After the attendants brought in a table full of food, everyone except Alice—who had already eaten—started dinner.
As we ate, I remembered my earlier suspicion that Christina Fenelbia had some ulterior motive. I wanted to know what she and Alice had talked about while they were alone.
"Alice, what did you and Miss Fenelbia talk about?"
"She asked how old I am, when my birthday is, and whether one of our guards wasn't here."
"W-Wait... how did she know there was another member in our group?"
I was genuinely shocked.
How in the world had Christina Fenelbia figured out Karen wasn't with us?
Could the so-called Brain of God really deduce the existence of someone we'd never even mentioned?
"I don't know."
"More importantly... you didn't tell her anything that was supposed to stay secret, right?"
"No. Mr. Karen would get mad."
Good.
Anything else could be discussed, but never the things Karen had explicitly ordered us to keep secret.
Those secrets were his bottom line.
If anyone crossed it, he wouldn't spare them, no matter how close they were to him or how much they joked together.
That was simply the kind of person he was.
Cold.
At the same time, Karen had given us good food, comfortable lodging, and shown us sights that even kings might never witness in their entire lives.
There was no way we'd betray someone like that.
Still...
Could Christina Fenelbia's real goal be to recruit Alice?
She clearly admired Alice's ability to tell when people were lying. Having someone like her would make solving cases much easier.
...And Karen might actually hand Alice over without hesitation.
He'd always thought having the Saintess around was unnecessary to his plans.
Just thinking about it gave me a headache.
We'd spent so much time traveling together...
I'd really miss her if that happened.
Just then, a piece of meat speared on a fork appeared in front of my face.
Following the fork, I looked to my left.
At some point, Grace had moved to the seat beside me. She smiled sweetly.
"Mr. Jacob... ah."
I froze.
What was Grace doing?
Why was she doing this?
I turned toward Ethefelis.
She was completely focused on eating.
Then I looked at Alice.
She was staring at Grace with her mouth hanging open.
Clearly, I couldn't count on her for help.
When I looked back at Grace, she smiled again.
"Mr. Jacob, open your mouth."
What was wrong with her?
Wasn't this something only lovers did?
What was I supposed to do?
...I'd better refuse.
It was far too embarrassing.
"Y-You should eat it yourself. I can feed myself."
"I want to feed you."
W-Was she acting spoiled?!
She was way too adorable!
But we weren't even dating yet!
No!
I couldn't allow this!
"N-No, thanks."
I scooted my chair away from her.
Grace immediately scooted hers closer.
I moved away again.
She followed again.
I kept retreating while she kept advancing until I ended up beside Ethefelis.
There was nowhere else to go.
Why was Grace being so persistent?
Had her personality completely changed?
Finally, Ethefelis spoke in an irritated tone.
"Quiet. Sit back down."
"Yes."
We both obediently returned to our original seats.
Even though Ethefelis was younger than me, I simply couldn't refuse her.
I owed her far too much, and I was deeply grateful for everything she'd done.
Fortunately, Grace finally gave up on feeding me.
Thank goodness.
My heart couldn't have handled any more of that.
After dinner, I returned to my room to take a bath.
The moment I sank into the hot spring...
Healing.
That was the only word that came to mind.
Every emotion I'd experienced today—joy, anger, sadness, and relief—seemed to melt away in the warmth of the water.
It felt incredible.
Then I remembered I needed to tell Karen we'd be staying here for a while and ask for his understanding.
I tried contacting him several times.
No answer.
"What's Karen doing? Taking a bath? ...Oh well. We might even arrive before he does."
After giving up on contacting him, I finished bathing, changed into my pajamas, and spent the rest of the evening counting my money until it was time to sleep.
The next morning, after breakfast, we followed Christina Fenelbia and Mira back to the area near the tavern.
Once we arrived, Christina addressed us.
"I've come up with a way to get the police here. We simply report a different incident. The only problem is... I haven't decided what the excuse should be. Any suggestions?"
Was she testing us?
Personally, I just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
Then I remembered what Ethefelis had discovered.
The secret entrance was hidden behind a cabinet in the kitchen.
So we needed an excuse that would justify searching the kitchen...
I've got it.
"Food poisoning."
"That should work. Then who will play the victim?"
"I will."
Since it was my idea, it was only natural that I volunteered.
Just then, Grace grabbed my hand.
"Jacob, I'll go with you."
"S-Sure."
Why did Grace keep doing such intimate things?
Was she trying to drive me crazy?
There were other people around!
Could she please have a little self-control?
Without paying any attention to us, Christina took out her pocket watch.
"It's 10:25 now. Considering the time it'll take for the food to be served, we'll report it to the police in ten minutes."
"Understood."
Grace and I entered the tavern hand in hand, our fingers tightly intertwined.
Whenever I tried to pull away, she simply held on even tighter.
Where had her sense of embarrassment gone?
After we found a table and sat down, Grace glanced toward where Ethefelis and the others had been standing.
"They've left."
"They're probably waiting outside the police station. They'll report it in ten minutes."
"I see."
A server soon came to take our order.
We ordered beer along with several appetizers.
While we waited, I looked at Grace sitting beside me.
We were still holding hands.
She clearly had no intention of letting go.
I finally gathered the courage to ask.
"Um... Grace? Could you let go of my hand?"
The moment I said it, Grace immediately clasped my hand with both of hers and asked anxiously,
"Did I hurt you?!"
"No. It's just... aren't you embarrassed? Everyone's staring at us."
I'd felt the eyes of everyone in the tavern on us ever since we'd walked in.
It was incredibly awkward.
Grace, however, smiled with pure happiness and answered in a sweet voice,
"When I'm holding hands with the person I love, I don't have time to feel embarrassed."
Her honest answer left me speechless.
She was just too adorable.
"...Alright."