Chapter 2
Returning to the inn only in the late dawn, I slept until late morning, perhaps due to the accumulated fatigue.
“My Lady.”
I managed to open my eyes at the sound of Mary calling me from outside the door when the sun was high in the sky.
“Come in.”
Mary entered the room.
“What time is it?”
“It’s already time for lunch. You must be hungry, right? I called you in the morning, but there was no answer so you skipped that meal, but you must eat lunch.”
“What about William?”
“The knight is already up and has finished his morning personal training.”
Wow, he’s diligent.
He truly lived up to being a top-tier knight.
“What shall we do about lunch? Will you eat at the inn?”
I couldn’t do that when there was a festival.
I planned to leave tomorrow anyway, so I was curious about what the festival looked
like during the day.
“Let’s go out and eat.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a festival. So let’s go out and eat something delicious.”
“Then please wait a moment while I go tell the knight to prepare.”
“Yes. Alright.”
A short while later, we left the inn.
Having gone out yesterday, I knew it wasn’t a distance that required a carriage, so we decided to walk to the street with the shops.
“My Lady, are you alright? It isn’t too difficult for you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Still, let’s go by carriage.”
“I’m perfectly fine with this much. And if we travel by carriage, we won’t be able to sightsee properly.”
Mary looked at me repeatedly with a worried expression.
I smiled at her to reassure her and eased her concerns.
“What shall we eat?”
“Earlier, I asked the innkeeper to tell me the most famous place in this village, and he recommended one spot.”
William interjected suddenly and spoke.
“Really? Then let’s go there.”
“Yes. I will lead the way.”
Thus, we decided to have a delicious lunch at the place the innkeeper recommended.
Fortunately, it was located not far away, and William explained the details he had heard from the innkeeper—that it was one of the oldest pubs in the region.
When we opened the pub door and went inside, it was bustling with people even from the afternoon, as expected of a famous pub.
The smell of delicious food and the sweet scent of wine stung my nose repeatedly.
We took a seat in a corner and ordered quite a lot of food and alcohol—so much that the three of us couldn’t possibly finish it all.
“My Lady, are you going to eat all of this?”
“Yes.”
“But…”
“Mary, it’s a festival. Stop worrying and let’s enjoy ourselves, okay? And I’m not going to eat alone. We’re eating together.”
“But we cannot eat with My Lady.”
Just like yesterday, Mary mentioned the difference in status.
“It’s fine. We’ll be together for a long time from now on; do you expect me to keep eating all by myself?”
“But My Lady, we can eat separately later—”
“If you say ‘but’ one more time, I’m going to get angry. Sir Knight, you eat quickly too. From now on, unless something special happens, we eat together. Understood?”
“Bu—!”
As Mary tried to say the word ‘but’ again, I gave her a look that wasn’t entirely unkind.
“Understood.”
“I understand, My Lady.”
Fortunately, both seemed to have understood my words and replied obediently.
I smiled broadly at the sight, and after a moment, dishes that looked delicious even at a glance began to come out one by one.
“What is this?”
“It looks like some kind of meat stew.”
“I wonder what kind of meat it is.”
“I’ll taste it just in case.”
Even though many people were eating it since it was food sold at a pub, Mary tasted it first just to be safe.
“It’s lamb.”
“Lamb?”
If it was lamb, I could eat it.
I immediately scooped up a spoonful of the meat stew and put it in my mouth.
“It’s delicious!”
The unique aroma and flavor of lamb spread throughout my mouth.
“Let’s eat quickly.”
Starting with the stew, various dishes that I had never seen at the Duke’s residence continued to be served.
The ingredients and processing methods of dishes eaten mainly by nobles and those eaten by commoners were quite different.
We gradually filled our stomachs along with the wine.
After finishing our meal, we explored the streets.
The village seen during the day felt a bit different from the night.
Since it was a festival, there were definitely more people at night, but even during the day, the crowds filled the streets just as much as at night.
As we strolled through the daytime streets, it soon became evening.
After eating dinner at another pub and filling our stomachs well, we were heading back to the inn, closing out a fulfilling day.
Suddenly, five-colored lights flashed and exploded in all directions across the dark sky.
It was fireworks.
‘To think there are fireworks here too…!’
It was fascinating, and the fireworks exploded so beautifully that it made me feel good. With a broad smile on my face, I spoke to Mary.
“Mary, look! It’s fireworks…!”
“My Lady! They are so beautiful!”
Mary was also watching the fireworks with a moved voice.
I pulled Mary’s hand and ran around looking for a spot where the fireworks were most visible.
Then, taking a spot in an open area, I stretched my neck out to watch the sight of the exploding fireworks.
“They are truly beautiful.”
“Yes. So very beautiful.”
As I was admiring the fireworks bursting all over the world, I somehow felt a piercing gaze.
I turned my head toward where I felt that gaze.
A few steps away, the man named Eden, whom I met yesterday, was staring at me intently.
As our eyes met, perhaps drawn by something, we couldn’t take our eyes off each other.
“My Lady?”
I was only able to move my gaze away from Eden after Mary shook me slightly while calling me.
“That person is…”
William recognized Eden first and spoke.
Soon, he strode over toward us.
Perhaps because he was tall, he arrived in front of us in an instant.
“We meet again.”
“Yes.”
“It seems you like fireworks.”
“It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen them.”
Embarrassed that I had shown a side of myself jumping around like a child even though I was an adult, I spoke while trying to hide my awkwardness.
But strangely, the man didn’t even think of answering my words and just stared at me.
And in the meantime, the short firework
display came to an end.
“Unfortunately, it has ended.”
“There must be a lingering sense of regret for it to be a welcome sight the next time you see it.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes. If you see it whenever you can see it, or if you possess everything you want to have, you won’t know how precious and good it is. This much is just right for me.”
“I see… indeed.”
For a moment, I felt as if a strange glint appeared in Eden’s eyes.
‘Was he moved by my words?’
They weren’t words meant to stir deep emotion, but seeing how his gaze deepened, it seemed my words had moved something within him.
“I have a way to go, so I must be leaving now. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
I bowed my head slightly in greeting and was about to pass by the man when I suddenly remembered the child.
“Um, what happened to the children?”
So, planting my feet back on the ground, I looked at the man and asked.
“I sent them to the orphanage this morning.”
“That’s good. The child I brought along also went safely, right?”
Because I couldn’t forget the child’s eyes from yesterday, I checked on him once more.
“Yes. He went safely. News of the children’s safe arrival will probably come by tomorrow morning.”
“That’s a relief.”
“If you are curious about news of the child, I can let you know.”
“No, no. I’m sure he arrived safely.”
Since he had already found a safe shelter, it was excessive to worry about the child any further.
And somehow, I didn’t feel like getting more involved with this man.
“You just need to look after the children well, as you promised me. Well then, excuse me.”
I greeted the man again and headed toward the inn.
I continued to feel a gaze from behind, but I went on my way without looking back once.
After parting with the man and arriving at the inn, just as I was about to enter, I saw a familiar figure in front of the door.
It was the very boy who was said to have gone to the orphanage.
“You?!”
Uncharacteristically, I called out to the child in a loud voice.
At that, the child lifted his head, which had been buried deep in his knees, and looked up at me.
“Why are you here!”
Somehow, this child seemed to have a knack for surprising me.
After all my effort to save him, his wanting to go back to the circus for his siblings was one thing, and his sudden appearance today was another.
“Bell…”
“Why are you here? What about the orphanage? Did you not go to the orphanage?”
“…I made this to give to Bell.”
“What?”
The child hesitated, then soon held out his hand to me.
On the child’s palm lay a small flower ring.
“What is this?”
“I’m thankful, and I wanted to give you a gift because I’m thankful, but I don’t have money…”
He had made a flower ring because he wanted to give me a gift but had no money.
Because that sentiment was so beautiful, my heart fluttered for a moment.
“Thank you. It’s so pretty. Would you like to put it on for me here?”
I held my hand out to the child.
The child looked at me with surprised eyes and then placed the flower ring on my fourth finger.
“…It’s pretty.”
“Hmm?”
As he put the ring on me, the child muttered something in a small voice, but except for the word ‘pretty,’ I couldn’t hear
it well.
“…Next time, I want to put a real ring on you.”
“Ah… I see, thank you.”
Wondering what a child would know about
the meaning of gifting a ring, I replied with a thank you and a smile.
“But, did you come here just to give me this?”
“….”
When I asked the reason why the child was here, his mouth, which had been answering well until just now, clamped shut.
“Let’s go inside and talk for now.”
Thinking it wasn’t a conversation to be had outside, I first took the child and entered the inn.
And since it was late at night and I couldn’t send the child anywhere, I rented a room for the child to stay in overnight.
“Let’s go up.”
However, just as I was about to take the child up the stairs to go to the room, a growling sound from the child’s stomach thundered.
Startled, I looked at the child, and from his face to his neck, he turned completely red with embarrassment.
“By any chance, have you eaten nothing until now?”
“….”
The child didn’t answer again.
I took that as an affirmation.
“Mary, I’ll go up to the room with the child first, so could you bring some food for the child to eat?”
“Yes. I understand, My Lady.”
After telling Mary to bring food, I took the child and entered the room where he would stay.
“Come in.”
I entered first and was looking around the room, but the child was hovering outside, unable to come in.
“Come in, quickly.”
After I said it twice, the child entered the room with slow steps.
“For now, let’s sleep here today.”
“Yes…”
“Try sitting here.”
I sat the child in a chair at the table.
And after looking at the child in silence for a moment, I finally spoke.
“Did you really come here just to give me this?”
I asked the child, holding up the hand wearing the flower ring.
“I—”
“My Lady.”
Just as the child was about to speak, Mary’s voice was heard from outside the door.
At my word to come in, Mary entered the room with a tray in her hands.
