TNKBP~21

Chapter 21

That day, exactly one week later, Miss Margaret returned to her teaching position.

The moment she saw Martin and me, she offered an apology, and we simply said it was alright.

No matter how much Martin and I believed it wasn’t her fault, she had already been disciplined and suspended due to the decisions of the adults involved, and now that she had returned, there was nothing more we could really do.

After that, an awkward atmosphere lingered between us and the teacher, but I believed time would resolve it.

And so, our daily life finally found a kind of peace for the first time—and Martin and I spent happy days together.

That is, until a letter flew to me.

“Miss, Lord ‘Dieter’ has sent you a letter. It doesn’t even mention which family he belongs to, so it’s extremely suspicious, but since it is addressed to you, I have brought it first.”

“Dieter? Just Dieter?”

I frowned slightly at the familiar name. Remembering the man I had met before, I quickly snatched the letter.

Then I used a letter opener on the top of the envelope, cutting it open quickly.

“Miss, you’ll hurt your hand!”

“Sorry, Lukas. I’m a bit busy right now.”

At my short reply, Lukas let out a small sigh. But I didn’t have time to care about that.

“Dieter. Just Dieter.”

What could the man who knew Martin possibly want from me?

Feeling that it was unlikely to be anything ordinary, I quickly unfolded the neatly written letter.

[To the dear “just Rinzia.”

Hello, Lady Rinzia. This is Dieter.]

I let out a dry laugh from the very first line. I slowly read through the neat handwriting.

[How have you been? I heard from Martin that you recently experienced an unpleasant incident. I offer my sincere condolences.]

After the formal introduction, the letter stated that he had something to discuss and asked if I could meet him. If I was willing, I was to come to the place, date, and time written below.

[You won’t regret it. It is about Martin—doesn’t that already pique your interest? I look forward to meeting you again. That is all.]

At his words, I looked at the date written down.

So, this means… that day was—

“…This guy is insane. It’s tomorrow?”

“Huh? Tomorrow? What’s tomorrow?”

Lucas, who asked back, looked at me with a determined expression.

“Lucas, I’m going to be late tomorrow. I have to go meet just Dieter.”

“…Who exactly is that person…?”

“I don’t know. But he’s a friend of Martin’s. He doesn’t seem like a bad person, so I’ll go meet him for now.”

How dare he try to bait me with the one thing I care most about—Martin.

“…I’ll gladly take the bait.”

Crumpling the letter in my hand, I once again checked the date, time, and location and let out a deep sigh.

“Li, Linsie… today…”

“Ah, Martin. Sorry. I already have plans today.”

In the afternoon, after classes ended, I hurriedly packed my bag and replied to Martin.

At my answer, Martin opened his eyes wide, then gave an awkward smile.

“I, I see… that’s good… Actually, I also have plans tonight…”

“Plans? Why?”

As we packed up together, Martin spoke.

“M-my uncle is coming… He said he was worried about me… Ah, and Linsie. My uncle said he’d like to meet you soon as well… If you don’t mind, would you meet him?”

“Y-your uncle? Me?”

At his words, my body froze for a moment.

If it’s Martin’s uncle, that would be Duke Ernst.

‘I’ve never met such a high-ranking noble before…!’

My heart pounded at the thought of making a mistake.

Reading my stiff expression, Martin quickly waved his hands.

“N-not right away! He’s just worried about you. He wants to thank you, so it’s not anything burdensome, Linsie…”

“Oh, I see. Then, if your uncle has time later, we can meet him another time. Please tell him that. Ah, Martin, sorry, I have to go first! I’m running late!”

“Y-yeah… see you tomorrow, Linsie!”

Martin’s voice called after me as I left.

It felt strange not walking home with him, since we always did.

I didn’t dislike it. I knew how rare it was to find a friend you could spend so much of your life with.

That’s why I was going to meet Dieter, who had dragged me here using Martin’s story.

“Bill, I’m a bit late, right? Please get ready to leave.”

“Yes, miss. There’s still time, so it’s fine.”

Bill calmly replied as he drove.

Soon, the central city where I had bought Martin’s fountain pen came into view. Bill stopped the carriage by the roadside and quickly got down to open the door.

“Miss, are you sure I don’t need to come with you? I’m worried…”

“If you insist, could you wait in front of the café? I’m just meeting the gentleman I once saw when buying Martin’s fountain pen.”

“Understood. I will wait. If anything seems off, I will rush in immediately.”

After turning off the carriage, Bill escorted me as we walked. Soon we arrived at the café, and I stepped inside, hearing the bell above the door ring.

“Good day, lady. Are you accompanied by anyone…?”

“It’s under Dieter. It should be reserved under Dieter…”

At my words, the staff nodded respectfully and bowed.

“Lady Linsia of House Rittberg, I presume. Lord Dieter has already arrived. This way, please.”

Following the staff, I walked deeper inside, and soon I saw Dieter enjoying tea in the innermost seat.

Dieter waved cheerfully as he greeted me.

“Lady Linsia! You came!”

At his greeting, I replied somewhat curtly.

“I didn’t come because of you. I…”

“I know. You came because of Martin, didn’t you? What would you like to drink? Hot chocolate? Or fresh fruit juice?”

For some reason, I didn’t want to seem childish in front of him, so I answered confidently.

“The same as you.”

“…Oh. I don’t really recommend that choice. Mine is quite strong in caffeine.”

“I don’t mind.”

At my words, Dieter chuckled as if he found me amusing and nodded. The waiter came and took our order, and the drinks were quickly served.

“Are you feeling alright? I heard from Martin that you were harmed by a young man from House Ruxel.”

“Yes, well… that happened. As you can see, I’m fine.”

“That’s good. Martin seems fine as well, which is a relief. From now on, nothing like that will happen—to either Martin or you, Lady Linsia.”

“Ah, yes…”

I wondered how he could guarantee that nothing would happen to me, but Dieter simply smiled and took a sip of his tea.

Following him, I also took a sip—then my body began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Cough, cough…!”

“Oh dear. I told you I didn’t recommend it, didn’t I? It’s a strong tea from the East. Strangely, I’ve developed a taste for it…”

Dieter handed me a handkerchief and called the staff again to replace the drink. Before I knew it, the bitter tea was gone, replaced by a sweet aroma of hot chocolate.

“This café is especially known for its hot chocolate. Even in summer, people order it—it’s sold year-round.”

“…I, I see.”

Feeling embarrassed, I quietly took a sip of the hot chocolate. Seeing me like that, Dieter couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Stop laughing.”

“How can I not?”

“That’s disrespectful to a lady.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

At his teasing tone, I eventually changed the subject.

“So, why did you ask to meet me? I’m busy.”

“I know, I know. Exams are coming up too, so you’re busy. Well, it’s nothing else. I don’t think Martin told you this. Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“This week. It’s Martin’s birthday.”

The relaxed smile on Dieter’s face contrasted sharply with how my expression slowly began to stiffen.