2. Christopher Yang's Daily Life (5)
"It won't be different from what you heard. After you suddenly disappeared, I realized the butler was hiding something. So I called Isabella and asked her, but she didn't give me a straightforward answer. However, she gave me enough to make a rough guess. So I told her I would help and asked her to stay. But she refused my offer and left secretly. I was offended, but I understood. After all, I wasn't very reliable at the time."
'That time' was a period that hurt just to recall. But now Vincent didn't seem bothered at all.
"I haven't seen her since. I did try to look for her, but respecting her position of having left secretly, I eventually decided not to. Then a few months ago, I visited a family's mansion in Novell and happened to meet her again. She said she was just about to quit her job. I thought meeting again like this must be fate."
"So that's why you introduced her as my tutor?"
"That's right. I was having a hard time finding a suitable tutor, wasn't I? She had worked as a servant for our family since the previous generation, and she's quite well-educated. And above all, she knows your circumstances well and is tight-lipped, so I thought it wouldn't be bad."
I was curious how Vincent knew about my situation, but I could tell he introduced her not simply because he met her again, but because he thought she was a suitable person to be my tutor.
Come to think of it, even when we were at the Velunita mansion, Isabella held a different position from the other servants. She was careful and composed, yet had a peculiar atmosphere about her. Though she came to work as a tutor, it was no exaggeration to say she was practically managing my education entirely. She proceeded with my education only in the areas I truly needed. I had felt it when dealing with the past, terrible Vincent, but Isabella was indeed an impressive person.
"So, does she seem helpful?"
"Yes. Thanks to her, I'm receiving great help."
"That's fortunate. Any other difficulties?"
I stopped eating my meat and mulled over his question. Several memories crossed my mind. But I didn't want to bring them up and ruin the mood. Besides, it felt pointless to argue about things that had already passed.
I started moving my fork again.
"No, not really."
Then an irritating creaking noise reached my ears. As I slightly narrowed my eyes and looked up, I saw Vincent setting down his fork and knife. He picked up the glass beside his plate and wet his throat. For a moment, only the sound of him drinking water lingered over the table.
Having downed the remaining water in one go, he set down the empty glass.
"I see."
His smiling face after saying that somehow looked subtle.
Looking now, a market was set up in the square. There were many street vendors, and judging by the posters on the walls, some kind of festival seemed to be underway. No wonder there were more people than last time.
"We'll be crushed to death by this crowd."
"It looks like a festival is being held."
"Want to go see?"
I smiled brightly. I'd never properly seen a festival before. When I was in Filton, village events were held occasionally, but I was always busy working rather than enjoying them. I'd wanted to see one at least once, so I quickly nodded.
Vincent immediately led me toward the crowded square. Various attractions were prepared all around the square. What caught my eye among them was the fountain in the center of the square. People gathered around it were pressing their hands together in prayer before throwing something in.
"What are they doing?"
"I wonder."
As we approached the fountain, a boy was throwing a coin just then. The girl next to him was clutching a coin tightly while whispering something, as if making a wish. Inside the rippling fountain, coins were piled up.
While I was staring blankly at the sight, Vincent suddenly held out a silver coin.
"They say if you make a wish here and throw a coin, it comes true."
"Eh?"
A hollow laugh escaped me. So everyone was standing here to make wishes? It was such an adorable sight. If wishes came true just by doing this, who would live an unhappy life?
"That's ridiculous."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Just try throwing it."
Heh, I laughed again looking at the silver coin he had given me. But then Vincent, standing next to me, was actually clutching the coin tightly and closing his eyes as if making a real wish. He's not the type to believe in such things, so he must be humoring me. That sight was funny too.
I fiddled with the silver coin. If it were the old me, I would never have done something like this. Let alone a silver coin, I could barely afford to hold a single copper coin, so I'd have to be crazy. I would have scoffed at such a waste of money. I'd rather wade into the fountain and collect the coins people threw in as alms under the guise of making wishes.
But now……
I gripped the silver coin in my hand tightly. I felt its cold touch. I gently closed my eyes and wished in my heart. The wish I always want is just one.
'May everyone be happy.'
And if I were to be greedier.
'May everyone live long and healthy.'
I wish that no one would leave first, like my younger siblings did.
I walked arm in arm with Vincent, looking around the festival. The street vendors in the market were selling various foods. When Vincent offered to buy me something, I chose the most popular buttered roasted potato. The potato skewered on a stick was easy to hold and eat. When I took a bite, it was sweet and tasted pretty good. So I offered some to Vincent, but he refused.
He seemed reluctant to eat food on the street. Come to think of it, Ethan also frowned when he saw someone eating on the street. Eating on the street must be an action unbefitting of a noble's dignity.
Thanks to that, I had the potato all to myself. I ate the skewered potatoes until there was one last piece left, then offered it to him again. Vincent immediately furrowed his brow. I offered it partly because it felt awkward eating alone, and partly because I wanted to tease him, and I got exactly the reaction I expected.
As I turned my head and secretly smiled a little, I suddenly felt a gaze. Looking back, three young women were standing not far away. They were glancing this way, and I could hear them whispering and giggling. Instantly, the man who had visited the Christopher mansion came to mind. I tried to forget, but sometimes it popped up like this. I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. Even though I knew my actions didn't match the dignity a noble should maintain, I vaguely acted like I used to. Had they noticed I was a fake noble? When that thought crossed my mind, it felt like everyone around was staring at me. I was scared.
Ethan had told me to be careful, saying eyes and ears are everywhere, but I had let my guard down. As I reflected on my carelessness and hastily tried to put away the potato, Vincent lowered his head and took a bite of it. I looked at him in surprise. Vincent, who swallowed the potato right in front of me, licked his lips once with his tongue and left a bland taste assessment.
"It's sweet."
He said so without relaxing his furrowed brow.
"Y-you didn't have to eat it."
"Didn't you offer it for me to eat?"
"But... I didn't mean for you to force yourself."
"I couldn't refuse when you offered so nicely."
He took the empty skewer and handed it to the vendor. Then he wrapped one arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward him. As I looked at him in surprise, Vincent led me toward the three women who had been watching us. They panicked at seeing us suddenly approach them and pretended not to notice us. Vincent and I walked past them.
I hung my head low. Vincent's voice came from above my head.
"Don't pay attention to such talk."
"...Yes."
He noticed my anxiety. I hadn't shown it, so how did he notice? I felt sorry and grateful to Vincent, who, rather than rebuking me for acting unbefitting of a noble's dignity, held onto me and guided me. Thanks to him, the dark thoughts blooming in my mind vanished in an instant.
I looked up at him, pulling up the corners of my mouth.
"The potato was delicious, right?"
"......."
There was no reply to that. It must not have suited his taste. Vincent has refined taste buds.
We went back to looking around the festival. Being a festival, there was a lot to see. While I was engrossed, I suddenly felt Vincent quickening his pace. At first I thought I was mistaken, but somehow his expression didn't look good.
Vincent kept glancing back as he walked. Following his gaze and turning my head, a man standing among the bustling crowd caught my eye, looking this way. I realized Vincent was walking faster to put distance between us and that man.
"Who is that?"
"Someone from the Christopher family. Ethan must have assigned him."
What?
"No, but why are we running away?"
"Because we can't get caught."
"Why?"
"Because we need to return."
Is he doing this because he thinks we were kidnapped? No, kidnapping is a joke, we just went out together. Though it bothers me that we left without a word, if I explain well, wouldn't Ethan understand?
"Just tell him we'll return after looking around the festival a bit."
"Don't talk nonsense. There's no way Ethan would just let it slide."
"Why not? He'll understand."
"If he were someone who would understand, he wouldn't have kept us from meeting all this time."
"He's just worried."
Vincent changed direction and entered an alleyway. The path was narrow, making it hard to walk. He was also struggling, twisting his body this way and that. When I glanced back, the men following us were also walking with frowns, twisting their bodies through the narrow space. Only then did I realize there were two people following us.
Vincent suddenly turned right and exited the alleyway. Coming outside, instead of the square, there were houses along the alley. It seemed the place we had entered was an alley of houses.
Vincent headed for the closest house. As he grabbed the door handle, the door creaked open. Without hesitation, he went inside and closed the door. Then he watched the situation through the narrow gap.
I could see the men also exiting the alleyway. They looked around, then split into two groups and knocked on each house's door. They must have been checking whether we had gone inside a house.
Watching them made me feel tense. Fortunately, whether everyone had gone to see the festival or not, no one came out of their houses.
The footsteps of the men looking around again grew distant. They probably thought we had gone somewhere else. Only then did the tension ease and the interior come into view.
This wasn't a house. It seemed to be used as a storage, with wooden crates placed on two levels above and below, and one side was piled high with firewood and straw. The owner must have forgotten to lock the storage door. Or maybe they left it open for a moment to go see the festival.
After looking around and then at Vincent, he was surveying the interior just like me before our eyes met. His face somehow seemed full of dissatisfaction. He crossed his arms and looked at me askance.
"Don't take sides. I was first."
Suddenly he's making complaints.
"I said we should live together before Ethan did."
"Huh?"
"You said you needed time, so I'm waiting, but the order was mine first. And this is only for now—later on, it won't be with Ethan but with me. Make your priorities clear."
As I quietly listened to his words, the corners of my mouth twitched. I covered my mouth for fear of laughing at a time like this, but I couldn't suppress the swelling feeling in my heart.
I asked as nonchalantly as I could.
"Are you perhaps jealous right now?"
Vincent's face crumpled even more, but he didn't deny it. He snapped his head away. At times like this, he was truly an honest man.