CH 43

Thud.

The carriage that entered the city soon came to a stop. The coachman opened the door, and we got off the carriage.

Plop.

As soon as Vincent’s feet touched the ground, he exclaimed in admiration and looked around.

“Wow!”

Livia, too, excitedly looked at the street like Vincent did.

‘It’s a festival.’

Even a stranger could tell that the street was decorated in a magnificent way, indicating that it was a festival.

Shops displayed their extraordinary goods on the shelves in preparation for today. People came out wearing beautiful clothes.

Occasionally, there were people dressed in clothing that wasn’t in the typical style of the Lagranacia Empire.

Livia found it truly fascinating. Although it had been 24 years since she came to this world, this is only her second festival.

Before she knew it, she was as excited as Vincent.

“This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”

“Yeah!” Vincent nodded vigorously.

“Your Grace…….”

Reflexively, she glanced back at Cardien.

The expression on his face as he gazed out at the bustling street was so impassive.

But it wasn’t that he was emotionless. Reading his gloomy purple eyes, Livia closed her lips.

He noticed her gaze and turned his head towards her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

His once heavy and melancholic eyes had returned to their usual cold gaze.

Did she see it wrong? It was a brief glimpse, but the darkness was too clear to be mistaken.

But…….

“It’s nothing. Shall we go?”

It was a festival. 

Livia decided to pretend not to notice.

With that thought, she headed for the first stop on Raymon’s list.

* * *

It was a ramshackle restaurant that she dragged the illustrious Mercedes father and son to.

‘Here it is.’

Livia looked up at the sign.

<My Favorite Restaurant>

The sign was old, and the name was tacky, but Raymon said it was the best restaurant in the capital.

But…….

Livia hesitated at the more dilapidated appearance than she had expected.

She didn’t mind, but she wondered if a place like this…….

‘Can I take these people inside?’

It’s not like they were ordinary nobles; they’re the lord and heir of the Mercedes Duchy!

Just when Livia was wondering if she should move to a fancier restaurant.

Growl.

“……?”

She turned to the source of the sudden rumbling sound. Vincent was clutching his stomach with a flushed face.

Oh no.

“You were hungry, Vincent.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Thinking he had done something wrong, Vincent’s expression darkened.

“No! I’m hungry too,” Livia quickly reassured him.

It wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t eaten anything because she was busy preparing early in the morning.

Perhaps Vincent was in the same situation.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

“Mmm…… Your Grace,” Livia cautiously called out to Cardien.

He turned around, a puzzled look on his face.

She cautiously pointed to the restaurant. “This restaurant might be uncomfortable, huh?”

Suddenly, Livia felt like she had become a guide accompanying a noble.

‘Well, it’s not much of a different situation,’ she thought resignedly.

Cardien’s gaze shifted to the restaurant, and his lips slowly parted.

“Tutor, do I look like the kind of person who would judge a place like this?”

“Huh?” Caught off guard, Livia replied with a surprised expression.

His gaze returned to her. He smiled wryly and said, “As long as it can fit in my mouth, I don’t care where we go.”

“Ah…”

His gaze was so chilling as he spoke. But that coldness seemed directed at something beyond Livia herself.

She was momentarily speechless, but quickly regained her composure and nodded energetically.

“Alright then. Don’t complain later.”

To break the awkward atmosphere, Livia deliberately spoke in a more playful tone and held Vincent’s hand, leading him inside the restaurant.

Jingle.

As they opened the old wooden door, a faint bell rang.

Despite Raymon’s claims of being the best restaurant in the capital, the place was empty.

Usually, wouldn’t a popular restaurant be crowded?

Was it a scam? Did she fall victim to a terrible prank?

As Livia hesitated while looking at the empty tables, an elderly man came out from inside.

“Oh, a customer has arrived.”

He didn’t even bother to hide his surprise.

So, this was how things turned out. Livia swallowed her nerves.

“Hello, sir,” she greeted him. “Is it possible to have a meal?”

“Well, of course. It’s a restaurant, after all. What else would be possible?”

“Haha… That’s true,” Livia awkwardly laughed as she sat down at a nearby table.

Vincent sat next to her, and Cardien took a seat across from them.

Flap.

“Take a look and choose.”

Livia looked at the paper that the old man handed her, which could hardly be called a menu.

There were only two items written on the paper: chicken soup and mushroom soup.

Both options were soup. Soup..! 

“…I’ll have the mushroom soup,” Livia said woodenly. 

‘Raymon said it was a great restaurant. Raymon said it was a great restaurant…..’

A great restaurant was supposed to specialize in one thing, right?

Livia brainwashed herself silently and handed the menu to Vincent and Cardien.

Vincent glanced at the menu for a moment and turned to her.

“Tutor Via, please choose for me!”

“Me?”

“Yes!”

Livia pondered for a moment and then pointed at the chicken soup.

“Since we’ll be moving around a lot today, how about having the hearty chicken soup?”

“Sounds good!” Vincent nodded enthusiastically.

Even if she had chosen the mushroom soup, Livia had a feeling he would have reacted the same way.

This time she looked back at Cardien and asked, “What would His Grace like?”

Then Cardien looked at her and retorted with, “I’ll also let the tutor choose for me,” as if it was a hassle. 

“Haha…….”

Clearly, he found it bothersome to decide on the menu.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?” Livia asked cautiously, and he chuckled softly.

“Have you made your choices?”

As the owner, who had been observing the situation, approached and asked, I nodded and replied, “One chicken soup and two mushroom soups, please.”

“Just a moment.”

Soon the owner went into the kitchen and an awkward silence fell over the table.

Livia and Vincent rolled their eyes at each other, then made eye contact and let out a short laugh. Suddenly, the awkwardness seemed pointless.

‘Let’s not make this too uncomfortable.’

In the beginning, Cardien had told her not to worry about him, and she had promised herself to move things forward between the two of them.

But if she kept acting awkwardly, Vincent would also start feeling self-conscious and follow suit.

‘I can’t stop thinking about the way he looked earlier…….’

Those purple eyes, sunken into the darkness, looking at something unknown. There was something unsettling about that look, and Livia couldn’t stop thinking about it.

What could Cardien have seen?

‘No,’ she shook off the thoughts plaguing her. ‘Don’t think about it.’

That wasn’t important right now. What mattered for them at that moment was the festival!

“Vincent, is there anything you want to do after eating?”

In response to her question, Vincent pondered earnestly and then exclaimed with a wide smile, “I’m happy doing anything with Tutor Via!”

“Ugh.”

‘This is cheating.’

It was unfair to be this cute out of nowhere!

If it weren’t for the location, Livia would have hugged him tightly. But here, she couldn’t!

“Okay, then…….”

As she was about to explain their plans for the rest of the day, Livia hesitated. She realized that it felt like she and Vincent were the only ones conversing, neglecting Cardien’s presence.

Cardien had told her not to worry about him, but she decided she should involve him anyway.

Livia glanced back at Cardien and asked the same question.

“Does His Grace have something he’d like to do?”

In response to her question, Cardien stared at her silently. His face was so strikingly handsome that it was almost mesmerizing.

Finally, his lips parted, and a languid voice flowed out.

“I want to do anything that the tutor likes?”

“…….”

As she froze in surprise, he let out a smug laugh.

‘He’s playing with me, isn’t he?’

Livia was fighting to avoid getting worked up for no reason, and luckily just then, with a fragrant aroma, the dishes were placed on the table.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

“The food is ready,” she murmured as she averted her gaze from him.

And as she picked up the spoon, she made a silent vow to herself.

‘Don’t ask that man any questions in the future.’

By the way…….

Livia looked down at the steaming mushroom soup.

‘The smell is amazing. ’

Although it appeared to be an ordinary mushroom soup, the scent was extraordinary, stimulating her senses.

“I will enjoy it.”

“I will enjoy it.”

Both Livia and Vincent exclaimed simultaneously, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently to cool it down, and then enthusiastically put it in their mouths.

Suddenly, Livia’s eyes widened.

“Wow…,” she exclaimed, almost involuntarily.  Raymon’s claim that this was a great restaurant was not a lie!

Livia looked over at Vincent to gauge his reaction. With his mouth full of chicken soup, Vincent also widened his eyes in astonishment before hastily devouring the soup.

“Since it’s hot, you should blow on it to cool it down before eating,” she quickly reminded him.

As if he was very hungry, Vincent replied roughly, almost inhaling the chicken soup.

And Cardien… His expression hadn’t changed much, so it was hard to tell, but he seemed to be eating without any issues.

‘That’s a relief.’

Feeling like she could breathe easy again, Livia started to finish her mushroom soup.

* * *

“That was delicious.”

The meal ended quickly. Since everyone was hungry, the three of them focused solely on eating without much conversation.

“Wow, it was really delicious,” Livia repeated, smiling contentedly and patting her satisfied stomach. 

At that moment, the owner approached their table.