They had a great time eating, drinking, browsing goods, and watching street musicians perform.
Wow!
The crowd cheered as an acrobat finished juggling four balls with ease.
Amidst the cheering crowd, Lyla also clapped her hands.
As the mesmerizing performance ended, she finally had a moment to look around.
Sophia, Luke, and Aiden were completely engrossed in the captivating show.
But one person was missing.
“Where’s Aslan?”
Just moments ago, Aslan had been standing right next to her, but now he was gone. Lyla turned her head in all directions to find him.
She spotted Aslan at a nearby stall, buying something and paying for it. Lyla watched him curiously.
‘It’s surprising that he finds the goods here interesting.’
Lyla, having been born a commoner, found the items at these street stalls fascinating. However, she thought that Aslan, who had been surrounded by precious things all his life, would be indifferent to it.
But in reality, Lyla was just browsing without buying anything, while Aslan was actually making purchases.
Wondering what Aslan had bought, Lyla surveyed the stall and suddenly realized.
‘Isn’t that the stall we stopped by earlier?’
It was the same stall where Lyla had briefly paused to look at a bracelet that caught her eye.
Back then, Aslan didn’t seem particularly interested, but maybe she was wrong.
Feeling curious, Lyla approached him and saw that Aslan was holding the bracelet that she had looked at for a long time but didn’t buy it.
“Aslan?”
“Ah.”
Aslan looked at her with an expression that seemed to say he had been caught. Of course, there’s no way he actually felt that way, but Lyla felt it in that moment.
However, his awkward expression quickly changed. Seeing Aslan’s now composed demeanor, Lyla asked him.
“Did you buy that?”
“…Yes.”
Lyla blinked.
What Aslan had bought was a women’s bracelet. The very bracelet that Lyla had hesitated to buy until the last moment.
Of course, there were no labels on the items indicating that they were for men or women, so anyone could buy anything if they liked it.
However, the bracelet Aslan bought was clearly not going to fit an adult man’s wrist.
And that wasn’t even the most surprising part.
Lyla suddenly noticed that Aslan’s hands were full of bags.
“What are all these?”
They had been together the entire time, so when did he manage to buy all these things?
It was almost impressive.
“When did you buy all these? Wait a second. This one, oh, I remember looking at this earlier. This too, and this…?”
“…”
Lyla chuckled as she looked over the items Aslan was holding. She had no idea when he had bought them, but they were all familiar.
Every single item was something that had caught Lyla’s eye.
He wasn’t like a crow that picked up everything that shined, but he bought everything that caught her eye.
“Ha.”
She chuckled at the absurdity of it all and Aslan gave her an embarrassed smile in return.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Sophia approached them and asked. She looked at Lyla to ensure there was no problem, then turned her gaze to Aslan.
Her eyes widened at the sight of all the bags in Aslan’s arms.
“Oh my. Did you buy all of that?”
“…”
Aslan nodded in agreement.
Lyla couldn’t step in the conversation and say that the items Aslan bought weren’t actually his.
If anyone asked, “Then whose are they?” she couldn’t exactly respond with, “They’re mine.”
It was Luke who interrupted the conversation between Sophia and Aslan, not Lyla.
He looked at Aslan, who had bought a bunch of inexpensive items from the stalls, with a mix of curiosity and amusement, then burst into hearty laughter.
“It’s great to see you’re enjoying the festival. It was definitely worth coming out today!”
With Luke saying that, Lyla couldn’t press Aslan any further.
But the sheer presence of the items Aslan was carrying made it impossible for Lyla to forget her curiosity about why he had bought them.
The sun was slowly setting, casting an orange glow.
“Oh my, it’s already this late. We need to head back if we want to be ready for work tomorrow.”
“Let’s go then. We had dinner out, so we can just relax once we get home.”
“Is that really okay? Well then, I’ll make sure to prepare a great meal tomorrow.”
Sophia and Luke, who had been resting on a bench in front of a stall, got up as they chatted.
On the adjacent bench, Aslan had already risen and was offering a hand to help Lyla up.
Unlike at the beach, this time Lyla accepted his escort naturally.
Sophia and Luke exchanged glances as they watched the two. Luke cleared his throat and spoke up.
“You two can stay out and enjoy the festival a bit longer. Just make sure you’re back by tonight, and have fun.”
“Huh? Why, Dad?”
Sophia gently hinted to the bewildered Lyla.
“In the evening, there’s more fun activities. It wouldn’t be right for us to join in where the young people should be enjoying themselves, so you two go and have a good time.”
“Two? Why two? It’s three of us: sister, me, and Aslan,” Aiden interjected, confused.
Just as Aiden tried to step in, Luke grabbed his shoulder while Sophia pinched his side.
“Ouch! Why, why are you doing that?”
“Well, it occurred to me that you didn’t finish your tasks from yesterday. Come on, let’s go finish them together.”
“I didn’t finish my tasks? I don’t remember having any unfinished tasks,” Aiden complained, looking aggrieved.
With Aiden in the middle, Sophia and Luke linked arms and took the items Aslan had bought.
“Don’t worry about these; we’ll take them home safely!”
And with that, they left, leaving only Lyla and Aslan behind.
Lyla watched her family leave in disbelief. After a moment of deliberation, she decided to accept their consideration.
“Let’s stay a little longer.”
But the “little longer” kept extending. Soon darkness had fallen.
The night festival had a different charm compared to the day.
Though the sun had set, the energy remained undiminished.
It might have been due to the people dancing around a large bonfire.
The lively dancing to the upbeat music made even the onlookers’ shoulders sway.
“Wow!”
Lyla’s eyes widened.
She had danced before while living as Helena. She had learned ballroom dancing under strict tutelage, and had danced at balls several times.
Under the grand chandeliers, swaying gracefully to the beautiful melodies produced by professional orchestras.
But the dance the people around Lyla were performing now was entirely different from anything in the social circles.
It was dynamic and liberating.
Aslan, who had been watching Lyla in a daze, asked, “Would you like to dance?”
“What?”
“It seems like anyone can join, so shall we dance together?”
Lyla looked up at Aslan with wide eyes. It was an unexpected suggestion.
“I…”
Her hesitation lingered.
But Aslan didn’t rush her. He simply waited, his hand extended towards her, silently.
Lyla found courage in his calm demeanor.
Knowing that this was Eres, a small town far from Central, where no one knew her, was the biggest help in summoning her courage.
‘Shall I give it a try?’
The festive atmosphere began to rub off on Lyla. Her mood, which had been gradually rising since the afternoon, had reached its peak. A rare confidence ignited within her.
Lyla placed her hand on Aslan’s outstretched one. Aslan gripped her hand firmly, but gently enough not to hurt her.
The two of them stepped into the throng of dancers.
The music, which had been playing continuously, did not stop as they joined in.
Despite the loud laughter and conversations around them, the music was louder, allowing them to quickly get into the rhythm.
At first, it felt awkward. Lyla moved tentatively, glancing around her.
However, it didn’t take long for Lyla to blend in with the surroundings. In a crowd of people dancing without a care in the world, unconcerned about how they might appear to others, it was actually more noticeable if one remained reserved.
At some point, Lyla began to move freely, following her heart.
She twirled around holding Aslan’s hand. The sensation of her skirt flaring out wide and then wrapping back around her legs felt delightful.
She kept her legs moving constantly, hopping around. Clap! Clap! She joined in, clapping to the beat in sync with those around her.
The thought that her clumsy dance moves might look silly vanished quickly.
Perhaps it was the resonating drumbeats making her heart race even more.
Bursting into laughter, Lyla fully enjoyed the festival.
Just then, bang, bang, the loud sounds of fireworks shook the ground.
The people who had been dancing passionately stopped and looked up at the sky.
Colorful fireworks bloomed against the night sky.
The music filling the square changed as well. The flowing melody turned romantic and sweet.
“Ah…”
Lyla’s lips curved into a smile. A bright smile filled with pure joy.
It was a spontaneous smile, one she herself was unaware of, and only Aslan, who was watching her intently, witnessed the fleeting moment.
And Aslan thought:
He was glad he did something uncharacteristic.
It was a thought that surprised even him, but it was his true feeling. His past self would have mocked such words and actions as foolish, but now he found them quite satisfying.
