Suddenly, her heart fluttered.

‘Why do I feel like this?’

The news of Ren leaving her house was a joyous occasion.

It meant she no longer had to protect him, and that was a relief.

‘Grandma is trying to relieve me of my burden and ease my anxiety.’

How could Viretta possibly take on such burdensome tasks willingly?

Shar-ti scratched her chest area under the blanket.

Despite having thoughts of gratitude and relief in her head, her feelings were still peculiar.

‘There’s no need to worry; Ren is leaving with Grandma Viretta.’

Except for that one time, Viretta had always been perfect, and, like a current mercenary, Ren left no room for sentimentality.

Now that Ren had seen the faces of Shar-ti and her grandchildren, Viretta would make sure he wouldn’t entertain other thoughts in the future.

“So, I hope you think positively.”

“……. ”

While Shar-ti felt uneasy and flustered, Ren seemed calm and content.

As a result, Shar-ti’s mood gradually sank.

A few days ago, she would have welcomed the news with joy, but now she felt frustrated by how she alone was interpreting it in such a desolate manner.

“I mean talking with me. Just for a day. Don’t feel burdened, and think of it as mere practice, like just now.”

“……. ”

Shar-ti looked at Ren with a bewildered expression.

He seemed more interested in her speaking than Viretta’s proposal.

‘Maybe he doesn’t care about Grandma’s suggestion because he already made up his mind?’

So, it could be that he was practicing just for Shar-ti, who would be left alone.

‘…Anyway, he cares about me.’

Shar-ti suppressed the feeling of irritation that was about to burst out.

Having residual energy and feeling heavy-headed, she had no room for unexpected news.

Shar-ti raised the corners of her mouth, feeling a little better.

Although it wouldn’t be visible under the hood, she wanted to congratulate him sincerely.

“I’ll finish the clothes quickly.”

“…… Clothes?”

Ren narrowed his eyes.

“I can finish them within three days.”

As Ren slightly bent his waist and stared intensely at Shar-ti’s palm, she felt an unexpected vigor.

He, who had been looking around curiously, turned his gaze back to Shar-ti.

“I wonder if I read it correctly.”

“To accompany Grandma Viretta, you need thick clothes, right?”

When Ren sighed, his chest rose and fell dramatically before sinking.

He gripped the bed with both hands and lowered his head deeply.

“……So you’re going to send me.”

“……?”

Shar-ti didn’t hear the muttered soliloquy.

Ren raised his head sharply.

“I couldn’t say it earlier, but I got scolded a lot.”

“……?”

“He told me to learn how to talk, and the old man hit me when he came here.”

Ren swept his bangs with exaggerated emotion, excluding emotion and mixing exaggeration.

Although it wasn’t visible under the hood, his forehead, which had been slightly red from being hit by Viretta, became apparent.

Shar-ti was stunned, her mouth agape.

‘Are you okay?!’

Having heard a couple of times that even though it might seem fine on the surface, it reverberates through the bones when hit by Viretta, Shar-ti was concerned.
When Shar-ti reached out, Ren playfully extended his forehead.

After confirming Shar-ti’s reaction, Ren smirked, then began expressing his grievances.

“I just spoke to you the way I talk to you.”

“……. ”

“As a result, I got scolded, and I got hit several times by that old man.”

Shar-ti lost her words and sealed her lips.

Viretta disliked ill-mannered people and didn’t tolerate rudeness.

And in Viretta’s eyes, Ren probably fell into both categories.

‘Was it a mistake to leave his casual speech as it is because he lost his memory?’

Perhaps it was a mistake to allow him to use a comfortable tone.

She didn’t expect his attitude towards adults to be the same as when talking to her.

Shar-ti revisited her mistake with slightly blurry eyes.

She had to use honorifics and respond promptly.

This applied not only to Viretta but also to meeting other people.

‘Since Ren looks intimidating, it would be nice if he changed his first impression through conversation.’

Ren’s first impression was that of a person using short and stiff language, but in reality, his actions also showed kindness and consideration.

He was someone who knew how to express gratitude and apologies, and he made efforts to worry about and help others.

Certainly, if Ren changed his attitude a bit, he could gain favor.

“It seems like we need to practice.”

Ren showed enthusiasm as if he recognized his issues.

“So it would be good if we became each other’s practice partners.”

“……?”

No matter the topic, everything ended the same way.

At this point, Shar-ti needed to notice his trick, but Ren didn’t give her a chance.

“Soldiers might come again. We might have to pretend to be a runaway slave with a broken head for a while.”

As Shar-ti nodded, seemingly convinced, Ren smiled but quickly hid it.