The witch and the poisonous apple

Harij steps out of the small boat and ties it to the iron pole at the end of the dock. Once he confirms that he has secured the boat, he turns around.

"I was very rude just a while ago."

He looks truly regretful—even though he didn't mean any harm.

She can't meet his gaze, and instead, lowers her own. The robe's color …is truly similar to the forest…

Underneath this, I'm naked…

In front of him, I'm in a truly shameful state…

When she realizes that, again, her head is about to explode.

"No, it's no problem at all. I never thought that I'll be receiving Harij-sama…"

"…How do you know my name?"

—that's when Roze realizes her undoing.

In this supposedly anonymous interaction, she said a name she shouldn't have known.

Harij's voice is stern.

The apologetic expression is nowhere to be seen—and instead, has become the firm expression of a knight.

At her own mistake, Roze bites her lip.

She has never heard of his name. He never told her. Or that's the way it supposed to be.

I should've been aware of that, and yet, without thinking, I called him that…

Panic gnaws on her thought. In her heart, Roze can only pray to stay sane.

"I, I just happen to know—"

"—since when?"

"…"

Her tongue seems to be stuck. Roze looks down, hiding further from his gaze.

"Answer me."

A thought occurs in her mind, to distract Harij—but no way, to distract an elite knight like Harij, there's absolutely no chance of that!