Chapter 24
024.
The robe that covered half her face fell gently over Henesstia’s body.
She looked down at the warm garment that now cloaked her from head to toe. It didn’t bear the crest of the count’s house—it was, in every sense, just an ordinary robe.
Riad stepped back to circle around her once, checking that she was properly dressed, then slipped on the second robe over himself.
His robe looked a bit more spacious, likely due to the sword at his waist.
“Why are we wearing these all of a sudden…?”
Did they really need to cover their faces just to enter an inn?
It made sense from a practical standpoint—many people would recognize Riad’s face. His portrait had been the most sold in recent years.
If only Riad had put on a robe, she would have understood perfectly.
“I don’t need one.”
Unlike Riad, Henesstia wasn’t a famous figure.
Though her portrait had once circulated when she was a duke’s daughter and treated almost like a princess, Heron had quickly put a stop to it. Only a handful of people knew what she looked like.
Unless someone had encountered her personally at a social gathering, they wouldn’t recognize her.
“You do.”
“But—”
“We’re going to the festival.”
Henesstia’s eyes widened in disbelief as she fiddled with the robe covering her face.
Festival? The very cause of the noise outside and the reason they still hadn’t secured a room at the inn?
Did Riad really mean that festival? Maybe the term had taken on a different meaning without her realizing.
“Now that the war’s over, the festivals are grand. You might enjoy it.”
Riad, now fully robed, glanced out into the darkening street. Festivals, after all, were said to truly come alive after sunset.
He was taking her to a festival?
“Are we really… going?”
Henesstia shifted restlessly.
From her room in the duchy, she’d often seen the festivities spill over from the village. Bright lights twinkled all night, songs and laughter echoed from afar.
She’d heard from girls her age who’d been to such events that there were exotic animals in circus acts, beautiful actors performing plays, musicians who played without end.
They even sold strange foreign trinkets and food she’d never even seen before.
Henesstia had always wanted to go. But Heron had always refused, smiling as he did it, and she’d never even gotten close.
“It might not be to your tastes, but it’s better than sitting in the carriage. Honestly, how do you stay in there all day? Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“It’s not uncomfortable.”
Far from feeling like it wouldn’t suit her, the mention of the festival stirred a bit of excitement in Henesstia—an excitement that felt oddly out of place in her current situation.
“So… does that mean we still don’t have a room?”
“We already rented one.”
But she had clearly overheard the knights complaining that there were no vacancies because of the festival. How had they managed to rent one?
With so many travelers around, and given the number of knights and horses they had, it seemed nearly impossible.
Noticing her puzzled look, Riad answered plainly.
“We paid them well. Don’t worry.”
So they had paid people to leave.
“…Then why? Couldn’t we just go in now?”
“It’s messy inside. We need to give them time to clean it. So we’re just killing time somewhere else.”
As if finishing his preparations, Riad gave a final adjustment to the sword at his waist and stepped down from the carriage. Henesstia took his hand and followed him slowly. The cool air outside brushed across her face.
“Let’s go.”
There wasn’t a soul nearby; perhaps the carriage had been parked in a discreet spot on purpose. It was quiet and dark.
Even after helping her down, Riad didn’t let go of her hand. Henesstia glanced down at the hand gripping hers.
She’d linked arms for an escort before, but this was the first time she’d ever held hands with someone like this. It felt strange.
Fiddling with the edge of her robe as it fluttered in the breeze, she asked softly from behind him,
“Still… do I really need to wear the robe?”
Riad turned to look down at her.
She was completely wrapped up in the black robe, from head to toe, with nothing visible.
All you could see were the faint outlines of her small nose, her tightly shut lips, and her pale skin.
When Riad didn’t answer, Henesstia quickly added,
“I mean, maybe for you, but I don’t think anyone would recognize me…”
At her innocent remark, Riad gave a quiet chuckle. Then, to cover her slightly visible crimson eyes, he gently pulled the robe further down over her face.
“Do you know how much a noble lady is worth?”
“…What?”
“When a castle is taken in war, the first thing they go for is the princess or the noblewomen. If conquest isn’t the goal, then using them for negotiation is the most effective tactic. Men are usually killed to prevent further trouble, but it’s different with them.”
Henesstia’s face paled at this talk of another world.
It was a harsh reality, but Riad didn’t stop. It was as if he needed to say it all.
“It’s the perfect way to break someone. The child is alive, but no one knows what might happen to her. Families pull every string they have to get them back.”
“……”
“If I’m with you, kidnapping won’t happen. But still… be careful, Henesstia. I don’t ever want to be in a position where I lose a wife or daughter in a single day and have to beg some lowlife kidnapper for their return.”
With that, Riad started walking again.
The road was dark and deserted, but for some reason, it didn’t feel frightening. She followed him, moving toward the direction of the lights.
What he’d just said had been terrifying—something that should have made her want to curl up and hide.
But to Henesstia, it sounded a little different.
So he would come save me.
She knew that wasn’t the intention behind his words, and yet, her steps felt lighter.
* * *
A gasp almost slipped from her lips. She barely managed to hold it back.
‘…Wow.’
There was no gold flowing or diamonds glittering, and yet she couldn’t take her eyes off anything.
The air was filled with rich, raw smells of food, and vendors sold goods as if from many different nations. In the distance, people were making bets, and clowns juggled as part of their performance to advertise attractions.
It was even more chaotic and lively than anything her friends had told her.
“Don’t wander off.”
Riad pulled her hand toward him as Henesstia’s body kept swaying and drifting among the crowd. He spoke like he was gently scolding a child.
His tone was soft rather than stern, and Henesstia, who had been turning her head to take everything in, instinctively looked up.
Half his face was hidden under the shadow of the robe, but she could still read the faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
“Ah, they’re selling those too. Want to go take a look?”
She didn’t even know what those were, but when Henesstia nodded, Riad spun her around lightly and led her through the crowd.
Amazingly, Riad made it through the packed crowd without bumping into a single person as he guided her.
The stand he brought her to was full of goods from the Eastern Continent.
Unlike Henesstia, who found everything unfamiliar, Riad seemed well-acquainted and even explained them to her.
“I was stationed on the Eastern Continent when I was sixteen.”
It was something Henesstia already knew.
At the time, defeat had seemed inevitable, but Riad had turned the tide of the war the moment he arrived. Every citizen of the empire knew the story.
In fact, it had become so famous it was turned into a book—one frequently brought up at tea parties.
In any case, the goods from the Eastern Continent had strange ring shapes and porcelain dolls that didn’t suit her taste at all, but since she’d never seen them before, they fascinated her.
“This one has a weird smile.”
She picked up a gray porcelain doll with a half-twisted, half-smiling expression. Riad jerked his chin.
“Want to buy it?”
If it were up to her, she would’ve liked to buy it as a souvenir, but sadly, Henesstia had no money.
She didn’t even have a single krang to buy a paper from the street kids nearby. She couldn’t possibly purchase an unpriced item like this.
With no hesitation, she set the doll back down and turned her attention to the next items.
‘This jewel looks cloudy… Maybe it’s an opal? I’ve never seen one like it before.’
She stared at a piece of jewelry with a translucent green gem. Riad asked again.
“Want it?”
“…No.”
From the moment she touched something, he would ask. If her eyes lingered on anything, he’d ask again. At this rate, he’d ask if she wanted to buy something every time they passed a new booth.
‘I do want something…’
Would she ever have a chance to come to a festival again?
This time, she’d been lucky that Riad brought her out, but she doubted she’d ever get to step into this world again on her own.
Now she found herself fiddling with a pointless glass trinket—strange but oddly charming.
Henesstia hesitated for a moment. Maybe she could sell her earrings and get some money.
‘I’ve had these since the southern estate.’
If she took these off, she wouldn’t have a single piece of jewelry left.
‘…But I don’t go out anyway. It might be fine.’
Thinking about it, it seemed better to not wear earrings at all than to be the lady who wore the same pair every day.
After some internal debate, she unclasped her earring.
“Excuse me, how much would you buy this for?”
Most vendors dealt in buying as well as selling, so she asked casually.
But before the merchant could even reach for it, Riad grabbed her wrist tightly, his expression darkening.
“What are you doing?”
“…Huh?”
“What do you need money for?”
