared?"
"..."
Matthew smiled and took a bite of his skewer.
He seemed to like it, flashing a bright, innocent grin.
The spice powder sprinkled to mask the mutton's gaminess dusted his lips.
Ferris let out a small sigh and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.
"So sloppy."
"Ah, sorry about that. In more ways than one."
"Whatever. I paid, so... I'll eat it. Sounds weird saying it."
Ferris took a bite, his feelings a complicated mix.
Still hot from the grill, the warmth seeped into his body.
In that moment, Ferris realized.
"You... you!"
"Yes? What's wrong?"
"You—ban that."
"...?"
"Sharing skewers all natural-like to show consideration, smearing your lips to trigger maternal instincts! Banned in front of the lady!"
Ferris was convinced this airheaded side of Matthew had bewitched her.
In battle, he displayed overwhelming prowess that chilled onlookers to the bone...
But afterward, he showed pure innocence that made you want to look after him.
How advanced was this? Ferris shuddered faintly.
...If she'd met him not as a "knight pretending to be a man," but as an ordinary woman, it would have been dangerous.
At least she never took off her helmet in front of him.
"Sorry, but I don't get what's banned. Should I just not get sauce on my lips...?"
"Yeah, that's banned too."
"Hmm... Understood. I'll eat carefully. I'm ignorant of Northern customs, after all."
"No, it's not—"
Haah.
Matthew carefully nibbled his skewer, avoiding his lips.
A speck of powder touched anyway, startling him.
He flashed an embarrassed smile and wiped it with his thumb.
"Tougher than it looks. I'll keep at it."
"...Banned."
"Pardon?"
"Don't obey so innocently and flaunt that pure charm! Especially not in front of the lady!"
The argument flew between a baffled Matthew and a heart-pounding, furious Ferris.
In the midst of their vague back-and-forth.
Thud!
Someone bumped Matthew's shoulder and strode off quickly.
"Oh? Sorry."
"...What was that? Who bumped you?"
"Yeah, I should've dodged better... haha."
"Idiot! Not that. Check your pockets!"
"My pockets?"
"Not those!"
As Matthew fumbled with his pants pocket, Ferris thrust her hand straight into his chest pocket.
'...Ah?'
Ferris instantly regretted it.
Come to think of it, this was her first time groping another man's chest.
She flushed late, but her hand was already inside.
Stopping now would look even weirder, so she kept digging.
No gold coin.
She withdrew her hand—strangely warm—and pointed at the bumper.
It was also to hide her burning face from Matthew.
"Th-there! That guy who bumped you—he's a pickpocket! After him!"
"Pickpocket...? Really?"
"...Tch!"
The man who'd bumped Matthew glared back.
A glimpse of something golden in his hand.
Pickpocket confirmed.
"He's running! Get him!"
The thief bolted, and Ferris and Matthew gave chase.
"Haha, things are getting fun! An incident like this!"
"...You pick now to say that?!!"
Matthew just grinned through the sudden pursuit.