The Imperial Ball (2)
The carriage came to a stop at the entrance of a bridge overlooking a vast river. Blue meadows stretched beneath a cloudless azure sky, while turquoise waters sparkled in perfect harmony, creating a refreshing vista that soothed the soul at first glance. The wind swept through the grass with a soft shhh, carrying a crisp, cooling clarity.
We settled beneath the shade of a tree in that meadow, spread out a mat, and unpacked the bundle we had brought. Today’s main dish was paella—a stir-fried rice dish sautéed in oil with a medley of seasonings. I had prepared it remembering how much Leo used to enjoy it in my previous life.
“My lady. That is…”
Leo’s reaction was one of mild bewilderment. Of course. The Leo of this lifetime had never tasted it before.
“It’s paella. I heard the people in the territory enjoyed it, so I decided to prepare some.”
“……”
After a brief pause, Leo spoke carefully. “Did you… make this yourself, my lady?”
“Yes, that’s right. I woke up early this morning to make it.”
“…I see.”
His response lacked enthusiasm. It looked as though he were swallowing back words he wanted to say. My quick instincts caught it immediately.
Oh? Look at you.
Something inside me flared. Why? I didn’t put anything strange in it. I even had Head Maid Marie perform the final inspection. That picky woman actually said it was delicious. He had acted the same way with the sandwich last time. His suspicion had truly taken root.
Of course, I couldn’t deny that the old me had fed him terrible things in the past…
“……”
Leo picked up a spoon, hesitated for a moment, then took a bite of the paella. Though I had already confirmed the taste beforehand, nervous tension coiled in my chest.
He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor, then swallowed and murmured, “…It’s delicious.”
“Ah…! Really?”
The tension drained away in an instant, and a sigh of relief escaped me. Thank goodness. Leo had said it was good. A smile threatened to bloom across my face, but I barely held it back.
“What seasonings did you use?”
“Well, I started by seasoning the rice with salt, then added stir-fried minced meat with spices. To give it more texture, I sprinkled sesame seeds, and also…”
I was so delighted that he had asked that I excitedly rattled off the entire cooking process. Even though it might not have been the most fascinating topic, Leo listened quietly, nodding now and then. As expected, his kindness never changed no matter how many times I witnessed it. I wanted to rush over and hug him right then and there. But that desire remained only in my heart.
“My lady.”
At that moment, my future husband—no, Leo—spoke to me again. My heart gave a heavy thud as I turned to face him.
“Yes, young master. What is it?”
“It’s nothing urgent, but I wanted to ask what your plans are after we reach the capital. It seems we’ll still have some time before the ball begins even after arrival.”
“Ah… That’s true. What would be best…”
When I hesitated, unable to answer immediately, Leo cleared his throat lightly and continued.
“This is only my suggestion, but I think it might be good for us to go our separate ways in the city until the ball and then meet up again.”
“What?”
What is he suddenly saying? Why does he want to separate from me?
“You must have one or two things you’d like to buy when visiting the capital, right? Escorts will be assigned separately anyway, and public security in the capital is quite good, so individual movement should be—”
“I-I don’t really have anything I need to buy, so it’s fine. I’d rather just stay with you, Young Master Leo.”
“……”
Leo’s expression grew complicated. Then, as if reluctantly, he gave a small nod.
“Understood. Then would it be all right if you accompany me on my shopping as well, my lady?”
“Shopping…?”
What could he possibly be planning to buy? When I tilted my head in confusion, Leo gave a faint smirk and uttered something meaningful.
“I’ll warn you in advance—it won’t be very entertaining.”
“……”
Where on earth is he planning to go? The remark was so unlike him that I swallowed nervously.
“Hmm, the Mountain Company’s products really are excellent in quality.”
“……”
After arriving in the capital and following Leo into the store, the memory returned instantly. It had been so long since I last went out with him that I had completely forgotten. The fact that my man was a hopeless fountain pen fanatic.
“This one has a nice design but feels a bit heavy…”
Leo picked up each of the displayed luxury fountain pens one by one, evaluating them with meticulous care. In truth, the fountain pen shop called Mountain was one we had occasionally visited together during dates in my previous life.
Back then I would sometimes grow bored watching fountain pens I had no interest in, but today, for some reason, the experience felt entirely different.
Well… coming here together after so long isn’t bad at all. It somehow feels like a real date.
Thinking so to myself, I subtly closed the distance to Leo, who was intently examining a fountain pen. I even pressed my shoulder lightly against his, but he seemed too absorbed to notice.
Ahh, Leo. How can you be this handsome? Really, I want to snatch you up right now, drag you to my room, and gaze at you for the rest of my life…
“Hehe, what a lovely couple you two make.”
“…Pardon?”
Leo, who had been lost in his fountain pen trance, finally snapped back to reality. The female shopkeeper who had spoken from across the counter was smiling warmly as she watched us with our shoulders pressed close together.
She was a young woman with neat attire and her hair tied back in a tidy bun. I quickly moved away from Leo and answered with a gentle smile, standing a short distance from him as if nothing had happened.
“Yes, we’ve recently become engaged.”
“Is that so! You two look perfect together!”
“Thank you.”
I glanced sideways at Leo’s face. Sure enough, he wore a dazed expression that seemed to say, What unnecessary things is this woman spouting?
Did he still dislike me? Well, it was only natural, but…
“Oh? But if you’re engaged, haven’t you gotten your couple rings yet?”
The clerk’s gaze naturally drifted to our left hands.
“Huh? Ah… yes, well. We haven’t yet…”
When Leo answered in confusion, the clerk pressed on with professional sales enthusiasm.
“My goodness! In that case, why don’t you take this opportunity to look at some rings? Our second-floor showroom also carries accessories such as couple rings.”
“No, that’s quite all right.”
Leo seemed slightly flustered by the unexpected turn. Meanwhile, my ulterior motives surged. I secretly shot the clerk a pleading look behind his back. Please persuade this man. Please.
“……”
The clerk, catching my meaning, gave a light wink of understanding and began persuading Leo in earnest.
“After all, it’s only natural for an engaged couple to have at least an engagement ring. Don’t worry—our Mountain brand couple rings feature designs and quality that can rival any famous jewelry brand!”
“Like I said, the ring isn’t necessary.”
“Surely you’re not suggesting that a ring isn’t needed for an engagement? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime significant event for both the man and the woman, isn’t it? So what’s the simplest way to prove that bond and sincerity? Couple rings, of course! I’m sure the lady beside you would love to receive one as a gift. Isn’t that right?”
“Y-yes…”
When I answered the clerk’s question with a slightly bashful demeanor, Leo’s face flushed with even greater bewilderment. I knew it. Leo was weak against this kind of relentless persuasion. The shopkeeper was performing her role perfectly.
If we attended the ball wearing couple rings, no one would dare approach him carelessly. Not even Princess Edeline. If this worked out, I would have to give her an extra tip later.
Then, suddenly, Leo leaned close to my ear and began whispering.
“My lady, what exactly are you plotting? Didn’t we agree to break off the engagement in a year? So what is all this about couple rings…”
“I-I just wanted to look around. I was curious what they had…”
“Couldn’t you do that another time when you’re alone? Why does it have to be when I’m with you…”
“Since we’re already here, we might as well look while we can…”
“……”
After a brief silence, Leo whispered with a stiff expression. “Let me be clear—I will absolutely not wear a couple ring. Absolutely not.”
“……Yes.”
A dejected voice slipped out before I could stop it. Hearing him put it that way hurt a little. It was my own doing, though…
“All right, all right. Please follow me, you two. I’ll show you to the second floor.”
“S-shall we go, young master?”
“……”
I did my best to ignore Leo’s sharp, glaring eyes as I grabbed his arm and followed the clerk.