Consolation Ceremony (12)

…Huh? The thing I did for Commander Cyril's sake is being criticized?

I tilted my head as I looked at Commander Cyril's chilly smile.

For the most part, Commander Cyril was often smiling.

But I'd already learned that smiling and being in a good mood weren't necessarily the same thing.

And since I'd clearly heard the resentment in his voice, I had a bad feeling about this.

"C-Commander Cyril? Um, the other day, you said, 'I'll brace myself and do everything I can to help with your acting,' didn't you? I thought the role of the Great Saint-sama's guard knight would be perfect for helping me. S-so, what exactly are you unhappy about?"

I asked Commander Cyril in a low voice, so only he could hear me.

That said, everyone around us was making a fuss about "the duke being the guard knight!" so it seemed no one could hear us unless we raised our voices quite a bit.

Commander Cyril replied in a quiet voice, keeping his composed smile in place.

From a distance, it would have looked as though Commander Cyril was chatting amiably...