CH 13.2

The largest temple in the empire was on the island. Since Aria was a saint, it was natural for her to stay on the island.

And since Benjamin secretly admired Aria, it was natural for him to be on the island for whatever reason.

Grace quickly came to a conclusion and nodded her head.

“T-That…”

“Well, I think I roughly understand. It makes sense. Moving to the north can be done through the gate, and the duke’s residence is not actually a comfortable place to stay.”

Grace nodded her head, saying she understood and that Benjamin didn’t have to explain.

Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief with a subtle expression.

“But do they only celebrate festivals on the island? I’ve never enjoyed them in my hometown or nearby territories.”

“Yes. Probably because there are no significant temples in My Lady’s territory and its surroundings.”

“…”

“…I’m not trying to disrespect My Lady’s hometown.”

They walked to the city center while chatting.

“So the festival is hosted by the temple.”

“Yes, around this time. It’s warm during the day but cool enough at night. The reason for wearing masks is because of a legend that on such a nice day, mischievous and evil demons come out and hide among the people, stealing the faces of those they like.”

“Oh, I know that legend. I’ve read it in a fairy tale. The demon was mischievous, ugly, and evil.”

Grace also remembered the legend.

“My father used to hold my sister and me in his arms and read it to us in front of the fireplace. Hmm…”

As the story goes, she wondered if she really needed to wear a mask.

‘Ariana, Benjamin, and the Crown Prince must wear it no matter what.’

After all, their appearances could tempt anyone, including demons.

“My Lady… seems on good terms with her family?” 

“Did it seem that way?” 

“Yes. My Lady doesn’t talk much about your family to me, but whenever you did, you only shared good stories,” 

Grace pondered, ‘Is it so?’ Then suddenly, Benjamin reached out his hand.

“Ah.”

“I’m sorry.”

They were now in front of a busy street.

“I think it’s appropriate for me to escort My Lady here. Would you prefer holding hands instead of linking arms?”

“Um.”

Grace hesitated but eventually placed her hand on Benjamin’s.

“…”

He looked down at Grace’s hand on his for a while.

“Uh, Benny?”

Benjamin’s gaze was still fixed on their clasped hands. He was wearing thick gloves.

He let out a small sigh.

“….?”

Grace widened her eyes slightly, wondering what the meaning of that sigh was. Benjamin seemed to have done it unconsciously.

‘Somehow, he seems relieved…’

She tried to withdraw her hand, but Benjamin held it tightly and pulled it down.

“I heard you haven’t been eating properly lately, My Lady.”

“That’s true, I’m trying to control my diet.”

“Can’t we have something delicious today?”

Grace was at a loss for words at his suggestion. After all, food was a big part of the festival. The most profitable items at festivals were usually food and small, useless souvenirs.

The street was filled with the delicious aroma of food.

It was easy to restrain oneself when things weren’t visible. But here, it was a street of temptation, a feast of temptation.

“Hmm. Umm….”

Grace groaned.

She also wanted to eat something delicious. There was no one who disliked tasty food.

Benjamin looked at Grace with a pleading puppy face, which was visible despite the mask.

“Oh, can’t we?”

Benjamin asked Grace with moist eyes.

“….No….”

Just as she was about to say that she couldn’t, the scent of freshly baked bread and rich butter filled her nose.

“….”

Not only that, but also the strong and sweet smell of chocolate, sizzling oil, the aroma of freshly baked meat, and slightly burnt sugar.

The street was filled with all kinds of tempting scents.

Grace trembled helplessly.

“Just, just a little bit….”

She lost.

“…It’s delicious.”

Someone has said that sugar is bad for you.

But as Grace scraped the spoonfuls of pudding with plenty of sugar, she was moved.

It was really tear-jerkingly delicious.

If it makes people happy, then is it really bad? Grace, who had hardly consumed sugar for a while, was impressed.

Especially since she hadn’t tasted any desserts at all, it was even more impressive. In Grace’s mind, hymns were ringing.

Even though her mouth screamed “too sweet!” internally, the overwhelming sweetness of the pudding hit her brain like a bullet and made her scream with happiness.

“Does it suit the lady’s taste?”

Compared to the quality of the desserts brought from the Duke’s house, it was infinitely inferior. Nevertheless, Grace nodded her head and scraped the pudding bowl clean.