I looked at him with a truly puzzled expression and asked.
“Why would you think that? I don’t have as close a relationship with Leia as you seem to think.”
“Oh… Is that so? However, except when Leia is around, I couldn’t have a proper conversation with you. It was my misunderstanding.”
Did I really do that?
I pondered my past actions. Regardless of whether Leia Saturanos was present or not, it seemed like I consistently tried to avoid Ares.
Perhaps my expression was rather serious because he laughed coolly and said.
“It must be someone other than you. Please don’t take it too seriously.”
“Yes…”
Ugh. I don’t even know how I’ve been lately. Dealing with the pressure of not becoming a villain because of the ‘author’ has been mentally exhausting, and it’s not just for a day or two. Besides, I had to stay vigilant about how I might die.
His voice sounded slightly muffled in my ears.
“I’m not such a bad person. So, I hope you can make some room for me too. Bianca.”
I silently looked at his face.
If I make room for you, what are you going to do? Since you’re going to fly off to Leia anyway, why make such a request to me? Sadly, it’s pointless.
At that moment, I heard the announcement of Mimas’s number.
“Number twenty!”
I saw Mimaz quickly approach the counter and submit the documents. Standing up slowly, I spoke to Ares with as indifferent a tone as possible.
“I’ll go register as the witness. Please wait a moment.”
“…”
Getting witness authentication at the counter wasn’t too difficult. Once the responsible official saw my face and our signatures were in place, it was done. Of course, there was still a procedure left for a later visit to the family to confirm.
I conveyed to Mimas that I wanted Ares to help as well. His expression subtly changed, but he agreed anyway.
Returning from the government office to the soup kitchen wasn’t easy either.
No, if he’s someone like the Duke Stanley ‘s nephew, please at least ride in a private carriage when you come!
“Well, so you came in a public carriage….”
I looked at my carriage awkwardly. Wasn’t it a bit cramped for three people to ride? But telling Mimas and Ares to come separately would make it too obvious that I was conscious of Ares!
In the end, I sighed softly and said resignedly,
“Let’s somehow squeeze in and give it a try. Bear with it even if it’s a bit uncomfortable for everyone.”
A small carriage driven by a single woman with two officers and one slim (!) woman squished inside might look a bit funny, but thankfully, the carriage started rolling with a rattle.
Sorry about this. Is it too heavy? I’ll give you a lot of your favorite candy when we get home.
Mimaz and Ares were seated on each side of me, but perhaps due to the flow of emotions, I was more conscious of Ares. It felt like he was looking at me, and the side that received the gaze felt ticklish.
Did I turn red by any chance? Somehow, his breath felt like it was touching my ear, and, oh no! Why am I so conscious of this? Am I going crazy!.
The way to the soup kitchen felt unusually long. Nevertheless, when we safely arrived, a sigh of relief escaped me involuntarily.
As Mimaz had said, there was still much to do at the soup kitchen. Fortunately, a staff member quickly took my accessories for redemption and was waiting for us.
Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
“Did they give you a fair price?”
“Well, when I mentioned that it was Lady Uranos’s belongings, they hardly bargained. I could get almost the value of new items.”
Ares, who had been listening to the conversation between the staff and me, suddenly intervened.
“Lady Bianca’s belongings?”
Mimaz answered on my behalf.
“Because we were short of money to buy ingredients for tomorrow’s meals, Lady Uranos provided tangible items. With that, we could quickly shop for groceries.”
Ares tightly sealed his lips, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking anymore.
Several staff members rode a baggage cart and headed to the market to purchase ingredients. We could take a short break while they were away.
Sipping the tea provided by Mimaz, I immersed myself in thought.
It seemed like I would have to meet the ‘author’ again. How is our encounter being described in her novel? Why do chance-like meetings with Ares keep happening? Is there something the ‘author’ is hiding from me?
“What are you thinking about?”
Just as I was about to delve deeper into my thoughts, a voice interrupted me.
Sigh. Alright. For now, let’s focus on the issue at hand, which is Ares right in front of us.
“Oh, well. It just seems like we’ve been meeting quite frequently these days.”
I honestly laid out what I had been thinking. I thought it might be good to find some clues and unravel things, no matter where they lead.
However, his response was different from what I expected.
“…Don’t you think we’ve actually been avoiding each other too much recently?”
“Yes…?”
Ares seemed to have something on his mind, and perhaps sensing the subtle atmosphere, Mimas swiftly took her teacup and left!
Now I was caught in Ares’s gaze as he looked at me with a predatory expression.
“We debuted in the social circle in the same year. Yet, we haven’t exchanged even a single greeting in all these years. Isn’t that more intriguing?”
Well, I intentionally avoided you. I didn’t want to be caught confessing love at first sight.
“If someone wasn’t avoiding on purpose, that is.”
Ugh! Quite sharp.
“I wasn’t avoiding, but were you avoiding me, Bianca?”
Ugh. What should I say? Saying I avoided him sounds awkward, but denying it seems forced, even to me.
“And you still haven’t called me by my name.”
Facing him with a normal smile and chatter, I couldn’t guarantee that my emotions wouldn’t be revealed in that interaction. Even now, with death looming, the reason I wanted to keep my distance from him was for that very purpose.
Could I live quietly, not letting him know about these emotions, and supporting his love until the end?
I looked at him with a slightly melancholic heart.
“Ares.”
I started by calling his name. The effect was quite surprising. Ares’s face, which had been stern, noticeably softened!
I decided to hide the truth a bit, as if I hadn’t intentionally avoided him.
“I didn’t mean to avoid you. I’m sorry if it felt that way. I lacked consideration for your feelings.”
“…It’s okay now.”
Surprisingly, he accepted my apology graciously.
“Instead, please make sure I don’t feel that way anymore. So….”
Ares hesitated with a slightly reddened face.
“I hope we can become close like friends. It would be nice if you feel comfortable talking with me, and even when Leia is not around, it won’t be awkward for us to be together.”
I smiled gently and nodded.
Yes, considering that even in the novel by the ‘author,’ Ares, Leia Saturanos, and I were described as friends, it seemed challenging to break that setting.
And perhaps, narrowing the distance with him could be the final gift of my destiny. Although the fact that my time was running out was somewhat distressing and sad, if my heart wasn’t completely exposed, I could create some happy memories, couldn’t I?
Yes, let’s accept it. Let’s accept this flow naturally, like water flowing. This, too, must be my destiny.
While I was silently reaching this conclusion in my mind, Ares’s voice reached me again.
“It seems like the atmosphere has changed a bit recently.”
“Me?”
I was secretly surprised by his sharp intuition.
Will people mistake me for a complete woman? Why is a man’s intuition sharper than a woman’s!
He nodded significantly with a worried expression.
“I felt it before when we met, but somehow…”
I playfully made a comment.
“Do I seem like I’ve experienced the whole world?”
He responded as if a light bulb had suddenly lit up, agreeing with my statement.
“Yeah, that’s right! It was hard to express that feeling, but it seems like that’s it.”
I chuckled.
Well, I really can’t act, can I? Maybe it’s better to just go around telling people, ‘I’m about to die,’ and advertise myself like that.
Anyway, before worrying too much, I felt like I should say something. After all, Ares seemed to be quite concerned.
“Just recently, I had a moment where life felt incredibly short. It’s nothing significant, but since I kept holding onto that feeling, maybe that atmosphere came about. Do you worry a lot?”
Ares responded with his usual gentle smile.
“I do worry a little, but if you say it’s nothing significant, then I suppose it’s just that.”
He was truly a good person. Instead of asking what happened or why I felt that way, he simply accepted my words. He was indeed a man with manners that could easily be considered the best among the elites of society.
Sigh. Leia Saturanos, you are lucky. Truly.
But let’s move on from this one thing.
“Well, Ares, I have one curious question.”
“Please, go ahead.”
He replied to me with the same soft smile on his face.
Oh, I’m excited. It’s nice. Even though it might have seemed like a polite smile, it was truly impressive.
“So, what was the real reason for your visit to the government office today? Was it okay to easily switch waiting numbers with me, even if it wasn’t that important?”
“It wasn’t anything crucial. I was just trying to register my personal carriage.”
Well, it wasn’t necessarily something that had to be done today, but considering the number of visitors to the government office today, he probably waited for quite a while.
“So, you came in a public carriage.”
“I couldn’t ride it without registering it first.”
Whether noble or commoner, anyone using a personal carriage had to register it and obtain a magic certification. Carriage accidents were more common than one might think, and sometimes, the responsible party would cause an accident and flee the scene. Therefore, there were regulations requiring individuals to declare their personal carriages to the government, obtain a magical certification, and display it to be allowed to operate.
What if you didn’t do that? Well, if caught, you would face a hefty fine!
When the atmosphere between Ares and me softened a bit, we heard the sound of the baggage carriage arriving. It seemed that the groceries from the market had arrived.
I rose energetically from my seat.
“Sigh. It’s time for labor now.”
Ares looked a bit puzzled.
“I have to prepare the ingredients. It’s difficult with only the employees here. The quantity is quite substantial.”
“Have you done this kind of work often?”
“Not frequently, but I’ve volunteered and helped a few times.”
“Oh…”
I grinned.
Alright, I’m going to prepare the vegetables. What about you? Please, just say you’re going home.
“Well, I guess I should help with carrying the ingredients.”
Ares responded with a smile.
Oh, this isn’t going to be easy.
Ares, who took off his jacket and was wearing only a thin shirt, quickly followed Mimas’s instructions (?) and began to chop onions, potatoes, and carry bags of heavy ingredients.
Throughout the work, he unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up, and oh my! Those muscular arms are just too impressive. Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to get close to you! Get a hold of yourself!
“Bianca? What are you doing?”
While absentmindedly admiring Ares’s biceps with a knife in hand, I snapped back to reality when he looked at me and started peeling potatoes diligently.
Somewhere, I heard a chuckle.
Oh no! Embarrassing! I’m sure my face turned red!
