Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Thunk.

A middle-aged woman and a boy who were running hurriedly to avoid the rain had fallen. In the wind, objects on the large tray she was holding in her hand also fell to the ground.

“Oh my God. What should I do?”

“Gosh. What about this!”

It was a mess. The middle-aged woman shuddered as she picked up her stuff. The little boy, half raised next to her, opened his golden eyes wide. As if surprised by his muddy outfit, he was frozen and began to cry.

“Y-Young Master, are you okay?”

A bit later, the middle-aged woman tried to raise the boy, but he could not stand properly. It looked like he was hurt somewhere. The red-haired girl could not just watch anymore.

“Are you all right?”

“Well, I’m fine, but I don’t know what to do with these precious things…”

“Let me help you.”

“Oh my, oh my. You’re so kind. Thank you very much.”

The red-haired girl took off her apron and covered the shivering boy’s body. Next to him were small things that had fell on the floor. She opened her mouth as if she were pleased.

“Macarons.”

They were familiar. They were snacks round like a full moon, colorful and that would melt in mouth.

It was a snack called macaron that the Duchess of Armada never missed at tea time.

The girl also learned to bake pastry while doing chores in the kitchen, in particular the macarons she made were so delicious that they were very popular among the nobles.

She had to take care of them quickly. The slightly broken macarons were quickly put on a tray. For now, only the outside of the wrapping paper was wet, but if a bit more time passed, water would seep in and they would have to be thrown away. She moved her hands mechanically. The middle-aged women opened her eyes wide at the sight of her neat and accurate hand movements.

The red-haired girl finished her work calmly. She pointed her hand at the Imperial Palace.

“There is a big tree across the bridge. You’ll be fine there to avoid the rain.”

“Thank you very much, miss.”

“It’s okay. I think you’d better go quickly because the child might catch a cold.”

The middle-aged woman hurriedly lifted herself up and staggered. She was surprised, and her legs were trembling.

“Let me help you.”

The girl moved with the tray on one hand, helping the two. She went with them toward the Imperial Palace.

They escaped under a huge oak tree. The girl wiped the boy’s tears.

“Gosh. I don’t like this!”

The girl quickly found her balance, but the middle-aged woman stomped her feet on a macaron that was so messed up that it could not be recognized anymore. She bit her nails.

“If we can’t deliver it by tea time, Her Highness Princess Ashley is going to go crazy…”

“Excuse me, what’s going on?”

“I have so much work, I don’t even know where to start! There’s not enough people at the store, and the delivery guy didn’t show up today, so I was in a hurry to… It’s killing me! I have to go back to the store and bring new macarons, but I don’t have enough time!”

There seemed to be not enough time for the round trip.

The girl asked quickly, wondering if she could be of any help.

“Excuse me, where is the store located?”

“It’s Liduré, in the middle of the capital. It takes 30 minutes from here… I’m going crazy!”

Could she tell her the shortcut she saw on the secret map of the Imperial Palace? The girl agonized over it.

“Oh, dear. I couldn’t even pay for my son’s knights training camp… It’s killing me…”

The middle-aged woman in despair even shed tears. She slipped her arm without delay.

“Ma’am, that road will take 15 minutes to get back and forth.”

“Huh?”

“If you go that way, you will see that it’s directly connected to the back alley in the center of the capital. There is a closed door, but it will open with a little strength.”

For her, people always came first.

It was also important to strictly observe the security of the secret map, but she judged that there would be no problem because the shortcut she just told her was not directly connected to the inside of the Imperial Palace.

“But… please don’t let anyone know of the existence of this road. Please.”

“I-is it real?”

The middle-aged woman was dubious at the short cut she heard for the first time in her life. She asked several times, but the girl confirmed it with a clear voice. It did not seem to be a lie.

“All right. Thank you, thank you very much.”

She held the girl’s hand and bowed her head repeatedly. The girl smiled heartily.

“Come on, don’t be late.”

“Hah, but Young Master Setchen hurt his ankle in a hurry…”

The boy raised his head and looked up at the woman. His bright golden eyes were anxious and confused.

“I hurt my ankle…?”

“Do you think you can run?”

“…No.”

The girl could take care of the child for a while. She bent down to set her eye level with him.

“Young Master, can I tell you a interesting story while we wait?”

“A funny story.”

“Yes, it’s the story of the war hero Count Dratius-nim.”

“It’s lame. I’ve already heard all the stories of Count Dratius-nim.”

“Hoh. I don’t think so.”

She took a book out of her luggage. The title was ‘Count Dratius, the Hero Who Shined the Continent – Second Story.’ It had a new, clean leather cover.

“Ta-da!”

“Wow! Nonsense! Are you sure it’s the sequel to the story of Count Dratius-nim?

Setchen was as happy as a child who received a surprise gift. The girl handed him the book and looked at the middle-aged woman.

Go ahead.

The girl mouthed the words and the woman hesitated. She was reluctant to leave the Young Master with a girl she had never seen before.

The girl who read her mind took something out of her pocket and gave it to her. It was a wooden plaque proving the status of a commoner. After receiving it, the middle-aged woman moved hurriedly.

Setchen lost track of time and fell in love with the book. Leaning on the tree, he put his face so close to the book that his nose was touching the pages. He was almost sucked into the book.

“Wow, that’s great. That’s so cool!”

“Is it that much fun?”

“Yes!”

Why was she feeling proud? The red-haired girl sitting next to him smiled. She put a hand on his wet hair. It was blond, but a little darker than Hizen’s.

“Ahhh… Count Dratius-nim… I wish I could see him at least once before I die!”

Setchen, who was reading the book, trembled. He was so excited that drops of water were falling from his hair like a spider’s web. The girl asked, putting his messy hair in order.

“Young Master Setchen. You must really like Count Dratius-nim.”

“Of course! My mother, or even all the people in the Empire are no match for his achievements.”

“That’s… That’s right…”

“You know what? Actually, I was most impressed with volume one, page 198. The Battle of the Kegaron River against the Kessen Empire was excellent! And in page 300, the third line…”

He was really a big fan of him. Setchen talked without breathing. The red-haired girl looked at him with friendly eyes.

Setchen did not stop talking, clenching his fists. The image of him talking restlessly overlapped with someone.

[I really like him.]

[Who? Me?]

[No, no! Not Neren-nim, but Count Dratius-nim!]

[Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that…]

[Neren-nim, you know. I was so interested by the first story. Count Dratius-nim was so cool that I couldn’t concentrate on my work.]

[Oh. Was it that much?]

[Of course, Count Dratius-nim is the most wonderful and righteous man in the world!]

The girl liked Hizen Ben Dratius. It was more like a passionate crush rather than liking him. It was an overwhelming feeling she had cherished for a long time. Whenever she thought of him, it would lift her spirit, and she would be able to endure a hard day. He was the hero of her life.

“…Noona?”[1]

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Distracted by Setchen’s call, the girl smiled bitterly. She regretted having made a mistake in her precious first meeting.

The girl who hesitated turned her head toward the Imperial Palace. Count Dratius was still inside.

Was his anger relieved? She could not stop worrying. She could not look directly at the Imperial Palace, perhaps because of her guilt. She was just gently glancing at it.

Little by little, it stopped raining. A clear rainbow unfolded over the wet roof of the Imperial Palace. Her eyes widened slightly. Neren used to like rainbows, and used say that a rainbow after the rain meant hope.

To the hurt girl, that rainbow seemed to be Neren’s encouragement. Her lowered shoulders went up a little. Even if it was just a coincidence.

“Noona, Noona.”

“What?”

The girl turned her head at Setchen’s call. The book was folded nicely as if he had read it all.

Setchen asked with his golden eyes glistening, suddenly becoming polite.

“Noona, how did you get this book? It’s a book my mother couldn’t find!”

“Oh, it’s not my book.”

“Then whose book is it?”

Under the title of the book Setchen held in his hand, the name “Neren D. Armada” was written. He was the author and the owner of the book. The girl had a nostalgic smile.

“My friend requested me to take it.”

“Requested?”

“Yes. It was a promise to pass it on to Count Dratius-nim when the time came.”

“Noona, Noona. So, you can meet Count Dratius-nim?”

“Well… that…”

“And I can meet you! Noona, then, please get his autograph for me!”

“What?”

“How much do you need? If it’s money, I’ll give you whatever you ask!”

Setchen seemed ready to make an arbitrary decision. Something came out of his pocket: it was a shining gold coin. Embarrassed, the girl waved her hand in a hurry.

“No, it’s not about money…”

“I’ll do whatever you ask me to do!”

Finally, Setchen fell flat on the ground. It was a scene where people who knew him would be taken aback.

Even if he was not a noble, he was still a precious young master from his birth. He was the only son of his house, and did not lie down on cheap bed sheets, let alone on the ground. But now he was so desperate that he could not care about such things.

“Noona, my dream is to be a knight. Actually, I came here without my mother’s knowledge.”

“What?”

Setchen grabbed the girl’s long skirt. Then he whispered as if he was confessing.

“I want to be a knight like Count Dratius-nim, but my mother wants me to inherit the store rather than be a knight…”

“Hey, get up first.”

“I was going to ask Count Dratius-nim an autograph if I ran into him on the way to make Princess Ashley’s delivery… Waa…”

“Woo, don’t cry.”

“But now the macarons are crumbled and I can’t even get in… I hurt my ankle, and I can’t even sneak in the Imperial Palace to find the Count-nim…”

The girl’s heart weakened as water accumulated in his beautiful golden eyes. She could not put up with his troubled expression.

“It’s not just up to you. There’s no way I can help you…”

“You’re five times taller than me! When I go back home today, my mother will scold me seriously. I’ll be grounded after that! I won’t be able to even go out anymore!”

“Right, but… Outsiders can’t enter the Imperial Palace…”

“You can just disguise yourself! Our store also delivers to the Imperial Palace a lot. I’ll get you an apron so you can disguise yourself as one of our employees!”

What should she do? The girl agonized over it, looking at her books and packages alternately. She had to stay in the capital and enter the Imperial Palace again to try to persuade him.

If so, then the boy’s suggestion was not too bad.

“Oh, Young Master Setchen!”

“Young Master!”

Two women with green umbrellas rushed in from afar. They saw Setchen on the ground and glared at the girl next to him.

“No, Miss! What have you done to our Young Master!”

“Gosh, Young Master, you will catch a cold! What did she do to you? Are you sure you’re alright, Young Master?”

“You’re noisy!”

The middle-aged women flinched at Setchen’s answer. He shouted threateningly.

“Stop it! I wanted to be next to her. Don’t say anything to Noona!”

“…What?”

Noona? They doubted their ears. They could not understand the situation.

They looked at each other and looked around.

Then, the girl stood up. She stared at them in embarrassment and said.

“Ma’am, you said you don’t have enough people to work in Liduré.”

“Well, yes. That’s right, but…”

“Don’t you need someone who’s quick, strong, hardworking, who knows well the Imperial Palace, and who is good at making macarons?”

“Of course I need someone like this, but I can’t believe there would be such a perfect employee…”

The girl brightened with confidence. She spoke in a clear voice.

“Please hire me.”

Flutter.

The pages of the book were rifled by the strong wind. She could see beautiful letters on them.

‘Dear Leasis, the hero of the second story.’

TL notes

[1] Noona means ‘older sister’. It can only be used by a boy/man to address an older girl/woman. It does not necessarily imply that they are from the same family, but shows that they have a close relationship.