Chapter 29
A mysterious-looking old fortune-teller, her head covered by a deep hood, sat behind a table waiting for customers.
The faint light glowing from the crystal ball in front of her looked quite convincing.
“Oh, how about that one?”
“That looks even more foolish than you.”
“Ahaha, no way. There aren’t that many things like that in the world.”
“……What is that supposed to mean?”
“Come on, let’s go! This is all part of the festival’s charm!”
Lobelin grabbed Ian’s arm and pulled.
After a moment of hesitation, Ian gave in as if he couldn’t help himself and followed where she led.
“Young lady, you’ve got men swarming all around you.”
“Men? That can’t be right.”
“Aieee, you’re destined to go through all sorts of things because of men. So watch out for them! Watch out!”
“……What kind of nonsense is this?”
Ian’s brow furrowed deeply at the fortune-teller’s words, as she had been glancing at him while speaking.
He had come because Lobelin was curious, but hearing such unpleasant things didn’t sit well with him.
‘Men? Lobelyn Dines doesn’t even have a single gentleman to escort her home from a banquet.’
That was exactly why he had brought her to the festival himself.
She was definitely a fraud.
“Hmm, and……”
Meanwhile, the fortune-teller turned her wrinkled eyes toward Ian.
Ian stood with his arms crossed, casting a look of pure disbelief, but she remained unfazed.
After scrutinizing him for a moment, the fortune-teller spoke.
“I see that you……”
At the gaze that seemed to pierce right through him, Ian tensed up despite himself.
The fortune-teller parted her lips carefully.
“You’re the type to eat soup every morning before your meal.”
“……How did you know?”
Having his morning routine seen through, Ian’s arms instinctively uncrossed.
The Imperial Family’s diet was supposed to be kept strictly confidential for security reasons, yet a common street fortune-teller had figured it out!
‘I-is she not a fraud?’
Ian tried to act composed, but the bewilderment in his eyes was clear.
The woman before him had transformed from a hack into a mysterious being the likes of which he had never seen.
‘……Doesn’t everyone usually eat soup before a meal?’
Lobelin watched Ian with a slightly exasperated expression.
Before she knew it, Ian was nodding enthusiastically, hanging on the fortune-teller’s every word.
Even after they left the stall, Ian couldn’t hide his amazement for quite some time.
“Good heavens, I had no idea such a culture had developed among the people without my knowing. I truly was a frog in a well.”
“Um, I don’t think it’s quite that deep……”
Watching Ian marvel at his ‘mystical’ experience, Lobelin let out a small giggle.
The way this man got so excited over such a simple trick was cute—
‘Wait, what am I thinking!’
Ian Heriet is cute?
You’ve lost it, Lobelyn Dines!
Lobelin shook her head vigorously at the thought that had popped into her mind.
Seeing this, Ian came to a dead stop.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“O-oh, no!”
“Your face is red. Do you have a fever?”
Oblivious to Lobelin’s inner turmoil, Ian casually placed his hand on her forehead.
To Lobelin, the skin where Ian’s hand touched felt like it was burning up.
Just like on the balcony during the last banquet.
“A-aaah! No! It’s just, it’s hot! It must be summer soon! Right?”
Lobelin fanned herself repeatedly and looked away.
She desperately wanted to change the subject.
“Oh, that! I want to try that!”
At that moment, a shooting game caught Lobelin’s eye.
It was a classic festival game where you could win a doll by hitting it with a toy crossbow.
Instead of sharp tips, the arrows were tipped with round cotton balls for safety.
“What, that’s a child’s toy. If you want a doll, I’ll just buy you—”
But before Ian could finish his sentence, Lobelin hurried over and picked up a crossbow.
The bearded owner, with a thick mustache, quickly brought a set of arrows over to her.
“Do you really want to do that?”
“It’s fun. Where else would I get to do this if not at a festival?”
Lobelin took her stance as she spoke.
Whatever it was, she welcomed anything that could blow away her distracting thoughts.
Lobelin carefully chose her target.
‘Alright, let’s go for that white teddy bear.’
Just as she was concentrating and taking aim—
“Lobelin, you have to hold the front grip properly.”
“……Ah.”
Lobelin froze as she felt a solid chest press against her back.
Ian naturally covered Lobelin’s hand on the crossbow with his large hand.
‘T-this position is……’
Before she knew it, Ian was practically embracing her from behind.
Lobelin held her breath instinctively.
Unlike the tense Lobelin, Ian unhesitatingly held her hand and began teaching her how to hold the weapon.
“And brace it firmly against your shoulder. Like this.”
Ian pulled the arm holding the crossbow toward them, making the stock rest against Lobelin’s shoulder.
Their bodies pressed even closer together, making it look as though Lobelin was tucked perfectly into Ian’s arms.
‘Uh, this is……’
As Ian’s soft breath brushed against her ear, Lobelin was so flustered she couldn’t even breathe out.
Her head felt like it was spinning.
Her heart was thumping so loudly that she felt it might pop out of her chest if she let her guard down for even a second.
“Now, aim for the target. Which one do you want?”
“……That, that white bear over there.”
“Alright.”
Ian guided her arm, helping her aim the crossbow at the doll.
As if they were on a real hunt, Ian whispered in a voice only Lobelin could hear.
“Lobelyn Dines, marksmanship is all about momentum. Don’t take your eyes off the prey; let it know with your gaze that it’s already been captured.”
“It’s just a stuffed animal……”
“What does that matter? Even the Imperial Knights train with targets.”
As Ian teased her, his voice tickled her ear.
She wanted to shrink away, but Lobelin tried her best to keep her eyes wide and maintain her posture as he advised.
“Now.”
Thwack.
At Ian’s signal, the arrow she released in a daze flew straight ahead.
The cotton tip struck the teddy bear square in the chest, knocking it down before falling to the floor.
“Ho ho! This young couple sure are sharpshooters!”
The bearded owner chuckled heartily as he picked up the doll and handed it to Lobelin.
Lobelin took it carefully.
It looked quite similar to the teddy bears she had seen in her past life.
“I didn’t know you liked things like this.”
“I don’t know, it just reminds me of the old days. Anyway, thank you, Your Highness.”
“It was nothing. If you want, I can get you a few more.”
Ian smirked and reached for the crossbow again.
But this time, the owner quickly intervened.
“Aieee, once you win a prize, that’s it for today! I’ve got to make a living too, you know!”
The festival atmosphere grew livelier.
Soon, it was time for the fireworks Ian had wanted to see.
Lobelin and Ian were heading toward the square with the best view, each holding a chicken skewer in one hand.
Looking down at Lobelin as she happily munched on her skewer, Ian spoke.
“Lobelyn Dines. I only learned today that you like chicken skewers. I’m learning a lot about you today.”
“Oh, I love all chicken dishes. Grilled, fried, boiled—all of them.”
Lobelin nodded, her mouth full of chicken.
“Really? Then which do you like best?”
“Hmm……”
Lobelin gave Ian’s question some serious thought.
Come to think of it, there was one food she had missed since regaining her memories of her past life.
“Fried is good, but……”
Crispy chicken, lightly battered and fried to a golden brown in oil!
She missed ‘Chicken-nim’ terribly.
“I want to have ‘Chi-Maek’ by the Han River in the summer……”
Lobelin muttered thoughtlessly.
“Han River? Chi-Maek? What is that?”
“Oh, it just means I want to eat chicken with a cold drink by the water on a cool summer night.”
But seeing Ian tilt his head in confusion, Lobelin realized once again that she was a character in a novel.
‘Right, there’s no Han River Park or Chi-Maek here.’
She felt a fresh wave of regret.
“By the water at night? You really do say the strangest things sometimes.”
Ian teased her, but a wide smile was spread across his face.
Though he didn’t quite understand what she meant, he engraved the words ‘chicken dishes,’ ‘waterfront,’ ‘cool summer nights,’ and ‘cold drinks’ into his mind.
He assumed it was just some part of lady culture he wasn’t familiar with.
‘When I get back, I should ask Paula if she knows about—’
But Ian’s train of thought was cut short.
Lobelin had suddenly come to a complete standstill.
“Lobelin?”
“…….”
Lobelin was staring straight ahead with wide eyes.
Ian slowly turned his gaze in that direction.
‘Marquis Maxwell?’
