Chapter 42 - Tanya Ansberg (8)
The picnic, though long-awaited, wasn’t entirely enjoyable. That was Tanya’s brief overall assessment.
Until yesterday, she had only been watching the darkened garden from the balcony, but today, for some reason, she wanted to walk through it herself.
“Hmm…?”
Sometimes, acting on a whim can bring unexpected good fortune.
The figure of the man she had been looking for but couldn’t find while roaming the garden recently was there today.
Rather, she hoped not to run into him today.
The words she had heard from him during the picnic were still deeply etched in her mind, and she wasn’t sure what she might say.
Nevertheless, calling his name softly was probably because emotion took precedence over reason.
“Ludwig.”
“Huh? Emil… Oh, it’s Tanya.”
His face, which had brightened with joy, dimmed ever so slightly.
‘Just now, he was about to say Emilia…’
Tanya noticed he was about to utter someone else’s name, but she pretended not to notice and approached him.
Why had he made such a mistake today having never uttered Emilia’s name towards her before?
Perhaps this was how their secret meetings often occurred, she thought baselessly.
“Yes. What are you doing here?”
“Just taking a walk. How about you?”
A lie. He clearly didn’t know the look in his own eyes as he had been gazing up at the night sky until just now.
If he had, he wouldn’t have thought it possible to brush it off as merely a walk.
But she didn’t want to bring that up.
Tanya smiled faintly, nodded exaggeratedly as if agreeing, and replied:
“Me too, just for a bit. I couldn’t sleep well.”
“Really? The night air is still quite chilly, you should have worn something.”
“I didn’t think of it…”
Indeed, unlike the warm air during the day, at night it was quite cold.
Maybe Tanya felt it more because she was weaker to the cold, having a frail constitution compared to others.
“At least wear this. It would be tough if you caught a cold.”
“Ah, no, there’s no need for that…”
Ludwig took off the coat he was wearing and handed it to her.
In surprise, Tanya waved her hands in an attempt to refuse, but she couldn’t as he put it on her with a stern expression.
“It’s thin, but it should be enough to cover you adequately.”
“Y-yes, it is.”
She definitely felt warmer. Whether it was because of this thin coat on her shoulders was something to consider, though.
“There are so many stars here.”
Standing next to Ludwig and looking up at the night sky, Tanya admired the spectacle of countless stars spread out.
It was difficult to see so many in the Brimerhaven domain where the Ansberg family resided.
Remembering that she had heard somewhere that stars are more visible in places with cleaner air, Tanya vaguely speculated that this area might have particularly good air quality.
“…Stars?”
“Yes, stars. Why?”
“Nothing. Just thought someone else said the same thing.”
Shaking his head slightly, Ludwig shifted his gaze to the night sky, following her.
Who could have said the same thing about the stars being numerous? Without needing to think hard, Emilia came to mind immediately.
It was probably a given. Judging by the brief surprise and tenderness that had flashed in his eyes, no one else came to mind.
‘So it’s Emilia after all…’
Even though she had learned that the two weren’t in a romantic relationship, that didn’t allow Tanya to step in.
Rather, watching his profile, she realized that these feelings she had developed were simply an interference.
“Ludwig.”
“What?”
“Do you miss Emilia a lot?”
“…”
Missing someone. A phrase that applied to lovers and friends alike.
The reason she brought up this question was in hopes that the cowardly boy, holding his feelings in his heart, would express them honestly, even if just for a moment.
She didn’t want him to reveal that he liked Emilia in front of her.
She just hoped that by vaguely voicing it with a simple “Yes, I miss her,” he could ease his heart a bit, unaware that a girl had read his inner thoughts.
She didn’t have the miraculous magical ability to summon Emilia from afar, nor the outstanding eloquence to soothe his yearning heart.
“I guess… I do miss her a bit. Was it that obvious?”
“If you show it that much, wouldn’t everyone notice? Is that why you came to the garden too, because of Emilia?”
“Haha, you’re sharp. You could be a fortune teller, Tanya.”
Fortune teller, you say. I can’t read the atmosphere of anyone but you.
No, to be precise, I could probably quickly read your state of mind no matter who else was brought here.
If you’re making such sad eyes instead of smiling, looking at such a bright moon, that is.
Tanya thought as such.
‘It’s serious.’
A bitter smile formed on Ludwig’s lips at Tanya’s observation.
Was it that obvious? If even someone other than Emilia could notice, he must have looked quite miserable.
Although he had only lived as ‘Ludwig’ for about 13 years now, his mental age was much higher.
Yet, he found it truly ridiculous that he struggled even to control a single emotion properly.
Of course, it’s called an emotion because one can’t control it, but even this wasn’t much consolation to Ludwig right now.
“How long has it been since Emilia left?”
“About four months now, I think.”
It had been two weeks since Emilia’s letter arrived, so it must be about that long.
Tanya couldn’t help but think Ludwig was quite creepy for answering without any hesitation.
He said they weren’t in a romantic relationship, but how was this any different from being lovers?
“Hmm… Ludwig, you’re surprisingly impatient, aren’t you?”
“I guess so. I didn’t know I’d be like this either.”
Tanya calmly stabbed him with words, but he had no way to deny it. It was just the truth.
She let out a deflating sigh at his bland attitude and shrugged as if uninterested.
Generally, when teasing someone, it’s more fun if there’s a reaction. In that sense, Ludwig was quite boring now.
“Ludwig, say something. It’s no fun.”
“Even if you say that… what kind of answer do you want?”
“Well, I mean…”
When he responded like that, she suddenly had nothing to say.
Honestly, rather than wanting to tease him, she had only pretended to in hopes of seeing a more energetic side of him.
But if there was no reaction even to this, there wasn’t much else she could do. She could only watch.
Just as she was about to fall into deep thought, something was suddenly held out in front of Tanya.
Startled, she took a step back and checked the unidentified object. It was none other than a single flower, unknown in name.
“W-What’s this?”
“Why? Do you dislike flowers?”
“N-No… It’s just so sudden…”
She didn’t dislike flowers. She just wondered what it meant.
The flower in his hand was a light pink, similar to Tanya’s hair. If it looked like this in the moonlight, it must be an even deeper and vibrant color in the morning.
As he shook his hand holding the flower as if urging her to take it, she carefully extended both hands to receive it.
“Doesn’t it look very similar to your hair?”
“It does. What’s the name of this flower?”
“It’s a geranium. It’s not usually a flower that blooms at this time… I happened to find it while looking around the garden yesterday.”
Geraniums typically bloom around June. By this time, with autumn already passing, the flowers should have long withered, preparing for the next year.
Hearing this fact, Tanya saw herself reflected in the single flower she held.
‘You’re quite persistent too, aren’t you?’
To think there was another similarity besides the hair color. Pleased, Tanya unconsciously tightened her grip on the flower stem.
She prided herself on being second to none in terms of persistence. Perhaps it was because she had been weak since childhood.
She would try again and again until she succeeded at something she had failed at once. Even her strict mother acknowledged this tenacity.
“But why are you giving this to me?”
Tanya had a fixed notion that unless it was between lovers, a man giving a flower was only for confessions or flirtation.
So she asked with a strange expectation, but the answer was so disappointing it completely deflated her.
“No particular reason…”
“Oh, I see?”
Of course. What was she expecting from this oblivious man?
Tanya decided to let it go, thinking at least she received a flower. There was no point in saying more; it would only hurt her feelings.
But she hadn’t heard his following words.
“When I saw the pink flower, it reminded me of you…”
“…”
Was he doing this on purpose? Or had he unknowingly awakened some innate talent as a homme fatal?
Either way, it wasn’t particularly welcome to her.
“Ludwig.”
“What?”
“Let me hit you once. I’ll hit really hard, so be prepared.”
“What? W-Wait!”
All within legal bounds. In terms of international relations, this was nothing short of a declaration of war.
Even if others didn’t think so, if the person involved felt that way, then that’s what it was.
“What did I do wrong? I gave it to you because you looked depressed…”
“Huh? Me?”
“Who else is here besides you?”
What did he mean? She had been in the position of trying to comfort him as he longed for Emilia.
But instead, it was Ludwig who handed her a flower of comfort, making it feel like a complete reversal of roles.
“…Ah.”
Why did Ludwig feel that she looked depressed?
As Tanya pondered this and recalled the previous situation, she let out a small exclamation.
He wasn’t wrong. Rather, he had seen right through her. It was just that Tanya, the person involved, had realized it belatedly.
‘I… was sad.’
Even if the rival was a childhood friend she had been close with, jealousy couldn’t be hidden.
She had been displeased that he was thinking of another woman right in front of her.
The comfort was just an excuse. She had merely been trying every trick to divert his attention.
“Pfft…!”
“T-Tanya?”
Ludwig called her name with a bewildered voice as she suddenly burst into laughter, having been gloomy just moments ago.
Did she not like the flower? He didn’t think she was the type to find fault with such things.
Before his doubts could clear, the laughter filling the garden subsided, and Tanya wiped a tear, catching her breath.
It was quite amusing. To think they had both been trying to comfort each other while being mindful of the other’s feelings, twisting to create the current situation.
“I haven’t laughed this much in a while.”
“You’re not angry, are you?”
“Why? Were you going to give me another flower if I was?”
She asked teasingly, just in case, but Ludwig averted his gaze as if he really had been considering it.
What a foolish man. In some ways, quite stubborn too. Although he was quite different from the ideal type Tanya had in mind.
Tanya twirled the flower in her hand with her finger, staring at it intently, and then her eyes sparkled as a good idea came to her.
“You don’t have to give me another flower, but could you put this one nicely in my hair?”
“In your hair?”
“Haven’t you done it for Emilia?”
“I told you we’re not in that kind of relationship…”
As he showed a troubled expression and scratched his cheek, she responded exaggeratedly as if she had just remembered, “Oh right, that’s true.”
It’s welcome news that he hasn’t done it for Emilia. She felt like she needed to win at least in something like this.
“Be a bit more manly. Why are you hesitating so much?”
“It’s easier said than done…”
For him, who hadn’t even dated, this was quite a task.
He had done it for Sofia because he thought of her as a little sister, but he wasn’t bold enough to put a flower in the hair of a friend.
Finally, when Tanya took a step closer and thrust her head forward, he reluctantly put the flower in her hair with a sour face.
“Ludwig.”
“Don’t talk to me while I’m concentrating.”
It was the most curt response among his words so far.
Thinking that was fine, Tanya carefully opened her mouth again. Since he had tried to comfort her, she should show a bit more sincerity.
“If you want to see Emilia, shall I make it happen?”
“How?”
“There’s always a way.”
Tanya had brought a magical tool that she had originally intended to use for other purposes. It was a device that could contact someone far away through a medium, but the drawback was that it had limited uses.
She had brought it in the carriage, so she thought it had been destroyed when they were attacked by the Squale Wolf, but fortunately, she confirmed yesterday that it could still function.
As she explained in detail, Ludwig’s face immediately lit up.
“Are you that happy?”
“Ahem… not to that extent.”
Realizing he had gotten too excited like a child, he cleared his throat and averted his gaze, pretending it wasn’t a big deal.
Oh ho, so that’s how you want to play it?
Tanya’s mischievous spirit rose again as he responded with a rather unsatisfactory attitude despite her attempt to show goodwill.
“Really? Then is it okay if I tell Emilia exactly that when I contact her tomorrow?”
“…”
“Pfft…! I’m just kidding, just kidding.”
‘How amusing. I don’t know why teasing this man is so fun.’
Perhaps Emilia felt the same enjoyment? Although it doesn’t suit her image, the thought suddenly struck that it might be possible if the other person was Ludwig.
The cold wind of late autumn blew again, but it felt much warmer than before.
Looking forward to tomorrow, Tanya gently felt the flower hidden in her hair.
How she looked forward to teasing Emilia in front of Ludwig and teasing Ludwig in front of Emilia.
She was certain that she had never been as excited for tomorrow as she was today.
Let’s keep it hidden a bit longer. It’s still fun to tease him while maintaining this distance, pretending nothing’s wrong.
translator’s corner
the poor man ;w;