Chapter 36
“Haa…”
With a deep sigh, I picked up a rag and looked around the shop’s interior.
How could cleaning feel this endless?
It was the first time I truly understood what “closing time hell” meant in Laurencia.
With Nick gone, I had to handle everything on my own—and somehow, the number of customers had doubled compared to when I ran the shop alone before. That meant twice the dust floating in the air, twice the trash to throw away.
When Nick left, I thought I could manage by myself. Clearly, I’d been mistaken.
Dropping the rag on the table, I slumped into a chair and wiped the sweat off my face.
“Should I hire someone new?”
The thought crossed my mind seriously. After all, I used to be a duchess—never exactly built for hard labor.
This little gallery was supposed to be a small, quiet venture. But now, it had grown far too much for me to handle alone.
As I sat there catching my breath, my gaze drifted to a painting on the wall. I stared at it blankly.
…Come to think of it, when was the last time I painted?
I’d been so busy running the shop lately that I hadn’t even thought about painting.
“So I want to go to the capital with you, Cassia. If we go together, I’ll make sure you have everything you need to paint as much as your heart desires.”
“…The paintings you made, Mother—they’re truly beautiful. I know I’m saying this late, but… I really hope you don’t let that talent go to waste.”
“……”
I rose from my seat and approached the paintings.
The few works I’d painted just to calm my heart stared back at me. To anyone else, they probably looked like nothing—certainly not beautiful, at least not to me.
“The capital, huh…”
But Adolf’s last words kept echoing in my mind.
If I went to the capital—if I truly studied art—could I really become a painter?
Was it true, what Adolf and Nick had said? That I had real talent? I found myself lost in the thought.
After staring for a while, I turned away.
I still wasn’t sure.
I couldn’t yet trust that I’d cherish my art enough to face all the dangers waiting in the capital.
Nor could I be certain I wouldn’t regret leaving Laurencia—the place I’d come to rest—behind.
I couldn’t be sure I’d survive, returning so close to the ducal estate I’d sworn to leave behind.
I picked the rag back up.
First things first—finish closing up. I could think about everything else after that.
There was still time to decide—about hiring help, about Adolf’s offer.
I had just begun moving again when—
The door creaked open.
“Sorry, but we’re closed for the day—”
I started to say, out of habit. Sometimes customers came late, after closing.
But then I turned my head—and my eyes widened. The person standing in the doorway wasn’t a customer.
“…Michael?”
“It’s been a while, Cassia.”
Michael stood there, smiling warmly as always. The rag slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.
“Michael!”
His visit at this hour was completely unexpected. Before I knew it, I ran to him and threw my arms around him.
He seemed surprised, but then he hugged me back.
A soft laugh escaped him, and soon we were both laughing together, our voices filling the quiet shop.
“How did you end up here this late? I haven’t even sent word yet.”
“I just missed you too much.”
Setting me gently down, he patted my head with a fond smile.
“I heard the Third Prince returned to the palace. The whole Empire’s buzzing about it. I figured things here might’ve calmed down, so I snuck by after hours.”
“I see.”
“Maybe I should’ve waited for your letter, huh? But I thought I had pretty good timing.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
“I was actually planning to write soon, to tell you it’d be all right to visit. I just… hadn’t had the time yet.”
“I see. You look tired, though. Everything okay?”
“Ever since His Highness the Third Prince came by, this place somehow turned into a holy site.”
I gave a small, wry laugh.
“So now, the number of visitors has exploded. I’ve been running myself ragged every day.”
His visit was sudden—but that made it even more precious. It felt like receiving an unexpected gift late at night.
“Sounds like a lot’s happened. I’d love to hear all about it soon,” he said, smiling at me.
“I want to tell you everything too,” I admitted, “but could you wait just a little? I haven’t finished closing yet.”
“Ah, right. You were still working.”
“Yes. With so many people coming by, cleanup takes ages. But I’m almost done—it won’t take long.”
“What’s left to do?”
“Hmm?”
“You said you had to finish closing. What’s left?”
“Well… I still have to take out the trash, and the dishes aren’t done yet…”
At my answer, Michael smiled softly—then turned his gaze toward the kitchen.
I followed his eyes—and gasped.
The pile of dishes that had filled the sink was… vanishing. One by one, mugs scrubbed themselves clean and returned to their shelves.
The trash bags tied themselves up neatly and floated toward the door—then drifted outside.
I stared, dumbfounded, at the neatly sorted bags now sitting by the curb.
“I am a mage, remember? My specialty’s memory magic, but I can handle small, practical spells like these just fine.”
“…That’s really magic?”
Mages were rare in the Empire—rare even across the continent.
I’d seen Adolf use enchanted tools before, but this was the first time I’d witnessed real magic cast before my eyes.
Right—Michael was a mage. He just didn’t flaunt it.
Somehow, the sight filled me with wonder. I was still staring, half laughing in disbelief, when he reached out and took my hand.
“Let’s get out of here. Time for the date we missed last time.”
Michael somehow procured two horses from somewhere. Standing in the street outside the building, I blinked at them.
“What’s this?”
“Two fine black horses from the Count’s estate,” he said, taking their reins.
“Remember when we were kids? You, me, and Diana used to go riding together.”
“Oh—yes!”
The memory surfaced instantly.
“I remember. Diana begged her father for ages to let her ride a horse.”
“Right, and when he finally gave in, she fell off the very next day.”
“Yeah, I remember that! She nearly died! Broke her arm and had to go through weeks of treatment.”
But Diana never gave up—she kept riding despite her fear, screaming “Ahh! Ahh!” the whole time while refusing to let go of the reins.
Thanks to Michael, those long-buried memories brought a faint smile to my lips.
“I thought of you, back then,” he said. “Even your first time, you rode like a natural.”
“…Ah.”
“That memory’s why I brought these. I figured if we rode again, it might help you shake off some of that stress.”
At the time, Count Allison had kindly lent me a horse so I could ride alongside Diana. It had been quite a favor—my family could never have afforded a purebred black horse like that.
I used to ride with Diana, sometimes with Michael too.
Had I really been good at it? I didn’t remember being scared like Diana, at least.
“Sure. I haven’t ridden in ages, so I’d love to try again.”
It sounded like a wonderful idea—maybe riding freely through the night would really clear my head.
When I agreed, he handed me one of the reins. I placed my foot in the stirrup and swung up onto the saddle, the old motions coming back naturally.
Michael chuckled. “See? Told you you were good at it.”
He mounted his own horse just as smoothly, and our eyes met from above.
“Let’s make the villa our destination. Sound good?”
“Perfect.”
The horses neighed loudly—and then we were off.
The ride was exhilarating.
The two horses galloped fearlessly through the night air toward the villa, slicing through the wind.
The road looked different under the moonlight than it had during the day—almost mystical.
The rustling trees and flowers seemed to greet us with a faint, otherworldly glow.
A great silver moon hung above, bathing the world in its soft light. The open landscape shimmered before us—beautiful and calming.
We rode faster and faster, laughter spilling from my lips as excitement took over.
Gripping the reins tighter, I urged my horse into a full sprint.
Michael tried to catch up—but couldn’t quite match my pace.
It turned into an impromptu race, and both of us were laughing the entire way.
Before I knew it, we had reached the villa—faster than ever before.
