Chapter 9: The First Step is Friendship

With her strapless red dress, long silky hair and graceful smile, Amber looked like a royal princess who could charm anyone. Her slender, unblemished neck was exposed by the dress, and her gorgeous, lightly made-up face was beautiful enough to cause those who saw it to have problems with their hearts. Also, her breasts, which were even bigger than Olivia's, almost burst out of the tight dress she was wearing. 

Although Amber was uncomfortable in this dress that squeezed around her chest, she restrained herself. She didn't want to look awkward in front of Edwin by adjusting her cleavage every now and then.

"..."

For a while no one said anything more and the two of them quietly concentrated on the food in front of them. Edwin was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with this strangely tense atmosphere. When he looked up at Amber, he saw that she was playing with her food with her head down.

"Ahem... Lady Amber I really appreciate your hospitality. If it wasn't for you, I don't know how long I would have been searching my way through the forest."

Edwin finally decided to break the awkward silence.

"Uuuahh?! I-It is really not a big deal! After all, you have been a great help to me too."

Trying to find a good conversation topic in her mind, Amber was startled by Edwin's voice and made strange noises. She felt embarrassed and her cheeks flushed a little as a result.

"Y-Yesterday night you must have finally had a good night's sleep. Did you sleep well, Sir Edwin? I hope Olivia didn't disturb you while you were sleeping."

"I slept well, Lady Amber, thank you for asking. Olivia did not disturb me. In fact, thanks to her I was able to get up with ease this morning." Edwin said.

"Huhh? Olivia? It sounded like you already knew her. Did you two know each other before?" Amber asked, puzzled.

Edwin ran his right hand through his long blond hair. He decided not to dwell too much on the events of the morning.

"Of course not! I'm new to this world and I don't know anyone, I can only say that we got to know each other a little bit when she came to my tent and informed me of your invitation."

Edwin looked up at Olivia at the end of his words. Olivia's cheeks flushed as she felt his gaze on her. She lowered her head a little in embarrassment as she thought about what had happened in Edwin's tent.

"Heee?!"

Surprised by these words, Amber turned her head towards Olivia, who was standing right behind her. Seeing Olivia's flushed face, she squinted her eyes and looked at her suspiciously. Olivia tensed under Amber's gaze and reflexively turned her head to the side.

Amber's eyebrow twitched at this movement. She took a deep breath, suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, and then turned toward Edwin with a pleasant smile on her face.

"O-Oh, I see. Well, actually, Sir Edwin, I have a proposition for you." 

"Hmm? What is it?" Edwin asked curiously.

"Ahem, as you must have realized after seeing where we are, there is no temple like the one you are looking for nearby. And while there are small places for worship in the surrounding settlements, I don't think you'll be able to get the information you need from them." Amber took a deep breath at the end of her words.

"That's why I want you to come with me to Rosewyn City, which my family controls." 

After her words, she frantically tried to convince Edwin.

"Rosewyn City is a really large city and you can find many things there! As far as I know, there is also a large temple of Goddess Livian. A-And since my family controls that city, I can help you with your search! Also, you can stay in our family home, so you won't be worried about housing. And, and... T-The food is also very good! Travelers who taste the flavors of Rosewyn City always want to come back here. So-"

"L-Lady Amber I accept your offer, p-please calm down!" Edwin spoke anxiously.

Amber's eyes widened in surprise. "Really!?!?" 

Seeing Amber calm down, Edwin let out a sigh of relief. "Of course! Actually, I was going to ask you to help me with this issue, just trying to figure out how to bring it up."

Hearing this, Amber started to speak with a mesmerizing smile on her face.

"Great! Then I'll tell everyone in the camp to pack up after breakfast. If it's okay with you, we can leave around noon."

"I don't mind, Lady Amber." Edwin nodded.

With a weight lifted from her shoulders, Amber began to chat with Edwin throughout breakfast. They both enjoyed the conversation and every once in a while Olivia, who had regained her composure, would chime in with her cheerful voice. The meal dragged on because of their good conversation and almost an hour had passed. 

At the end of the meal, Olivia cleared the table and left the tent. This left Amber and Edwin alone in the tent. After enjoying the silence for a while, Amber looked at Edwin with a sincere smile on her gorgeous face.

"Sir Edwin, I really enjoyed spending time with you. Hopefully in the future we will have more time to talk together."

Edwin's face broke into a small smile at these words.

"I agree with you, Lady Amber. Thanks to you, I had a really pleasant morning." At the end of his words, Edwin bowed his head a little with his hand on his chest to show his gratitude. "I am truly very grateful to you."

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! You don't have to be so serious! I really enjoyed it too!"

Amber involuntarily adjusted the chest part of her dress while talking in a hurry, as she had done so many times recently. She had unintentionally done this a few times during breakfast. Edwin, who had noticed Amber's actions long before, finally couldn't stand it and asked with a slight frown.

"Lady Amber, your dress seems to be making you a little uncomfortable."

Seeing that her unintentional movement was noticed by the other party, Amber blushed with shame.

"I-I'm not used to wearing clothes like that. I apologize if my rude behavior disturbed you, Sir Edwin." 

Amber offered her apology in a sad voice. Her head bowed and she felt downcast. In noble society, this kind of behavior was frowned upon and was considered the behavior of a crude person.

Of course, this had never bothered Amber before and she behaved as she pleased, wherever she wanted. In the end, she was the legitimate heir to the Redwood family so no one had the guts to make fun of her. But now, in front of Edwin, wanting to appear like a proper lady, she was very careful about her own manners. 

Now, when she realized that her antics had been noticed, she was afraid that Edwin's opinion of her would change for the worse.

Edwin was surprised to see her sad expression and apologized in a worried voice.

"Pardon me, Lady Amber, I didn't mean my words to upset you! I just wondered why you didn't wear something more familiar if you didn't feel comfortable."

"I-I didn't mean to appear inappropriately dressed." Amber lowered her head a little and started playing with her hair. Her face was flushed with shame.

He continued with a small smile. "Hmm... I think it would be better if you felt relaxed. After all, you don't need to feel discomfort just because you are going to dress according to the book. It's a shame to hide your colorful personality behind these norms." 

Amber raised her head at these words and looked at Edwin in disbelief.

Edwin thought he had inadvertently gone a little too far and apologized solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Lady Amber, I said something I shouldn't have! I had no intention of criticizing your actions!"

"..."

Amber looked at Edwin in silence for a while, then lowered her head and hid her face with her hair. She remained like that for a while. After a short while, she stood up suddenly with determination.

"Sir Edwin!!!"

"H-Huhh?????"

Amber looked at Edwin with a serious expression. But her crimson face and lovely pursed lips made her serious expression even more adorable. If anyone who knew her could see Amber now, he or she would not believe his or her eyes. Amber looked into Edwin's blue eyes for a moment and then spoke with all her resolve.

"Please be my friend!"

"..."

Edwin froze in place. He couldn't quite understand how the conversation had gotten to this point. But as he began to comprehend what Amber was saying, Edwin suddenly got up from his seat, just as she had done.

When Edwin stood up, his long blond hair, a few inches past his shoulders, was tossed around. His blue eyes shone with surprise and anticipation. He had always longed to make friends with new people, but he had never expected it to happen so quickly.

"Lady Amber, do you really want me to be your friend?" He asked with a serious expression.

Amber saw Edwin's expression and replied in a serious voice herself. "Yes! Sir Edwin, I want you to be my friend!"

Edwin looked solemnly into Amber's bright blue eyes for a while, then suddenly spoke with a happy smile.

"Then I am honored to be your friend, Lady Amber."

"I see then-, huh? Heeeeeeeeee?!? I-Is that it?"

Edwin wore a confused expression. "Hmm? Yes, that's it. From now on, you and I are friends, Lady Amber. Is something wrong?"

"N-No, it's just... it seemed a little surreal for a moment how easy it was." 

Amber let out a deep sigh of relief and let her tense body fall back into the chair beneath her. She then looked across at Edwin, who was sitting in his own chair.

"So let's just call each other by our first names from now on, shall we, E-Edwin?"

Edwin spoke with a sincere smile that made Amber's face as red as an apple.

"I'd love to, Amber."

Composing herself quickly, a wide smile spread across Amber's now red face.

'Good! Everything must go step by step. The first step is friendship!'