Chapter 54: Shopping With Master

[Tiana's POV]

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Master came out into the backyard once again, wearing an unfamiliar troubled expression. As he approached, he glanced briefly at the mattress. It had become quite thin, but you could still faintly see traces of blood. Misha also stopped what she was doing to observe Master's demeanor.

"You must have been surprised, right? Don't worry about the mattress. It was getting old, so I planned to replace it when I had the chance."

Master led me to an old bench under the eaves and gestured for me to sit. He sat down beside me and stretched out, sitting slightly apart.

"I'm sorry I didn't explain properly, but don't follow strangers too easily, especially don't listen to what Dennis says under any circumstances."

"Understood."

"Not everyone in this world is a good person."

"Are you saying there aren't many people like you, Master?"

As I glanced at him, Master scratched his head, and white flakes fell from it.

"Um ... shedding."

He stood up and brushed it off with his hand, making a displeased face, furrowing his brows.

"Ah, that's dirty. I'll wash it later. Now, about what I just said, you can listen to what Gina says. Well, Summard should be fine too. But if anyone else says something, consult me or Gina. For example, there might be someone who pretends I've had a serious accident to deceive you and take you somewhere. Do you understand?"

I recalled the child who had pushed me. I see. I don't fully understand, but there are people who want to hurt others.

"Yes."

"Do you really understand?"

Master looked down at me suspiciously.

"I have a vague understanding. I will follow your instructions. Oh, and is it okay to listen to what Eilia-sama says?"

"Yeah. Eilia is fine too. Zeigt is also good."

"But not Comba?"

"No. I don't think he's a bad guy, but he seems like he might be getting deceived himself. Even if the person is a good one, they can be manipulated. Oh, speaking of Eilia, I invited her for dinner tomorrow."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. It just happened, and three more people are coming too. Are you okay with that?"

"I'll do my best!"

Hmm. What should I cook? What kind of dish would make them happy? But before that, I need to take care of Master.

"I'll prepare a bath for you. I'll bring hot water right away."

I boiled water in the kitchen and adjusted the temperature in a large tub. I set up a folding screen for Master to undress behind, and then I joined him inside.

"What? I can do it myself."

Master panicked.

"No, I will wash your hair for you."

I lathered soap and made a fluffy foam with both hands.

"It's fine. I'm not a child."

"Having dandruff ruins your adult image."

I washed Master's hair by massaging it.

"Even though you're an adult, you're having your hair washed. You look like a kid."

Tuck peeked in from behind the folding screen. His face disappeared suddenly.

"Hey, Tuck. Don't say unnecessary things. Come here."

"Ow! Mom, I'm sorry."

Master and I left the bath looking neat and went shopping. We had enough ingredients for today, but I wanted to start preparing for tomorrow's dinner early, so I asked Master. He was surprised at how early I wanted to plan but quickly agreed. I walked beside Master, and his clean scent was comforting.

"Do you know what Eilia-sama likes to eat?"

"Hmm. She mentioned she likes fish before."

"What about her taste preferences?"

"I think she doesn't like very strong flavors. Maybe my usual seasoning will be good."

"Will she like my cooking?"

Since he didn't answer, I looked into Master's face. His lips curled up slightly.

"I boasted that Tiana's cooking is even better than the restaurants. If it turns out it's not that great, it might hurt my reputation."

Oh no. Certainly, Master praised me, but I always thought it was just because I'm a child. I haven't eaten out much, so I wondered if my cooking was really that good? Speaking of eating out ... ah!

"Master, I apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation. The other day, didn't Zeigt-sama mention something about Reckenberg?"

"Yeah, he's too loud, that's his fault for being overheard. What's wrong?"

"If you happen to visit Reckenberg, there's a diner called Stella's. Can I ask Master to convey a message to Stella-sama, the owner?"

"Is there something wrong with her?"

"When I was being dragged around, I hardly got any meals, and she gave me food at that time. If she hadn't fed me then, I might have fallen ill."

"I see ... In that case, Stella has done me a favor as well. It's thanks to her that I met you. I understand. If I meet her, I'll express my gratitude too."

"Thank you. Please try her food, it's delicious."

"When I hear that, it makes me want to go there. To be honest, I wasn't very enthusiastic about going out with Zeigt."

I was surprised.

"Aren't Zeigt-sama and Master good friends?"

"Well, yeah, I consider him a friend."

"Then, wouldn't going out together be fun? I enjoy going out with Master like this."

Master looked lonely.

"He's a Holy Knight. He'll probably become even more important in the future. So, it's better if there aren't too many unknown people around like me. I don't want to give the guys trying to tarnish his reputation any ammunition."

His stern expression made me unable to compliment Master.