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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Day at the Market
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The next day, Mabel went out with Ella to explore the Grand Ducal Castle.
"Alright now~ Are you all ready~?"
"Yes!"
Mabel, holding onto the rabbit doll backpack straps Ella had fastened for her, replied with an excited face.
Wearing puffy pumpkin pants under her skirt for ease of movement, Mabel was truly as cute as a doll.
Perhaps because her pigtails were tied low, she looked just like a lop-eared rabbit.
"Oh my goodness~ Even though I dressed you, you're so cute~!"
Ella, who had been bouncing around with joyful squeals, came to her senses.
"Now~ What did I tell you~? First, be careful of people; second, be careful of people; and third~?"
"Be careful of people! And if you see anyone even slightly suspicious, call for me right away!"
Mabel quickly answered, having heard these warnings endlessly since yesterday.
But Ella couldn't quite stop her worried nagging.
While she understood Ella's concern, Mabel now really wanted to get into the carriage and leave.
'But this is my first time seeing a market!'
As if fate had it that the day she went out was market day, a market was indeed set up today in the inner city where Mabel would explore.
Because she had heard the news yesterday, Mabel was so excited she couldn't sleep properly.
Of course, this was new to her.
'It's not even in my memories!'
Yes, memories.
After realizing this world was actually inside a novel, Mabel vaguely wondered if she might be a 'Reincarnator.'
But if that were the case, there was something a little strange.
'I don't know who I was in my previous life.'
Strangely, while concepts of 'modernity' popped clearly into her mind, there was no news about herself.
So perhaps she even thought it might not be a typical reincarnation.
Not that there was such a thing as a 'typical' reincarnation in the first place.
Anyway, only after Mabel listened to Ella's nagging for a long time again was she finally able to head to the inner city.
***
"We've arrived. This is where the market is held today."
The coachman opened the door for them and explained kindly.
"Alright, please step out~ Miss~"
Ella, who had stepped out first, offered her hand to Mabel.
"Thank you!"
Mabel, with a fluttering, excited heart, stepped out of the carriage.
And at the surrounding scenery she immediately took in, Mabel's chest swelled greatly.
"Hahaha! This isn't an opportunity that comes every day!"
"That's too expensive, please give me a discount!"
"As for this carpet, it's from the far-off south~"
The lively voices of the people filling the market were bustling.
It was chaotic, but it uplifted people just as much.
"Wow...!"
At the makeshift stalls and displayed goods filling the street, Mabel unconsciously gasped in admiration.
On Mabel's face, from too much excitement, there was even a rosy flush of warmth.
"Hehe~ How is it~? Isn't it amazing~?"
"Yes!"
Mabel tightly held Ella's hand, and her eyes sparkled brightly.
When she had come into the Grand Ducal Castle last time, she had come straight along the main road and hadn't known.
That it was wide enough for so many stalls!
"The market held in the inner city is smaller than the one in the city below, but it's quite substantial~ Many foreign goods come in too~"
Mabel listened to Ella's explanation and nodded her head vigorously.
Her body was itching to wander around quickly.
Although she had come to the inner city with a purpose, Mabel was already engrossed in market sightseeing.
Therefore, Mabel didn't realize.
"Isn't that Ella, who works at the Grand Ducal Castle?"
"Uh-huh, I think so. Then who's the child next to Ella?"
"Now that you mention it, Josette, who delivered goods to the Grand Ducal Castle, said something. That His Grand Ducal Highness had bought things for a little girl."
"Ah, I've heard that too. That the maids chatter about 'young miss' all day long."
"Right! No wonder the knights, who usually wouldn't even glance at them, were buying little girl's accessories one by one!"
"It's a face I've never seen before... No, wait. Why is her eye color like that?"
That the voices of the people, who had been chattering boisterously, were gradually quieting down.
The gazes of the people buying and selling goods and hawking slowly gathered on Mabel.
They lowered their voices and whispered.
"You're right, her eyes are red!"
"Red? Then, surely...?"
"So that's why, this is why!"
The murmuring of the people grew louder and louder, until Mabel couldn't help but notice.
Mabel, suddenly coming to her senses, realized that people's gazes were fixed on her.
'Huh? Me? Why?'
Now that she looked, they had stopped what they were doing, gathered in a circle, and were looking at Mabel with interest.
'Wow, they were really staring!'
Once she realized, the pressure from their gazes was no joke.
Mabel, who was wondering why, remembered something that struck her.
'Ah, perhaps... they realized I'm from the Ashilonia Family?'
It was a plausible reason.
That the relationship between Esclid and Ashilonia was bad was a widely known fact.
Although the reason wasn't widely known in detail, among the residents of the territory, even large and small disputes would occasionally break out.
'The Grand Ducal Castle people didn't care, but others wouldn't.'
She should have naturally been careful, but she had melted into the warmth of the Grand Ducal Castle family and overlooked it.
Mabel's eyes, which had been sparkling with anticipation, became a little scared.
It was understandable, as they were staring from all directions without giving her a moment to breathe.
At this, Ella lowered her body, met Mabel's gaze, and spoke kindly.
"Hmm~ The escort knight is a little late~ My legs are hurting, shall we get in the carriage and wait~?"
In fact, Ella had noticed the change in people early on.
But she had thought it would die down before Mabel noticed, and that was a misjudgment.
"Let's get in the carriage, us~ It seems it will take a little while for the escort knight to arrive~"
Ella moved a little closer and playfully shook the hand she was tightly holding.
Thanks to this, Mabel could hide herself from people's gazes and at the same time, focus only on Ella.
But both Ella and Mabel knew.
That getting into the carriage was only a temporary measure.
Perhaps they might have to give up on seeing the market today.
"Yes..."
It was then that Mabel nodded glumly.
*Thud!*
Someone stomped their foot on the dry ground.
Startled people looked at the source of the sound.
There, a giant man, easily over 2 meters tall, stood tall.
Mabel, surprised too, looked at him.
The man, wearing light armor only where necessary, such as on his forearms and shoulders, was surveying his surroundings with a cold gaze.
The market, hot with the vitality and fervor of a bustling crowd, seemed to instantly cool down.
Soon, as the man moved, the people who had surrounded Mabel hastily made way for him.
Ella, who had been sitting in front of Mabel, slowly rose.
Ella, as if protecting Mabel, stepped forward and faced off against the giant man.
A tense atmosphere flowed between the two of them.
And at that moment,
"I apologize for being late."
The giant man knelt on one knee in front of Ella.
What on earth was this situation?
As Mabel just rolled her eyes, Ella, uncharacteristically, replied in a cold voice.
"Because you were late, our young lady suffered a hardship~ How will you compensate her~?"
Her singing-like tone was still there, but it was clear she was thoroughly angry.
At this, the man, who had been silently bowing his head, stood up and asked for Ella and Mabel's indulgence.
"Excuse me."
"Go ahead~"
It was right after Ella answered that she immediately covered Mabel's ears.
"What are you looking at?! Is this a show?! Have you never seen a cute kid before?! Aren't you going to do what you're supposed to?! Damn it, should I make up my mind and raid your stalls?! There's no one from whom not even a speck of dust comes out when shaken! Get your eyes off her and do what you're supposed to!"
The man took a deep breath with a *swoosh*, then shouted thunderously.
It was such a loud and fierce roar that even though Ella had covered her ears, it could be clearly heard.
Still, it was fortunate they hadn't heard it with bare ears.
Some people were tapping near their ears, saying their ears were ringing.
