Episode 72

TL/N: Again im sorry I dont remember her title sorry.

After briefly glancing at Madam, I returned to the booth, where Grandpa Gordon immediately asked with urgency.

“Did you sell it?”

“Of course!”

I proudly put my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest.

Gordon, looking bewildered, muttered in disbelief.

“You really sold it to Madam… at that price?”

“How much did you sell it for?”

Someone suddenly asked from the side.

“Edwin!”

I thought he would have gone somewhere else while I was making my sale to Madam.

But there he was, still standing by the booth.

I looked around the empty space beside him and asked

“Where’s Duke?”

“He went to greet some people.”

“Oh…”

But why hadn’t Edwin gone with him?

As the heir, he was supposed to follow the Duke early on and make his presence known.

I looked at him with a puzzled expression when suddenly, Grandpa Gordon exclaimed with joy.

“Thanks to the Duke and the Young Duke, we managed to sell 50 more bottles!”

“What?! Really?”

“Yes! That makes 200 bottles sold!”

“Wow!”

Only 50 more bottles to meet the goal. We were selling much faster than I had anticipated.

I was once again reminded of the sheer influence of the Duke’s household.

“Thank you for coming, Edwin. You’re the best.”

I looked up at Edwin with eyes full of admiration, but for some reason, he quickly avoided my gaze, looking flustered.

Then, he muttered something unexpected.

“…Sorry I’m late.”

“Huh?”

“I was planning to come earlier, but Joshua threw a tantrum all of a sudden…”

He sighed softly.

He always told me to act mature and hold back my emotions, but in the end, he was still a kid too.

‘I’ll make sure he calls me “sister” again when we get home.’

With that decision in mind, I quickly shook my head.

“Late? Not at all! I’m just so happy you came!”

At my words, Edwin smiled faintly.

“This morning, you were asking why I was coming.”

“Huh? Wh-when did I say that? I-I never said such a thing!”

It was true.

I only asked because I wasn’t expecting the Duke and Edwin to show up…

Trying to escape the awkward situation, I hurriedly changed the topic.

“So, where’s that uncle?”

“Uncle?”

“Yeah, Marquis Barelotte. He was here earlier.”

“Ah.”

Edwin gestured with his chin in a certain direction.

When I looked over, I saw that Marquis Barelotte had returned to Diana’s booth, resuming his role as her promoter.

It seemed that noblewomen who had taken longer to get ready were finally arriving, as Diana’s booth was becoming even more crowded.

I stared at it absentmindedly when, suddenly—

“Ugh!”

My cheeks were grabbed, and my head was forcibly turned.

“Huh?”

Startled, I opened my eyes wide, only to find a pair of golden eyes, glistening in the sunlight, right in front of me.

“Father’s doing the same thing, so don’t feel bad about it.”

Edwin said as he pressed my soft cheeks with his hands.

I blinked a few times before responding, “I’m not feeling bad.” But with my cheeks squished like a fish, my words came out garbled and comical.

Even so, Edwin didn’t laugh. Instead, he spoke as if giving a child important instructions.

“Don’t call him ‘uncle’ like that in front of others. It could cause problems if someone overhears. Only say it when we’re alone.”

“Okay! Got it!”

“And the same goes for Gordon.”

No matter how casual I was with Grandpa Gordon, Edwin was warning me to be careful with my words. It made sense. I was just a common orphan, and this was a noble’s gathering.

“Okay! Only in front of you!”

I nodded obediently, and only then did Edwin release my cheeks, looking satisfied.

“Good grief…”
Grandpa Gordon muttered, watching us with a sigh. He wouldn’t dare say it in front of Edwin, but I could tell exactly what he was thinking.

‘What a couple of fools.’

Naturally, Edwin and I both ignored him.

“Hey, Edwin!”

Someone suddenly called out to him.

“Dylan.”

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

It was a familiar face.

‘Dylan Travis.’

He was the son of an Count and a close friend of Edwin. In my previous life, I’d seen the two of them together often.

‘So they’ve been close since they were much younger…’

Knowing there was someone who knew Edwin better than I did made me feel a little jealous and slightly discouraged.

“Why are you here? Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for you,” Dylan said.

At gatherings like this, noble children typically grouped up to talk or play games. The more troublesome ones would receive talents from their parents and make kids with talents in singing or dancing do odd things for entertainment.

Of course, Edwin wouldn’t participate in that sort of thing.

I naturally assumed he’d go to join his friends.

But then.

“You guys go ahead and play without me today.”

“What? Why?”

“I want to stay here.”

“Oh…”

Dylan glanced over at me for the first time.

“Is this the girl? The orphan Duke Kallios is sponsoring now?”

The way he looked at me, like I was a strange animal, wasn’t exactly pleasant.

But since it wasn’t untrue, I didn’t let it bother me.

“Dylan.”

For some reason, Edwin’s eyes flashed as he called out to his friend.

“Huh?”

“Stop being annoying and get lost.”

“Uh…”

Startled by Edwin’s sharp gaze, Dylan hesitated for a moment.

“Fine, I’m going. No need to be so harsh…” he muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he walked away.

I looked at Edwin in surprise.

“Why… why didn’t you go?”

Thankfully, he quickly returned to his usual expressionless face as he glanced at me.

“Do you want me to go?”

“N-no… it’s not that…”

I was just a bit taken aback, as I had assumed he would go. Staying here with me wouldn’t be fun, and we’d only attract more curious stares.

After a brief silence, Edwin finally explained why he stayed.

“…What if someone else picks a fight with you? How would you handle it alone?”

It seemed he was referring to people like Marquis Barelotte.

Suddenly, my nose tingled with emotion.

‘I guess it’s because the first time he saw me, I was being harassed by the Marquis.’

While I was grateful that Edwin was worried about me, I also felt ashamed and upset. If I had proper healing powers like Diana, there wouldn’t be any need for him to go through this trouble for me.

With my head lowered, I mumbled quietly, “But… I’m fine… Grandpa’s here too…”

“What’s an old man going to do?”

His cynical reply came immediately.

Grandpa Gordon, who had been quietly listening, couldn’t hold back any longer.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Think about the size difference between you and the Marquis. One punch and your bones would break.”

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Edwin had a point. Compared to the bulky and solid Marquis Barelotte, Grandpa was small and frail.

Grandpa’s mustache twitched in frustration, clearly acknowledging the truth in Edwin’s words.

“…I’m starting to think your violent words are more likely to break my bones than any punch from the Marquis. Please stop the elder abuse.”

“It’s not abuse, it’s concern.”

“A moment ago, you said I was just a stranger…”

And with that, Grandpa’s grumbling ended the argument.

Edwin remained by my side.

It’s funny how emotions can change so quickly. Just a moment ago, I was feeling embarrassed and upset about him staying.

But now that he was here, I felt a sense of relief and security.

Even if Marquis Barelotte came back to cause trouble, I didn’t feel scared at all.

“…Hey, Edwin.”

“…”

“Thank you.”

I felt him flinch slightly and glance at me.

But I was too embarrassed to look up. My face was probably red, and I didn’t have the courage to meet his eyes.

Honestly, I think I had been scared earlier when facing the director and the priests.

When Diana smiled confidently while handling all the nobles, I felt envious.

And when Marquis Barelotte came to cause a scene, I was at a loss.

No one would ever know how much comfort Edwin and the Duke gave me by showing up at just the right moment.

I stared down at my toes, fighting back tears.

Suddenly, I felt warmth envelop my whole hand.

Edwin had let go of my finger and was now holding my entire hand.

We stayed like that, standing in silence, holding hands until the next customer arrived.

“Good grief…”

Grandpa Gordon sighed, watching us once again.

 

***

 

“So, you’re the girl the Duke is sponsoring? Give me five bottles.”

“I’ll take three, too.”

“Oh my, Young Lord, I didn’t realize you were here. I just heard about this from the Duke…”

It seemed Edwin wasn’t lying about Duke Kallios acting as a promoter like Marquis Barelotte. A steady stream of nobles kept coming to our booth.

“Welcome! Guaranteed to heal all ailments!”

I hurriedly sold potions to all of them, occasionally using my healing powers on those with minor ailments.

Luckily, no one showed up with a serious illness.

‘I never thought I’d be grateful for Diana’s presence…’

I glanced over at her booth, but she was completely hidden by the crowd of people seeking healing.

Edwin stayed by my side, assisting me and Grandpa Gordon.

We were steadily stacking up talents when, suddenly, an unwelcome voice interrupted.

“I’ve received a report that this booth is breaking the rules.”

The voice carried terrible news.

“You’re aware that the first violation results in a fine, and the second leads to disqualification and expulsion, right?!”

It was the headmistress, with a spiteful grin on her face.