“Ah!”
Rosedale nervously wiped her hands on her dress and held it out, “Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Rosedale Bell. And you?”
She wanted to make up for her introduction earlier. Humans exchange handshakes often. Rosedale’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at the new culture she encountered.
“Do you know who this is…?”
“Lucas.”
Lucas interrupted Cain and took Rosedale’s hand.
“I can’t disclose my last name, but I’m Lucas.”
“Maj…”
Cain clenched his jaw in frustration, a tense silence filled the air.
As Lucas released her hand, he removed his mask, Rosedale’s smile widened at the sight of the beaming face behind the mask.
“Thank you for your help back there. It remained intact thanks to you.”
“Oh, this?”
Rosedale looked at the black panther statue she held in one hand and shrugged slightly.
“It’s nothing.”
Lucas’s eyes sharpened at how effortlessly she was holding a statue the size of her own torso. It was an observant gaze, but Rosedale’s smile never left her face.
“Give me that.”
Cain held out his hand, but Rosedale snatched back the black panther statue from his grasp, “I know I haven’t done much, but are you planning to take it away just like this?”
“What…”
“Give and take.”
Rosedale interrupted Cain’s bewilderment and turned back to Lucas, “I heard it’s human decency to return favours, but you…”
“Instead of showing gratitude, you’re looking down on me. And you…”
Barnett, who was standing awkwardly, widened his eyes at her accusation.
“You just stood there. And lastly, Lucas.”
Even Lucas couldn’t avoid Rosedale’s criticism.
“You seemed to take my kindness for granted. That’s not okay. It’s rude.”
“…”
Lucas silently gazed at Rosedale for a moment.
It was the first reprimand he’d ever received in his life, and the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement.
Rosedale huffed after delivering a lesson to the cheeky human children. Cain embarrassedly caved in, “How dare you, do you even know..!”
“Cain.”
Lucas quietly called out Cain’s name, stopping him in his tracks. He still didn’t take his eyes off Rosedale.
“Rosedale is right. You shouldn’t receive help without showing gratitude.”
Finally, Cain reluctantly turned to Rosedale, “…How much?”
He looked visibly uncomfortable.
It wasn’t about the money. It was about the audacious attitude of trying to extort money from someone like the Emperor. Even if she didn’t know Lucas’s true identity.
Lucas and his companions, despite their robes, carried fine swords and were dressed in fine fabrics, indicating that they were at least higher ranking than commoners. So even if they had hidden their identity, they would have been treated with respect wherever they went.
It was clear that he disliked Rosedale’s imposing demeanor, despite her looking like someone from the lower ranks.
Rosedale understood Cain’s attitude, but she deliberately ignored it even more.
Cain reminded her of Elpis. A sassy Elpis who emphasized her status as a superior fairy. Maybe that made her want to push harder.
“I don’t want money”
Rosedale lifted the corner of her mouth again, looking Lucas straight in the eye, “Instead, I want you to give me your time.”
“Time?”
“Yes. I’ve only been here a day. I want to do some exploring, and I need you to help me with that.”
The book said that sharing the same time was important to become friends. If she could also explore the human world at the same time, it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Rosedale learned about the human world through books. Since there are differences between books and reality, she needed real human help to adapt.
“My time…”
Lucas crossed his arms and looked down at Rosedale. His blood-red eyes were fixed on her. No, they were more like pomegranates than blood.
She stared directly into her eyes without avoiding them, not showing fear or intimidation, just smiling with that innocent charm.
Lucas stared at her for a moment.
” Lucas.”
At that moment, Cain approached Lucas’s side and whispered to him, lowering his voice.
Not knowing that our fairy has such good ears.
“Using Lucas’s precious time for someone whose identity is unknown, just resolve it with money.”
Cain’s displeased gaze swept over Rosedale from top to bottom. She wore nothing but a plain white dress, the sort of thing old priests wore, and her shoes were ragged.
Even servants don’t dress like that these days.
Yet she could act so shamelessly in front of people who seemed to have some status.
“I think there’s something wrong with her mentally.”
Cain whispered, and Rosedale frowned.
“Hey, I’m trying to keep my composure. But I can hear everything you know.”
I tried to be still and pretend not to hear, but it didn’t work.
If she continued like this, Cain might just interfere and prevent her from spending time with Lucas.
“As I said before, I’ve only been here for a day. If I accidentally offended you by not knowing your way of life or culture, I apologize.”
With a small sigh, Rosedale glared at Cain, “But it was rude of you to call me mentally ill, or is it your Everian etiquette to dismiss me as different?”
“…”
Cain seemed slightly nervous and didn’t say anything.
His expression made Rosedale feel a bit better. He wasn’t a bad man, just too much of a believer in rules and procedures to ignore status.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf. I’m sorry.”
“Maje..! Ugh..”
Lucas bowed his head, and Cain followed suit, bowing toward Rosedale.
“I’m sorry. I was rude.”
“So, you’re giving me your time?”
Rosedale grinned as if she had been waiting for this.
It was a very persistent attitude, contrasting sharply with her pristine smile like fresh snow.
“Haha.”
A small laugh escaped from Lucas’s lips.
It wasn’t mocking or a cold, empty laugh. It was a small laugh that burst out as if finding this situation interesting, not contemptuous.
“Sure, why not.”
“Really?”
As Rosedale’s face lit up like sunshine, Lucas nodded without wiping the smile off his face.
“Wait…Lucas!”
“Barnett. Go and call the patrol here.”
Ignoring Cain’s words lightly, Lucas instructed Barnett.
“Collect all the items here and imprison those who are still alive.”
“Yes.”
“Cain, you’re going with Barnett.”
“…What?”
“If only Barnett goes, they might not believe that I sent him, so you’re going with him.”
Cain’s anxious gaze alternated between Rosedale and Lucas. Rosedale smirked at Cain.
“Well, even if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better for me to follow Lucas?”
Unable to say anything because of his mistake, Cain felt that Rosedale’s victorious expression was too annoying.
Rosedale’s sense of triumph reached the ceiling.
“It’s too dangerous for you to be traveling alone with someone you don’t know well…”
“Me? In danger?”
Lucas interrupted Cain and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“That sounds like a dismissive way of saying I’d lose if we fought.”
“I didn’t mean it like that..!”
“If that’s not what you meant, then Rosedale and I can go alone. Right, Rosedale?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Rosedale and Lucas locked eyes and exchanged matching smiles.
Cain’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. Beside him, Burnett stood motionless, watching.
Meanwhile, Lucas had pulled his mask back on, covering his face. He even took Cain’s robe and put it on.
“We’ll meet in the plaza by the fountain at sunset.”
Lucas smoothed out the hem of his robe and spoke in a brisk voice. Beside him, Rosedale quickly handed Burnett the black panther statue.
“Let’s get our benefactor some clothes, then.”
“Maje- No, Lucas!”
Lucas and Rosedale stormed out of the shop, Cain’s voice echoing with the piteous urgency of a jilted lover.
“There’s not much to see on this street, so we’ll head to the central district. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
Lucas lightly lifted Rosedale’s waist and placed her on the saddle of the horse tied nearby.
Then, right behind her, as he mounted the horse and took the reins, she found herself nestled against his chest.
Rosedale leaned her head against him for a moment, the scent of citrus wafted gently from Lucas’s shirt. She didn’t want to move away and stayed quietly in the warmth of his scented, wide arms.
Lucas couldn’t help but smirk, seeing Rosedale nesting comfortably.
“Ha!”
The dust kicked up by the horse obscured Lucas and Rosedale’s figures.
To ensure no one would interrupt their time together.
To hide them from everyone’s eyes.
***
“Oh, you look absolutely stunning!”
A moment later, Rosedale stood in front of the mirror, buried in compliments from the shop’s matron.
She was not in a dress, but a pair of comfortable pants.
“You’re the first woman I’ve seen who looks so good in pants.”
“Do men and women dress differently here?”
Rosedale was slowly adapting to the various tones of the language.
So far, the only people she ever used a respectful tone with were Elpis and Eros, and it was awkward trying to be respectful to humans she always thought of as cute puppies.
Still, I was determined to learn and adapt to the human world.
“Ah, you said you were new to the Empire, didn’t you?”
Madame said, fixing the hem of my trousers.
“In Everia, pants are considered for working people. Noblewomen traditionally don’t have jobs, so they don’t wear pants.”
Commoner women, on the other hand, can have a job and earn money, but they can’t afford to have their clothes fitted in a room like this.
This was the first time Madame had ever tried pants on a woman.
So, this was the first time the matron had ever put pants on a woman.
Once the smallest pair of men’s pants had been quickly altered and fitted to her, the matron smiled widely at Rosedale.
“Really?”
It was strange that noblewomen couldn’t work while common women could. Rosedale thought.
As Rosedale pondered, the alteration of the clothes was completed.
“All done!”
Madame exclaimed, pulling back the curtains, and Lucas, who had been sitting on the couch, sprang to his feet.
His eyes widened at the sight of Rosedale’s form, “You’re not wearing a dress?”
“Nope. Do I look weird?”
“No, it suits you. Very much.”
A gentle smile appeared on Lucas’s face. Stepping closer, he casually tucked Rosedale’s hair behind her ear.
Feeling his gentle touch on her ear, she tilted her head slightly.
‘Why does he seem to like it so much?’
