The Hood
Lux’s Side
After all of today’s noble academy classes had ended, I rode a carriage into town.
The reason was because, when I last met with Elina-san, we had promised to go out for something delicious after class today.
I didn’t want to worry Siana too much, so I had to return before nightfall, but even so, we should still be able to enjoy ourselves.
When I arrived at the place where I was supposed to meet Elina-san, I saw her there, wearing a red hood.
As soon as she noticed me, she ran over and said,
“Lux!”
“Hello, Elina-san… You’re wearing the red hood again today, I see.”
“Yeah! It’s basically a necessity whenever I’m out and about~.”
From what I’d gathered so far, I had a general understanding that Elina-san came from quite a distinguished family.
I didn’t know why she needed to hide her face with a hood, but I assumed it was for some reason related to her family.
But still…
“It feels like such a shame. For someone as beautiful as you, Elina-san, to have your face hidden under a hood.”
“…!”
Elina-san lowered her face once, and after a brief pause, said,
“Geez, Lux, you really know how to flatter a girl~!”
“I-It’s not flattery! I mean it!”
“Well, I do know I’m cute, but when you say it, Lux, it just… feels different somehow.”
Elina-san murmured something under her breath.
I tilted my head in curiosity at her reaction.
“Elina-san?”
When I peered at her to see what was going on, she waved both hands and said,
“N-No, it’s nothing! Never mind that! We promised to go have cake today, remember? Let’s go already!”
“R-Right!”
I was still a little concerned by her behavior, but there was no point bringing it up now, so I started walking with her toward the cake shop.
When we arrived, we entered one of the shop’s private rooms and sat down facing each other.
“…”
Even before entering, just from the shop’s exterior, I could tell this cake shop exuded an air of luxury that made me wonder if it was even appropriate to call it a cake shop.
The building and interior were mostly white, with elegant decor that made it feel like the kind of place where women from dukes or marquises might relax with tea and cakes while enjoying pleasant conversation.
“Which one do you want to try, Lux?”
Elina-san showed me a menu filled with all sorts of cake names.
“…They all look delicious, but I think I’ll go with a classic shortcake with whipped cream.”
“Then I’ll get the same!”
After Elina-san placed our order, she struck up a conversation while we waited.
“By the way, Lux, you attend the noble academy, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I heard a rumor that there was a Royal Exchange at the academy recently.”
“There was! At each Royal Exchange, one member of the royal family visits, and this time, it was Second Princess Elizalina-sama!”
When I said that, Elina-san paused for a moment before asking,
“I see. So… what kind of person was Elizalina-sama?”
“She was kind, beautiful, and very easy to talk to. Honestly, I felt lucky to have been born in a country with someone like her as Second Princess.”
“…S-So she was… that impressive?”
Probably hardly anyone ever got the chance to speak with Elizalina-sama, so having been lucky enough to talk with her myself, I felt it might be my duty to share how kind she was.
Thinking that, I began to explain her many charms to Elina-san.
“She was truly amazing! Even though she’s royalty, she was so easy to talk to and never intimidating. And yet she still had all the dignity of a royal. Her eyes, her features, everything was beautiful. And as you probably know, she basically handles all the mediation in the country. She’s incredible!”
“I-I see…”
When I spoke about how wonderful Elizalina-sama was, Elina-san pulled her hood down deeper and replied in a small voice.
“…By the way, even though we’re in a private room, you haven’t taken off your hood?”
I asked her out of genuine curiosity, and Elina-san answered hesitantly.
“Ah, um… I will, later, but… Right now, my face is kind of too hot to show anyone…”
I couldn’t hear the last part very well, but I did catch the phrase about not wanting to be seen, so I quickly offered my opinion.
“Not wanting to be seen…? Elina-san, I think you’re a truly attractive woman, both in body and spirit.”
“If you say stuff like that, I’ll blush and smile too much and won’t be able to take off the hood, so stop!!”
“Huh…?”
The corners of her mouth…?
I was still confused by her reaction when our cakes finally arrived, so we decided to enjoy them together.
By then, Elina-san had calmed down considerably, and since we were about to eat, she removed her hood. As I thought, she really was a beautiful person.
Thinking that, I took a bite of the cake along with her.
“It’s d-delicious!”
“Right?!”
“Yes! The whipped cream and the fluffy sponge make it so pleasant to eat.”
The elegant atmosphere of the shop was matched by the quality of its ingredients.
As Elina-san and I quietly enjoyed the cake for a while, she suddenly spoke.
“…Hey, Lux, there’s something I want to ask you. Is that okay?”
“Yes, what is it?”
I set down my fork for a moment and listened closely to her next words.
“…If Elizalina-sama asked you directly to become her fiancé, what would you do?”