Reborn as the Hero's Daughter

Chapter 160: Unintended First Date

After this and that, I ended up having to drink tea with Elliot. All this was so he’d stop making eyes at me from now on. Having him leer at me so I could avoid it felt like I was putting the cart before the horse. How did it come to this… Actually, Maxwell is how.

We entered the nearby cafe that Elliot suggested, and were escorted to the table. This place was a so-called “hidden gem”, with a calm atmosphere.

The glossy interior made of walnut was quite refined despite facing the street. The aroma of bean tea drifting inside was quite pleasing too. There was no one around either, so we could have a quiet meal. Though I suppose the store itself wasn’t quite happy about that fact.

Elliot sitting in front of me was in all smiles, contrastive to me who was acting quite reluctant. Ignoring him, I decided to quickly order the food from the menu placed on the table.

“Ah, one strawberry parfait, please. Oh, and a caramel macchiato.”

Based on the bean tea smell drifting around, I realized that this was a shop mainly focused on that, but my tastes were that of a kid’s right now. I liked some bitter things, but sweet stuff was where my tastes mainly pointed to.

I had a sweet tooth since my previous life… Though it was a little embarrassing to order parfaits back then. The fact that my appearance allowed me to order it without worrying about it was among the few good things that my reincarnation had brought with it. Though I was currently using an adult form.

If it was Reid ordering it now, there was no knowing what rumors would spread. At the very least, they would be far off from the stoic warrior that I was aiming to be.

“Bean tea for me, plain.”

Sweetening it with milk or sugar was the norm, but when they used high-quality beans, it was tastier to drink it raw… Or so I heard. It was proof that this store had good enough quality to warrant drinking it like that.

And when Elliot who had a picky tongue ordered it, it further certified their credibility.

“That’s just bitter.” “These beans have a great flavor so they are good as is. Please give it a try next time.” “Maybe one of these days.”

He recommended it, but given my sweet tooth, there was practically no chance that I’d ever order that. If I ever come alone, I’d definitely order sweet things. Leaving that aside, we were finally alone, so it was better to initiate a conversation.

“You said you were from north… Ah, right, it’s a bit too late, but what’s your name?” “Pfft, hahahaha, a little bit too late indeed! My bad. I am Elliot.” “I’m… Err…”

Now that he mentioned it, I have to think of an alias. Right, maybe I’ll borrow that Elven lady’s name that guarded us on the way to the hot spring town.

“Are you wary of me?” “Ah, no. My name is Haumea.”

He misunderstood my silence for wariness. But well, any girl would be wary in this situation, wouldn’t they?

Either way, we finally reached the stage of exchanging names. Now if only I make him fall for this me, his interest in the actual me should fade.

“I told you about my birthplace, will you not do the same, Mr. Elliot?” “Oops, so rude of me. I come from the capital of Tryad.” “Tryad… You mean the one that was attacked by the Evil Dragon! Ah, that was so inconsiderate of me.” “No, please don’t mind it. It’s all in the past.”

I shamelessly stared at him while acting shocked. Of course, I was more than aware of where he was born and raised. I also knew that making him remember his ruined birthplace wouldn’t be a pleasant thing for him.

However, by intentionally asking it, I made myself look apologetic, handing the dominance of the conversation to him.

I was parroting what Maxwell taught me. Man, I sure am diligent.

“I’m truly sorry for that. I apologize for making you remember something unpleasant.” “No, please, it’s alright already. It was tough when I was a child, but now… It’s been twenty years already.” “It’s been so long, huh… So you always lived in the capital?” “No, I was temporarily away from it. Thanks to that, I managed to avoid that calamity.” “That must have been a blessing in disguise.” “Indeed, thanks to it, I managed to get acquaintanced with famous people.” “Famous people?”

I asked anyway, but I already had an idea who he meant. It was obviously us. I could’ve just let it slide, but I wanted to hear his opinion of us. Maybe I could even get some weakness of Maxwell out of him.

“Yeah, I mean the Six Heroes themselves. Thanks to that disaster, I’ve been in their care for quite a bit.” “Oh my!”

I put a hand to my mouth and acted surprised. This was part of Maxwell’s lessons too. Meanwhile, the cafe manager carried the order to our table. I went and stabbed my spoon into the parfait without any hesitation.

I scooped out the cream filling the largish glass to the brim and carried it to my mouth. The sweetness of the milk cream spread through my mouth, after which the sourness of the accompanying strawberry jam took over and covered it. It was absolutely delicious.

“Ahh, delicious—” “I’m glad that it is to your taste.”

The unexpected taste made me unconsciously leak the words of praise, with the spoon still in my mouth. That said, I felt like I was dancing on his palm, so I fixed my expression, but it only lasted for a moment.

The fine taste of the sweet made my expression naturally melt. The sourness of the fresh strawberry and the sweetness of the milk cream intoxicated me and made me lose myself.

“Ah!? R-Right, you were saying something about the Six Heroes…” “Haha, it can wait until you are done with your meal.” “No, please start when you are ready!” “Well then…”

He endured a laugh, perhaps finding it funny that I became a captive of the dessert, and then he started his story.

He happily talked about Lyell, Gadius and my achievements, and the blunders that we never talked about.

At a glance, we looked like an intimate couple. I intentionally created such an atmosphere for us. But then, I noticed a sharp gaze directed at us.