Chapter 25
025.
It felt like she’d been caught doing something wrong and was now being interrogated. The earring rolled in her palm.
Was this a situation where she needed to explain herself?
She had never experienced anything quite like this, so she couldn’t immediately tell what was wrong.
“Well… I…”
More than finding the right reason, Henesstia felt even more flustered because he seemed angry.
If she could, she would’ve taken a step back—but he was holding her tightly.
“I had to leave the southern estate in a rush, so I didn’t get to bring any money. So… that’s why…”
Of course, she hadn’t had money there either. She hadn’t even brought a dowry, and since there was no expectation of a personal allowance for maintaining appearances, she’d simply accepted it as natural.
“And when I’m right here, why are you trying to sell your things to get money? Is that some kind of noble etiquette I don’t know about? I doubt it. I might be of low birth, but I’m not lacking in education.”
Riad, speaking sharply, snatched the earring from her hand.
It wasn’t even a custom-made piece crafted by a skilled artisan—just an ordinary store-bought item.
The sapphire in it was of poor quality, not worth much. Still, Riad wrapped it in the same handkerchief Henesstia had lent him earlier and tucked it into his pocket.
Henesstia could do nothing but watch the whole situation blankly.
“Or is it that you just don’t want to spend my money?”
She had no idea how things had gotten to this point. Like a squirrel whose stash had been stolen, she couldn’t even bring herself to ask for it back, just stared as her earring disappeared into his coat.
“Anyway, could you pack up everything my wife touched just now and have it sent to the Retny Inn?”
“Ah! Of course, sir. It’s quite a few items though—are you sure?”
“I don’t care.”
He pulled out money from his coat in place of the earring.
He was already paying for all the things she had touched—items Henesstia herself couldn’t even remember.
Flustered, she clung to his arm.
“Y-you really don’t need to. I mean it.”
Everyone knew Riad Ingel was wealthy. Not just her—the entire world knew it.
Even in this very village, the Ingel family’s merchant guild had a massive presence.
It was said that the gold the Ingels had accumulated over generations rivaled the treasure hoards of legendary dragons.
But Henesstia had never once thought of his money as her own.
“I never considered you so destitute that you’d sell what you were wearing. That’s just ridiculous.”
“That’s not—”
“Enough. Look at that instead.”
He spun Henesstia around.
She wasn’t sure if that was really the end of the conversation, but it seemed he wasn’t willing to hear any more.
‘What if it was my tone? What if I upset him…?’
‘He brought me to the festival and I went and ruined it. If he’s angry because of me, how do I even begin to apologize…?’
Those were the only thoughts running through her head.
Just then, Riad pointed into the distance with his finger.
“They’re doing a dart competition over there. Want to try?”
Henesstia couldn’t see it from her height, with all the people in the way, but she nodded quietly.
“Then let’s go.”
Riad, who she’d thought was upset, returned to his usual self as if nothing had happened.
Or maybe… he wasn’t actually mad? Henesstia hesitated, but he extended his hand again like before, and she took it.
As if there were no time for gloom, they dove back into the crowd.
* * *
She hadn’t realized that when Riad said, “Want to give it a try?” he actually meant she would be the one doing it.
Henesstia trembled as she held the dart, sharp like a needle.
Her hands were shaking so much that the silver dart in her grip looked like it had split into two or three.
“I… I’m really supposed to throw this?”
“Just not at me. Aim forward.”
“What if I mess up and hit someone?”
“That’s not going to happen, don’t worry.”
“What if it flies backward?”
“If your aim is that bad, that’d be impressive in its own way.”
The game they joined was simple—throw darts at a target and try to hit it.
Aside from the bullseye being ridiculously small—so tiny Henesstia had to rub her eyes to find it—the game awarded prizes just for landing a dart anywhere on the board, so it was very popular.
“Henesstia, it’s your turn.”
“Cou— I mean, can’t you do it instead?”
She’d nearly called him “Count” but caught herself. Henesstia clung to Riad, who was nudging her forward.
She really didn’t think she could do it.
She worried she’d twist her wrist while throwing or that a gust of wind would send the dart flying into the crowd.
She shook her head so much that her pink hair peeked out from under the robe. Seeing this, Riad chuckled and slipped his hand inside the robe.
His hand brushed her neck and shoulder.
Henesstia flinched and gripped the dart tighter.
“Wasn’t darts a popular pastime among the upper class?”
He didn’t seem to have any intention of doing it for her. Henesstia hurried to correct his misunderstanding.
“Only in casinos, not in high society!”
“You’ve been to a casino?”
“…! Of course not!”
There was a duke who once lost everything in a casino—his wealth, his title, nearly even his estate. There was no way she would set foot in such a place filled with unhealthy desires.
“Then this is a good chance to try it.”
He nudged her forward, leaving marks in the dirt.
“Oh-ho! Our next challenger is a lady!”
Tears welled in her eyes.
At some point, her turn had come.
She wanted to glare at Riad, who had signed her up just because it “looked fun,” but didn’t have the nerve. Instead, she just stared at the two darts in her hands.
Riad, by the way, was holding five more darts—for her to throw, obviously.
“As I said earlier, hitting the bullseye wins you a sculpture made of sapphire! Below that, a silver ring! A hairpin from a faraway continent! And—”
The game’s announcer was listing tempting prizes to lure more participants.
The crowd, intrigued, began to discuss whether to join. Thanks to that, some of the attention on Henesstia waned.
‘Maybe I should just close my eyes and throw it now. If it hits the ground, no one will laugh at me, right?’
Biting her lip, Henesstia finally swung her arm.
Whoosh—thud.
…
The first dart didn’t hit the board. It stuck right into the wooden post beneath it.
“Well, at least you got close.”
Riad handed her the next dart, unfazed by her stunned expression.
Looking at the dart pitifully stuck in the post, she threw again.
“…Why does it keep—”
This one hit the post, too.
Now even people who had turned their attention elsewhere started watching Henesstia again.
“Oh dear! Looks like our challenger has some tough luck!”
The third and fourth darts followed the same fate—thunk, thunk, straight into the post. Henesstia was now full-on entertainment for the crowd.
She shut her eyes in frustration. This wasn’t fun at all. She just wanted to be done with it, so she quickly threw another.
“Oh no! Oh no! And now, the final dart!”
She wanted to cry. She should’ve been grateful she didn’t hit a person, but the commentator’s teasing tone made her want to crawl into a hole and hide.
But she couldn’t hide.
Once the dart was in her hand, no matter how badly she failed, she had to finish. The shame, the embarrassment, and the crowd’s possible laughter could come later.
She imagined the last dart tragically embedding itself in the post again, and her being mocked for it.
The fun of the festival was on the verge of turning into humiliation.
“You’re not planning to throw with both hands, are you?”
As she raised her arm for the final throw, Riad, who had been watching, stepped in.
“Hold it with one hand. Like this—think of your thumb as the base. Don’t pull your arm back too far, just enough. Good.”
With a hand on his hip, he calmly adjusted her stance, step by step.
Now in a steadier pose, Henesstia kept glancing at him instead of the target.
“Just try throwing.”
“…It’ll probably hit the post again.”
He let out a quiet laugh at her timid voice. Shaking his head, Riad gently lifted her bowed head.
His warm voice rang right beside her ear.
“I’m a pretty good teacher, so it won’t. Go on—throw it.”
With no other choice, she shut her eyes tight and, just as he had taught, flicked her wrist and let the dart fly.
There was a thunk as it landed somewhere, but she was too sure it had hit the post again to open her eyes. Frozen in place, she heard cheers rise around her.
“Henesstia.”
“…?”
“If you’d missed again, I was going to install a dartboard in the estate. Looks like I won’t need to.”
Henesstia’s eyes snapped open.
The dart had hit the board. Not the tiniest center circle, of course, but somewhere around the middle—on the edge of the bullseye.
The five darts stuck in the post were nowhere in sight. Only this one stood out.
Her eyes widened.
“Wow…!”
Overwhelmed by the unexpected sense of accomplishment, she clenched her fists and turned to face Riad. He was watching her with visible satisfaction.
“Told you I was a good teacher.”
And he was.
Riad raised his hand, palm facing out toward her. When she only blinked in confusion, he grabbed her wrist and smacked her palm against his.
Clap—a crisp, bright sound.
As Henesstia stared down at her hand that had just high-fived his, the announcer approached and called out loudly to her.
“Congratulations! You hit the blue zone on the target! Your prize is a portrait of Count Ingel!”
“!”
Henesstia turned to look at Riad.
He was covering his mouth, trying not to laugh.
* * *
“Send the prize to the inn.”
Henesstia stared blankly at Riad’s back as he casually tipped the host extra money to run the errand.
She was still stunned from having somehow ended up winning a portrait of her husband as a game prize, and yet Riad looked genuinely pleased.
Her palm still tingled from where it had slapped against his.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
Riad returned after wrapping up the conversation and asked as he approached. Henesstia quickly tucked her hands back into the robe.
She wasn’t particularly hungry, but since it was about the right time for a meal, she answered out of consideration for him.
“A little.”
“Shall we go eat, then?”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
She mostly just wanted to leave the place where she had embarrassingly embedded five darts into a wooden post.
In the distance, she could see Riad’s portrait being carefully wrapped up by staff. It peeked out from behind him.
‘…He looks handsome.’
She didn’t know how old he was in that painting, but it looked just like him the day he returned to the estate, jumping down from his horse.
“I’m not sure if there’ll be anything nearby you’d want to eat.”
Muttering, he casually reached out his hand. Without a hint of hesitation, Henesstia took it and walked beside him, glancing up.
“I think anything would be fine.”
There was something about him—both like and unlike the man in the portrait.
Maybe the painting was done when he was a little younger?
Leaving the portrait behind, the two of them walked down the street, trying to find something to eat.
Riad seemed quite picky. Even when they spotted a restaurant, he wouldn’t go in immediately and would instead critique it:
Too many people, too noisy, the food quality seemed questionable…
Fortunately, Henesstia hadn’t liked any of those places either. Every time Riad passed a place without stopping, she pretended not to notice and walked on with him.
‘But it’s already way past dinnertime…’
Even if she wasn’t starving, Riad usually ate staggering amounts of food at every meal.
She had nearly fainted the first time she saw how much he ate. With just a little exaggeration, it looked like he could finish an entire deer leg by himself.
“Hm?”
While Henesstia was worrying about his hunger, a tangy scent suddenly caught her attention and made her freeze in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh… it’s nothing…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say she’d stopped because she liked the smell, so she fumbled for an answer. Riad glanced at the shop right in front of them.
It looked fairly decent. Unlike the other places, it wasn’t crowded, but the food looked pretty good.
As Henesstia showed interest, Riad raised one eyebrow in amusement and smirked.
“Didn’t take you for a drinker, my lady.”
