The Reincarnated Villainous Noble Still Won't Try His Best!

Chapter 10 : First Date

It was a short ride from the Greylord mansion to our destination.

Lilia and I arrived at a corner of the castle grounds.

From this point on, both Lilia and I will be traveling on foot.

Apparently, using a carriage was not fitting for a date is what she had said.

Personally, I thought it was fine, but there was no way I could go against Lilia’s wishes.

I quietly followed her and got off the carriage.

“Fufu~ I walked alone yesterday, but having Marius-sama by my side makes me feel at ease.”

“Unfortunately, expecting any combat skills from me is pointless. The guards are definitely stronger.”

Regrettably, my combat ability is about as good as a slime’s.

In other words, I’m no different from an ordinary person. There were no cheat abilities for me.

Maybe I have some hidden talent, but finding it is a hassle, so I’ve done nothing about it yet.

Hence, I currently lack the courage and strength to protect Lilia.

“That’s probably true, but… Ah! In moments like this, I’d love to hear ‘Leave it to me!’ and my affection for you would increase!”

“Even if you say that… it’s the truth, so it can’t be helped. I don’t make meaningless promises.”

“You’re so serious. My affection for you just went up a bit.”

No, you misunderstood my words. I’m saying it will be troublesome if you have any expectations. Please don’t increase your affection for me on your own…

“If you could just hold my hand like that time… I would have nothing more to say.”

She glanced at me with a smile, obviously expecting something.

This was silent pressure as she demanded that I hold her hand.

But I couldn’t always let her have her way. Sometimes, I needed to ignore her demands and be myself—

“There would be nothing more to say, huh?”

“……”

“It’s usually the gentleman who initiates hand-holding, right?”

“……”

“Oh, now that I think about it, my father bought a new sword and he wanted to test it—”

—Grab!

I gently grabbed Lilia’s hand.

“Oh my? This reminds me of yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“Did you already forget…? Yesterday, when you suggested looking for the pendant, you held my hand just like this.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, yes we did hold hands.”

Back then I did it willingly to avoid getting lost in crowds, but today I was threatened into holding her hand.

“It’s warm… I can feel Marius-sama’s warmth.”

“Lilia, your hand is a bit cold. Are you feeling cold?”

“My hands don’t get very hot. I guess they are not that cold either.”

“I see… Well, let’s get moving. We will just be a nuisance for others if we stand here for too long.”

“Yes.”

I walked down the streets which were lined up with stalls along with Lilia, who was smiling brightly like a sunflower.

Behind us followed four people — our guards and maids — but if I ignored them, it felt like a date with just the two of us.

When I realized this, my heart started racing wildly.

“There are a lot of people here today, just like yesterday. Look, over there, some ingredients I’ve never seen before.”

“Well, commoners are mostly busy with work trying to earn as much as they can. Plus, this area is densely populated so stay close to me at all times. Even though we’re holding hands, bumping into someone could cause trouble.”

I pulled Lilia closer as she was about to bump into someone, and her face turned bright red.

“M-Marius-sama… so close…”

“Oh, sorry. Did you not like it?”

I quickly put some distance between us, still holding her hand.

“No! It’s not that I don’t like it! Rather, thank you!”

“Thank you…?”

For some reason, she thanked me. I wondered if she was truly a member of the Royal Family and if she had received a proper education.

“—Ahem! Forget what I said.”

Lilia coughed once under my skeptical gaze, then suddenly became serious.

“But what Marius-sama says is also true. To protect myself better, I need to stay even closer to Marius-sama today.”

“Huh?”

What does that mean? Does she mean getting closer?