WTSP - 49

“Wow, this is really... amazing?”

I had occasionally imagined what the scenery outside the Imperial Palace would be like. Since the only people I encountered every day were nobles or knights, I was curious about the lives of commoners.

Even when I was writing <Becoming the Emperor’s Concubine>, I hardly touched upon the stories of commoners due to the protagonists’ status. At most, I had described Brillin’s life before she became Empress.

‘It feels like watching a foreign drama. How can it be so surreal?’

The very fact that I had left Korea and entered the Carlot Empire was already surreal, but the scenery of the city during the festival was much more human and vibrant than I had imagined.

From the old man selling freshly squeezed fruit juice to the little children playing tag, to the woman carrying a bouquet of flowers she had received from her lover.

It felt like hundreds and thousands of colors were spreading simultaneously.

If the Imperial Palace was a monochrome world made up only of black, white, and gray, this place felt like a rainbow-colored village.

No one was wearing a fake mask to maintain appearances. They were simply living their lives, being present in the moment...

‘Yes, this is what a festival atmosphere is!’

I hadn’t even started enjoying the festival properly, but it was hard to hide the overwhelming emotions.

“Lena, Sir Cloden. I think I did so well to come out... My heart is pounding. I’m not getting sick, am I?”

“Your Highness, you must always be careful! Your Highness has always been very weak, so you might collapse at any moment...”

“Oh? What’s that delicious smell?”

I playfully curved my eyes into a smile and met Lena’s gaze.

She had been wearing a somewhat serious expression, but when our eyes met, she shrugged as if she couldn’t help it.

“Sir Cloden, don’t be so stiff. Let’s look around together. I know you have to protect us as a knight, but it’s the festival period.”

“...The crowds are more numerous than I expected. I should have brought another knight.”

“Both of you are probably not familiar with this place, so just trust me and follow me. You too, Sir Knight!”

Wasn’t Cloden also from a prestigious noble family?

Caught in the midst of the commoners bustling about, he couldn’t hide his bewilderment and stiffened. He probably hadn’t experienced such a noisy and chaotic atmosphere often.

Lena took my hand and moved towards the place with the savory scent. With each step closer, the delicious smell stimulated my nose.

“You absolutely must try this at the Hetar Market. I... no, the young lady. It’s a dish called Dobong, and it’s incredibly savory.”

“Dobong? It looks like a fried food. What could it be fried?”

The Dobong, fried in sizzling yellow oil, looked like rice balls. They seemed to just coat them in batter and then fry them one by one in the oil as customers came.

It somehow reminded me of the street food stall lady who used to fry various kinds of fritters.

The frying batter wasn’t too thick or too thin, making a crispy sound with each bite.

Ah, it’s hot. I blew on the Dobong and took a big bite.

“It’s delicious! This is it. Mochi!”

“Mochi?”

“Yeah, that... chewy and soft food from some eastern country... Oh, anyway! This is really delicious.”

As soon as I chewed the filling, the unique sweetness of red bean paste spread in the center of my tongue. The rice cake surrounding the filling was unbelievably chewy for something fried.

To think that food with a crispy exterior and a chewy interior existed in this world.

Amazed by the magical taste, I blinked and took another bite of the Dobong. I could taste the slightly greasy flavor unique to market oil, but it was a very familiar and missed taste.

‘This is it. It would be the best with tteokbokki.’

Having only eaten fancy foods like beef steak lately, eating something spicy after a long time felt exhilarating.

Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t like such Western food. Rather, I had felt happy eating foods that were excessively expensive.

‘But only for a day or two...’

Eating similar dishes every day, and whatever was given to me, I quickly started to get tired of it.

Korean, Japanese, Western, Chinese. Even back then, I had managed my diet, but how much I missed the days of browsing the internet with the happy dilemma of what to eat.

‘Still, I guess eating only meat helps build muscle.’

Lena was watching me eat with a proud expression. Just then, she handed a freshly fried Dobong to Cloden.

Cloden, who had been guarding us with a calm expression, let out a bewildered voice.

“I am alright. Please, you two enjoy it.”

“Just try one, Sir Knight. It’s really delicious! If you don’t like it, you only have to take one bite. Isn’t that right, miss?”

“Sir Cloden, this is truly... the perfect food. I should get some to take away later.”

I gave a thumbs-up with a serious face.

Cloden, his eyes wavering as if hesitating for a moment, cautiously took a bite of the fried mochi. He cleared his throat, perhaps feeling quite burdened by my staring intently as he chewed the food silently.

“How is it, Sir Knight?”

“Ahem. It is much more delicious than I expected... However, it does not seem very healthy. First of all, it is excessively oily and sweet...”

“Shhh, Sir Cloden. How can you say all that so loudly?”

The expression of the woman who had been picking up the batter with tongs and frying it in oil subtly distorted. Because Cloden’s voice hadn’t been quiet, she seemed to have heard our entire conversation.

Only then did Cloden, noticing the woman’s hurt feelings, apologize for his rudeness, unable to hide his embarrassment.

It wasn’t intentional, but since we had been rude in any case, we should make amends.

I gave a friendly smile and said a line I had always wanted to say.

“Auntie. Give me everything from here to there. I’ll pay for it all at once.”

“All of this, you say? Well, that would be great for me...”

The owner’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

There were at least dozens of Dobong on the stall. It was an amount that would be difficult to sell out even after a whole day.

Only after roughly counting the number did I realize my mistake.

‘It looks like it would be hard to carry all of this. It’s just luggage anyway.’

I gave an awkward smile and changed my words.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Just give me ten. I don’t think I can eat all of that. And please calculate it first.”

I took out my wallet from my pocket. How much should I pay?

Ophelia, the original owner of this body, also didn’t know the prices within the Empire. After a moment of thought, I took out a gold coin and watched her reaction.

The auntie, who had a vague expression at my saying I would only buy ten, smiled brightly as soon as she saw the gold coin.

At the same time, a startled Lena snatched the gold coin from me.

“Huh?”

“Our young lady still doesn’t know the ways of the world... Give her one silver coin instead of that.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

I pretended to have made a mistake and naturally exchanged the gold coin for silver coins.

It was only for a moment, but I could catch the auntie’s face darkening. Apart from selling a lot of Dobong, she seemed disappointed at losing an unexpected stroke of luck.

The owner, having received the silver coin, fried the Dobong, asking us to wait a moment.

‘I feel awkward for taking it back after offering it...’

Bubbling, the sound of oil boiling echoed in my ears.

Soon, seeing the paper bag full of Dobong, I felt full even before eating. How could just looking at it all day make me feel so satisfied?

“Please sell a lot, auntie! Young lady! There’s a place selling orange juice over there. Let’s go together.”

“Sounds good. The fruits look really fresh. Oh my, Sir Cloden.”

“...Ahem. It was cumbersome to carry around.”

Cloden, who had already finished his share, made an unasked-for excuse with a rather embarrassed look.

He had refused, saying he was alright, but it seemed to have suited his taste, making me chuckle. Even the most noble knights probably have similar food preferences.

Lena was humming with rosy cheeks, looking incredibly excited.

However, I wasn’t the only one watching her adorable figure as she worried about what to buy next, saying both the apple and the orange juice looked delicious.

‘......He’s going to bore a hole through her with his eyes at this rate?’

I looked at Cloden, whose eyes were dripping with honey as he gazed at Lena. He really couldn’t take his eyes off her for a single moment.

Watching the two of them made me feel like I had become invisible between them.

‘He’s definitely fallen hard. His gaze has been unusual since earlier.’

Cloden undoubtedly adored Lena.

In his own way, he packaged his courteous behavior as chivalry, but the tender feelings emanating from each of his kind actions towards Lena were so obvious that it was difficult not to notice.

“Hehe, it seems a precious young lady has come out for a stroll to enjoy the festival. If there are any fruits you desire, this old man will squeeze the juice for you on the spot. The bestsellers are the oranges and peaches here.”

“Then, please give me one glass each of orange, peach, and apple.”

“Of course. Please sit here and wait just a moment.”

Perhaps also running a cafe, there were several parasols and tables set up next to the stall. It was a sufficient spot to avoid the warm sunlight.

We sat around the wooden table, waiting for our juice to come. While waiting, Cloden insisted on standing behind us, maintaining the same steadfast guard he had shown throughout the festival.

However, perhaps it was difficult to refuse my and Lena’s repeated requests, as he eventually sat down next to Lena with an expression that said he had no choice.

‘......It’s a little awkward.’

Now that the three of us were sitting together, conversation didn’t come easily. To break the unnecessarily awkward atmosphere, I asked Cloden a casual question.

“Sir Cloden, I heard you are from a marquisate. Is that correct?”

“Yes, my father is Marquis Ritenhardt.”

Cloden, who had been cautiously looking at Lena’s profile, cleared his throat and answered. His reaction suggested he hadn’t expected to be asked a question.

I chuckled softly and looked back and forth between the two of them.

“And you’re probably not the eldest son. It seems usually the second or third sons take the path of a knight.”

“Ah, I am the eldest son. I have one younger sister and one younger brother. Regarding the succession of the family, it has been agreed that my younger brother will inherit it.”

“So, Sir Knight, your initial goal wasn’t to be the head of the family, but to join the Imperial Knights?”

Usually within the Empire, it was common for the eldest son to inherit the noble title.

There were cases where the second or third sons, coveting power, would cause disputes, but most of them realized their position and sought other paths.

The reason why there were many young nobles in the Knights Order also stemmed from this.

I had naturally assumed that Cloden wouldn’t be the eldest son, so it was quite surprising.

He gave a gentle smile and began to tell a story from the past.

“...Initially, I admired the Commander and joined the Order. Sir Harpin, I mean. Before he was Commander, he was my swordsmanship instructor. And the Commander, with his unwavering loyalty to His Majesty alone, is someone who is second to none in this Empire.”

“Ah, Sir Harpin, certainly.”

“He recommended me to the Knights Order. From the start, I was not greatly interested in noble titles. Thus, I had the mindset to try various things, and I didn’t plan to belong to the Knights Order for a very long time.”

But now Cloden was sitting in front of Lena and me as a knight. Curious about what came next, I urged him on.

“You weren’t?”

Cloden, with a faint smile, closed his eyes as if recalling a distant past and began his story.

“Not many days after I joined, that incident occurred... The events of that day are still vividly imprinted in a corner of my mind.”