I Became Close to the Villain - Chapter 14-2

“Didn’t you learned how to use a gun when you were 18 from our regular customer?”

“That’s right.”

“Then this is only your fourth year, Vianne.”

“No. In fact, I’ve been self-studying prior to that.”

“Oh my goodness, really?”

Liliel was surprised as I nodded. If someone had lived for at least 20 years  before reincarnation, they could easily lie without blinking like myself.

“It’s no wonder Marquess Lahrat questioned your learning speed. So you learned this before, Vianne?”

I smiled brightly.

Shannon Lahrat. She was the former knight commander under the imperial family.

I’ve always looked up to her because she was so strong.

At that time, the cafe bell rang. We both turned to face the door at the same time.

Liliel shouted “We’re closed!”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I forgot that today is a holiday.”

An eldery woman stood at the door, her face flushed with embarrassment. It was the person we were referring to a while ago.

We shouted, our voice filled with enthusiasm.

“Welcome!”

“Didn’t you say it was closed?”

“Ay, it’s okay! Come in and have a seat. So, what should I get you today?”

“A glass of lemon juice with ice please.”

“Alright!”

Thanks to Liliel’s deft skills in serving customer, Shannon joined our table.

Shannon had black hair and black eyes.

She frequently wore a suit resembling knight’s clothing, which imparted dignity to her whole demeanor. She’s becoming cooler by the day. I couldn’t help but be jealous of her.

“It’s been a while, Baroness Astahilt.”

Shannon smiled sweetly as she greeted me. I returned her greeting.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time. It’s good to see you again, Marquess Lahrat.”

“Being called a Marquess is still awkward for me.”

“Considering you were the best knight commander, it’s only fair that you should be compensated accordingly.”

“It’s too much.”

Meanwhile, Liliel brought the lemon juice.

It looked delicious.

Liliel inherited her family’ superb culinary skills, so her dishes and drinks are certain to be absolutely mouthwatering.

“There was a riot in the cafe a few weeks ago. Baroness Astahilt handled it admirably, but I was concerned. Did you get hurt that day?”

Shannon, who was tasting the lemon juice, asked.

“Well, as you can see, I’m saved thanks to the skill you taught me.”

“What are you saying? It’s just your natural talent. I was also amazed.”

“How did you know about that incident anyway?”

“I merely said that I was a former knight  commander and I had the rights to know.”

Wow, the knight commander. She’s really cool.

“You don’t need to be concerned about the cafe in the future. The two people who frequently attend this cafe are the best escorts.”

A bright smile was on Liliel’s face as she said that.

“I have to work harder because Lady Sigron trusts me.”

We laughed hearing Shannon’s words.

It was nice because the weather was so warm. The three of us drank and chatted on about our life.

For example, the story that an old tree near Liliel’s house was hit by lightning and split in exactly half.

Or the story about the crown prince unexpectedly showing up at Shannon’s house and asking her to be his swordsmanship teacher.

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

He’s the main character. Hearing his name for the first time made me realize. It was nearly the time when the novel started.

Even so, the plot has already been twisted, so there must be little changes here and there.

“He was always interested in swordsmanship. I refused a few times, but he came back to me again.”

“The Crown Prince surprisingly had a cute side.”

However, I shrugged off Liliel’s words.

“Cute? If it were me, I think it’s very annoying.”

“I’m not sure. I just think he’s adorable. I think it’d be interesting to meet him in person”.

“Really? Hmm… I see.”

As expected, the main leads are still attracted to each other. Even just hearing about him piqued the interest of the female lead, and she found him to be charming and likeable. I didn’t even think that far while hearing about it.

It wasn’t long before the topic of discussion moved to the front page of today’s paper.

“Baroness Astahilt also saw the article.”

“Yes, right before you arrived.”

“I heard that the imperial palace was also in discussion because of the recent incident. Because it happened so quickly, they’ll need extra knights soon.”

“If the master changes, will something big happen?”

“I’ve been in the imperial knights for 40 years, but this is the first time I’ve heard about master replacement. This is also something I haven’t personally experienced.”

Shannon muttered briefly. As if she were telling me to keep the information a secret, the following statements were given in a whisper.

“According to data from the imperial family, the replacement of master involves large-scale external activities.”

“If it’s an external activity…”

“The term for looting, arson, massacre, and more.”

“Oh my goodness.”

I borrowed the exclamation that Liliel often used.

“So please pay close attention to your safety for the time being.”

Shannon kindly warned us.

***

“The weather is really nice…”

I left Shannon and Liliel after dinner at a nearby restaurant. Did I play too much without thinking about my weakened physical strength again? My body felt heavy.

On my way home, I bought a bouquet of flowers for a change. Only a few minutes before the flower shop’s closing time, I managed to get the last bunch of blue roses.

The flowers in my hand were lovely. I’m going to arrange flowers at home and put them on a vase later.

“Spring is almost over.”

I judged after seeing the roses displayed in the store, which marked the end of spring. Then summer will pass quickly just like every other season in the calendar. I got so used to living aimlessly that everyday felt mundane.

Still, it’s more fun than my previous life, so let’s do our best.

“Sigh.”

I let out a small sigh and turned towards the alley.

But somehow it felt strange.

I don’t have a good feeling for some reason. As I walked a few steps further to the deep alley, pretending not to notice, some people jumped off the walls on both sides.

And they surrounded me. Are they taking revenge for their friends? It was highly likely that they were friends with the gangster whose arm I wounded.

“What a ridiculous thing to do…”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.