Chapter 84: Eve Festival (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: Eve Festival (2)
“But I can’t see all the way to the end from here.”
Because the terrace only offered a partial view of the back of the shopping district, I kept leaning my shoulder further over the railing.
“Oh, look! There’s Reta and Morina!”
“Where? Ah, I see them. It looks like they bought some preserved fruits. That looks delicious.”
Down below, Reta—who had been granted some rare free time—was walking around arm-in-arm with her younger sister.
“You should just go down and watch from there,” Tiern said, blocking the empty space with his hand as I leaned forward for the fifth time, though he didn't dare actually touch me.
“But if I go out there, people will feel uncomfortable.”
‘I’m the one feeling uncomfortable because you’re acting like this.’
Ignoring the look in Tiern’s eyes that clearly signaled those words, I turned my head back toward the crowd.
To be honest, I was a little nervous. This was the first time so many residents had gathered in one place since the egg incident.
I had dressed modestly to avoid drawing attention to my status, but if I went out, knights would inevitably follow me, and people’s eyes would be drawn our way.
‘I shouldn’t cause a scene on such a good day.’
I swallowed a regretful sigh. It would have been nice to look around with Loik.
‘Then I wouldn’t have to go with a squad of knights, and no one would dare be rude to me in front of him. I could just enjoy myself.’
But with this many people, it would be impossible for Loik to come.
The laughter and cheers echoing from below suddenly felt like they belonged to a different world.
“Everyone looks so happy,” Cecilia said, resting her chin on her hand. There was a hint of envy in her eyes.
“Cecilia, don’t just stand here. Go down and have a look yourself.”
“Oh, come on. How could I leave Her Highness the Consort behind and go by myself? That would be so disloyal.”
“There’s no need for both of us to stay cooped up here.”
“I can see just fine from here, anyway.”
“Isn’t it about time for Viscountess Terito to arrive?”
“Well, yes, but…”
While the invitations for the Eve Festival were primarily distributed to the commoners who would be the main customers, special ones had been sent to a few nobles to help spread word of mouth.
Viscountess Terito, the mother of Cecilia and Norton, was one of the nobles who had received an invitation.
“While you’re at it, buy me some of those croissants. I can smell the buttery scent all the way up here.”
At my words, Cecilia hesitated before taking her hand off her chin and standing up.
“Then I’ll go buy some apple pie, too. Mr. Adem said they’d be delicious.”
I gave Cecilia a little push as she continued to add excuses for going.
“Take your time. I’ll just hang out with Sir Tiern.”
“Pfft.”
It was a joke, but Tiern, standing behind me, let out a strange sound.
Cecilia looked at us, worried about whether it was okay to leave the two of us alone, but she eventually scurried off, promising to be back soon.
Watching from above, I soon saw the Terito mother and daughter walking affectionately through the shopping district.
Norton, who was standing nearby on guard duty, spotted Cecilia and began nagging her, and the two immediately started bickering.
‘They look so harmonious.’
Perhaps because there were so many shops, people were constantly moving from one store to another, browsing and shopping. When they got tired, they bought snacks and settled down by the lakeside to enjoy the view.
The shopping district was relaxed yet overflowing with vitality.
‘I’m not joking—Gold Lane is really going to go bankrupt at this rate.’
Initially, I had planned to fill the lakeside shopping district with larger stores, similar to Gold Lane. However, when the Merchant Association refused to move in, I reduced the size of the shops and doubled their number instead.
‘I had no choice but to lower the requirements for merchants to include small-scale businesses.’
Looking at it now, it turned out to be the better choice. Thanks to that, many skilled artisans who only sold a few items could move in, and by bringing in many street food and liquor vendors, the turnover rate was high.
Combined with the stunning lakeside scenery, it was the perfect setup for a popular tourist destination.
‘I’m the one who made it, but I really think this is going to be a huge hit.’
“The fountain show should be starting soon.”
Tiern spoke up tentatively, perhaps thinking I looked bored. He seemed concerned about me being left alone.
“I suppose so.”
The sky was dark, but the shopping district, fully illuminated, was even more vibrant than it had been before sunset.
‘I wonder if our Grand Duke has eaten dinner yet.’
It was strange. Even with all this noise and excitement around me, I felt a pang of loneliness.
“You’ve been standing for too long.”
There were tables and chairs on the terrace, but the height of the railing was awkward; if I sat down, the view was disappointing.
‘My legs are feeling a bit stiff.’
As I tried to shift my posture, a sharp cramp shot through my calf, likely from standing on one leg for too long.
“Ugh!”
For a moment, it felt like my leg was giving way as the cramp took hold.
Suddenly, a pair of firm hands gently caught me by the waist.
There was no way Tiern would have laid a hand on me. And this scent of cool wind…
Loik’s pale face, framed by a black robe, appeared before my eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“How did you get here?”
“I came by horse.”
Loik lightly supported my hand and helped me stand straight.
“No, I mean…!”
Even though it was the North, the weather was already transitioning into early summer. Loik was wearing a thick black robe and even black gloves. He looked like he had come prepared for anything.
“Don’t tell me you’re wearing pauldrons under that?”
When I peeked under the robe, I saw that he was indeed wearing solid armor over his already broad shoulders, making him look like a massive wall.
‘Did he dress like this because he was afraid of bumping into people?’
“I came just in case, but…”
He looked out over the terrace with an awkward expression.
“It seems it will be difficult for us to walk around together.”
People were still flocking in, likely for the upcoming fountain show.
‘I didn’t release that many invitations…’
It seemed that since I hadn't limited the number of people per invitation, many people were using loopholes to get in. It was an environment where you couldn't help but brush against others, no matter how careful you were.
Moreover, with Loik’s physique…
‘It would be even harder for him to avoid bumping into anyone.’
Loik looked down at me with a face full of apology. He was clearly bothered by something I had said.
It was a few days ago, in the morning. While I was tying his cravat and talking about the Eve Festival, I had let something slip in my excitement.
— “It would be so wonderful if we could walk around and see it together…!”
I had stopped myself mid-sentence, realizing my mistake, but…
‘Somehow, Loik had been very quiet for a long time after that.’
Even though I had made a point of telling him this morning that I could manage fine on my own, Loik had looked incredibly gloomy. To think he actually came all the way here because of that.
Loik gently brushed back a stray lock of my hair and asked, “But why are you here, Annette? What about the sightseeing?”
‘Because there are more people than I expected, and I’m scared I might get hit by something again if I walk around.’
“I can see everything perfectly well from here.”
“Where is your maid? Did she really leave you alone?”
“She went to see her mother for a moment.”
I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.
“I’m not a child. I’m perfectly capable of entertaining myself.”
Loik, who had been furrowing his brows sternly, soon let his eyes soften. He looked like he had guessed the reason why I hadn't gone down.
“I’m sorry,” Loik said in a low voice, conscious of Tiern standing a few paces back. “I… cannot walk among them like other people.”
With his shoulders slumped, he looked exactly like a puppy that had failed to fetch a ball.
The way he was dressed all in black, with his dark eyes darting back and forth, made him look even more like a black puppy.
No, wait. Where would you find a puppy that big? He was more like a black wolf.
“What is there to be sorry about? We can just watch together from the terrace.”
When I tugged on the sleeve of his velvet robe—which looked like glossy fur under the lights—he allowed himself to be pulled toward me.
“Would… would that really be alright?”
“The fountain show is starting soon. It’ll be easier to see from up here.”
When I told him I had planned to stay on the terrace anyway because of the crowds, Loik’s face brightened slightly.
“It’s actually quite fun watching from here. Look over there!”
Excited, I pointed out toward the street, and Loik leaned his head out alongside mine.
“That juice shop has the longest line. Sir Leon said that place was popular even when it was just a street stall. People say Northerners hate standing in line, but it turns out that’s a total lie.”
“It seems so. Is that also a cafe over there in the back?”
“You can see that far? I can only see as far as the yellow roof.”
I began to chatter away excitedly by Loik’s side.
*
“Why are there so many people!”
Meisel vented her frustration to the maid standing beside her. When she heard the term "Eve Festival," she had imagined a more elegant banquet.
‘This is nothing but a common marketplace!’
Meisel, who had secretly bought a hundred copies of Northern News but still failed to get an invitation, had eventually resorted to bribing a stranger at the entrance to let her in as part of their group.
Fortunately, she had covered her face with a hood and the security check wasn't thorough, so she managed to enter without much trouble, but…
‘Where on earth is the Grand Duke!’
After wandering around for nearly an hour without any sign of him, she was starting to grow anxious.