Eliana's horse is tied to a tree that's over a hundred meters away from the library. In contrast to the horses I've ridden before, she owns a horse that's larger than average. Maybe after this, I'll try to do the other physical activities that Lyrica is good at.
"You can open the gift now," I say, mainly to stall Eliana. I need to breathe and take in the surroundings first. This is the first time I've gone out without Duke Dunnett's servants.
Eliana blushes. Is she the type who gets embarrassed opening a gift in front of the giver?
Yet, despite the shame, she takes the gift and unwraps it. She did it slowly, as if being careful not to damage whatever was inside. Instead of the magic book, there is also a brown satchel. When it was being wrapped at the bookstore, I didn't watch and just let the young man do his thing. Is the satchel a freebie?
She opens the strap and exclaims. She looks at me and then back at the contents of the bag. Gingerly, she takes the magic book out of it.
"I—" she starts, but stops herself as she looks back and forth at me and the book. "You just met me and you—"
"It's my bias, and also the bookstore owner's," I admit. "He says you will like agriculture-related magic books. Or you might like the defensive magic books."
"I thought you were only going to buy a simple book. This is too much… This…"
"…is my birthday gift to you. You will not reject it, right?"
Eliana purses her lips and wraps the satchel on her shoulders. She reaches for my hands again and says, "Thank you. I really love your gift."
"Should we go visit your house now?"
"Now that you have given me this, I feel like I will disappoint you once I've shown you where I stay."
"I told you it's okay. I am not going there to live with you. Besides, I also want to see Calais," I lie. "You are actually doing me a favor."
With nothing to retort, she climbs the horse and offers her hand to me. I accept her offer and sit behind her on the horse. Thankfully, she doesn't know that Lyrica is excellent with horses.
***********************
We get off in front of a house on the other edge of the town. The house—or the Pellegrini estate—is far from the town proper. The residence is smaller than Dunnett's, but it is a two-storey house, with white walls and black-rimmed windows. There are also a couple of rooms on the first and second floor. It makes me wonder if knights live comfortably like this.
"Where is your father?" I ask, looking around. "Is he here?"
"Ah no, he's always out."
Even when it's his daughter's birthday? I remember his father serves at the palace. Maybe that's why the Pellegrini family can live like this.
I travel around the property. Rows and rows of bushes serve as the gate. The front yard is riddled with grass and the house is surrounded by flowers. It's a nice place to raise a child.
I follow Eliana into the house. It's still lunchtime and everyone looks busy in the house. Four people are in the living room, preparing the decorations. There is a red-haired young girl and a black-haired one. They are probably at age fourteen. There is also a young woman with dirty blonde hair and… is that Calais? I watch him pat the head of the red-haired girl and the young girl blushes.
"A pleasant day," I greet.
The four people shift their attention to me, and I watch their reaction shift from cheerful into that of a scowl, as if I am an intruder that is not welcome to their humble abode.
"Lyrica? What are you doing here?!" Calais asks, surprised.
"Lyrica?" the black-haired girl breathes. "Lyrica Dunnett?!"
"Your fiancee?!" the red-haired girl adds.
Calais looks at Eliana, who is beside me, and notes the brown satchel that she's carrying. He clicks his tongue and walks towards us.
Eliana raises her hand. "Don't worry, I invited her. You—"
Calais holds my arm and pulls me outside of the house. Once out of earshot, he lets me go and glances at the main door to ensure that it's safe to talk. Then he crosses his arms across his chest.
"What are you planning?" he asks, his brows knitted.
I smile up at him. He is a few inches taller than me. "I'm here to celebrate Eliana's birthday," I say.
"Is this because of me?"
I frown. "I love you, Calais," I say, but correct myself inwardly. I like him, but I don't love him. We're too far from that. Nevertheless, I need him to believe that I actually do.
"But Calais, my life does not revolve around you. Besides, I don't know that you are in love with Eliana."
Suddenly, Calais holds my shoulders and pushes me against the wall. I groan at the impact. "Who told you that!?" he growls.
I glare at him, surprised at his tone. "Eliana did," I answer, trying to get away from his grasp.
His hold on me tightens, and I flinch at the pain. "Don't you dare hurt her," he threatens.
I stop struggling, frozen from the intensity of his voice. Does he love her that much to the point that he can hurt me? Or Lyrica? It doesn't matter who. I am still the recipient of his anger and right now; I am the one inside the Lyrica he knew.
"Why would I hurt her?" I ask. "Can you even hear yourself? I am your fiancee and you're threatening me because of another woman? Do you know how crazy you sound right now?"
Frustrated, I groan, followed by the activation of my strengthening magic just so I can remove his hand from my shoulder.
"I can't believe I have fallen in love with you," I add, just to make him guilty of treating me like this.
Once I am free from his hold, I enter the house, leaving him with regret on his face. I still like his character. He is a perfect human in the novel. My 'like' for him will never disappear that fast, but if he continues like this, it might change into 'dislike' instead. But it doesn't matter, he doesn't care, anyway.
I walk closer to the three girls. They are working on confetti and some wall decorations. Eliana is trying to help, but they shoo her away, telling her to rest, read, or do anything relaxing. In the end, she goes to another room, probably the kitchen, to find something else to do.
I sit on the couch and clear my throat. The three young women look at me and I ask, "Can I help?"
The three look at me, then at each other. Then the black-haired girl says, "You can, but it's hard to teach you. Besides, how should we address you?"
"Lyrica is fine. What's your name?"
"I am Julia," the black-haired girl answers.
"I am Ophelia," the red-haired girl says.
I look at the other young woman with dirty blonde hair. She looks away from me and drops the paper she's holding. "I'm… ah, I need to go," she says, standing up and running towards the kitchen.
"She's our maid. It might be harder for her to talk to you," Julia answers. She's referring to the difference in our station again. Ugh, this social hierarchy. How did medieval humans deal with this annoying social construct?!
Calais returns and sits between the young girls. He looks at me and hands me a paper shaped like a star. "You want to help, right?" he asks.
I nod and sit beside him.
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I am being unfair to you."
"At least you know that," I retort.
He glances at me, and I stare back. He holds my hand and presses it. Ugh, this guy. He knows exactly his effect on women, especially on Lyrica. If he is not my favorite character and if I don't have a soft spot for him, I swear I have used Lyrica's magic to remove his hand from me.
But instead of doing all those ghastly things, I respond to his squeeze. Then I whisper, "Don't leave my side today and I will forgive you."
I watch him take a deep breath and patiently, he says, "That will be done, Lyrica."
I shift my attention away from him, hoping that I can read his mind. I want to know how he sees me. I wonder if his opinion of Lyrica has changed somehow?