Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The First Trip
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Several days passed after the one-sided negotiation.
Aser said it would take some time to contact the Artban family.
And as for Isabel...
She never once came to see me after she fainted and woke up.
Even though the Roisar family stayed at the estate for another day before leaving, she never even showed her face.
To be honest, I didn't feel sad or disappointed.
I could have met with Isabel to hear her true feelings, but I wondered what good it would do.
They say Gray will receive a harsh punishment.
That he would spend the rest of his life there and never get out.
And today is the long-awaited...!
"Lady Aileen, are you happy to be going on a trip?"
"Yeah. I'm so happy! It's my first trip. I'm gonna take lots of pictures."
"Wonderful. Shall I put a camera in your bag then?"
"Yeah. And also..."
What should I bring?
Since it's my first trip, I don't know what to prepare.
As I was seriously contemplating, Rosaria smiled warmly.
"Most of what you need will be at the villa. You only need to pack a few simple things."
"Then I'll think a little more and pack."
"You may do that."
She did say everything was prepared at the villa to ensure there was no inconvenience, so I could just show up.
But still, I want to get into the travel spirit!
Since there's not much time, I should just pack this much for now. I'll have to ask what everyone else packed.
"Shall we go then? Everyone will be waiting downstairs."
"Okay, let's go now."
"Please take lots of pretty pictures, Lady Aileen."
"I will. I'll take lots and lots."
I left the estate with Rosaria.
A large carriage was parked in front of the main gate. Oh my gosh, I love it!
I could see Kaide, Set, and Arban waiting inside the carriage. It seemed the three of them had already finished preparing and come down.
I ran out quickly.
"Papa! Big Bwother!"
"Slow down, Aileen. You'll fall."
Kaide chuckled and picked me up as I ran to him. I looked around the inside of the carriage. It was very spacious.
There was a small table, and board games and books were prepared as well.
As I looked around in wonder, Arban, who was next to me, let out a snort of laughter.
"Hey, is it that obvious this is your first time in a carriage? Why are you gawking so much?"
"Hmph. It can be like this the first time. Weren't you like this, Big Bwother?"
"I wasn't."
Arban crossed his arms and shrugged.
Then Set, sitting across from him, quietly said to Arban.
"Arban, why don't you get some shut-eye? I heard you were so excited you couldn't sleep for days."
"Wh-what? Who said that? That's not true."
"Is that twue?"
He was so excited about the trip that he lost sleep, and he was teasing me just now?
I could see the tips of his ears turning red through his black hair.
"That's enough. We should depart."
"Yes, Gajunim."
A person I'd never seen before, who was standing by the door, closed it.
Besides him, a few other unfamiliar people were waiting in front of the carriage.
As I watched with curiosity, Set explained.
"They're the ones who will guide us to our destination. They're horse Su-in."
"Oh, I see. So the Su-in are pulling the carriage?"
"No. We use regular horses too. But regular horses just freeze on the spot."
"...Freeze?"
"They get scared by our aura."
"So that's why you called them."
Before the carriage departed, I quickly opened the window and called out to Rosaria.
"Wosawia!"
"Have a fun trip, Lady Aileen."
"Okay! I'll be back. I'll take lots of pictures!"
"Oh my. I'll be looking forward to it."
Rosaria waved.
At the same time, I felt the carriage begin to move smoothly.
My heart pounded. We were really leaving now!
I watched the estate grow distant.
It was my first time seeing the entire castle from the outside, and it felt different seeing it like this.
Seeing me glued to the window, Kaide chuckled.
"You seem fascinated. What do you think of the capital, seeing it for the first time?"
"Yeah. It's huge and pwetty."
I'd heard the estate was in the southern central district, but I didn't realize the surrounding area was such a bustling city.
Antique buildings stood here and there, and at a glance, various Su-in were strolling the streets.
I could see customers dining on outdoor terraces, and occasionally, people painting or holding small performances on the street.
"Next time, it might be nice to come out and explore the capital."
"Weally?!"
"Yes. So it would be best if you moved away from the window a little. At this rate, you'll be halfway out."
"Okay."
I pulled myself back inside. There were many people and carriages passing by outside, so it seemed dangerous.
"I'm bored. Should we play a picture-matching game?"
Arban took out a deck of cards. The way he shuffled them was no ordinary feat.
I sat up close to the table.
They said it would take a long time to arrive, and I thought playing a game would make the time fly by.
"What are the rules?"
Set asked, showing interest.
Arban, who had started laying the cards face-up on the table one by one, explained the rules.
"You have to remember where the matching pictures are, then flip them over to make a pair. When the hourglass runs out, it's the next person's turn."
"Oh, that's how you do it. So you flip these back over so we can't see them?"
"That's right. And the loser gets a penalty."
"A penalty?"
After laying out all the cards, Arban snapped his fingers and grinned.
"A flick on the forehead."
I hesitated for a moment. A flick on the forehead. Getting hit by that hand would probably leave a huge bump on my forehead.
When I hesitated to answer, Arban made a sly face.
"What, you think you're going to lose?"
I fell for his provocation right away.
"No! Fine. Let's do it."
"No asking for mercy."
"Of course not. Big Bwother Set, you're playing too, wight?"
"I might as well give it a try. What about you, Father?"
We stared at Kaide.
"I'll be the judge. It's better if you three play amongst yourselves."
"Okay. Then Papa, you can watch and decide if anyone cheats."
"Then let's begin."
Kaide began to flip the cards over one by one.
The order was me, Set, then Arban.
They said the first turn was the most advantageous, so I, who was playing for the first time, got to go first.
I triumphantly flipped over the cards I had memorized one by one.
As I did, Set's and Arban's expressions twitched.
It seemed I was matching the pairs they had memorized.
*Ding.*
A bell rang as the hourglass ran out.
With a sense of disappointment, I brought the cards I had matched over to my side.
I looked at Set.
"It's your turn now, Big Bwother."
"Right, it's my turn now."
Set began to lightly loosen his hands. What the. It's just a card-matching game, why is he warming up his hands?
I looked at Set, bewildered. He muttered with a disappointed look.
"If you had matched just a few more, Aileen, I could have taken it easy."
"...Huh? What does that mean?"
"You'll see."
"Wait a minute, hyung. Hold on."
Arban, sensing something ominous, tried to stop him.
But Set ignored him, pretending not to hear, and began flipping cards at a frightening speed.
Gasp, what is happening right now?
My jaw dropped at the incredible sight.
It seemed Set had memorized all the pictures in that short amount of time.
As if to say there wouldn't be a next turn, Set mercilessly started matching the pictures.
"...Wow, wooow. So this is why he warmed up his hands."
"Done."
*Ding.*
Just as Set announced he was finished, the hourglass bell rang.
Arban stared blankly at the table, then looked at Set with an expression of disbelief.
"Hyung."
"Yes?"
"...Don't you think it's a bit much to do this from the very beginning?"
"No, I don't."
Set answered instantly without a second of hesitation. I had to try incredibly hard to keep the corners of my mouth from twitching.
"Set wins. Arban is last."
Kaide, the judge, announced the results concisely. Arban let out a miserable sigh.
"Then hurry up and show your fowehead, Big Bwother. You have to take your penalty."
"Haaah. Let's not play this next time. Let's play something else."
"Okay, okay."
"Forehead first."
Arban reluctantly revealed the forehead that had been covered by his hair.
As I looked particularly happy, Arban, who had his face right in front of mine, said sullenly.
"Hey."
"What?"
"It's not even going to hurt when you do it, so why are you so excited?"
Ah, Arban doesn't know yet.
I smiled brightly.
"Who says? That I'm weak."
This body has already experienced shattering a tree, I'll have you know.