“Yawn…”
Eventually, I found myself alone in the dark room, and I just fell asleep like that.
And I woke up later than usual.
But there was no problem.
After all, I wasn’t working, nor did I have to prepare to board a carriage to head to the Capital.
“Sophia, are you awake?”
“Yeah…”
I replied to Kyle in a groggy voice.
Kyle must have woken up before me because his hair was reasonably tamed, unlike mine, which was a complete mess.
“Kyle, don’t you have any work today?”
“Yes, the Princess said to take a break today.”
“Oh, I see…”
In that case, it seemed like I could do what I mentioned yesterday. If the Princess had a schedule that involved taking Kyle along, I wouldn’t have much say in the matter. But if he didn’t have any plans, I could do as I pleased.
“Then… let’s head out around lunchtime. Yawn…”
I yawned mid-sentence.
I was probably still half asleep.
It couldn’t be helped.
“Is it okay if I let you sleep a bit longer?”
“Yeah, please wake me up in a bit.”
“Okay…”
Waking up later than Kyle didn’t mean I was up ridiculously late. I was just about an hour late from my normal wake-up time; it was no different from when elementary school kids go to school.
“Mmm…”
I was so terribly tired.
If I had known this would happen, I should have just gone straight to sleep instead of messing around with Kyle’s muscles.
*
After taking a short nap, I felt a bit better.
No, I felt a lot better.
It seems that a good sleep really does the trick.
“Kyle, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Um… there’s a restaurant I found last time.”
A restaurant?
Kyle piqued my interest with his words.
Borusia had better food quality compared to other regions.
A restaurant that Kyle had scouted in the Capital?
“Then let’s go there.”
There was no reason not to go.
If Kyle had found it, that was reason enough.
“Um… then I’ll call for a carriage.”
“Do we have to…?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t particularly want to ride in a carriage.
I had been taking too many carriages lately.
I preferred just walking around with Kyle.
But regardless of my thoughts, Kyle stubbornly called for the carriage, and we ended up riding it.
“I really don’t think we need to.”
“It’s a long way. There’s no need to hurt Sophia’s legs, right?”
“Well…”
Is he looking down on me too much…?
It was just a bit of a walk; my legs wouldn’t hurt from that.
I had gotten significantly better from exercising with Elin…
“And if we’re in the carriage… like this.”
Kyle scooted a bit closer to me.
We were already sitting side by side in the carriage, but he leaned even closer.
And with his hand reaching my chin.
As soon as I felt his hand on my chin, I knew what would come next.
-Smooch…
What touched me was not a hand, but rather his lips.
Our lips met.
“We can do skinship like this.”
“…”
I wanted to say something, but my mouth wouldn’t open.
Because of that sudden kiss.
Should I be relieved that it wasn’t a deep kiss like last time, or should I be angry that he kissed me without asking?
“Is this enough reason?”
“… Okay.”
Yeah, it was such a pleasant day; there was no need to make a fuss about it…?
It wasn’t the first time, and we had done this plenty of times.
There wasn’t really a reason to get upset.
“……”
So, the carriage rode on, and Kyle smiled at me while sneaking glances, and I avoided his gaze, staring at the floor of the carriage.
*
“Oh…”
Once we arrived, the restaurant was impressive.
The moment I took a bite of the food, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
“Oh wow…”
Even though it was made with potatoes, it was more delicious than I expected.
The potatoes were mashed and shaped into rounds, and dipping them into a sauce made it even tastier.
“Make sure to try the Rollaren as well.”
“Okay.”
Following Kyle’s suggestion, I also tried a dish wrapped in beef with bacon, onions, and mustard inside.
I wasn’t really picky about food.
Even if I eat something fancy, I don’t usually think it’s that luxurious.
I mostly just think it tastes good, not judging if it’s super high-quality or anything.
But this place was different.
“It’s really fancy.”
Fancy indeed.
Delicious and fancy.
“Heh…”
The taste that naturally brought a smile to my face.
Various dishes also came out.
Lamb steak, sausages, stew based on chicken, and more.
Lots of food came out.
And each of those dishes suited my taste perfectly.
“It’s delicious.”
“Right? I heard about it from another servant before.”
“I see…”
I didn’t know exactly why, but everything was incredibly tasty.
And I was certain of one thing.
For a while in the Capital, I wouldn’t have to worry about boring meals.
There must be dozens, if not hundreds of restaurants like this.
“Hehe…”
“Is it good?”
“Yeah.”
Sitting comfortably in the carriage after the meal felt great.
Just relaxing after eating made me feel good.
“Where do you want to go next?”
We hadn’t really planned this outing.
I had just mentioned it before sleeping, and Kyle, having no schedule today, only joined.
“Um… Is there anywhere Sophia wants to go?”
“Me? I don’t think I have anywhere in particular…”
Although I suggested going out, I really hadn’t thought of a place!
I felt a little guilty for not planning, but… there was nothing I could do.
I really hadn’t thought it through.
I just found the palace too uncomfortable and wanted to get out.
“Then would you like to see a musical?”
“A musical?”
“Yes, there’s a theater nearby. I thought they might have something going on.”
Kyle brought up a good idea.
A musical felt like a great way to spend time.
Kyle and I got off the carriage at the theater as he suggested.
I noticed a few nobles entering the theater, along with ordinary families.
And some young couples were giggling as they walked in together.
“…”
What would people think of me and Kyle right now?
We weren’t in formal attire.
I wore a moderately warm dress, while Kyle simply wore a shirt and pants.
Seeing our clothes, there wasn’t a huge difference; would we look like them?
“…”
It couldn’t be.
The difference was too big.
There was just something about Kyle that couldn’t be hidden by his clothing.
“Sophia?”
“Oh, right. Let’s go.”
I purposely grabbed Kyle’s hand as we entered the theater.
Even though we were acting like a couple, it would be sad if we didn’t look like one.
If we were going to do this, we should look the part.
We sat side by side in the theater seats.
The theater had completely turned off the lights in areas other than the stage to enhance focus on the performance.
Therefore, the only thing I could see was Kyle right next to me; everything else was a blur.
Ah, the stage was lit, so it was visible.
“Kyle, what’s the story about?”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t even heard the title or the premise of the musical.
I just came in without knowing, and Kyle had bought the tickets.
I wonder what it’s about.
Revolution?
Romance?
Retro reincarnation NTR romance wacky harem?
I was intrigued.
It had been ages since I sat down to enjoy a performance.
“It’s a romance.”
“Oh, I see…”
It seemed that many couples came to watch.
There was a noticeable number of couples compared to families.
When couples went on dates, nothing was better than a romance movie.
Somehow, I ended up doing a very couple-like thing.
-Boom!
The remaining lights dimmed completely.
Kyle and I finally closed our mouths, ready to enjoy the show.
And the musical began.
It started with cheerful tunes from the citizens, loosely explaining the story’s background.
As always, it was about love and the trials separating the couple.
Then entered the female protagonist, beautiful and kind, but could not bond with the male lead due to family pressure; a classic trope.
The meeting, dialogues, and songs followed between the male and female leads.
“…”
It was slightly cliché.
Characters overcoming difficulties to finally connect is the usual story line.
It wasn’t boring, but I found myself getting slightly restless.
“…”
I turned my gaze toward Kyle sitting beside me.
Kyle seemed very focused on the performance, unlike me.
Is this his taste?
I hadn’t known until now.
If he liked this sort of thing, he should have come more often.
It wasn’t like there weren’t any theaters in Eristirol.
-….! …! ……!!
Actually, I had stopped paying attention to the play.
My eyes were fixed not on the male lead, but on Kyle’s face, while he remained unaware as he concentrated on the performance.
Would it be too much to hope he noticed my gaze?
Maybe that was asking too much.
I wasn’t mad or anything.
It was enough just to watch Kyle’s expressions change as he focused on the play; that was entertaining in itself.
For now, that was all I needed.
The audience lights were turned off, but the stage lights illuminated Kyle’s face.
While the brightness was significantly dimmer than normal, it was fine.
-!! ..!! …..!!! ..!
The theater was soon filled with lively music for the climax.
Sounds of the drums, along with other instruments and the actors’ singing, resonated loudly.
“…”
Despite hearing all the sounds, I couldn’t look away.
Watching Kyle enjoy the highlight with a cheerful expression brought me so much joy.
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