CH 28

The capital I came to for the first time was extremely large.

Was it because I went straight to the square without stopping by the townhouse?

I felt like I was in another world for a moment due to the noisy people passing by.

Even in this world, there was a concept of weekdays and weekends, and today was a weekday.

Nevertheless, there were a lot of people in the square, reminiscent of a festival.

“This is the central square…”

Calib, standing next to me, muttered quietly.

Come to think of it, this is the first time Cedric and Calib are in the downtown area instead of the Imperial Palace, right?

Calib was being watched by the vassals, and Cedric was protecting him, so there was no time to look elsewhere.

Let alone after Cedric was cursed, there’s nothing to be talked about.

Calib’s eyes were gleaming as if they contained stars.

Looking at it, I thought it might be good to look around for a while, but…

“Now, shall we go?”

We have a purpose.

Daphne, the original female lead, has been kidnapped.

I had to find her to see if I was the bad fairy.

Cedric, who had stood silently at my words, turned his gaze to Calib.

“Yes. We have to go.”

Yet even as he said so, Calib couldn’t stop wandering around the square.

“Where is the best place to gather news?”

“First, we need to leave the square.”

“Yes. In order to move secretly, the three of us came with all the escorts driven away at the most, we shouldn’t be distracted.”

Even so, the Golden Lion Knights of the Imperial Family or the soldiers of the nobles were showing up infrequently.

Most of them were nobles, and they would surely recognize members of the Grand Duke of Indigentia.

And what if, while we were wondering how to move the horse without an escort, it got into the ears of the Marinenest family?

In the worst case, we might even get a warning to stop doing this.

Then I have to confirm my identity, let myself be known, and go back to the Grand Duke’s Castle without any moves.

Maybe Marinenest and Mashalats really did form an alliance.

In fact, Olivia took off the crane the moment it was said that we were the only ones moving.

‘To think moving with just three people, that’s too dangero…!’

However, Olivia’s words didn’t continue to the end.

After all, it is the three of us.

Cedric, the current strongest, and Calib, who is implicitly recognized as the strongest in the future.

And I, who beat the muscular maids with my fists.

It was obvious that some people would get hit again.

Thus Olivia trusted us and let us go.

I said, heading to the corner of the square.

“There are a lot of knights in flashing armor, that’s why the atmosphere is unsettling.”

“I see a lot of armed men, so it must have created an atmosphere of fear.”

“That’s why we are more in advantage.”

After Cedric’s words, Calib supplemented it.

“Ordinary people are overwhelmed just by looking at the intimidating knights. I’m sure even if they try to report something, they’re too afraid that they won’t be able to say anything.”

That’s why we decided to poke this part in reverse and move it simply.

“Certainly, it would be easier for them to talk to us than the knights.”

Although they were Grand Nobles, at least they didn’t have any iron on their waist.

It was time to head to the residential area.

“Wow! I’m so excited because Dad doesn’t go to work!”

“If our Lena is so happy, why don’t we often take a vacation on weekdays?”

A family passed by with a friendly smile.

The child was jumping over and over in happiness, holding her parents’ hands tightly.

That family didn’t look wealthy, but they looked very happy nonetheless.

Me and Cedric walked past them without thinking, but Calib didn’t.

“…Calib?”

He stood there, silently, watching the back of a passing child who was holding her parents’ hands.

When I stopped, following Calib, it was natural for Cedric to stop as well.

He stared blankly at Calib, who seemed to have lost his soul, and gathered his eyebrows together as if in trouble.

It was the first time Calib had seen this kind of thing, so he seemed to be in trouble.

But for a while.

“Calib.” Cedric tried to bring Calib.

However, I stopped him.

“…?”

Cedric looked at me with a question mark above his head, yet I didn’t answer him and went back to Calib.

“Calib.”

“…Uh, huh?”

Perhaps he was really lost, Calib replied with a stutter.

I said with a smile as he was cute yet pathetic at the same time.

“The capital is really crowded, right?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“I feel like we’re going to get lost by accident, so why don’t we hold hands?”

“…Hands?”

“Yep. It would be funny if we lost each other when we came to find the missing Princess.”

I spoke as calmly as possible and sat down with my knees bent, making eye contact with Calib.

“So, let’s go hand in hand. Me and Cedric… We’re getting married, but still.”

Glance, I looked at Cedric, who hadn’t come this way yet, and stood there while only staring at us.

“We’re still kind of unfamiliar. So why don’t Calib come out of the middle and hold Cedric’s hand?”

Just as the child who passed by just now with her hands tightly held between her parents.

Calib’s expression gradually brightened at my words, and then soon bloomed.

“Okay!”

A cheerful voice like a child answered happily.

When I reached out to his hand, Calib, who had dyed his cheeks red, quickly grabbed me.

He held me tightly as if that small, soft warmth would never let go of my hand.

Cedric, who saw us, also returned and gave his hand to Calib.

“When there’s a lot of people, it’s best not to let each other go like this.”

“That’s right. As expected, Ellia is amazing!”

Calib smiled triumphantly as if he was the one who received the praise and grabbed Cedric’s hand as well.

We headed towards the residential area, waving our clasped hands back and forth.

***

I checked up to the third residential area, but there was no result.

“Well, I didn’t think it would be easy to figure out, but…”

“There really isn’t any result.”

“My legs hurt…”

The three of us sat on a park bench and sighed.

After all, is it possible only in novels to find a clue just by running around?

Should I have just held my hand in the Grand Duke’s Castle and let the others explore?

Thinking about it, I thought it would have been quicker to entrust this task to skilled subordinates.

I’m a little regretful, but suddenly, Calib’s gaze was fixed in one place.

“Hm?”

I followed his gaze to see what he was looking at so intently, and there was a street vendor there.

A merchant with candy in a cart greeted the children with a friendly smile.

Is it some kind of ice cream truck, or something?

“It’s peaceful…” I muttered unknowingly.

The many people in the square, the peaceful sound of the fountain, and the children rejoicing as if they had the whole world with just one candy…

This park and those children were people who didn’t appear in the original story.

Still, they were so lively and alive.

It made me realize once again that this novel was another world.

So, in order to stay safe here, I must first find Daphne, right?

I have to determine whether I’m really Ellia or not!

That’s right, if I had left it to someone else, I’d have been anxious the whole time.

I got up from my seat, encouraging myself to cheer myself up.

“Let’s cheer up and try our best again.”

“But.” Cedric glanced at Calib.

Calib was like watching a child go by holding the parent’s hand.

I followed Calib’s gaze and saw the candy cart there.

I read the large letters on the cart.

“Sweet and refreshing, Epricent’s famous lemon honey candy made with fresh lemon and acacia honey…”

Calib’s shoulders twitched at my voice. As if he was reacting to ‘lemon honey candy’.

Come to think of it,  he really liked lemons.

Cedric said, stroking his chin.

“I’ve heard of it. Lemon honey candy can only be tasted in the capital.”

“Only in the capital…”

Calib had never even eaten cocoa because he was being paid attention to by the vassals in the siege.

But, in my opinion, Calib was quite fond of sweets.

When he grew up early but he still wanted to imitate everything that other children were doing.

It can only be tasted in the capital, and it’s a sweet and refreshing candy made with his favorite lemon…

It was enough to capture Calib’s heart.

I said, squatting in front of Calib, who was still sitting on the bench.

“We’re low on sugar, no, we’re tired. Shall we eat some candy to refresh ourselves?”

“Really?”

At my words, Calib, who was only looking at the candy cart, turned his head.

Aww, how cute.

Does he want to eat it that much?

The Grand Young Lord Calib must have more money than me, but I felt like I wanted to buy ten or twenty for him.

However, Cedric didn’t care.

“But you can’t just eat food sold on the street. How about going to the dessert bakery after we finish the search?”

At that moment, Calib’s red eyes shook wildly then fell.

It’s like, “Yeah, right. It must be like that.” Like a child who was deeply disappointed.

Whoa, this fool!

I quickly raised my head to Cedric and put some force on my eyes. As if I was saying, “Don’t you put any strength on your brain?!”

Calib bit his lower lip, ashamed to reply as if he had waited.

Cedric quickly made excuses with an expression of, “Oops!”

“But a piece of candy to relieve fatigue would be fine. By the way, that lemon honey candy is refreshing, so it will definitely change your mood.”

“Huh?”

At Cedric’s words, Calib made a questionable expression as he was wondering if it was true.

But it was also for a moment.

The closer we got to the candy cart, the more Calib’s cheekbones went up.

The brightly opened mouth was also very cute.

I grabbed Calib’s hand and stood in front of the candy cart.

But it was that time.