Chapter 19-20 (2/2)

child? But e first met he addressed me as Lady Or is it because I was

his friend’s daughter? 『hekon』[1]

I guess

because he sees me as a child that’s why I can sit on his knees, but I cannot

say that he has treated me badly (Zuben: He wants to eat your tofu!)

I sighed

inwardly

As I tried to

shake off the negative thoughts, the carriage came to a stop

The steward

came to the door, ‘We have arrived’ He announced

The general

carried me off his knees and put me on the seat Because I was so nervous, my

bueneral, on the other hand, did not

look nervous at all He got off the carriage and held a hand for me to come

down Once I safely alighted, he tucked my hand in his elbow and escorted me

into the theatre

Aly, I’m

already exhausted

♢

The grand

foyer of the theatre was filled with people eously dresses

ladies and gentleled with each other The scent of a

thousand perfumes filled the air The theatre could be said to be a microcosm

of society You could see new fashi+on trends, hear the latest rumours, and

learn the flow of societal leanings So when father and mother came to the

play, it wasn’t just about the play

When I entered

the foyer on the General’s arm, there was a noticeable drop in the din of

conversation before it started again I could not enjoy the atmosphere, but I

gave a small smile

You know my

hearing isn’t bad right, you person whispering about ht

as alked past Most of the people who looked atrather

derisive, even though I ith General Brennan (Zuben: gossip folks)

I’m sorry I

have put you in this uncomfortable situation, General

I wish I could

go home, but I want to see the play Yet, I don’t want to ruin General Brennan’s

reputation (Zuben: the little kitten wants to protect the bear Cute!) So I

took a deep breath and began to say,

‘General

Brennan, I…’ but the general put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer,

‘Lady Fredericka,

is your throat dry?’ he asked, ‘Let’s have a drink at the bar before we go in,’

he said with that deep voice, I could only nod like a doll and let myself be

steered away

The theatre’s

bar was a rooolden and dim It had

an air of inti in low

tones A pianist played a soft tune that did not intrude on the atmosphere

I don’t drink

alcohol much, so I was a bit overwhelmed by the mature atmosphere of the bar

‘Would you

prefer so sweet?’ he asked

‘I’m not

sure,’ I replied

I don’t know

much about alcohol, and I don’t have eneral

nodded and asked the bartender for a light fruit cocktail I wonder what kind

of drink it would be

‘I once had a

sip of my mother’s drink before’ I said to General Brennan, ‘it burned my

throat and made me feel dizzy and weak’ He chuckled at my story

The general

see to me, so beautiful

Earlier, he

had a dark expression with a murderous intent, but now, his expression was relaxed

and he was s The world faded around us and I could see no one else but

him

The bartender

placed our drinks before us His was ae

‘It’s mostly

juice, but have a little sip just to be sure you like it’ He said

As he

instructed, I took a little sip The first blush was bitterness that made my

tongue numb but immediately a sweet fresh fruity flavour neutralised it

‘It’s

delicious’ I said

The general

sin to warm up Was I

getting drunk? So quick? Am I okay? (Zuben: You are drunk Drunk on lurrve)

‘Well, well,

well…’

My gaze was

pulled reluctantly from the General by the loud voice that interrupted the

bar’s intimate ambience

[1] That’s her

depressed uess

Zuben: The author

was concerned that so

alcohol Her e is simply: different world-different common sense My

ht upset by this: you have time o~