10 Butterflies in the Stomach (1/2)

TILLY could feel the curious gaze of the other customers in Velvety towards her and Kiho.

[Well, I'll ignore them as long as they don't approach us with hostility.]

Plus, she and the captain were busy lining up while looking up at the menu board. Velvety just opened but it was swarming with customers. The owner of the café was the wife of Viscount Blakely so most of the patrons were nobles, too.

If she remembered it right, the viscount's wife was a noble from a neighboring country.

[No wonder the menu is very strange from the usual food served in the Royal Capital.]

”Kiho, they have crab cake,” Tilly said to the captain, then she looked up at him (literally because he was just so tall). ”Would you like to get that?”

”Yeah, it sounds good,” Kiho said in his usual monotonous voice. ”What else would you be getting?”

The captain's face was back to being stoic. She also noticed that he was stiffer than usual. By that, she could tell that he was on his guard. It was as if he was expecting an ambush anytime and he was prepared for it.

[My poor captain.]

”I'd like to try their shrimp avocado toast,” she said while looking at the array where the café's various bestsellers were displayed. ”And some pastries. Their macarons look good. The cookies, too. Oh my gosh. I think I'd like to have muffins and brownies, too. But I'm worried about my tummy. I don't want to get bloated.”

[It's gonna be hard to breathe because of my damned corset.]

The captain visibly relaxed while looking at her (probably) excited face. ”Don't worry about it, Tilly. I don't mind even if you get some weight. Actually, I'm worried that a mere gush of wind would be enough to literally blow you away.”

So, he was saying that she looked too thin to him.

The giddiness she felt made her giggle. ”Oh, Captain. You're making the butterflies in my stomach ram against my tummy.”

”You have butterflies in your stomach?” Kiho asked in a shocked voice. ”Tilly, it's not healthy to eat butterflies. Are you okay? Should I bring you to a hospital?”

She was stunned by the captain's innocence.

When she realized that he took her words literally, she burst out laughing. Then, she couldn't stop herself from playfully hitting Kiho's chest.

The captain blinked in surprise, but he also looked amused by her reaction.

[I didn't know that Kiho has a funny side!]

But her happy mood was ruined when she heard the sudden loud buzz around them.

That was when she realized that everyone in the café was giving them strange looks. Just like how people in the streets looked at them a while ago.

She looked up at Kiho to make him feel less uncomfortable. But then, she realized that she didn't have to do anything.

The captain's gaze was fixed on her face. He seemed so focused on her that he probably didn't hear or notice that the people around them were talking about them again. But the best thing about it was Kiho's face was so bright and his eyes were sparkling.

He wasn't smiling but he looked really happy.

[Does this cinnamon roll really look like a monster to other people?]

”Kiho, stop being cute,” Tilly playfully scolded him. Then, she linked her arms with his and gently pulled him to the counter because it was their turn to order. ”Come on. Let's get our food for our boat ride.”

His face seemed to glow even more when they walked arm by arm. ”Tilly, I'll buy you all the food you want.”

She laughed softly at that. ”Thank you.”

Kiho's innocence face was gone instantly when he faced the female staff on the counter. Suddenly, the captain returned to his usual intimidating look.

The poor girl visibly shivered in fear. She couldn't even look at Kiho's face. So she just turned to her as if she was silently asking for help.

[Chill, girl. My captain won't hurt you. He just put up his guard because he could sense your fear and that's making him really uncomfortable.]

But unfortunately, Tilly couldn't say that to the staff. ”Hi. We'd like to get two sets of crab cake and shrimp avocado toast. Then, we'd also get one of all the desserts on the display cabinet.” After placing their order, she motioned her hands to Kiho. ”Please give the receipt to the handsome gentleman here. Thank you.”

Kiho didn't say anything but he looked happy and proud that she was letting him pay for their food.

[I'm so glad to discover this side of my captain in this lifetime.]

***

TILLY was amazed that the ”take-out order” from Velvety Café came with an old-style picnic box. Also, they bought tea. The café owner gave them a tea set (cups, teaspoons, saucers, and tea pot) that she put in a bigger basket.

Well, it cost them a fortune because the tea set wasn't cheap. But Kiho didn't seem to mind. In fact, he looked really happy when he paid.

Now, they were walking to the riverside to rent a boat. Unfortunately, she couldn't link her arm with his because he was carrying a basket in each of his hand. So now, she was carrying her parasol. She wanted to put the umbrella above his head but he was too tall for her to reach.

”Tilly, you can ask Damian to carry the parasol for you,” Kiho told her.

Damian was walking behind them. He didn't enter the café a while ago but he stood guard outside.

”I can manage,” Tilly said with a giggle. Then, she turned to Kiho and noticed that his snake-shaped golden brooch was glowing in yellowish light. She knew that it wasn't just an ordinary brooch– it was actually a communication device. ”Captain, you can answer the call. It might be important.”