Chapter 20
“It might be better to head back now, don’t you think?”
Richard suggested, concerned about my condition.
I sat there dazed for a while before eventually shaking my head.
“No, it would be a shame to go back so soon. Can’t we look around a bit more?”
As Princess Tristan, I had only been in the Duke’s residence, and after marrying Count Theodore, I had only stayed at the Count’s residence. I had been cooped up in the estate for so long that I couldn’t easily give up this rare outing.
“But you don’t seem to be in good shape.”
“Condition might worsen later. I want to explore as much as I can while I’m able.”
Richard frowned with a look of unease and let out a quiet sigh.
“Alright, then.”
I knew it was a bit underhanded, but if I didn’t do this, who knew when I’d get another chance to be outside.
That was the reality. There was a chance I might not be able to come out again until I died. My time was running short, and the chance of obtaining the medicine in time was very slim.
Although Richard seemed reluctant, it was the best option for me.
“Where shall we go next?”
“As I mentioned, this is my first time at the night market. I just want to wander around and enjoy.”
“Fine.”
Richard supported me as we walked.
As we continued walking, it became a bit easier.
Now, I could walk on my own to some extent, so I declined Richard’s support and walked alone.
Even so, Richard stayed close to me, seemingly worried. I didn’t want to push him away for caring.
“What’s that?”
While exploring the night market, I spotted some uniquely shaped bread at a stall.
As I approached, I saw rows of freshly baked bread displayed.
“It’s street food sold at the night market.”
Richard briefly explained, though I already knew that.
What I wanted to know was what the bread tasted like.
Street food often smelled good.
Savory, sweet, and aromatic.
Seeing the bread smelled delightful, I looked at Richard with a pleading expression.
“Richard, I didn’t bring any money with me. Could you possibly buy some for me?”
Richard frowned as he looked at the bread being sold.
“You want to eat this? You?”
Richard seemed incredulous that I would want street food. Given my appearance as a lady from the Tristan Duke family, it made sense that I might not be accustomed to such things.
But the person inside me was different, making the situation quite different.
While the night market specialty was skewers, street food from market stalls could also be quite good.
“Why? Do you think I can’t eat it?”
“Well…”
Richard, who seemed to expect me to be disappointed, hesitated for a moment.
Then he crossed his arms and stared at me.
After a while, feeling his gaze was becoming uncomfortable, Richard reluctantly nodded.
“Do as you wish.”
“Thank you,”
I thanked him with a smile and then turned to the stall owner.
“Can you give us enough for the number of people we have?”
“Eh? For the number of people?”
The stall owner looked surprised as they assessed our group.
It wasn’t just Richard and me, but also our servants, maids, and knights, so our group was quite large.
If the stall owner had prepared only the displayed food, they would likely make their entire sales for the day with this one order.
However, the stall owner didn’t look particularly pleased. Instead, they appeared somewhat anxious.
“Oh dear, I’m not sure if such esteemed guests should be eating this kind of food…”
The street vendor recognized me—or rather, to be precise, recognized Richard—and quickly bowed his head.
Since Richard was the lord governing this territory, it seemed his presence was quite intimidating to them.
I glanced at Richard.
Richard, apparently unaware of what the vendor had said, was speaking with Jackson, asking him to take out some money.
I shot a quick, slightly annoyed look at Richard before turning back to the vendor with a smile.
“It’s fine, just give it to us. Could you give us two first?”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
The vendor hesitated for a moment but eventually packaged two pieces of bread and handed them over.
Olivier reached out to take the bread, but I was quicker.
I accepted the bread from the vendor and handed one to Richard.
“Here, eat it. Even though you’re the one who bought it.”
Richard’s gaze shifted to the bread I was offering.
Caught off guard, he accepted the bread I handed him, but he didn’t seem eager to eat it.
Is he not the type to enjoy food like this?
Well, Richard was a noble to the core. No matter how tough things might have been for him, he probably felt uneasy about eating street food that commoners enjoyed.
“Aren’t you going to eat it?”
I asked, taking a bite of my bread while he still looked uneasy, just staring at his.
Inside the bread was a sweetly seasoned mix of meat and cabbage.
The savory flavor spread pleasantly in my mouth.
“It’s tasty. You should try it.”
When I offered the bread to him again, Richard finally picked it up.
Even then, he still seemed hesitant to take a bite.
But since he’d accepted it, it wasn’t really up to me whether he ate it or not.
“If you don’t want it, give it to me. I can eat it.”
I reached out my hand, but Richard shook his head. Then, he took a bite of the bread. After a while, as he continued eating, Richard glanced at the vendor and gave a slight smile.
“It’s quite good.”
“Ah, th-thank you, my Lord!”
The vendor, as if Richard’s words were some great compliment, was deeply moved and bowed his head in gratitude.
I watched this scene with satisfaction and then nudged Richard lightly with my elbow.
Richard turned to me with a puzzled expression.
“It’s better than you expected, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
Richard didn’t refute my statement as if acknowledging it.
The bread in my hand seemed quite large, but in Richard’s hand, it looked quite small.
I looked at Richard with a slight smile and continued walking.
“You said it’s your first time at a night market, so how did you know to eat something like this?”
Richard, who had finished eating all the bread as we walked, asked me.
“Well…”
I couldn’t exactly say, ‘Actually, I was a person from another world in a past life, and street food was something I often ate there,’ so I struggled to come up with a plausible excuse.
“I’ve just read about it a lot in novels.”
“Novels?”
“Yes. But anyway, it looks like there’s a festival going on over there. Let’s go check it out.”
Before Richard could question me further, I grabbed his hand and led him toward the source of the singing.
When we arrived, we saw couples dancing around a bonfire in the center.
The singing was coming from the villagers who were trying to liven up the atmosphere for the couples.
Under the dark night sky, the bright bonfire flickered, and lively couples danced to the villagers’ songs.
I watched them with fascination, then subtly glanced at Richard.
It wasn’t with any particular intention.
Our eyes met briefly, but I quickly looked away as if nothing had happened.
“Do you want to dance?”
“No, I was just looking.”
“…”
“Really. I don’t know the dances they perform at festivals, and I’m not in the mood to dance anyway. I think I’ve seen enough, so we should head back.”
“…Alright.”
Richard looked a bit uneasy, but he didn’t press the issue.
Today, I had been unusually stubborn. I insisted on visiting the night market, dragging him along even though he was busy, and I even asked him to buy street food he would probably never eat in his entire life.
Originally, Richard and I weren’t close enough for such personal outings, so he had really gone out of his way to accommodate me.
As we retraced our steps, neither Richard nor I spoke for a while.
To others, it might have seemed like an awkward silence, but I somehow felt more comfortable in this quietness.
To be honest, this was more familiar to me.
For a long time, no one had been particularly warm to me.
The servants and maids were intimidated by me, and my father and Cecilia despised me.
Having lived that way for many years, it would have been stranger if I hadn’t grown accustomed to it. Perhaps that’s why I felt a bit giddy today, on a day when I could finally do as I pleased.
But I didn’t regret it. Today would become an unforgettable memory for me until the day I die.
When we reached the place where our carriage was waiting, Richard and I got in. The carriage slowly began making its way back to the estate.
I watched the scenery pass by in silence, then suddenly spoke.
“Thank you so much for today. I won’t forget it.”
I sincerely expressed my gratitude to Richard. He looked at me with an unreadable expression for a long time before letting out a quiet sigh.
“When the auction is held next time, we’ll go together.”
“Really?”
“Why not? Unless you don’t want to?”
“No, I’d love to. We must go together. It’s a promise.”
Afraid he might retract the offer, I quickly responded. Richard looked at me for a moment and then let out a small laugh.
