Pop!
“Wow!”
“Wow! You did great, miss therapist!”
Sion shouted even more excitedly than Letier.
The bearded merchant picked up a piece of paper that had fallen from the balloon Letier had just popped with a small dart.
He squinted his eyes and shouted loudly.
“A couple pajama set!”
“Huh? Even the prizes are couple items now?”
Letier turned to Sion with an amused smile.
Sion chuckled awkwardly and opened his mouth.
“Hahaha… Well, I’m fine with it, but, miss therapist, are you okay with—”
“Oh? It’s actually pretty cute.”
Letier peeked into the shopping bag the merchant handed over and exclaimed quietly.
Inside was a very stylish pajama set, made of soft fabric in a deep purple color.
“Then, shall I give it a try now?”
Sion rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
Letier took a step back so she wouldn’t get in his way as he took his position.
Sion stretched his arm holding the dart as far back as he could, closed one eye, and gauged the distance.
“…….”
After a short silence, the sharp dart flew swiftly through the air.
Pop!
“Sion.”
Letier, who had been watching quietly, spoke softly.
“……Why did you hit the sign instead of the balloon?”
“Ah, I’m usually really good with a bow… It’s just, throwing darts is a bit different. And the balloons were farther than I thought…”
“Sion isn’t a knight; you’re an excellent secretary, so it’s understandable.”
Letier gently tugged at Sion’s sleeve and pulled him back.
They didn’t know when the merchant, who was staring blankly at his broken sign, might turn around and yell at them.
We have to get out of here before he comes after us…
As Letier was slowly backing away, something solid pressed against her back.
Thinking it was a wall, she tried to change direction, but then a low voice came from above her head.
“Is there something you want?”
“Huh?”
When she turned her head at the familiar voice, she saw Dante standing there, looking down at her.
Sion, who had been pulling Letier away from the accident scene, opened his mouth wide and shouted.
“Y-Your Highness…?”
“If you don’t want to attract too much attention from the crowd, you should keep quiet.”
“Ah…”
Sion quickly shut his open mouth.
Leaving the two stunned behind him, Dante calmly walked to the spot marked for throwing darts.
He bent down and picked up the straightest-looking dart from the box on the ground.
Where did he even come from?
Dante tilted his body slightly, stretched his arm far back, and took aim.
Pop!
“Whoa…”
A soft cheer came from the people passing by.
The balloon hanging at the farthest point had burst.
The merchant rushed over in a panic, picked up the paper that had fallen to the ground, and shouted loudly.
“A perfume that seduces your lover!”
Huh?
Letier blinked her eyes.
For the prize from the hardest balloon to pop, it seemed surprisingly ordinary.
“Use it well!”
The merchant handed Dante a small glass bottle.
Dante turned toward her and approached.
“Do you think you need something like this?”
Letier thought she was plenty attractive even without it.
Staring quietly at the bottle in his hand, Letier carefully took it.
“You’re giving it to me?”
“If you need it.”
“I was actually curious about it, so thank you.”
After she replied, an awkward silence settled between them.
Even Sion, standing by her side, looked confused as to why His Highness was even there.
Letier fiddled with the glass bottle Dante had given her and finally spoke.
“What brings you here?”
“To enjoy the festival.”
“What about your companion?”
Letier asked, thinking of Princess Rubia.
It was a festival, after all, so she naturally assumed he would be here with his fiancée.
“My companion…”
Dante began.
Rubia had disappeared in high spirits with Kyledian the moment they entered the festival grounds, after buying a pair of disguise glasses.
But telling that story would be…
After glancing at Letier and Sion’s faces for a moment, Dante spoke shortly.
“No companion. I came alone.”
“Oh…”
Letier and Sion looked at him with pity.
Even at the palace he was a loner, and now, even in Eustian, he seemed to have no friends. It was sad.
“Why don’t you call Princess Rubia over? There’s a special event where couples get 30% off everything.”
“Couples?”
Dante quietly looked at Sion and Letier.
Seeing how closely they stood together, his thick eyebrows twitched upward slightly.
He spoke in a very cold voice.
“Couples, you say?”
“Ah, of course, we’re not a real couple…”
Letier swallowed the rest of her words awkwardly.
…Unlike you and Princess Rubia, who are a real couple.
“Th-then! We’ll just get going now. Miss therapist, let’s hurry! The play is about to start soon.”
Sion, trying to read the tense atmosphere, quickly said.
He turned as if to drag Letier away with him.
“Ah, okay. See you later!”
Letier also turned with Sion.
But Dante quickly followed behind them so they wouldn’t get away.
“I’ll come too.”
“Huh?”
“I want to see this play too.”
Dante squeezed between Letier and Sion and said.
Sion, forcing a stiff smile, opened his mouth.
“Ahaha! We’d love to have you, but unfortunately, we only have two tickets. What a shame.”
“Where can I buy a ticket for the play?”
“There’s a booth near the front, but when we passed by earlier, they were already sold out!”
Sion replied with a bright smile.
Dante stared down at his overly cheerful face without blinking.
“…….”
“…….”
Soon, the two men stood still and started glaring at each other.
Uh…
Standing between them, Letier blinked and watched their subtle standoff before slowly speaking.
“Um, Your Highness?”
“…….”
“If you really want to watch the play, I can give you my ticket. You can watch it with Sion.”
“What? No way.”
“I refuse as well!”
Dante replied with a scowl.
Huh? But he said earlier he wanted to watch it…
Though Letier felt wronged, she quietly nodded.
“Then, I guess Sion and I will go.”
“That’s good. Miss therapist, let’s go quickly!”
Sion gently grabbed Letier’s wrist and led her toward the large tent in the center of the festival grounds.
Maybe the play really was about to start, because people were lining up to go inside.
Letier stood with Sion at the very end of the line and looked ahead.
It’s really just couples…
She glanced back at Dante, who was standing a bit away from the line, and called out.
“Your Highness, enjoy the festival!”
“No thanks, it’s boring.”
Is he sulking?
“We’ll be back soon.”
“The play will take about two hours, Miss therapist.”
“So not that soon. Maybe you should call Princess Rubia…”
“Oh! We’re going in, miss therapist!”
Pushed by Sion from behind, Letier stumbled into the tent.
Before disappearing into the dark inside, she turned her head once more to look at Dante.
Dante stood there alone, arms crossed, gazing at her and Sion with a heavy expression.
What’s with that look… It makes me feel guilty…
Feeling uncomfortable, Letier turned her head back.
Inside the tent, a large stage surrounded by rows of seats came into view.
“Should we sit around here?”
Sion, looking cheerful, pointed to two seats with a good view of the stage.
Letier nodded and sat where he pointed.
“It’s been a long time since I saw a play.”
“Really? In Eustian, plays are quite common. If there’s even a small gathering of people, you’ll usually find a stage.”
“What’s the play about?”
“It’s a love story… Ah, looks like it’s about to start! Enjoy the show, miss therapist!”
The lights on the stage dimmed.
Letier shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position and fixed her gaze on the stage.
****
The play was entertaining.
The performances of the two lead actors were excellent, the story was solid, and it even made her curious and excited to see what would happen next.
But unlike her eyes, which stayed fixed on the stage, Letier couldn’t shake the wandering thoughts that kept creeping into her mind.
‘His Highness…’
Surely, he hadn’t been properly enjoying the festival, stubborn as he was.
Letier kept glancing toward the entrance of the tent with an uncomfortable expression.
He’s not still standing there, is he?
“Miss therapist.”
Sitting beside her, Sion leaned in and whispered.
“Are you feeling unwell? Is the play not fun for you…?”
“Oh, no! I’m really enjoying it!”
At her reply, Sion gave her a bright, relieved smile before turning his attention back to the stage.
Letier bit her lower lip slightly and once again turned her face toward the entrance.
He must have gone back on his own, right…?
Frowning a little and letting out a small sigh, Letier finally leaned toward Sion.
“Um, could I step out for just a moment?”
“Huh?”
“I’ll be quick.”
Sion, who had been watching the stage, turned his head toward Letier.
He stared at her with an unreadable expression for a moment before slowly nodding.
“Sorry, I’ll be right back!”
Letier quickly turned and stood up from her seat.
Carefully weaving her way past the people sitting with their backs hunched over, she made her way straight out of the tent.
Where is he?
She started looking around, turning her head here and there, searching for the familiar figure.
“…Did he go back to the palace on his own?”
Letier muttered quietly as she began walking slowly.
If he did, I should go back inside…
At that moment, a deep voice she had been searching for echoed right below her ear.
“Did you leave something behind?”
