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Chapter 9
“Uh… who are you?”
At the sound of my voice, the man’s already large eyes widened even further before he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ha ha… Ah, my apologies. I introduced myself too late. My name is Dieter. Just Dieter.”
His answer immediately reminded me of something.
What do you mean, ‘just Dieter’?
Was this some trendy new greeting?
Then should I introduce myself with, ‘I’m Lindsay. Just Lindsay.’?
The absurd thought made me frown deeply.
Perhaps finding my reaction amusing, he chuckled to himself before composing his expression and looking at me again.
“I’ll recommend a fountain pen for you.”
“Uh… sure. If you say so.”
I still couldn’t shake off my suspicion, and a blunt reply escaped me before I could stop it.
Dieter let out another small laugh at my tone before saying something to the shop manager.
While the two of them talked, I turned my attention to a nearby display case, wondering if there were other pens worth looking at.
That was when—
“Huh?”
Something shimmering with iridescent colors caught my eye.
Hearing my quiet gasp, Dieter excused himself from the conversation with the clerk and carefully approached me.
“Sea glass. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
His voice softened.
“Everyone says the sea is blue, but sometimes when I see seashells sparkling beneath clear water, it looks pale green to me.”
“…Yeah.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
It looked just like Martin’s eyes.
A vast, crystal-clear sea scattered with fragments of mother-of-pearl.
As I stared, entranced by the luminous color, Dieter smiled faintly.
“You seem interested in fountain pens.”
“Oh, no. Not really. I usually just use whatever people hand me. It’s just… my friend likes fountain pens.”
I hesitated.
“Actually, that pen is his. I broke it.”
“A Meister fountain pen?”
Dieter blinked.
“Wow. And your friend isn’t angry? Most Meister pens are limited editions. Some can never be replaced.”
The color drained from my face.
Seeing my horrified expression, Dieter merely shrugged.
While I was desperately trying to think of a solution, the shop manager suddenly called out to me.
“Lady Lindsay, would you like our engraving service?”
“How long will it take? I don’t have much time.”
“If you only want it stamped rather than deeply engraved, we can do it immediately. The downside is that it won’t last as long.”
I thought for a moment before nodding.
Still, having his name on it would probably mean something.
“Please do the stamped version. That’s fine.”
“And the name?”
“Martin. M-A-R-T-I-N.”
That was when—
“Wait. What did you just say?”
Dieter turned me around with surprisingly quick, gentle hands.
Unable to hide his confusion, he asked again.
“Lady Lindsay. Who did you say?”
“M-Martin…”
I swallowed nervously.
“Just… Martin.”
“Just Martin, huh?”
A strange smile spread across his face.
“Then our Lady Lindsay must be…”
He let out a quiet laugh before staring directly at me with eyes the same shade of green as Martin’s.
After examining me from head to toe, he tilted his head slightly.
“Ah. That explains it.”
His smile widened.
“Black hair. Red eyes. A young lady from a family prestigious enough to attend Saint Gartain Academy under imperial supervision…”
His gaze sharpened.
“You must be the daughter of House Rietberg.”
The atmosphere felt alarmingly close to an interrogation.
I frowned.
Who is this man?
And why is he so interested in both Martin and me?
Judging by his bearing, he was definitely no ordinary person.
Slowly, I opened my mouth.
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Lindsay Rietberg of House Rietberg. But who exactly are you? You’ve been acting however you please without even introducing your family—”
“Lady Lindsay, the engraving is finished.”
At that moment, the manager emerged from the back room holding the completed fountain pen.
The instant he noticed the tension between us, his eyes widened.
“Uh… perhaps I should have brought this out later.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Dieter accepted the pen as naturally as if it belonged to him.
Then he looked at me.
“How about we move somewhere else, Lady Lindsay?”
His playful smile only made me narrow my eyes further.
Still, I followed him.
* * *
What exactly is happening right now?
I stole glances at Dieter, who sat across from me wearing a calm, pleasant smile without saying a word.
“Drink.”
He gently pushed a cup of steaming tea toward me.
Like I could drink anything right now.
When I responded with a dubious smile, Dieter’s own smile widened by perhaps a single millimeter.
The time…
Pretending to look elsewhere, I searched for a clock inside the shop.
Then his voice drifted across the table.
“It’s two o’clock.”
I nearly jumped.
“You’re the first person who’s ever looked for a clock while sitting in front of me.”
Startled, I stared at him.
Dieter merely shrugged and took a sip of tea.
Then he elegantly placed the cup back onto its saucer.
“You’re wondering why I invited you for tea, aren’t you?”
“…I’m only sixteen.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Dieter burst out laughing.
Thankfully, we were in a private room.
Otherwise, everyone in the café would have been staring at us.
“Lady Lindsay.”
He wiped at the corner of one eye.
“I’m not that kind of scoundrel. Don’t worry. I have absolutely no intention of laying a finger on you.”
“Then why…?”
I trailed off.
Dieter leaned back comfortably.
“First of all, I’m Martin’s friend.”
His gaze settled on me.
“You’re probably curious about who I am, but unfortunately, I can’t tell you that yet.”
There was something strange in his eyes.
Almost as if he were evaluating me.
Doubting me.
The realization irritated me slightly.
Unconcerned by my reaction, Dieter continued.
“Martin and I exchange letters regularly. We always keep each other informed about how we’re doing.”
He paused.
“This week alone, we exchanged two letters.”
His fingers wrapped around the teacup.
“And those letters struck me as… unusual.”
He took another sip before meeting my eyes.
This time, I involuntarily flinched.
Until now, I’d thought his gaze was gentle.
But at this moment, it was sharp enough to cut.
“The first thing that surprised me was that Martin had made a friend.”
He stopped there.
But I already understood what he wanted to say.
It wasn’t something anyone would dare say in front of Martin himself.
Yet somehow, I felt I could say it to Dieter.
Carefully, I spoke.
“That has absolutely nothing to do with whether Martin and I can be friends.”
Dieter’s eyebrows twitched.
Perhaps surprised that I’d interrupted him.
Interested, he set down his teacup and crossed one leg over the other.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
I met his gaze.
“Whatever difficulties Martin may have, they don’t affect our friendship at all.”
My voice steadied.
“I like Martin.”
The words came naturally.
“He’s incredibly kind. Out of all the friends I’ve ever had, he’s probably the purest and gentlest person I’ve met.”
Memories of the past week surfaced one after another.
“Martin is harsh on himself, but endlessly generous to his friends.”
I clasped my hands together.
“I don’t think it’s my place to interfere in his personal matters. But I do want to help him become a little kinder to himself.”
Looking directly at Dieter, I continued despite the slight tremble in my voice.
Remembering the sincerity I’d poured into that letter.
“I feel the same way you do.”
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
“I care about Martin too.”
I smiled.
“And I want to become his true friend.”
Silence followed.
A long, heavy silence.
One minute felt like an hour.
Dieter simply stared at me.
Thinking.
Considering.
I didn’t want to interrupt whatever conclusion he was reaching, so I waited patiently.
Finally, he sighed.
“…It seems I’ve made a grave mistake regarding you, Lady Lindsay.”
The sharpness in his expression faded.
“I heard that Martin had been having a difficult time at the academy. That he didn’t really have any friends.”
His voice softened.
“So naturally, I worried.”
A bitter smile touched his lips.
“The news that he’d suddenly made a friend… was difficult for me to believe.”
Unlike before, Dieter lowered his head in a sincere apology.
“I owe you one.”
Then he looked up and extended a hand toward me, wearing a warm smile.
“It seems I’ve stolen far too much of your valuable time.”
His tone was courteous now.
“Allow me to escort you back to your carriage.”
