"Whoa, sorry for startling you earlier. The wolf was just too heavy, you know. If I'd dragged it along, the hide or meat might've spoiled..."
"I get it, so shut up."
"Still, hearing Knight Ferris scream was pretty fun."
"I said shut it!"
"Eek! Sorry."
Ferris shot Matthew a fierce glare.
The three sat huddled around the crackling campfire.
Above the flames, a stew made from wolf meat bubbled vigorously.
Matthew hummed a tune as he stirred the stew with a wooden ladle.
"Smells this good... Even if two of us ate it and one dropped dead, we wouldn't notice. Haha."
"Coming from you, that doesn't sound like a joke."
"Aw, of course it's a joke."
"..."
"Come on, eat up before it gets cold. I made it, but I'm confident in the taste."
Matthew flashed a friendly smile as he filled their bowls to the brim with stew.
Normally, Lady Heckenroze would never touch something like wolf stew...
But with the carriage half-destroyed and their food supplies gone, they had no choice.
"Thanks for the meal, Knight Matthew."
"It's an honor to serve food to the Lady."
"...My lady, let me check it first."
Ferris snatched Heckenroze's bowl.
'Should've taken charge of the food myself. My mistake.'
Ferris scanned the stew with sharp eyes.
She had built the fire, while Matthew handled the cooking.
It hadn't seemed like a big deal when assigning roles, but now that she had to eat his cooking, it felt ominous.
Sniff sniff.
The smell passed muster, at least.
It was impressive that wolf meat—tough and flavorless—could produce such an appetizing aroma.
Still, she couldn't let her guard down.
Glancing at Matthew, she found him watching her.
"...What're you staring at?"
"Just worried it might not suit your taste."
"Stop staring. It's creepy."
"Sorry. Oh, and..."
Matthew grinned as he spoke.
"No poison or anything in the stew, so rest easy."
"...!"
Matthew's words halted Ferris just as she was about to take a sip.
"What's wrong? Eat up already."
"You didn't slip anything in, did you?"
"That's what I just said. Nothing at all."
"..."
"Gotta say it upfront, or someone might misunderstand."
'Saying it like that makes it more suspicious...'
Ferris swallowed her retort.
His odd remarks made the stew even harder to stomach.
Should she eat it or not?
"Knight Ferris."
"..."
"Eat already."
Behind her, the Lady stared intently at the stew.
After everything today, she had to be starving.
Even as the North's one and only lady.
'Fine, I'll eat.'
Unable to resist Heckenroze's pressure, Ferris made up her mind.
Slurp!
Ferris squeezed her eyes shut and gulped down the stew.
Warm broth flooded her mouth.
Her eyes snapped open.
"...It's good?"
The stew was just plain delicious.
"Glad to hear it suits you. Heh heh."
Ferris let out a laugh—unclear if it was amusement or just cooling her stew.
The taste wasn't bad at all.
The tough, muscular wolf meat had been tenderized perfectly, making it better than most stews.
Or maybe this was another trap.
'To be safe, maybe a bit more...'
"Knight Ferris."
Grab.
Someone caught Ferris's hand as she went for another sip.
"You've tested for poison enough."
Pressure radiated from Heckenroze's eyes.
"...My apologies."
"Hahaha, proof it was that good, right? Here's a bowl for you too, Knight Ferris."
"Ahem, it's not bad."
Whether from embarrassment or the fire's heat, Ferris's face flushed red.
"Thanks for the meal."
"It's an honor to serve food to the Lady."
Heckenroze, Ferris, and Matthew all focused silently on their stew.
The campfire's warmth and the stew's hot broth seeped into their bodies.
Their muscles melted away, leaving them blissfully relaxed.
As she watched Matthew eat in silence, Heckenroze suddenly spoke.
"Knight Matthew, why are you heading north?"
"My parents recommended it as a sightseeing trip."
"...Your parents?"
"Yeah, embarrassingly, I've always been a homebody. They were overprotective, but I liked staying home too."
Heckenroze barely kept a straight face.
'...Overprotective parents? Doubtful.'
No way his skills came from coddling.
If anything, he was the overprotective type.
What kind of family produced someone strong enough to shred a bandit gang solo?
'...Or maybe it's all made up.'
His plain name fit the lie.
This story could be spur-of-the-moment improvisation.
Heckenroze decided to take his words with a grain of salt.
"So you're traveling the world now?"
"Yep. Wanted to interact with people outside my family. Especially the North—with its famous Northern Archduke Atlante fairy tale city."
"You know of Atlante."
"Sure do. I remember reading it over and over as a kid. Always wanted to visit the North."
The fairy tale Northern Archduke Atlante.
It chronicled her family name and the life of the 'Sword Master' who built it.
The legendary man who blocked the magical beasts beyond the North, becoming its shield.
His fame spread across the Empire, even becoming a children's book.
It wasn't odd for Matthew to know it.
"But... getting here wasn't easy."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, everyone treated me like an enemy, or suspected me, or misunderstood me. Despite living righteously as my parents taught."
"..."
"I try to stay positive, but... all those looks wear you down."
Matthew huddled up, hugging his knees tightly.
Like this, his build looked scrawny, lacking muscle.
Like a hurt child.
"Probably my hair."
Matthew fiddled with his bangs.
If he'd grown up on fairy tales, he'd know how black hair was portrayed.
Most black-haired characters were villains.
Heckenroze had a sudden thought.
'What if all our suspicions... were just illusions?'
If everything Matthew said was true.
If he was just born with black hair and squinting eyes by chance...
His life probably wasn't as smooth as hers.
Even she, saved by him, couldn't trust him fully.
How would strangers treat him?
...No wonder if he thought the world hated him.
'Our ages... aren't that far apart.'
His pale skin and youthful face hinted at it.
Probably close to her own freshly adult age.
Realizing that, she felt sympathy for him.
One layer of suspicion peeled away.
"Why stare like that? Something on my face?"
"...!"
Heckenroze's eyes trembled at his question.
"N-no, nothing."
"Huh? That hit the mark."
"Don't make trouble for the Lady."
"Eek, sorry. But... yeah, there was something on my face."
Matthew wiped his cheek and scraped something off.
Bandit blood from earlier, overlooked.
"Made a fool of myself. Thanks for pointing it out."
He nonchalantly flicked it away with his nail and grinned.
The sight sent a slight chill through Heckenroze.
It'd take time to warm up to him.
Even small actions made her heart race—for all the wrong reasons.
"Whew... Better meal than expected. Sorry for the suspicion."
Ferris set down her empty bowl—clean of scraps.
"Glad it hit the spot. You ate half the pot, Knight Ferris."
"...Don't point that out."
"My bad. Well then..."
Whoosh.
Matthew suddenly stood.
"Hope everyone enjoyed the meal."
"...It was fine. But what's with the sudden—?"
"Everything alright, Matthew?"
Matthew smiled faintly at their confusion.
"Nothing much. Just... a small favor."
"!"
Tension snapped back taut.
Ferris's hand drifted to her sword hilt instinctively; Heckenroze's face hardened.
"...What favor?"
"No need to tense up. Just a tiny request for folks who enjoyed my stew."
"You bastard, showing your true colors right after—"
"Matthew."
Heckenroze spoke calmly, reining in her composure.
"Stop beating around the bush. Tell us what you want. Misunderstandings breed this way."
"Haha, fair enough. Bad habit..."
Matthew cheerfully picked up Ferris's bowl.
Ferris flinched but kept glaring.
Clink.
Next, Heckenroze's bowl.
His intentions remained opaque.
'Black magic? Demonic curse via saliva or touch? ...No clue.'
Heckenroze's eyes darted around.
She'd heard of black magic using such items.
But no dark aura emanated from Matthew.
Then what scheme—
"Dishes."
"...Huh?"
"Mind doing the dishes?"
Matthew gathered all the dishes into the stew pot.
Conveniently piled for washing.
"Simple, right? I cooked, you wash..."
"..."
"If you hate it, no hard feelings. Not asking now anyway—safer by the river tomorrow morning."
"You idiot!"
"Huh...? Ow."
Thwack.
Ferris fished out a spoon and hurled it at Matthew.
It bonked off his head.
Matthew stared at her, baffled.
"That much against dishes?"
"That's not it! Don't build suspense for something so trivial!"
"Ahh! Don't throw the clean dishes!"
"Shut up! Being around you makes my heart skip beats!"
Thwack. Thwack.
Ferris's furious spoons pelted Matthew repeatedly.
Matthew floundered; Ferris raged on.
And caught between them, Lady Heckenroze...
"Hee hee hee."
Couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Hm? Lady?"
"...The Lady laughed?!"
Ferris gaped at Heckenroze in shock.
As her guard for years, Ferris knew.
Heckenroze had lost her smile since adulthood.
Yet this fool's antics brought it back.
Ferris felt glad, but bittersweet.
She knew too well what stole her lady's smile.
"See? Even the Lady couldn't hold back at your antics, Knight Ferris."
Of course, Matthew had no idea.
"...You're better off keeping quiet. Suits your dignity."
"I just love chatting with people."
"Talking to you turns my stomach!"
"Ahh! Not the plates, not the plates!"
Ferris escalated to tossing plates.
Heckenroze giggled again at flustered Matthew.
The campfire crackled, its smoke drifting into the northern night sky.