How exciting! Xian is starting to get better, I’ve gotten some jewels, and I’ve made a lot of close friends!
Just recently, I heard that the market response to the Applelum tea I entrusted for official sale has been fantastic!
Thinking about the enormous sales profits coming in next month, I felt so happy. It felt like I had everything I wanted, and I was over the moon.
Hmm, but I feel like I’m forgetting something. What was it?
“Congratulations, Your Majesty the Empress. So, does this mean you’ll grant my small wish now?”
A few days later, Kaibel came to deliver the news that he would be returning to Helios.
Ah, right, there was this. The price for arranging his first meeting with the Marchioness of Hessen.
“Alright, sure. What do you want?”
I nodded willingly.
I have plenty of friends now, and I’ve started making money, so I can buy him anything!
Seeing my confident look, Kaibel smiled brightly.
“I want to watch the fireworks.”
“…Huh?”
“I heard there will be a fireworks display tomorrow to pray for the safe return of the Helios delegation. I want to go outside the palace and watch it up close, but I don’t have any friends.”
Then, suddenly saying he felt stifled, Kaibel flung open the parlor door and raised his voice to plead.
“Tomorrow! Night! Just! The! Two of us! Will you go with me?!”
Ack, that startled me.
“Uh, s-sure, I guess…”
Covering my ears with my hands, I looked at him with pity.
He must be really nervous to be yelling like that just to ask about fireworks. It almost felt like he was doing it on purpose for someone to overhear.
Just then, Kaibel shouted even louder.
“Your Majesty! It’s! A! Secret! Just the two of us!”
“Okay! My ears hurt, so stop yelling already!”
Startled, I quickly covered my ears with a cushion and shouted back, making Kaibel grin in satisfaction. Then, he calmly closed the parlor door again.
“Ah, I feel so much better now. Sorry about that. I’ve developed a habit of suddenly opening doors and yelling.”
What the… This guy is weird…
I looked at Kaibel with the same cold, unimpressed gaze that Xian always gave me.
But for some reason, he seemed deeply touched by my agreement to go with him, struggling to hold back laughter as he left, saying he’d come to pick me up tomorrow evening.
Even though nothing was funny, his shoulders kept shaking, and his eyes even welled up with tears.
That afternoon, I ran into Ruby at the imperial library while borrowing some books, and while chatting, I casually asked,
“Ruby, does your brother ever act a little weird?”
“Brother Kaibel? He’s weird all the time. Just ignore him when that happens.”
I had asked just in case, but Ruby, his own sister, coolly gave me that advice. Feeling reassured, I nodded.
Alright. If he embarrasses me during the fireworks, I’ll just pretend I don’t know him.
****
Bustling.
‘Wow.’
I couldn’t keep my mouth closed as I looked out of the carriage. The lively, bustling streets were so exciting and fascinating.
Even though I had experienced this many times in my life before entering this “As long as it’s not me” novel…
‘Hmm, or maybe not?’
Back then, I was always too busy working, just watching from afar like it was someone else’s business. But this was the first time I was actually enjoying it.
“Shall we get off here? It might take some time for the carriage to get through.”
“Oh. Sure.”
Since fireworks weren’t something you could see often, the streets were filled with a festival-like atmosphere.
The areas for nobles and commoners were technically separate, but with so many people coming and going, both sides were just as crowded.
“Careful.”
I took Kaibel’s escort as I stepped down from the carriage.
Since I was hiding my identity, I wore a half-mask, but looking around, I noticed that many people were also wearing masks, probably because of the festival. Even the people getting off the carriages in front and behind us were wearing hats and masks.
“Looks like everyone’s out enjoying the festival before the fireworks.”
“Yeah. That’s great—it’ll be even more fun with a big crowd.”
I looked around with sparkling eyes.
In the imperial palace, at balls and parties, I always had to maintain my dignity, so this was the first time I had ever felt this kind of raw excitement.
I must have been visibly thrilled, even with the mask on, because Kaibel gestured behind him with a slight wave of his hand.
“I know an even more fun place. Want to go?”
His finger pointed to none other than the commoners’ district.
When I widened my eyes, Kaibel smiled and whispered,
“If we blend into the crowd, no one will recognize us. And we can just wear robes.”
The noble district, where elegant instrumental music flowed like at a ballroom, or the commoners’ district, which was noisier but much more lively.
If I had to choose between the two, there was only one answer!
I nodded enthusiastically, eyes shining.
This sounded fun! A secret outing while hiding my identity—I had always wanted to try something like this!
Kaibel took a robe from one of the knights and wrapped it around me. The way he moved so naturally made it clear he had done this a few times in Helios.
“Do you do this often in Helios too? Like, do you have a separate alias just for when you’re outside the palace?”
“How did you know? That’s strange—I thought I paid off all my debts.”
I had been joking, but his response made me stare at him in disbelief.
Wait… why would a prince have debts?!
“…You didn’t bring me here to pay off your tab, did you?”
I stopped just before entering the commoners’ district and asked suspiciously. Kaibel, who had been watching me closely, suddenly burst out laughing.
“Pfft. I was joking. Places like this are just more fun when you explore freely instead of worrying about etiquette.”
“Well, as long as that’s the case!”
He had a point.
With my robe billowing behind me, I dashed over to a street stall that had caught my eye.
“Welcome! Pick a fruit, and we’ll coat it in sugar to make it into candy!”
Just as Kaibel had said, the commoners’ district was full of things to see.
Freshly made fruit candies, warm baked bread and cookies, colorful handmade crafts…
There were even street musicians who would play whatever song you wanted for a small fee, and stalls selling hearty, bite-sized street food!
Neither in my past life nor since becoming Leah had I ever enjoyed something so lively and fun.
Kaibel and I wandered around enthusiastically, to the point where even the knights keeping their distance looked flustered.
With my arms full of accessories, flower bouquets, and other small souvenirs, I finally stopped in front of an intriguing game stall.
“Wow. What’s this?”
“Oh, that’s a shell game… uh, I mean—”
As I crouched down in front of a merchant rattling a dice inside a cup, Kaibel started to answer but then trailed off.
“Shell? Like a rock or something?”
“I was told not to teach you weird things… Hmm. Well, it’s a kind of gambling. Want me to show you?”
Kaibel mumbled something to himself before smiling brightly and handing some coins to the merchant.
Tilting my head in curiosity, I soon became mesmerized by the merchant’s rapid cup movements.
“Ah! This one!”
“Aww, so close, miss. But I think you’ll get it on the next try. How about it? Since I’m feeling generous, I’ll give you two prizes if you win!”
“Ugh. Alright, one more time!”
…And after nine tries…
“This… This can’t be.”
Sniff. I lost everything!
I muttered the classic line of every gambling addict, feeling utterly defeated.
In my hands, there wasn’t even a decent prize—just a cheap handkerchief the merchant gave me out of pity.
Kaibel, who had started out trying to stop me but ended up crouching beside me and giving advice, shook with laughter and patted my shoulder.
“Well, at least one commoner just made a fortune for the day.”
“…Yeah. As long as someone’s happy, I guess…”
I had thought a trick like this would be easy to see through, but the hands of a seasoned pro were on another level. Real life was indeed brutal.
Completely hypnotized, I had spent all my silver coins, so I trudged away while tucking the handkerchief into my pocket.
Kaibel, still chuckling, spoke up.
“To commemorate your first taste of life’s harsh reality, I’ll treat you to something.”
“Sigh. Shouldn’t you treat me five times, not just once?”
You’re the one who led me into this trap!
As I stared at him, feeling rather indignant, Kaibel—who had briefly been looking elsewhere—suddenly turned back to face me.
“Whatever you want. Just name it. What would you like to eat?”
His charming face lit up with genuine excitement.
Why does he keep smiling? Is watching me lose all my money that funny?
“You won’t regret saying that, right?”
“Of course not. Besides, we have plenty of time before the fireworks start. If we eat now, the timing will be perfect.”
Well, if he put it that way, there was no reason to refuse.
Grinning, I dashed toward the food stalls ahead.
There were rows of sandwiches, wraps, skewers, and other snacks, along with small stone benches and makeshift tables where people could sit and eat.
“If you don’t like the food here, we can go to another area,” Kaibel offered kindly as he followed me.
I examined the food and cheerfully replied,
“It’s fine! I eat everything.”
Delicious food has no enemies!
My response seemed to amuse him. Maybe he was surprised that a noble lady—let alone an empress—was so comfortable with street food.
Thanks to that, he enthusiastically started recommending menu options.
‘Alright, let’s grab our food and sit on that bench over there!’
After checking out all the stalls, we returned to the first one we had picked.
“Two corn wraps, please.”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. We just sold out.”
The shopkeeper showed us the empty cart apologetically.
Darn, they looked so good too.
“Hmm. Should we try the next stall?”
“Yeah, guess we have no choice.”
We moved on.
“Two sandwiches, please.”
“Oh no! We just ran out of bread!”
The shopkeeper was already folding up his stall, looking regretful. Other latecomers also sighed and walked away.
“That’s strange. There’s no way they’d sell out before the fireworks even start… Did they bring too little stock?”
Kaibel tilted his head in confusion and pointed elsewhere.
“Then how about some fresh fruit juice? I saw that place had plenty of ingredients earlier.”
Ah, that one!
They served drinks in big heart-shaped wooden cups. It was really popular with couples, and there had been a long line earlier.
“Sounds good! Let’s go!”
I nodded eagerly. All this walking had made me hungry.
There was no way they were sold out—they had twice as much stock as the other stalls.
‘If they’re out too, then someone must have—’
“Wait! Who the heck bought out all the food?!”
A crowd in front of the fruit juice stall was angrily shouting and pointing.
