Chapter 037
Look at him now.
“Ugh, you know you’re a handful, right? Hold on tight so you don’t get hurt like before.”
His demeanor didn’t match his words, but he was making more space for me to comfortably link arms with him.
His straightforward way of speaking had become so unique that it was almost fascinating.
‘Should I say he’s consistent in his words and actions?’
Compared to the nobles, who loaded their words with countless meanings, he stood out even more.
As I watched Evan, I couldn’t help but laugh. Then I slipped my arm into the space he created and replied,
“Okay. I’ll hold on tight.”
Evan scoffed silently and began to walk forward.
Perhaps because it was the hottest time of day, the back of his neck seemed a bit red in the sunlight.
***
The center of the duchy may be smaller than the capital, but it had a warm and inviting atmosphere.
‘It’s amazing…’
Having never left the capital since the accident when I was eleven, everything I saw felt completely foreign.
As I busily took in my surroundings, I heard Evan’s gruff voice telling me to watch where I was going.
Though his words were blunt, he quickly pulled me close whenever I almost bumped into someone, protecting me.
“Hey there, lovely couple! Come check this out!”
In the midst of this, I made eye contact with a vendor at the edge of the market.
Noticing my hesitation, the vendor started calling out to Evan and me even more enthusiastically than before.
“You look like a newlywed couple! I have just the thing for you. Come here!”
What the vendor held out was a thin bracelet made of a mineral called Estelle.
“You have to wear this for your married life to go smoothly!”
“Ah…”
I looked at the bracelet with curiosity. This was the first time I had seen it in person, having only read about it in books.
There were customs that had been passed down in the Empire for a very long time, and one of them was this bracelet right in front of me. It was said that if a newlywed couple wore a bracelet made of the mineral Estelle, they would live happily for a long time. Nowadays, it was mostly observed by commoners, as the simple and fragile mineral had fallen out of favor with the nobility.
“Hmm? What do you think? It seems you haven’t put on a bracelet yet, so take it! And your handsome husband behind you! You should make him buy it for you!”
As I admired the bracelet, the vendor shifted his focus to Evan, who was standing behind me.
When I turned around, I saw Evan wearing an incredulous expression as he looked at me.
“Are you not going to buy it? This is the last one we have today! Don’t regret it later! Your wife has been looking at it so intently since a while ago.”
‘When did I…?’
I wanted to argue with the vendor, but his words came so fast that I couldn’t find a chance to interrupt.
Eventually, it was Evan who raised his hands in surrender to the vendor’s persistent sales pitch.
“Fine, give it to me.”
“Oh, thank you! Wishing you happiness!”
The vendor’s attitude changed immediately to one of politeness upon hearing Evan’s willingness to buy.
Just then, the vendor handed Evan a pair of bracelets and asked, tilting his head,
“Hm, but why does your face look so familiar? Have you been to our shop before?”
He scrutinized Evan’s face closely, muttering to himself that he couldn’t possibly forget such a tall man.
It seemed he had recognized Evan from the procession when he entered the duchy a few days ago, but he didn’t seem to realize that the man in ordinary clothes now was the same person.
“Well, make sure to come by again later. We have many other items besides the bracelets.”
Once the chatty vendor disappeared, I finally gathered my thoughts.
‘Impressive.’
The vendor was so skilled that he quickly attracted another customer to sell more items.
As I watched him from a distance, a large hand suddenly appeared in front of me.
A pair of bracelets neatly placed on his palm.
“Take them or throw them away; they’re yours now; do as you wish.”
Turning my head, I saw Evan looking straight ahead with his usual grumpy expression, casually stating this.
As I hesitated, merely staring at the bracelets, his voice rose slightly.
“Are you going to throw it away?”
“Ah, no. I’ll keep them!”
I quickly took the threads from his hand and put one on my left wrist.
The thread was not fancy or adorned with precious jewels, just a simple, rough thread.
‘But it’s strange…’
This bracelet I bought on the street looked more beautiful than any gem I had received before.
As I turned my wrist to admire the bracelet from different angles, I looked at him and said,
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
He turned his head away and muttered softly in response to my words.
I gazed at him for a moment before gently grabbing his wrist.
Immediately, Evan turned to look at my face.
“Is there anything else you want to buy?”
He stared at the wrist I was holding for a moment, then asked in a quieter voice than before.
Shaking my head slightly at his words, I put the remaining bracelet I had received onto his wrist and said,
“They say wearing it brings good luck. Oh, if you don’t like it, you can take it off.”
After all, I had been refused countless times by Delos, so if he chose to remove the bracelet right away, I wouldn’t be too upset.
At that moment, Evan, who had been staring at the bracelet on his wrist, spoke up.
“Things like this are just cumbersome.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right?”
I smiled awkwardly at his cold response. However, contrary to his icy words, he didn’t take off the bracelet immediately.
“There are still many places to look around, so let’s move on.”
Seeing him extend his arm to urge me forward made me think he intended to remove the bracelet later.
As I grabbed his arm again, he began to walk.
***
About 30 minutes into our tour of the square, a familiar face appeared among the crowd.
“Your Grace, no, Evan!”
It was Caelan, who had traveled with us from the capital to the duchy.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve come because something urgent requires your attention.”
Caelan leaned in to whisper something in Evan’s ear, and immediately, Evan’s brows furrowed in annoyance.
After exchanging a few more words with Caelan, he approached me and said,
“Something has come up. It seems like it will take a while; would you mind waiting for a bit?”
“Yes. My legs were sore anyway, so I’ll just sit here and rest.”
“Alright. Don’t go outside the square and wait here. I’ll be back soon.”
Evan left, leaving Caelan beside me.
“Did something bad happen?”
I glanced at Evan’s quickly disappearing figure and subtly asked Caelan beside me.
Caelan’s expression tightened slightly as he began to speak heavily.
“It’s just that… an unidentified deadly magic circle was discovered in the border area of the estate.”
“A deadly magic circle?”
I widened my eyes in response to Caelan’s words.
A deadly magic circle was a type of magic circle that was designed to harm people. It was usually employed to inflict damage on enemy countries during wars.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s probably just a magic circle that we didn’t detect earlier.”
Seeing my serious expression, Caelan spoke to reassure me.
“Right. It’s a relief that it was discovered early.”
I let out a small sigh and stood up.
It seemed too serious to wait for Evan to continue exploring the square.
As I intended to take a quick look around before returning to the castle, I suddenly heard a loud crash.
“Hey! What are you doing? You can’t just steal again!”
Turning towards the noise, I saw a man running away with a loaf of bread cradled in his arms.
midori
thanks! aaahhh, so cute! finally, the cute moments i have been waiting for! couple bracets! very cute!