An Unexpected Proposal (3)
Ariel had been eagerly eyeing the troupe's performance, which was still in full swing. Unable to push through the dense crowd, she hopped up and down from a distance, straining to catch even a glimpse of the show.
Before long, Edgar approached with a paper bag in one hand and tapped her on the shoulder.
“From far away, you looked just like a little rabbit bouncing around.”
Edgar pulled something from the paper bag and munched on it noisily, his face full of mischief as he teased her.
“Are you making fun of me right now?”
“Of course I am.”
Tsk. They used to be the same height, but now he had shot up like a weed and was teasing his friend. To her frustration, Edgar’s height had already reached the same level as her mother, Helene. If he craned his neck even a little in this crowd, he would easily be able to see the entire performance. It was a completely different world from Ariel, who could only catch fleeting glimpses while jumping in place.
“It’s impossible to get through. There are way too many people.”
“I know that. That’s why I’m doing this.”
The audience watching a street performance like this had no concept of order or consideration. Since no one had paid to get in, they simply watched and enjoyed whatever they could. Edgar stared at the dejected Ariel for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind. He crouched down right where he stood and patted his own shoulder, speaking as if it were no big deal.
“Get on. I’ll show you.”
“A-are you crazy? That’s dangerous!”
She knew he had far more strength than other boys their age, but simply carrying her on his back and giving her a shoulder ride were on completely different levels. If he lost his balance and fell, it could turn into a disaster. And above all, asking her to ride on his shoulders while she was wearing a skirt—what kind of man had zero sense of consideration?
“Even if I fall backward, I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt, so stop worrying and just get on. Wrap this around your waist first.”
“This is…?”
What Edgar casually tossed to her was the thin vest he had been wearing under his long coat. Was he telling her to wrap it around her waist out of consideration so her skirt wouldn’t flip up? She never imagined this dense boy would show such thoughtful care.
“The show’s going to end soon. Make up your mind already.”
“F-fine, I’ll get on!”
At his indifferent gaze, Ariel felt a surge of stubborn pride and marched forward with determined steps. Just as he had said, she wrapped the vest around her waist to keep her skirt from showing, then carefully draped her legs over his shoulders.
Only then did Edgar hand her the paper bag he had been holding. A savory aroma wafted up from inside.
“Eat that while you watch. It’s delicious.”
“O-okay.”
She wondered if she could even keep her balance while holding this on his shoulders, but Ariel accepted it anyway. He told her she could grab his head for balance, so without hesitation she gripped the back of his head and pressed down firmly.
“Up we go…!”
In an instant, she became a tall spire rising above the crowd. As all eyes turned toward her, Ariel blushed deeply and lowered her head.
“Hey, I went through all this trouble to show you, so at least look forward.”
“I know! I’ll look, okay? I’ll look!”
He never thinks about how others feel… Honestly, what a man with zero consideration.
Grumbling inwardly, Ariel lifted her head, and there before her unfolded a truly marvelous sight.
“Whoa—!”
“Dad, did you see that just now?!”
“Incredible… How can a person move like that?”
Gasps of amazement erupted from every direction alongside Ariel’s own exclamation. A performer’s legs shot straight up, then without even touching the ground, flipped backward as his body spun in a full circle. It felt less like watching a person and more like watching a monkey. How could a human body be so light?
“Edgar! That person just went backward like this…!”
How could she possibly describe the scene she had just witnessed? She flailed her hands in excitement, but there were no words to capture it. He should have seen it himself! It was truly disappointing that she couldn’t share this feeling with him.
Meanwhile, having caught sight of Ariel’s eyes sparkling brighter than ever, Edgar lifted one corner of his mouth and replied casually.
He had thought that at fourteen she might have become a little more mature, but seeing her like this, she was still very much a child. To him, that innocence was actually quite charming.
“You don’t have to explain it to me, just watch the show. I’ve seen it a few times before.”
“R-really?”
Ariel, who had been leaning down toward him, awkwardly lifted her head again and focused on the performance. It was a shame he couldn’t see this rare spectacle with her, but since he had seen it before, maybe they could share their impressions once the show ended.
After that, all kinds of dazzling acrobatics continued, and the performance concluded successfully amid thunderous applause from the audience.
Ariel had seen a few old-fashioned plays when her mother dragged her along, but this was her first time experiencing such a colorful spectacle that stirred the imagination. She sat there clapping in a daze until she suddenly realized she was still perched on Edgar’s shoulders and hurriedly called out to him.
Perhaps because the noise of the crowd had drowned everything out, she hadn’t even noticed the show had ended. Edgar’s reaction was a beat slow.
“Edgar, you can let me down now.”
“It’s already over? I guess we arrived a bit late.”
Edgar carefully bent at the waist to set Ariel down on the ground, then lightly rolled his shoulders to loosen up. As the crowd gradually dispersed, he tilted his head in confusion and scanned the area, looking for a clock. The troupe’s performance he remembered had lasted much longer than this. They must have wasted too much time earlier and only caught the final portion of the show.
“It’s fine. I enjoyed it plenty. But is there any way to repay those performers?”
“You can just put the performance fee in that bucket over there. You don’t need to give too much.”
Ariel was the type who always returned what she received—whether it was revenge or gratitude. Knowing this, Edgar didn’t try to stop her. He simply gestured toward the small bucket at the end and walked with her.
Ariel rummaged through the small bag slung over her shoulder, apparently having brought her own coin purse. Even though Edgar hadn’t properly seen the show, he felt awkward just standing there, so he decided to contribute a little himself…
“Hey, hey! How much are you trying to put in there?!”
Suddenly spotting something in her hand that absolutely should not be seen, Edgar hastily stopped her. Insane. Why would the daughter of a grand duke need to show off to the entire neighborhood? And more importantly, why on earth was a fourteen-year-old girl carrying platinum coins in her purse?
“Um… why? Is this too much?”
“……”
Was this the difference in values that came from differences in wealth? The amount looked less like paying for a performance and more like trying to buy the entire troupe. Yet Ariel simply blinked at him with an expression that seemed to ask if something was wrong.
Fortunately, the troupe members were busy packing up their belongings and weren’t looking this way. Otherwise, it could have been a disaster.
“This is enough. Put the rest away.”
“Isn’t that too little? With only this much…”
Edgar made her put her coin purse back in her bag, then took two silver coins from his own purse and dropped them into the bucket. Ariel tried to protest, but a single flick to her forehead from Edgar silenced her.
“Ouch! Why did you suddenly hit me?!”
“Just be quiet and listen to me for now. Two silver coins is actually quite a lot.”
Most people who came to watch a street troupe like this were commoners. Even silver coins were very valuable to them. That was why most simply enjoyed the free show and left, or at most dropped in a few copper coins.
“I had so much fun that I wanted to give them more.”
“It’s over now, so let it go. I told you—silver coins are a lot for people like them.”
“Okay…”
Though she seemed to agree, Ariel still looked back over her shoulder with lingering regret as she followed Edgar. She simply felt that compared to the emotion she had received, she hadn’t given back a proper amount of value.
“So, was the performance worth watching?”
“Yeah. It was really amazing. The way they stepped on each other and jumped…! I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
It seemed his hard work carrying her on his shoulders had been worth it. Now they could just grab a simple meal and head back. Even though they had been told to enjoy themselves, they couldn’t stay out too late.
“Then let’s eat something light and go back. Is there anything you want to eat?”
She was used to only eating high-class dishes made with carefully selected ingredients. Eating something from a street stall like this might give her a refreshing new experience. While he could have looked for a nice restaurant, Edgar decided it would be better today to give her an experience she wouldn’t normally have, so he began looking for suitable snacks.
But for some reason, a look of dismay appeared on Ariel’s face. It was the kind of hollow expression that seemed to ask, Is this really the end?
“J-just eat and go back?”
“We have to go back. Lady Helene will be waiting, and you seem to have had enough fun for one day.”
Of course Helene probably wasn’t actually waiting, but it felt wrong to keep a guest wandering around outside all day. At the very least, sharing recent news and keeping her company was the minimum courtesy one should show a guest who had come to visit.
At Edgar’s perfectly logical statement, Ariel pressed her lips tightly together and stood there in silence. She looked exactly like a child who had been happily out on a family outing only to hear it was time to go home.
“Ah, it’s not over yet!”
“What?”
The sudden cry that burst from her lips left Edgar’s eyes filled with bewilderment. Ignoring his reaction, Ariel reverted to the tantrum-throwing ten-year-old she once was, shaking her head wildly and spouting nonsense.
“I’m not satisfied yet! A-actually, the performance wasn’t that great, and the cotton candy was just okay…! I can’t go home until you satisfy me! I won’t go!”
“……”
Wow. An involuntary sound—half sigh, half exclamation—slipped from Edgar’s mouth. If she lay down on the street right now, she really would look no different from a four-year-old. Fortunately, that rare scene didn’t occur, but he could roughly guess why she was throwing such a fit.
“Sigh, fine. Let’s at least stay until sunset.”
“R-really?”
“As if you’d obediently listen if I told you to go home. I’ll play with you until you’re sick of it, so lead the way.”
At his firm confirmation, Ariel looked like she might fly away with joy, but she quickly tried to act composed and turned her head away with a huff.
“Hmph. I wasn’t expecting that much anyway… but since I’ve decided to evaluate your escort skills today, I’ll go along with you.”
“Oh my, thank you so much, my lady.”
“I-it feels bad when you talk like that, so stop!”
She would rather hear insults than have this man act so exaggeratedly submissive. It gave her goosebumps all over.
“Alright, that’s enough. Give me your arm already.”
“…Are you going to rip it off?”
“Tsk, you don’t even know the basics of escorting?!”
How could a man be this clueless? That was exactly why she had to teach him everything from the very beginning, or people would say he was some bonehead who had been rolling around in the dirt. She had to show him what a proper lady looked like. Hoo.
Letting out a small sigh, Ariel calmed herself, took his arm, created some space, and slipped her own arm through it.
“There. Done.”
“…Isn’t this embarrassing? Do we really have to do this? It’s not like we’re at a ball… Ow! Okay, okay! I’ll do it!”
No matter how much he trained his body, getting pinched still hurt. Having successfully exacted her satisfying revenge, Ariel turned her head away with a proud little huff.
There were more than a few things she didn’t like about him, but she supposed she had to tolerate even this if she wanted to develop the broad-mindedness befitting the future head of the Robeheim family. Really, absolutely, she swore to the heavens that she would never accept a man like this… but when the spot beside her felt empty like this, borrowing his arm once in a while was probably fine.
She glanced at him.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
“I don’t know. Just walk, you idiot.”
That nonchalant face of his annoyed her even more. That innocent look that seemed to understand nothing irritated her to no end. What a useless man. From now on, if he did even one thing that bothered her, she would punish him immediately. After all, this was nothing more than her evaluating his escorting skills.