Chitty, chitty, chitty: .......

Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the birds chirping. Feeling the soft morning sunlight on the other side of her eyelids, Deanna slowly opened her eyes. The unfamiliar room stopped her thoughts for a moment, and she immediately remembered what happened yesterday.

(Oh, yeah, I was lost ......)

The royal carriage was attacked in broad daylight, and when I realized that I was the target of the attack, I quickly ran away from the scene. I ran around in the woods to throw off the pursuers, and when the sun was going down, I tried to rest, but was attacked again.
--I was in serious danger, but I was saved by a double-dealer.

Last night, I felt as if I had finally been touched by his true intentions, which he had always kept to himself until now. The look in his eyes was gentle, warm, and yet somehow intense.
It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, and how you can get it.

(...... I'm not the kind of pretty girl who needs to be protected by someone all the time, but...) Maybe that's not what Kai meant when he said "protect" me.

He probably knows more about Deanna than she realizes, snooping around freely. I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
He told me that he would protect me from all of this,.......

I'm not sure what it is that makes him do that.

I think he likes me. Deanna likes him, too. The way they met was not very friendly, but they exchanged words, received information, and talked about trivial things, and I believe they were able to build a relationship that can be called a friend. It is natural to want to protect one's friends, and his statement is not unnatural.

(The fact that he even left Liliane's place .......) It's not just because of the danger to himself, but also because of the atmosphere yesterday, it seemed that he came along completely to protect me.

From what I've seen of Kai so far, he was probably being used by Liliane for a reward. That means he's in need of money right now. I can imagine that, so last night I almost forced him to take the jewel in the name of "thanks". ...... I almost cried myself to sleep.

...... Are you going to be okay, now?
Dee?　Are you awake?

You can find a lot more information on the web. I don't think there was any sign of anyone.

I just woke up.
I'm coming in.

I'm coming in." He comes in, dressed like a common traveling merchant. I wondered if he had picked up some clothes at random last night and had tampered with them during the night. Businessmen like them are basically good at everything.

You're early. The sun has only just risen.
When you're in the palace, but when you're traveling. I always wake up in the morning.
It's good that you're healthy, but ...... are you tired?
Oh, that's okay. In fact, I think I slept better than I have in days.
That's good.

Kai chuckles and hands me a package he's been carrying.

"This is Dee's traveling gear. This is Dee's traveling outfit. It looked like it would be hard to ride in.
You took the trouble to fix it?
It's not much work. I just cut the hem and stuffed it.
...... Did Kai get more rest than me?

By the way, he's been working for a while now, and I've been seriously wondering when he's sleeping. Last night he had been pushed into occupying the bed, but I think this boy is the one who needs rest.
Dressed in a costume that blended in naturally with the city, and not the usual black, he laughed at Diana's concern.

I don't need a lot of sleep to begin with. I've lived behind the scenes for a long time, and I've learned a lot of things, like how to sleep short and not get too tired.
Is there such a thing as a good night's sleep?
I'm not gonna tell you. Now that you're up, get dressed. Have some breakfast and we'll go.

I feel that Kai's attitude toward me has changed since yesterday. The mood is different, but this overprotective feeling is...

"...... Big brother?
What?　What's wrong with Edward?
No, it's nothing. ...... Can you make it to the Temple of Mist by the end of the day?

That was Deanna's biggest concern at the moment. I'm sure the horses will be fine, but that's only if we know the way.
Kai nodded with a smile as she got out of bed.

There's plenty of room. I'll get there early enough to have a meeting with Rita and the Darkness people.
"...... if I get attacked again?

The same smile, but the moment he asked that, Kai's demeanor changed drastically. --The same smile, but the moment he asked it, Kai's demeanor changed to that of a predator on the verge of a hunt, with all the tension and exuberance of a predator.

"Can I stab every single person who dares to attack Dee when I'm with them?

I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with that.






As it turned out, the ride with Kai had gone very well, and by mid-afternoon they had arrived in a town not far from the Mist Temple. The horse Kai had picked out for them was very smart and did a good job of getting used to Diana, and the roads were easy to ride. Kai's decision to lead in front of us was also a good one. He took his breaks and ran at a comfortable pace, and still managed to cover a lot of distance. Deanna looked at him with a half-hearted sense of dismay, thinking that the people in this business were so versatile.



What's wrong?
I was just wondering if there's anything you can't do, Kai. No, it's not just about you.

They are currently having a late lunch in a town near the temple. During the festival, and today being the last day of the first half, you can eat a lot of good food at a reasonable price. The two of them chose a popular restaurant and relaxed.

We're not good at everything, we're human. But if you say, 'I can't do it because I'm not good at it,' then you won't be able to do your job.
"Do you need to sew or cook for work?
Are sewing and cooking necessary for work? If you're in a team, you might be able to share the workload according to your strengths, but I'm basically alone or with my dad. If I can't do one thing, I can't live.

He said as if it was nothing and looked at Deanna.

The people I knew in the industry weren't exactly the best of all worlds. Aren't they?
"You can do just about anything, Sirius included. Sometimes I think ...... is cheating.
"Cheating?

I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.

I'm not sure what to make of that. It is definitely unfair that men are so powerful and can do so many other things as well.
"...... I think you're buying too much into that, don't you?　Men are not as versatile as Dee thinks they are.
You just said you can do it all.
You just said you could do it all. In case you're wondering, I can cook like anyone else, but I can't make pastries, and I can do needlework like mending clothes, but I can't do detailed work like embroidery or lacework.
...... Really?

I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.

I told you.　I'm just learning the household skills I need to live. If it's a skill that you need for your job, you can polish it, but there's no client who's going to ask me to make pastries or knit lace, right?
It's hard when you have .......
That's what I mean. I've never been good at small tasks. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten mad at myself for mistaking salt for sugar when preparing a meal.
"That's a problem before doing small steps. I've never seen anyone make such a mistake in real life.

I've never seen anyone make such a mistake in real life," he said in a casual tone, but I could tell he was concerned about Diana. I've never seen you do anything like this before.

No one can do everything from the start, and no matter how hard you try, there will always be things you can't do. If the people in Dee's family seem to be "all things to all people" - I'm sure they are trying to be that for Dee and her family.
"...... for us?
"For us?" "For us to be able to protect Dee and her family if, for example, we were to run out of food or water. I'm sure you can understand. ...... I think I understand why you're trying so hard.
That's .......

I'm not sure if he knows the pain and fear of losing something. If only I had had more strength at that time. ...... This person has also had such regrets.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to try.

I'm not sure I'm worthy of ...... everyone thinking that way.
The way you say it, you don't sound very confident.
I'm too embarrassed to have that kind of confidence.
It's okay.　Everyone has their own motives for wanting to protect something. I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Me?
Sheila, the palace, the country... Just because you want to protect something doesn't mean it's worth protecting, right?

Now that you mention it, I realize. When you say that, I realize that I also have a desire to protect them.

"What I want to protect is .......
What do you mean?
...... simply because I like them and I want them to smile.
You know?　If there is any value to the "something" being protected, it is the very thing that made you think that, I think. It's something that the protectors don't want to mourn.
But ...... there are a lot of people out there who are protected just because they are high or whatever.
But there are a lot of people in the world who are protected just because they have a high rank.　People who try to force people to protect them because of their rank don't die well in all ages.

I'm afraid that generalizations don't sound like generalizations when they are said by a man who is likely to be employed by such people. While I was sipping a hot cup of tea after dinner, and worrying about my slightly chilled back muscles, Kai looked up and smiled.

Dee, look. Dee, look, your ride is here.
I'm not sure what that means.　...... Oh.

A man, a common peddler, wandering around with his luggage, looking for an empty chair. --I would have missed the familiar face if Kai hadn't told me.

"Hey, you two. Do you mind if we sit here?
"Sure. We're about to leave.



It's a common conversation in these places. Kai and the man behaved quite naturally, and soon after finishing their meal, Deanna and Kai left the restaurant. When they were completely out of the way of the crowd, Kai opened a piece of paper in his hand.

It said, "In an hour, behind the building next to the temple.
...... You've been through a lot of hassle.
You were just attacked yesterday.　It's a normal precaution for the Dark Ones.
Did you know that was one of the Dark Ones?
No?　No, but I can usually tell by the vibe of my peers.

I'm sure you've heard of them. Deanna suddenly took Kai's hand.

"What's wrong?
What's wrong?" "Teach me how to use a dagger sometime. I want to be able to do things too.
I want to be able to do a lot of things too. ...... But first, you have to go back to the palace.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.