Chapter 247: A Date in the Capital (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 247: A Date in the Capital (1)
Loik reflexively covered his mouth with his hand, claiming it was nothing.
He couldn’t tell her the truth—that he found her so adorable, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she finally reached the most delicious part of the meal, that he feared she might stop making that face if he pointed it out.
Instead, Loik asked her tenderly, “Was the meal to your liking?”
“Everything was delicious.”
Annette nodded, a blissful smile gracing her lips.
“I really love it here. The view is beautiful, and…”
As she spoke, a shy smile played on her face.
“And?”
“It’s the first time we’ve come out just the two of us. It feels like a real first date, and it’s making my heart flutter.”
A first date.
That single phrase made Loik’s own heart tingle.
If I’d known Annette would be this happy, I would have taken her out sooner.
It had all started this morning.
As Annette was tying his cravat, she had looked a bit more tired than usual.
— “Annette, I can tie the cravat myself.”
When he suggested she use that time to lie down and rest a bit longer, Annette had pouted.
— “No. I love this time together.”
But he hadn’t been satisfied.
Lately, Annette had been overwhelmed with work because of the Expo. He wanted to tell her to just drop everything, but since he was the reason she had taken on the Expo in the first place, he felt he had no right to speak.
— “I’ll call a mage so you can receive some recovery magic.”
— “I’m fine. My body isn’t tired at all.”
She insisted it was just a lot of things on her mind as she delicately adjusted the knot of the cravat she had tied so beautifully.
— “Is there anything I can do to help? Anything you need, or perhaps something you want to eat…?”
— “Hmm…”
Annette tilted her head in thought, then gently took hold of his sleeve.
— “I want to go out and see the sights with you, Loik.”
— “The sights?”
— “Since you can go outside now, I want to look around the shopping district together, eat something delicious…”
Annette lowered her eyes softly, mentioning that she hadn’t been to the city’s bustling center yet either.
— “I think I’d be happy just walking around holding hands with you.”
Then, she added tentatively, “Not necessarily right now, but later, when you aren’t busy.”
The moment he heard those last words, Loik canceled his entire schedule for the day.
— “Pardon? But today is the day you were supposed to go to Blenheim…”
Perel looked troubled by the sudden announcement.
With Loik, the lord, as well as the key aides and administrators currently in the capital, they couldn’t leave Blenheim vacant for long. Yet, Loik couldn’t bring himself to return alone and leave Annette behind, so he had been traveling back and forth to handle his duties.
Today was supposed to be the day he went to Blenheim to clear a backlog of work.
— “Postpone it. Or you go and handle it yourself.”
— “At least give me a reason.”
— “I am going out to see the city with the Grand Duchess.”
At the mention of the Grand Duchess, Perel finally relented.
— “Well, Her Highness has been cooped up in the townhouse ever since arriving in the capital, so she must be feeling stifled. I’ll have Sir Norton arrange a security detail.”
— “That won’t be necessary. Today, it will be just the two of us.”
— “What? But this isn’t Blenheim, it’s the capital…!”
— “Do I really need to explain myself to you?”
When Loik asked if he had forgotten that he was a Sword Master, Perel scratched his head helplessly.
— “It’s not that I don’t know, but…”
— “More importantly, find the best restaurant in the capital.”
And that was how they had ended up at this restaurant.
Fortunately, both the food and the atmosphere were quite excellent.
“But you said this was a famous restaurant. Why are there no other customers?”
Not wanting any annoying onlookers to disturb his date with his wife, Loik had rented out the entire establishment.
However, sensing that Annette might scold him for being wasteful if she knew, Loik simply gave her a gentle smile.
“It seems we were lucky enough to come on a quiet day.”
The manager, who had come over to pour tea at that exact moment, felt his lips twitch, but he wisely bowed politely and withdrew.
After finishing their meal, the two stepped out onto the street. It was to “just walk around,” exactly as Annette had wanted.
Leaving the carriage that had brought them a good distance away, Loik took Annette’s hand and began to walk.
It was his first time walking through the capital’s busy streets like this as well.
As expected of the capital, the streets were overflowing with a vitality that felt different from Blenheim.
Colorful signs and flags fluttered at every shop, and outdoor cafes bathed in sunlight were bustling with customers leisurely sipping tea.
Compared to the North, people wore thinner clothes and moved about the streets in a noisy, chaotic fashion.
Through streets much narrower than Gold Lane, all sorts of carriages wove in and out with acrobatic skill.
Back in the summer, when Annette had taken his hand and led him by the lake, he never could have imagined a day like this would come.
Feeling a surge of emotion, Loik looked back at Annette and bit his lip.
Annette couldn’t hide her excitement; her cheeks were flushed as she constantly turned her head this way and that.
That innocent, child-like appearance was so lovely it made his heart ache.
How did such happiness walk into my life?
In the end, Loik gently pulled the hand he was holding and planted a quick kiss on Annette’s cheek.
To kiss a lady’s cheek on a street where everyone could see…
If his self from a year ago had seen this, he might have asked if he’d been bitten by a monster and lost his mind.
But he simply couldn’t hide his racing heart.
A life where he could walk side-by-side with the woman he loved, holding her hand.
He had thought he would never even dream of such a life.
Because of you, Annette, I am the happiest man in the world right now.
Annette’s eyes widened in surprise at the kiss, but they soon curved into a soft crescent.
“I’m happy too.”
He hadn’t even spoken his thoughts aloud.
As if she already knew his heart, Annette winked and whispered to him.
Even that playful expression was so lovely that Loik could do nothing but laugh.
* * *
As they walked together, Loik asked, “Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go?”
A place suddenly came to mind.
“If there’s a bookstore nearby, I’d like to visit one.”
“A bookstore?”
“I heard Cecil’s Recipe is popular in the capital too. I want to see how it’s doing!”
I was looking around to see who I should ask for directions when Loik naturally led me forward.
“The bookstore is this way.”
…How does Loik know that?
This should be his first time in the capital’s shopping district.
But sure enough, a fairly large bookstore appeared before long.
To my pride, Cecil’s Recipe was displayed prominently in the most visible spot from the outside.
Inside, there was even a dedicated stand for Cecil’s Recipe.
It featured the monthly pamphlets published in the North, a special edition with Morina’s illustrations on the cover, and even the volumes published in Rondoris. There was even a product where all the recipes were made into cards so they could be easily pulled out.
“I have to buy this for Cecilia!”
Surprisingly, Loik, who had even brought his own money, finished the purchase without a second thought.
As we left the bookstore, a hidden servant appeared out of nowhere and took the bags.
“Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?”
“…Is there a good stationery shop nearby?”
“A stationery shop?”
“For the supplies I send to the orphanage. Everything else is fine, but it’s hard to find a good variety of pens and paper for the children to use.”
“A stationery shop… it’s a bit of a walk. Will you be alright? Or shall we take the carriage?”
While I answered that I preferred walking to the carriage, something felt strange.
“Loik, how do you know where it is? Isn’t this your first time here?”
Loik rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before confessing.
“…I memorized it.”
“Since I was coming out alone with you, Annette, I thought I should at least know the way properly.”
He added that he had memorized the entire map of the area.
“You memorized all these complicated streets?”
With all these alleys?
“Northern knights are trained to memorize maps from a young age.”
Seeing Loik look somewhat proud, as if this were nothing, I was speechless.
I don’t know whether to praise him or scold him for doing something so unnecessary.
“Then let’s go.”
In the end, I couldn’t give much of a reaction and simply followed him.
After that, we stopped at a few more shops. After buying small gifts for Evan and the employees of the Blois Merchant Guild, who were working hard for the Expo, we went to see the fountain in the plaza.
“Shall we sit for a moment?”
Loik quickly took off his jacket and carefully spread it over the seat for me.
As he sat down neatly beside me, his expression seemed a bit stiff.
Was it too much for him?
He had been dragged around all day for a shopping trip he had no interest in, so it was only natural he’d be exhausted.
“Loik, are you tired?”
“I’m not tired at all.”
When I studied his face with a look that said ‘don’t lie to me,’ Loik tenderly tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.
“Actually, I am a little upset.”
“Upset? Why?”
“Because even when you’re out like this, you’re too busy taking care of everyone else.”
“…Loik, were you feeling left out?”
Did I buy everyone’s gift except his?
Just as I leaned in toward him to tell him not to be upset, Loik spoke in a low voice, his lips set in a firm line.
“I wish you were a more selfish person, Annette.”