Chapter 13. The Moment the Fireworks Burst
Adrian had brought Artie to a bustling street outside the imperial palace.
“This is…….”
The street, in the midst of a festival celebrating the Founding Festival, was filled with heated energy.
“Seeing things like this is also part of what you must do as my fiancée.”
Adrian said, clearing his throat.
Wondering why Adrian seemed unlike his usual self, Artie was nonetheless delighted to be out at the festival and didn’t think much of it.
When Artie showed signs of liking it, Adrian smiled with satisfaction.
“I hear there’s a performance over there to mark the Founding Festival. Shall we go see it?”
“Yes!”
Artie’s eyes sparkled as she clenched both fists.
The sight was so cute that Adrian had to struggle to suppress the urge to embrace her.
Seizing the moment, Adrian decided to subtly indulge his own desires.
“Speak comfortably. No one will know who we are outside.”
“But how could I speak comfortably to Your Highness…….”
“You can’t call me that outside.”
“Ah.”
To Artie, who hurriedly shut her mouth, Adrian spoke somewhat sternly.
“Call me by my name.”
“What?!”
When Artie asked back in surprise, Adrian wondered if that was really something to be so surprised about.
“I said call me by my name.”
“B-but…….”
“Now, try it.”
Adrian said, meeting Artie’s eyes.
“Adrian.”
“A-Adrian, sir.”
“Drop the ‘sir.’”
Adrian frowned.
“Again.”
“Adri, Adrian…….”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
Adrian smiled mischievously.
“Louder, again.”
“A-Adrian!”
Artie, who had squeezed her eyes shut and practically shouted, wore a look as if she might cry.
‘I’ve done it!’
She was at a loss, feeling as though she had crossed a line that should never be crossed, but Adrian, for his part, found her so cute that he couldn’t hold back his laughter.
He had meant to keep a stern expression, but he failed.
Fortunately, because he had stifled the sound of his laughter, Artie did not realize that Adrian was smiling.
“It’s fine. Well done.”
At Adrian’s words, Artie opened her eyes.
The moment she opened them, she saw Adrian smiling faintly, and Artie unknowingly lost herself.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen him smile like this.’
Adrian, who had always worn only mocking smiles, was smiling like an innocent boy.
Artie found herself staring intently at Adrian before belatedly coming to her senses.
“I’m sorry.”
When Artie startled and turned her gaze away, Adrian suddenly could not understand why she was putting distance between them, and he was displeased.
“What are you sorry for?”
“No, that is…….”
Naturally, she meant having stared openly at the Crown Prince’s face without permission, but at Adrian’s attitude of not understanding, Artie trailed off.
“Because calling you by your name is disrespectful.”
“I gave you permission, so what’s the problem?”
“Even so…….”
“This won’t do.”
Adrian commanded Artie seriously with a grave face.
“Call me Adrian normally as well.”
“What?!”
Artie’s body wobbled in shock.
Steadying her, Adrian reconsidered whether his command was really something to be so surprised about.
“I can’t do that!”
Artie shook her head.
“No, you can.”
“What will other people think of me?!”
“The future Crown Princess.”
Watching Adrian speak so casually, Artie found it unbelievable.
Adrian wondered whether calling him by his name was really such a big deal, then stopped.
To him, it simply looked as though Artie was avoiding it because she didn’t want to call him by name.
‘Does she need a justification?’
After some thought, Adrian added a single remark.
“Essen called me by name too.”
At those words, Artie eventually nodded reluctantly.
There was no way she could argue, since the original Artienne had apparently called Adrian by name.
“Yes. Adrian, sir.”
“Drop the ‘sir.’”
“Adrian…….”
Artie blushed as she said Adrian’s name. Only then did Adrian nod with a satisfied expression.
In truth, he didn’t care about forms of address one way or another.
He had simply realized that his name, spoken by Artie, was quite pleasant to hear.
‘Pleasant isn’t the word.’
Had his name always been this nice? Was having one’s name called this sweet?
Was being called by name this pleasant?
Adrian was bewildered by the unfamiliar change surrounding him.
Artie, on the other hand, felt so embarrassed she wanted to hide somewhere, but in this crowded place, there was no chance of finding a place to hide.
That was when it happened.
“You two over there, you’ve come to enjoy the festival, haven’t you? How about this? Pretty fireworks!”
A vendor selling small firework sticks to passersby approached the two.
Adrian, who normally wouldn’t have given such a shoddy item a second glance, examined it while checking Artie’s complexion.
“Wow, this is!”
Artie’s eyes sparkled. That alone was enough for Adrian to be prepared to pay any price for the item.
“How much?”
“Ten coppers.”
“Here. Keep the change.”
“Wait, wait a moment!”
Artie belatedly cut in, but Adrian had long since paid.
Perhaps the vendor had kept some last shred of conscience, for seeing the bundle of firework sticks he handed over, Artie glared at the vendor’s back as he retreated far away.
“What’s wrong?”
When Artie’s reaction turned fierce instead of delighted, Adrian’s mood plunged as well.
“It’s too expensive. This is worth only about three coppers.”
“Is that so? It doesn’t matter. It’s a festival—this much of a markup is to be expected.”
“No! If you do that, you’ll end up completely bankrupt before you know it!”
“With you around, I won’t go bankrupt.”
At Adrian’s words, Artie furrowed her brow. How did it come to that?
“Here. Take it.”
When he handed her a lit firework stick, Artie’s expression softened slightly.
When she was very young, she had once enjoyed the Founding Festival with her family.
The memory of happily waving this stick remained, so the mere sight of these firework sticks made Artie’s heart grow generous.
“Mine is a blue flame.”
“Mine is a yellow flame.”
The fireworks, said to be made with magic, were only warm and not at all dangerous.
Artie grew very happy at the childhood memory that had surfaced after so long.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
Adrian asked, gesturing to the stalls lined up in the plaza.
“I ate this and that at the party hall earlier, so I’m fine!”
Artie said with a bright smile, but it was not the answer Adrian wanted.
Adrian’s gaze turned to another couple buying skewered food from a stall.
They had bought a single skewer and were feeding each other.
‘I suppose that’s still too much to hope for.’
Still, reluctant to give up, Adrian ended up buying a skewer.
‘He must have been very hungry.’
Watching Adrian buy the skewer, Artie thought nothing of it.
“Here, one skewer!”
Adrian gestured to Artie with his eyes.
“I don’t have a hand free. Take it for me.”
“Yes.”
Artie took the skewer for him. Seeing the warm skewer in front of her made her mouth water even though she wasn’t hungry.
“Your Highness, here.”
Artie, who had naturally held out the skewer, paused when Adrian visibly frowned.
“Ah. Adrian, here.”
“I don’t have a hand to take it with.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, because of the firework sticks, Adrian had no free hand.
Artie did not know that Adrian had hurriedly split the firework sticks between both hands.
“Feed me.”
Adrian had been anxious that Artie might refuse, but she helped him eat the skewer without a second thought.
“You eat too.”
When Adrian, having taken a bite, offered it, Artie brightened.
“Is that all right?”
“Yeah. I can’t finish it all.”
“Then I’ll just have one bite.”
The sight of Artie’s mouth chewing after taking a bite was cute.
“It’s delicious.”
“Is it?”
To Adrian, whose tastes were picky, he could taste only the fishy flavor of the undercooked meat and the saltiness of the seasoning, but since Artie said it was delicious, he found himself nodding.
“It is delicious. Feed me again.”
“Yes. Here.”
“You eat too.”
“Yes!”
It was a pleasure to watch her eat so well. Adrian pointed to another stall and asked.
“Shall we eat that too?”
“Wow, that’s a snack I really love!”
After sweeping through the stalls, Artie and Adrian arrived at the park where a performance was to be held in celebration of the Founding Festival.
They were late and couldn’t get good seats, but they could still watch from afar.
‘How irritating.’
Adrian seriously considered whether there was a way to sweep away the crowd blocking his view, but he gave up because he didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere.
Artie, for her part, was happy just to watch from afar.
“It’s all right. I’ve seen it up close many times. The people sitting in the first row over there are the ones who camped out in those seats since the day before the performance.”
“Surely not.”
“What do you mean, surely not? It’s true!”
Adrian wondered whether the annual Founding Festival performance was really worth that much dedication, but he reminded himself that commoners had no opportunity to see such public performances.
Adrian preferred moving his own body to watching and enjoying things, so he could not sympathize with the pleasure of enjoying opera or ballet, but he agreed that commoners had fewer performances to enjoy compared to nobles.
Even that Founding Festival performance was state-sponsored.
“Come to think of it, when I was young, the troupe performing here changed every year, so it felt new each time, but at some point they started using only one troupe, and it became the same every year, so it grew dull.”
“Is that so?”
He answered indifferently, but upon mulling it over, Adrian immediately sensed something suspicious.
Only one troupe performs every year? Who was the one selecting the troupe?
He noted that he would order an investigation the moment he returned to the palace.
By then the performance had ended and people were rising and moving about. With so many people moving, Adrian tried to pull Artie toward him.
“There are a lot of people, so stay close to my side…….”
The moment he spoke, the surging crowd swallowed up Artie’s figure beside him.
“Adrian!”
He heard Artie’s slender voice calling his name from afar, but it was too dark to immediately push through the crowd and find her.
Adrian quickly chased the voice calling him, but in the end, Artie disappeared from his sight.
