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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: An Omen in the Sky
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Rose was holding my clothes.
“Here, Mera told me to give you these.”
I took the coat Rose handed me and put it on.
Then, Rose placed a fur hat with animal ears on my head and wrapped a scarf around my neck.
Once I had my gloves and fur boots on, I was finally ready to go out.
“I think I’m a bit overdressed…”
Whether I waddled or not, Rose looked pleased.
“If you take even one thing off, you’re not going out.”
It was an unfair threat.
I had no choice but to leave the room as I was.
The squirrel watched Kivrin leave with sad eyes, then flopped onto the cushion where it had hidden its walnuts.
I asked a nearby maid to take my diary back to my room. Then, taking Cesar, who had asked for a second chance, with us, I boarded the carriage.
“Oh, right, the Duke gave me an allowance. I’ll buy you anything you want, Young Lord.”
It had the downside of needing to be spent within a month, but an allowance was a good thing regardless.
I took an envelope out of my handbag.
“I haven’t checked it yet, but I’m sure he didn’t give me a small amount…”
Huh?
What is this?
I froze, peering into the envelope.
“What’s wrong?”
Rose asked, looking puzzled.
With a trembling hand, I picked up the contents.
“This is… more than just an allowance…”
Why is there a blank check in here?!
I could see that Menelik was just as determined to cherish me as Winter was.
I also knew that the House of Nectarian was ridiculously wealthy.
…Still, how is an eleven-year-old supposed to spend this in a month!
—*There’s plenty, so tell me if you need more.*
If I asked Menelik for an allowance just one more time, I felt like I could probably buy a castle in my name.
I quickly put the blank check back into the envelope.
Noticing my panic, Kivrin spoke up.
“Th-Then, shall we go to the shopping district? I have money too… and if we reveal our identities, we w-won't have to pay directly.”
Rose stared at Kivrin, surprised.
Kivrin used to avoid crowded places.
It was partly because he heard far more sounds than others, but also because his scaled face drew attention.
That's why I had thought that, at most, our outing today would be to a branch of a merchant guild run by a vassal, a place just a stone's throw from the castle.
Kivrin gave a bashful smile.
“I w-want to go too. I’ve covered my face with a scarf… and n-no matter how people look at me, you said you l-liked my face, Cheria, so it’s okay.”
S-so cute…!
Cute, admirable—anyway, Kivrin, who was all things good, told the coachman their destination.
A short while later, we arrived near the shopping district.
There were many shops and many people, but not a single leaf littered the streets. In terms of cleanliness, it felt even better maintained than the capital's square.
I was on guard, worried someone passing by might pick a fight with Kivrin.
However, the passersby coming from the opposite direction gave me more attention than Kivrin.
Some even smiled at me.
That’s strange. Why am I getting more attention?
Suddenly, I caught my reflection in the glass window of a music box shop.
The animal ears on my hat were flapping wildly on their own.
“…Rose, this hat is really eye-catching.”
Rose couldn't hide her laughter.
“What's wrong with it? You look like a waddling mammal. It's cute.”
“…”
Is she teasing me or complimenting me?
I grabbed the animal ears firmly.
In response, the ears flapped twice as hard, trying to escape my grasp.
“No wonder Mera insisted on recording you wearing the hat with a video stone. So this was why.”
Rose nodded.
I sighed and let go of the animal ears.
Well, I guess it's better than them staring at Kivrin.
As I tried to console myself and accept reality, Cesar, who had been silent, cautiously asked.
“As you know, I am not accustomed to escorting someone… but is it normally acceptable to walk side-by-side like this?”
Rose's face scrunched up.
“Are you and I the same? You walk behind.”
Immediately, Cesar took three steps back.
…I can't tell who's the knight commander and who's just a regular escort knight.
I went up to Rose and whispered quietly.
“Why are you being so mean to Sir Cesar?”
“He's weaker than me, and he almost got you hurt.”
Rose grumbled.
I was so flabbergasted I couldn't believe my ears.
“When I was worried about you, you told me not to nag like a mother.”
“…Ugh.”
Rose took a step back as if she'd been struck.
“O-On second thought, the knight commander has a point. We'll walk behind, so you two have fun.”
I watched with a dubious expression as Rose took Cesar and put a good distance between us.
“Young Lord, if I worry about you, do you also feel like a mother is nagging…”
“No.”
Kivrin answered with a serious expression before I could even finish my sentence.
And he denied it once more, firmly.
“Absolutely not.”
Soon after, Kivrin went to a nearby shop and came back with grilled corn. He placed it in my hand and even kindly lifted it to my mouth.
Did he think I was talking nonsense because I was hungry…?
But I guess I really was hungry. It's so delicious.
As I nibbled on it without stopping, Kivrin's expression softened a little.
“The s-servants said they b-buy this often. But you shouldn't eat too much. You p-pretend not to, Cheria, but you like unhealthy foods… so you have to p-pace yourself.”
When did he find out?!
Even Mera praised me for not being a picky eater!
My pupils quaked, but I kept nibbling away at the corn.
Suddenly, a toy store with a lavishly decorated entrance caught my eye.
Right, Kivrin's birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?
“Young Lord, is there anything you want for your birthday?”
“…Yes, there is.”
Kivrin answered my question right away.
I whipped my head around.
“What is it?”
“I-I'll tell you then.”
Seeing him answer so unhesitatingly, it must be something he really wants.
For now, I was glad Menelik had given me a blank check.
Hmm, I was thinking of returning it since it was too much, but maybe I'll hold onto it for a bit.
Since Kivrin was the first to celebrate my birthday, I wanted to do something just as special for him.
I'll have to rely on my father-in-law this time, but next time, I'll use my own money.
To do that, I'd need to be active outside, and for that, recovering my health was the top priority.
It's a sad thing to have information but lack the stamina to use it.
Suddenly, Kivrin stopped walking.
“Hm?”
Kivrin looked up at the sky.
I inadvertently lifted my head and scanned the sky as well.
A strange sound, which I was unsure of at first, was getting closer.
Soon after, a massive flock of birds shot across the sky.
Wh-what is that?
Passersby also stopped and began to murmur amongst themselves.
I overheard someone mention that they were birds that lived in the forest.
…My parents-in-law are in the forest right now, aren't they? This is an incredibly bad omen.
A moment later, the world, which had briefly darkened under the shadow of the birds, brightened again.
I gently let go of Kivrin's arm, which I had grabbed without realizing.
Kivrin wrinkled his nose as if listening intently to the surrounding sounds.
“Th-They might have trouble returning today. Th-there are too many monsters gathering.”
“Will Mother be alright?”
I didn't even want to imagine Winter getting hurt.
Kivrin looked at me, then turned toward the forest.
“We have t-to go.”
“I'm going too.”
We have two escort knights with us, after all! Even if they're both a little unreliable!
As we started back toward the carriage, Rose and Cesar immediately closed the distance.
During the carriage ride to the Waning Moon Forest, Kivrin's face contorted several times.
I mulled over the parts of that described monsters.
My sister had also subjugated monsters several times.
But it always ended in an instant, with the Saintess appearing and wiping out the monsters.
And she would always leave without a care for the aftermath.
…You didn't have to be *this* unhelpful, sister.
I rested my head on Kivrin's shoulder.
Kivrin flinched slightly but remained still, as usual.
As we neared our destination, Rose also seemed to sense something and twitched an eyebrow.
“Wow, with that many, it would be better to just burn the whole forest down. Shouldn't we bring a mage?”
