The next day. Duke’s House garden.
Haaa…
It seemed that the events of the previous night were quite a shock, as Leje had been in a downcast mood since morning.
When you think about it, it was only natural.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony, after all.
So, with that ceremony turned into a complete disaster, anyone besides Leje would react the same way.
…
Of course, for Rudell, the instigator of it all, it was like sitting on a bed of nails.
“Are you okay?”
With a prickling sensation of guilt, Rudell cautiously asked Leje.
“I’m fine. Just… my head’s a bit tangled.”
What exactly happened?
Should she call it fortune? In this incident, not many were injured.
Most injuries were just scrapes caused by the chaos, and the most severely hurt had only a few glass shards lightly embedded in their skin.
There was only one fatality.
[Everything… is for the true God…]
The unidentified man who set himself ablaze while saying that.
Though she didn’t quite understand it, she could sense that he harbored hostility toward her.
…
At that moment, she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if that unknown person who protected her hadn’t stopped that ominous fire…
Just imagining that scenario made cold sweat trickle down her back.
…
Meanwhile, seeing Leje like this, Rudell couldn’t hide his discomfort.
No matter how grand the cause, he had ruined his one and only friend’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Despite that fact, Rudell was not composed enough to treat Leje casually.
Hmm…
He wished he at least had something to lighten Leje’s mood…
While releasing a low groan, he was staring at Leje when suddenly…
“Aha…”
In that moment, something flashed through Rudell’s mind, and he smiled confidently.
“Leje, do you have other plans today?”
“Huh? Plans? Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
Caught off guard by Rudell’s sudden question, Leje looked at him quizzically.
“How about we go to the city for some fresh air?”
“The city?”
People have various ways to relieve stress, but Leje had a pretty active personality.
Wouldn’t her mood lighten a bit if she spent time moving around in the city?
That thought led to his suggestion.
“What’s up with this? You’re the one suggesting we go out first?”
“W-well, it’s because the weather’s nice?”
Avoiding Leje’s surprised gaze, Rudell answered shyly.
As Leje glanced at him for a moment, a faint smile appeared on her lips…
“Since it’s rare for you to take the initiative, it would be rude to decline, right?”
With that, Leje chuckled and stood up.
“I’ll get ready; you can prepare anything you need in the meantime.”
“Okay, got it.”
Leje disappeared into the mansion, and for a moment, Rudell watched her leave before finally getting up himself.
*
A little later. Lagrandria’s city.
“I always feel this way…”
“I know. Lagrandria is incredibly vast, right? You say that every time we come out.”
She interrupted Rudell while he was looking around.
The difference between the duchy with less than five thousand population and the duke’s duchy with a population in the hundreds of thousands was something Rudell had struggled to adapt to even after seven years.
“So? Do you have a place in mind?”
“Of course I do.”
If he didn’t have a place in mind, they wouldn’t have come out in the first place.
Responding with confidence to Leje’s question, Rudell reached out his hand to her.
“Alright, then shall we go, Duchess?”
“Ugh! You really had to go that far?”
Leje half-heartedly reached out her hand towards Rudell’s exaggerated tone, and with a gentle smile, he carefully took her hand.
With that, they moved forward through the bustling street full of people…
“Lagrandria really changes quickly.”
Even though it was just a few months since he had passed this way, the scenery of the street was completely transformed, and Rudell commented on it.
“It’s close to the royal capital, so it’s probably sensitive to trends, right?”
The distance between the royal capital and Lagrandria could be crossed in less than a day’s walk.
Because of that, most people were unfazed by changes and the atmosphere was definitely different from the slow and leisurely vibe of the duchy.
“That might be true.”
Chuckling at that, Rudell continued to walk.
Before long, they arrived at a plaza with a large fountain.
“Shall we eat something?”
“Should we? I was just getting a bit hungry.”
Stopping to rest, Rudell asked, and Leje nodded in agreement.
Without a moment’s hesitation in her answer, it seemed she was quite hungry herself.
Rudell settled on a nearby bench and started looking around for something simple to satisfy their hunger.
A moment later, he spotted an ice cream stand not too far away.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Leaving Leje behind, Rudell made his way to the stand, and shortly after, he returned with two small cups of ice cream.
“Which one do you want?”
“I’ll take vanilla.”
“Then I have chocolate.”
Handing Leje the cup filled with vanilla, Rudell sat down next to her…
Hmm~ it’s delicious!
When Leje popped the ice cream into her mouth and wore a blissful smile, Rudell asked in wonder,
“Why are you so happy over just ice cream? You can stack it high if you want.”
Since she was a noble, if she wished, she could have ice cream piled high like a mountain.
“I wish that were possible! When I was in there, ice cream was considered junk food, so I hardly had any.”
“No wonder… you didn’t really eat your favorite snacks at the mansion.”
Finally, it clicked for Rudell why she didn’t indulge in those sweets while at the Duke’s House.
In the first place, she wasn’t allowed to eat such snacks anyway.
“But that’s all over now! I’m a proper adult now!”
“True, you are now an adult.”
“What kind of reaction is that? There’s some sarcasm in there!”
“Not at all.”
Seeing Leje squint with suspicion, Rudell feigned ignorance.
In this world, turning fifteen was considered an adult, but according to Rudell’s standards, fifteen was still a child.
If he were to call her an adult, she should at least be nineteen, right, Leje?
With that thought, Rudell wore a light smile.
Of course, Leje couldn’t read his mind, so all she could do was vaguely guess what he might be thinking.
“One more!”
In no time, Leje finished her ice cream and shouted at Rudell as if to make up for her usual lack of treats.
“Sure, but isn’t it almost lunchtime?”
The clock was already passing twelve in the afternoon.
It was good to snack, but having meals on time was much more important.
Both Leje and he needed to grow.
“It’s okay, it’s okay! This barely counts as a snack!”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
What could he do if she insisted she was fine?
Rudell stood up and headed back to the stand, bringing back a cup of ice cream that was significantly larger than before.
“Here. I got this just in case you wanted more.”
“You really are the best.”
With a bright smile, Leje accepted the ice cream and made an adorable sound as she quickly started eating it.
Hamster?
The way she was munching away at the ice cream resembled a little hamster.
Watching that, Rudell couldn’t help but feel a smile creep onto his face.
Then the moment came.
Ugh…!?
“Leje?”
A low groan escaped Leje’s mouth as she indulged in the ice cream.
‘Did something go wrong?’
Rudell asked in curious disbelief at her sudden reaction.
“My head hurts…”
“Well, that’s what you get for not eating slowly…”
Then, seeing Leje’s face scrunched up as she groaned, Rudell looked at her in disbelief.
‘I thought something really serious happened.’
With a sigh of relief, he gently patted Leje’s head, and soon after, she resumed enjoying her ice cream as if nothing had happened.
A little later…
“Alright, shall we move again?”
After tossing the empty cups into a nearby trash can, Rudell stood up.
“How much further do we have to go? Is it still far?”
“We’re almost there. Just about five more minutes.”
They were about five minutes away from their destination.
As Rudell was looking over Leje’s condition, suddenly…
“Wait a sec. Stay still.”
“Huh? Why?”
As he said that, Rudell reached for Leje’s face.
Not understanding what was happening, Leje paused, and as Rudell cautiously reached out, he lightly wiped the corner of her mouth.
“You had some ice cream on your face.”
“…!!”
Leje jolted at the gentle touch of his fingers, staring at Rudell with wide eyes.
If that had been the end of it, Leje might have been okay.
However, the moment Rudell nonchalantly popped his finger with the ice cream residue into his mouth, it was enough to make Leje lose her composure.
“What’s with that face? Is there a problem?”
“A-ahhh… It’s nothing!! No wait, why are you eating that!? You don’t even have a napkin?!”
“A napkin? Oh right, I forgot.”
At Rudell’s casual reply to Leje’s panicked outburst, he suddenly remembered and pulled a napkin from his pouch, starting to wipe his finger.
‘This guy really…!’
Leje had so much more to say, but soon shook her head and let out a short sigh.
Though she had a mountain of things she wanted to say, ultimately, it was useless.
In the first place, what good would it do to talk to someone who had no awareness of their actions?
“Well then, shall we move again?”
As Rudell slipped the napkin back into his pouch and extended his hand again, Leje lightly took his hand.
Holding onto a feeling that was hard to describe deep inside her heart.
