Chapter 4
With all the leads she had, Guinevere wandered around. Her mind is filled with the thoughts of where her brother is and the marriage with the Paxleys.
She aimlessly walked around the city's plaza, holding the useless leads and a piece of paper containing a copy of the marriage proposal.
If Lancelot was here, he would help me decline the proposal.
She really missed her brother, the person in the family who she is fond of the most. The one who helps her with her magic experiments, the one who always give her what she wants, the one who dotes on her the most.
Lost in her thoughts, she accidentally bumped with a young man holding a drink.
"I am sorry, I did not noticed you---"
"I also apologize, I am also partly at fault for not aware of my surroundings and got lost in my thoughts" she replied.
The young man noticed the papers Guinevere is holding earlier being spoiled by his drink. He widened his eyes and quickly retrieved the ones that can still be saved.
"I am so sorry for spilling on your papers" noticing his face being familiar, she cannot help but think who the young man is.
"If you're not busy, do you---" his expression suddenly changed and he dragged Guinevere to a shop nearby.
"Wha---" her mouth was covered by a hand with calluses, an evidence of a person practicing swords or handheld weapons for a long time.
"Shh!" and he cautiously look outside.
Knights passed by, and are looking around as if they are searching for a person.
"Who are you?" asked Guinevere.
By chance, he's not a criminal, right?
Or a wanted person of a noble?
If yes, then... am I considered as an accomplice of this person?!
"Gusion" and he kept on looking outside.
"Are you perhaps the person they are looking for?"
"Yup. Oh, they already passed. We're safe." and he called a waiter and ordered.
"Why are you hiding from them?"
The waitress looked at me, waiting for me to order.
"Choose what you'd like first, then I'll answer."
She looked at him for awhile then gave my food of choice.
After the waitress left, Guinevere's sight went back to Gusion.
"Answers"
"I skipped training" and he played with a ball of light.
"But you've been training for a long time. Long enough for calluses to form." and looked at his hands.
"Ugh... when did you noticed?"
" When you covered my mouth with your hands."
"Sorry again for that"
The food the two ordered arrived, Gusion having coffee and sandwich, and Guinevere having tea and cake.
"So, from which family?"
"Huh?" Gusion stopped as he was about to enjoy his sandwich.
"From which noble family are you?" asked Guinevere.
"Why noble family?" he placed back his sandwich, being more interested on what Guinevere will say rather than filling up his somewhat hungry stomach.
"Obviously from the way you brought yourself, you have proper etiquette classes. Except for the time you dragged me and hid, that was kinda... uhh... Anyway, if you're from the army and you just escaped training, knights would not waste time looking for you and those knights earlier are obviously personal knights, based on what they wore. Clearly the person whom they are searching would either be one who have a personal grudge with the family or a person from the family." and she sipped from her tea.
"I'm from the Paxley family" he answered then drank a bit of his coffee.
Guinevere almost spat the tea she drank.
Oh great. Of all the people to bump into, why to a person related to the house who proposed marriage??
Gusion noticed that the girl opposite him changed her expression when she heard him saying he's from the Paxley household.
"Do you have any problem with my family?" he asked with caution.
"Well, it is not really a big problem but..."
"But what?"
"First, I'll introduce myself properly"
Oh, I still did not know her name. Luckily she knew... it would be weird if I will only call her 'you'.
"I am Guinevere Baroque, the young mistress of the family specializing in fencing."
"Oh, my name is Gusion Paxley, fourth son of the Paxley family. So, your problem is?"
"Your family just proposed a marriage in my family..."
Gusion got choked by his coffee.