17. Idle Talk: The Monologue of a Former Thieving Cat
āIdle Talkā is mainly about recollections from another characterās POV
I, Lumiere Alban, hated studying.
Since my father was an assistant director of an academic institution, it was expected of me to have some intelligence and knowledge. I found reading the history of art that my father specialized in quite refreshing.
āLumiere is a girl, thereās no need to push yourself so hard.ā
āLook, Lumiere is good at sewing. Iām sure youāll become a wonderful bride.ā
Every time I heard something like that, I felt truly sorry for myself.
I didnāt want to be introduced as my fatherās, a scholarās, daughter. Thus, I eventually distanced myself from the social circles. Gradually, I became scared of studying itself.
Nevertheless, through the connections of my father and my peers, I managed to enter into an aristocratic academy. I was told that, āEven if you get married, thereāll be no loss since you have an education.ā
No matter how many connections I had, I was still a baroness. I wasnāt a gorgeous noble lady, someone described as dazzling in every rumor. Soon, I started to be bullied, especially because I was the odd one out.
I was in trouble. I didnāt want to go to school anymore. Despite that, there was no way for my father to know.
When everything felt hopelessāI met him.
āDid you drop this?ā
During our first meeting, my first impression of that person was that he wasnāt a noble. Because what he had dropped was a stuffed peach rabbit. What was more, it was ugly. He probably received it from his sister, or brother…
…Then, the blond man replied with a smile.
āOh, thank you…ā
W, whatās with this handsome person!?
I had only seen a face that beautiful on paintings and sculptures.
…A prince?
It was unworthy for a prince to hold such a thing… But he was truly dazzling. I rushed to hand over the stuffed doll. However, I accidentally ripped it instead.
āAh.ā
The rabbitās neck tore… It must had been frayed since the beginning. The thread was already thinning. The doll was quite worn out. Even the prince-like man was aware of it.
āAh… donāt worry, itās worn… since itās very old…ā
W, why do you look like youāre about to cry!?
That was right! It was an accident! It couldnāt be helped! Even if he wasnāt truly a prince, it was still an aristocratic academy, right?! He should be able to purchase many such things!? Or, was it rare!? Maybe, it was a national treasure-class gem sewn by a famous seamstress who had died…!?
While being unsure of what I was hesitating about, I suddenly said such a thingā
āāD, do you want me to fix it…?ā
āCan you?ā
āIām good at sewing, so…ā
Because I didnāt want to study, I always sewed instead. My mother even cried, āA commoner wouldnāt even do as much as you!ā
Then, the princeās(?) sapphire blue eyes sparkled.
āPlease, if you wouldāno, if you donāt mind, could you teach me how to sew?!ā
āWhat!?ā
***
That was the beginning of my misfortune with himāno, if I said that, Luche would scold me… But I was sure that was my turning point.
***
Then, the days of teaching him how to sew began. During those days, weād sit near a flower bed in the corner of the courtyard as he struggled to learn.
āThen, pass the thread through the needleāā
āāThis needle is frayed. Is it defective?ā
āNo, senpai is just clumsy.ā
I diagonally cut the end of the thread and handed it over to him once again.
Ugh… it would have been much faster if I were to do it myself… When will he be able to thread a needle?
Perhaps because he was embarrassed over learning something from me, our meetings were always early in the morning. I wasnāt good at getting up early, so Iād very much have preferred after school… But he seemed to be busy, so I was begged to come about 10-20 minutes earlier in the morning. I couldnāt say no when such a pretty person was bowing to me…
…Well, letās think of them as days where I practice my patience…
However, it had been three days. It had been three days since he started practicing how to thread a needle. Then, we had to take a break the following week due to there being a ball. During that time, he went back to square zero. Thus, we spent two more days of learning how to thread a needle again… in no time at all, we became friends.
Still, for some reason, he was adamant about me not doing anything! I couldnāt even help him thread the needle! Itād be overwhelmingly faster if I remade everything from scratch. If it was something like that stuffed toy, I could make one with my eyes closed during class!
Even if it was a princeās request, I was fed up with it. So, I gently suggested that I make it insteadā
ābut he shook his head with a tearful expression.
āI canāt. This is… something that Luche gave me. I want to fix it myself.ā
Luche…? I felt like I had heard of that name from somewhere. Who was it again?
I see…
Does he have a girlfriend? …Well, thatās only to be expected. After all, heās this handsome. It would be weird if he didnāt have a lover or two…
When I was a little depressed about the fact, he asked me.
āBy the way, you arenāt wearing leather shoes today?ā
āOh!?ā
I couldnāt help but yelp.
Shoes… shoes…
When I changed into my athletic shoes during P.E class yesterday, my leather shoes were hidden. I couldnāt find them. I would need some time before I could get a new pair, for it was custom. If I were to explain the situation to my parents, I might be able to quickly obtain a new set, but I refused to tell them about the bullying. As such, I had no choice but to go to the academy with these one.
I laughed like a fool.
āHaha~ I seem to have lost my leather shoes…ā
ā…Those arenāt something you normally lose, do you?ā
āI know, right? How stupid of me!ā
My grades were bad. I was bad at studying. It was a factāI was an idiot, despite being a scholarās daughter. No wonder I was bullied.
I was about to laugh and shrug it off, but for some reason the prince nodded.
āAlright.ā
āDid you finally understand how to do it?ā
āNo, Iāll try to stay by you as much as possible for the time being.ā
āWhat?!ā
B, but why?! Why would you do that?!
When I was at a loss, the bell rang. It was about time for a lot of people to leave academy. Hence, we would separate there. But he didnāt get up from the flower bed.
ā…Shouldnāt you return to your classroom?ā
āIāll stay with Lumiere until the very last minute. The hostility should be reduced a little.ā
ā…Did I tell you my name?ā
āI usually look into the names of those who help me. Iām sorry for not calling you by your name before.ā
Then, he stood up and extended his hand with an utterly dazzling smile.
āMy name is Sazanjill Lukino Lapisenta, once again, please take care of me.ā
***T/N: So… it’s a mere act??? Did he then fall in love with her along the way??? Oh man, I’m not ready for the pain.
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Thanks for chap
Eh he fell in love with her while spending time with her to fix his fiancee’ gift? Ughh i hate it when the author tries to make it such that you can’t hate any of the characters
Damnnn š©š©š© I feel guilty for judging both of them!!!
Huh? Huh??? So she wasnāt a thieving cat to begin with??? Oh man I am not prepared anymore.
Huh… wait what huh? HUH!?! What is this plot development?!?!!