“Father should get one too.”
“What? The Duke?”
I couldn’t believe it. Was he actually being filial? I suspected my ears.
“Does the Duke need a new cord for his sword too?”
This time, Armin Grey hesitated before shaking his head. Right, if he said it was broken too, that would be a lie.
“Why?”
“He is interested in new….”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but I could imagine the rest.
Oh, what’s this? Let me try it too. Wow, this is good. How much is something like this?
An automatic example came to mind. In my past life, I struggled with what to give my dad for his birthday, but in this world, where there are no birthdays, has the Duke ever received a gift from his child? At most, he might have received expensive wine from someone like Sasha on his birthday.
I wrote letters and sang songs for my mom and dad on their birthdays, but Sasha only sang with me when he wanted something.
What’s wrong with him? I thought to myself. This is why you need a daughter.
“Fine. I’ll make it.”
I sat down for the third time and warned Armin Grey.
“This is the last time.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t even think about saying the author might want one. I’m really hungry now.”
He hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Even a harsh boss wouldn’t work someone without feeding them. What kind of work is this without food?”
I was getting hangry.
“Are you hungry?”
“Of course. By now, I would have had lunch and even a snack. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Sometimes I skip meals when I’m busy. If you’re hungry, should we order something?”
Armin Grey called over a passing waiter and asked for a menu. I panicked and asked him,
“Can we eat something here?”
“Didn’t you say you were hungry?”
We were sitting in the outdoor seating area of the café. I chose to sit outside because I was afraid of rumors spreading if we went into a private room together. But eating outside in public view was a different matter.
I widened my eyes and stared at Armin Grey. He laughed, finding my expression amusing.
“You have such a variety of expressions.”
“Do you know what they serve here?”
“It can’t be inedible.”
“Have you ever eaten outside like this before?”
“No.”
Armin Grey’s voice, which had been interrupted for a while, followed.
“Doing something you haven’t done before isn’t so bad, as I learned today.”
Just then, the waiter returned with the menu. Has he ever paid money and eaten food outside? For him, this kind of food would be no different from the junk food sold at a convenience store.
But tteokbokki at a snack bar in front of elementary school is the best.
“Corn…dog? What is this?”
Armin Grey pointed to something marked with a star on the menu. The waiter seemed a bit flustered.
“Um, it’s a corn bread batter with sausage inside, baked…”
“Then what is this churros? Is this how you pronounce it?”
“Yes. That’s bread with cinnamon, dipped in chocolate…”
“Okay, we’ll have two corn dogs.”
Armin Grey wouldn’t know anything on the menu anyway. From the atmosphere, it felt like he was going to read the menu from start to finish like an encyclopedia, so I cut him off.
“Come on, let’s not dawdle and quickly grab the string.”
“Your tone suddenly became quite coercive.”
“Ah~ It’s an illusion, an illusion. Hurry up and grab it.”
Even though I said that, Armin’s hand quickly grabbed the string. Our hands brushed slightly, but this time he didn’t obviously avoid it. Good. I’m even being filial to his father, so if he does this, he’s a bad person.
With a sense of duty, we completed about half of it before the food arrived.
From somewhere, a familiar smell wafted over. Somehow, that smell was nostalgic. Even before the food was placed on the table, my head turned towards it.
“Here is your order.”
“Excuse me.”
Seeing the food, I called the waiter. Even with my somewhat abrupt tone, the waiter seemed a bit nervous. Armin Grey also looked at me and the food alternately, puzzled.
“Is there something wrong with the order? Should I order something else?”
“No. Um, do you have any wooden skewers?”
“Wooden skewers?”
“Yes, wooden skewers. And if you have any ketchup, a little bit. And a spoon too!”
The waiter nodded awkwardly, as if he had seen all sorts of strange customers, and disappeared. Armin looked at me, seriously examining the food.
“If the food doesn’t suit your taste, we can go to a normal restaurant.”
“No, this is good.”
Armin Grey asked, furrowing his brow.
“Have you eaten this before?”
“It’s my first time.”
First time. For Vivian Roha. But if you count my past life, I’ve eaten it so many times that counting would be meaningless.
“Here you go, ma’am.”
The waiter brought wooden sticks, ketchup, and a spoon. I stuck the stick into the corn dog. The waiter’s eyes widened in surprise at my unusual action.
Yes, this is it. This is how you eat a corn dog.
“Here.”
I handed Armin the hot dog with a spoonful of ketchup. If I asked him to follow my lead, the hot dog might end up on the floor.
“My Lady! What is this…?”
“Don’t ask questions. This is how you’re supposed to eat it.”
“Have you tried it before…?”
The waiter looked skeptical. I replied confidently.
“I saw it in a book. A book.”
People tend to believe something more if it’s from a famous source. When I said I saw it in a book, the waiter had no comeback and nodded, looking a bit impressed.
“This way, you can hold it with one hand and eat it without it falling off the plate.”
My pronunciation was a bit off because the hot dog looked so delicious that my mouth was watering.
With a bewildered expression, Armin held the hot dog and hesitated. Eventually, he took a bite. I must have looked very happy with a mouth full of bread and sausage.
It was a big challenge for Armin, who had decided to try something new, but he eventually ate the hot dog. He looked cool eating the same food as me.
“How is it?”
“It’s edible.”
“That’s the best part.”
I laughed.
“These kinds of foods are usually not that great. But the nostalgic taste is what makes them special.”
“Is that so?”
Armin thought for a moment and took another bite. Before I knew it, I had finished one hot dog, and my stomach felt full.
“Wow, that was really good.”
“It doesn’t look that hard to make.”
“These kinds of foods taste best when eaten on the street. If you make them at home, they’re not as good.”
Armin’s eyes sharpened as he observed me, hearing my dismissive tone.
“From my memory, this is also your first time eating this food.”
“Ah! I meant I read it in a book. The book said these kinds of foods taste best when eaten on the street. That’s what I meant.”
I quickly pushed the plate aside and urged him.
“Come on, hurry up and pull it tight. Let’s finish this quickly and go. It’s going to get dark soon.”
So, we made three sword sheath strings while sitting there.
I emptied the bag of strings and put the finished sword sheath strings back into the bag, leaving out the one to be attached to the sword. I planned to give them all at once when we parted ways.
It was strange. In the morning, when we first came out, it felt awkward and nerve wracking, but we ended up shopping together, having drinks at a café, making something together, and even eating hot dogs.
It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time. A feeling of filling a void that Sasha had filled.
This was the joy of playing with a friend. Although not a same-sex friend, it was only possible because he wasn’t. If I suggested putting a stick in a corn dog to a noble lady, she would be appalled.
As we walked back to the carriage, the awkwardness had completely disappeared, and I was filled with a sense of satisfaction. I hummed a tune, feeling good.
“Hm hm~ I’m full, I’m full, I’m so full~ The hot dog was delicious, really delicious.”
The small, round bag swung like a pendulum, adding to my joy. Ah! What a fun and meaningful day it had been. I hadn’t felt this way in so long.
I had completely forgotten about the Duchess’s request and enjoyed this time. However, the schedule for the day did not end perfectly.
Suddenly, I felt a strong force tugging at the bag in my hand. Someone had snatched it away. It happened in an instant. The sun hadn’t even set, and we were in the middle of a crowded street.
I was shocked and froze. Before I could react, Armin Grey dashed in the direction of the thief.
