“Well, we have a rare opportunity to spend the day together, so I’ll roll with it. Let’s get going.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll devote myself fully to being your guide,” I responded, snapping to attention.
“I’m a servant for the day,” Cezar pointed out, “so don’t act so formal.”
“Sure. I’ll keep that in mind,” I responded, trying to act a bit more casual.
It was in this fashion that I kicked off my day of sightseeing with Cezar. Our first destination is...
“Wow, so this is the biggest bookstore in the city?” said Cezar cheerfully as he looked up at the building.
That’s right, the first place I chose to bring Cezar was the biggest bookstore in town. They had a rich assortment of different books, and always got the latest romance novels in stock very early, so this store was a favorite of mine (and my friends’). Cezar had said he wanted to learn as much as possible, so I’d brought him here based on the rather simplistic notion that study must equal books, but I was glad to see that he was enjoying himself.
“Not only are there a lot of storybooks, but they also have plenty of books related to agriculture,” I said enthusiastically, which earned me an eyebrow raise from Cezar.
“Books on agriculture? Why would a young lady like you need to look at books like that?”
Ah, right, I only briefly mentioned to Cezar that I keep a vegetable patch, and didn’t go into much detail.
Once I was finished giving him a rough explanation of my agricultural pastime, he immediately burst into laughter. This turned into a raucous belly laugh. People started to look at this beautiful man laughing his head off. But I had to wonder, what was so funny about the fact that I kept a vegetable patch as a hobby, and spent my days off dressed in work clothes diligently tending my plot? I thought it was actually a great way to get my body moving, which was good for my health, and once the vegetables were done growing you could eat them. I thought it was a hobby that had nothing but benefits. When I asked Cezar exactly what he was laughing about, he...just laughed even harder.
Hrmm, I really don’t get what cracks him up.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Cezar said when he finally finished laughing, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your hobby, but the idea of a young noblewoman—especially one of your status—wearing work clothes and tending a vegetable patch is just funny in and of itself. And I can imagine you happily toiling away so easily, which makes it even funnier.”
It appeared that, rather than finding my hobby itself to be amusing, it was the idea of a duke’s daughter working on a vegetable patch that cracked him up. Well, people are often quite shocked when I tell them.
“Erm, so, I think we got a bit sidetracked, but anyway, there are all kinds of books here, so I think you’ll be able to learn a lot,” I declared, while clenching my fists tightly.
For a moment, Cezar stared at me blankly.
“Is that right? So that’s why you brought me here. To learn. Well, thanks,” he said, smiling so broadly that I could see his snaggletooth.
Upon hearing Cezar’s words of thanks, I felt so relieved, after having worried about every aspect of today’s sightseeing trip. Together with a very cheerful Cezar, I stepped into the bookstore, and we walked around looking at all kinds of books.
Up until then, I’d only ever looked at the same kinds of books (romance novels and books on farming), but after Cezar showed interest in some books on subjects I’d never read about before, for the first time ever, I felt myself drawn to them as well. It was fun in a totally different way than walking around with my friends closely examining the latest romance novels, and time seemed to fly by.
When my stomach, always faithful to my own desires, started to rumble audibly, Cezar laughed and suggested that we go and get something to eat—so I led him to an eatery that had been on my mind. This eatery, where I often went incognito myself, reminded me of a small restaurant from my past life, so it had quickly become a favorite of mine. Even the food somehow tasted nostalgic. It wasn’t the kind of place royalty would normally visit, but I’d already been told not to worry about such things, so I eagerly guided Cezar there. Though, internally, I still felt a little bit nervous.
“This is tasty. The food here is really good,” said Cezar with a smile, which was a relief.
“Yes, it is. I absolutely love it, so I often come here,” I said happily, and Cezar smiled once again.
“Really? I feel honored to be brought somewhere you’re so fond of. Thanks.”
Cezar was smiling a lot today. And this was not the affected smile of a prince, but a natural smile of delight. Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but feel swept up in the moment and smile myself. I was his guide for the day, but Cezar really gave off the impression of being my escort, or perhaps my big brother. Before I could say anything he’d settled the bill at the restaurant, and once we stepped back out into the street he bought me a snack at a nearby street stall. I felt like I could count on him for anything.
“Cezar, you’re like a dependable big brother,” I blurted out without thinking.
“Really?” he replied. “I’m so used to being looked after by my elders, I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to me.” Then he grinned and said, “A dependable big brother, huh? That’s a new one, but it has a nice ring to it.” His expression reminded me more of a mischievous little rascal than the big brother I had just compared him to, but I decided it would be better to not say that.
After we finished our meal, my plan was to take Cezar to see a farm, since earlier he had seized upon my suggestion to learn about farming from a real farmer. I knew he had gone to observe how a lot of different jobs were carried out here, but apparently he hadn’t visited any farms yet. We got in my carriage and went to the farm that was closest to the city. After getting permission to enter, we were guided to the fields. Vast and wonderful, these fields stretched as wide as I could see and promised a bountiful harvest. One day, I hoped to grow a field of crops like that myself. One field in particular, which was planted entirely with golden ears of grain, was absolutely beautiful.
“How pretty. It’s like a sea of gold. Ah, I suppose it looks rather like your eyes too, Cezar.”