* * *
The scenery outside the imperial palace, seen through the carriage window, was the same as ever. Once we had put some distance between ourselves and the palace, commoners’ houses began to appear. Unlike the imperial palace, the commoners’ district was bustling and full of the smell of people living.
It had been so long since I had gone out that I grew excited without meaning to, then hurriedly regained my senses. And I cautiously asked Terni, who had come out with me.
“Is it really all right to sneak out like this?”
“Of course!”
If he was this confident, I supposed I could relax. Just as I was about to enjoy the view out the window at ease, Terni placed a hand on my shoulder.
“It means of course it’s not.”
“…….”
“I’m not joking. Adrian might actually kill me.”
Despite his playful voice, Terni’s eyes were so serious that I had no choice but to believe him.
“The moment I get back, I’m going to kneel and beg.”
“Artie, do you have no pride?”
“No!”
“Oh, me neither!”
To think I had to have such an idiotic conversation—I suddenly felt a sense of futility.
“Sigh.”
I had already left the imperial palace, so there was no turning back. Deciding to think about the Crown Prince problem after I returned, I focused on what I had to do.
As I stared intently out the window, the moment a familiar road appeared, I tugged at Terni’s sleeve.
“Here.”
“Here?”
Terni tilted his head but stopped the carriage.
I naturally declined Terni’s attempt to escort me and stepped out of the carriage first.
I had deliberately dressed like a commoner, because if I gave off any hint of being a noble, I would be found out.
“Wait nearby.”
After ordering the coachman, Terni came up to me. Even so, Terni seemed somewhat baffled.
“But why did you come here?”
When Terni asked, looking around, I smiled awkwardly. Perhaps that was a question he should have asked before we finished preparing to leave.
The place I had come to was the middle of an unremarkable commoners’ district. Neither particularly poor nor particularly wealthy—a place where perfectly middle-income commoners lived.
It was understandable that he would be puzzled by my coming to the Rantree district, a residential area for commoners rather than Eldorado Street, the high-end commercial district.
“I have business here.”
“Weren’t you here to buy a gift for Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Hm. It’s similar.”
When Terni wore an expression of exasperation for the first time, I felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. You feel the frustration of not knowing something for once!
I deliberately offered no explanation and walked ahead.
But soon Terni came along behind me, beaming. Apparently it didn’t matter to him.
Before long, the place I arrived at was in front of a shabby mansion that showed no sign of being maintained.
The old building was, on the outside, quite large in scale.
Terni, scanning the mansion with doubtful eyes, looked down at me.
“Isn’t this a ruined house? It looks like it’ll collapse and crush us to death!”
“That’s rude to the person who lives here.”
“Aren’t you being too cold to this oppa of yours? Hm?”
Ignoring Terni’s nonsense, I knocked on the mansion’s door. But no sign of life came from inside.
“This looks like a house no one lives in.”
“It’s not.”
He should be waking up from his sleep around now. I knocked once more.
Knock, knock.
Still no response.
Terni, who had been standing quietly beside me, suddenly rolled up his sleeves.
“What good does it do to knock like that! Move aside, Artie. This oppa will show you a spectacular knock!”
“No, wait a moment……!”
I hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
Bang, bang, bang!
Terni pounded on the door so hard it seemed it might fall off. The noise was loud enough that even people walking by turned around in shock.
I let out a deep sigh and buried my face in both hands.
“What kind of damn bastard pounds on someone else’s front door in broad daylight?!”
The door flew open, and the owner of the house appeared with a booming voice.
Helmer, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, looked no different from before. Except that he looked a little more tired.
I approached him and beamed.
“Uncle Helmer!”
“Lara?”
“Uncle, it’s been so long. Have you been well? I told you it would be better to cut down on drinking—you’re not drinking too much these days, are you?”
Having met him after so long, nagging came out on its own. I hadn’t seen him even once since entering the imperial palace, so it had been well over half a year since I last saw his face.
The murderous aura from moments ago vanished, and Uncle Helmer, breaking into a cold sweat, began making excuses.
“No, Lara……. It’s not that I drank because I wanted to, it’s all because that Hans next door kept begging me to drink with him……. When I was alone, I didn’t drink! I swear!”
Glancing past the open door, I saw crates of liquor piled high. I gestured at them with my eyes and smiled brightly.
“You swear?”
“……I was wrong, Lara. It’s all this uncle’s fault.”
“Well, I didn’t really expect much anyway.”
Leaving Uncle Helmer shocked by my words, I went inside the house. Of course, with Terni trailing behind.
Sighing at the state of the house, which looked even more of a mess than before, I felt Terni whisper in my ear.
“Artie. Who is that uncle?”
“He was my father’s closest friend.”
“Hmm. Your father?”
If Terni’s voice sounded somehow displeased, was that my imagination? I subtly checked his expression, but Terni only smiled at me.
So it was my imagination after all.
“Anyway, Lara. I heard you went into the imperial palace as a maid—how did you get out?”
The fact that I had become the Crown Prince’s stand-in fiancée was a strict secret that no one was allowed to know.
“I got permission, so it’s fine.”
When I answered vaguely, Uncle Helmer nodded as if convinced. Then his gaze landed on Terni, standing blankly behind me.
“Lara. Who on earth is this good-for-nothing?”
“Um…….”
I felt Terni’s burdensome gaze. He seemed to be expecting something, but what on earth was he hoping for?
Probably, with one hundred percent certainty, he wanted to be introduced as my older brother—but that was utter nonsense.
Averting my eyes from Terni’s look, I answered indifferently.
“Someone I happened to get to know.”
“What? Artie, that’s too mean!”
Did he really expect to be introduced as my brother? Even for Terni, who was beyond hope, he couldn’t be that thoughtless…….
“I am Lara’s older brother!”
He could.
Uncle Helmer, looking at Terni as if he were ridiculous, turned to me.
“What kind of nonsense is this bastard spouting?”
“Ahaha…….”
Not knowing what to answer, I simply laughed, and Uncle Helmer’s expression hardened.
“Excuse me. Lara’s older brother? What nonsense is that? I was this child’s father’s closest friend before she was even born. Lara has no older brother!”
I knew why Uncle Helmer had suddenly turned fierce.
I had lost my family suddenly.
That meant Uncle Helmer, who as the head artisan of our house had been close with my father and all my family, had also lost a dear friend.
The story of my family was like a painful wound to Uncle Helmer.
But Terni, completely unaware of this, answered brightly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll become Lara’s older brother and make her happy for the rest of her life!”
“What did you say?”
Uncle Helmer’s already fierce face twisted even more menacingly.
……Oh no. Before I could do anything, the situation deteriorated smoothly.
Uncle Helmer, his face contorted in displeasure, threateningly backed Terni toward the door.
“You look like some rich layabout. Stop hovering around Lara and get out!”
“Huh? Wait a moment!”
“Wait a moment, my foot! Get out!”
Bang! The door slammed in Terni’s face.
“I’m doomed…….”
I covered my face and let out a deep sigh.
It was practically hopeless. Just thinking of Terni, who would surely hound me about this, exhaustion washed over me.
“Lara. I’ve chased him off, so don’t worry and tell me. Did that good-for-nothing threaten you?”
Seeing me sad, Uncle Helmer apparently misunderstood again and worried about me sincerely.
“I’ll be threatened starting now……?”
“What?! He really did threaten you?”
“No. I wasn’t threatened or anything.”
But Uncle Helmer did not withdraw his suspicious gaze.
Even so, thinking of Terni standing outside the door made me increasingly anxious.
“He’s not a strange person like you think. He’s a bit strange, though.”
Ah, should I not have said that?
I had inadvertently spoken my true feelings. Desperately defending Terni, thinking I had to get him inside first, I said.
“He’s someone who has helped me a lot at the imperial palace!”
“He doesn’t look it.”
“H-he’s kind! A-and, he’s a good person!”
“As I thought, that good-for-nothing threatened you……! I can’t let this stand?!”
“Aaaah! No!”
I grabbed and stopped Uncle Helmer, who looked ready to roll up his sleeves and charge out to beat Terni senseless at any moment.
“He really is a good person! Really, Uncle!”
If you beat him, you’re the one who’ll regret it!
I clung to Uncle Helmer, nearly in tears.
Perhaps my desperation got through. Uncle Helmer’s furious expression softened just slightly.
“……Really?”
“Yes! I’ll bring him inside for now!”
“I can’t allow―.”
Ignoring Uncle Helmer’s words, I quickly ran and opened the door.
I had worried he might be gone, but fortunately, Terni was there in front of the door.
If there was a problem, it was…….
“Sob, sob. Artie abandoned me.”
That he was huddled in front of the door, face buried, grieving.
A grown adult man huddled up was quite an unsightly sight.
“Hurry and come in.”
“Sob, sob. I’m too sad to go in.”
I dragged Terni inside Uncle Helmer’s house.
We hadn’t even started the main business yet, and I was already exhausted.
Ignoring Uncle Helmer, who was glaring at Terni with displeasure, and Terni, who stood sullenly behind me, I got straight to the point.
“Uncle Helmer. Do you still make dishes these days?”
“Hm? Well, yes. It’s not like I have anything else to do…….”
His response was indifferent, as if he didn’t care, but I knew. The truth was that Uncle Helmer loved his craft and his work more than anything.
Somehow feeling somber, I forced a smile and gazed at Uncle Helmer.
“Then you still smash them when they don’t satisfy you?”
“……Those are all failures.”
