I turned around nervously.
I couldn’t read the expressions of the people in the crowd. I had no idea what those hundreds of men and women thought of me, Lord Kyros’s fiancée. However, I could hear them. Their cheers, clapping, and congratulations rained upon us, wrapping us in their warmth.
I was so surprised that my eyes widened in shock. All I could see were smiling faces. Well, there were a couple of displeased women, but they weren’t looking down at me in contempt. Rather, they seemed…envious.
At Lord Kyros’s encouragement, I waved at the crowd. The cheers got louder, and Lord Kyros started waving too.
“In roughly two months, we’ll hold our engagement ceremony,” he shouted. “I’ll open the gates and welcome everyone at the banquet, regardless of rank. You won’t need an invitation, so tell your friends and families! Everyone will be welcome! And let me tell you, the food at the Granado Castle is great!”
The loudest cheers of the day echoed in the coliseum.
From that moment, time flew by in a blur, and before I knew it, evening had fallen.
The coliseum was now closed off to the public, and the inner court where all the stalls had been erected was almost devoid of people. The stalls that had sold out their merchandise were almost done packing up, while the others had put their goods on sale.
Mio seemed to have been eagerly awaiting this chance, and I watched quietly as she descended upon stall after stall to purchase up all their leftover food.
My nerves hadn’t quite yet settled from watching all the fierce fights, but now I also felt an indescribable loneliness as I watched the crowd retreat like the tide. This day really is over… Somehow, the realization made me even sadder.
The armored carriage that had taken us here was likely waiting for us at the gate. If we rode it, we’d be back at Granado Castle in no time.
We’d walked a lot today, so I was sweaty and covered in dust. Tunica would pounce on me as soon as she saw me.
I remembered how worried Thomas had been before we left. And I wanted to tell Johan that his flower beds were far lovelier than the ones here. Would Toppo be sad if I told him I’d eaten so much that I wasn’t hungry enough for dinner? If I really had to, I could probably fit in a few bites, but…
No, I should talk to him. If I just ask him if I can have my dinner later, I’ll have room again.
Ah! I almost forgot! I looked around and ran up to one of the stalls that was the closest to the door that led to the coliseum.
The shopkeeper was yawning, and he slowly lifted his head when I arrived.
“Welcome. Would you like to try peeling an apple?” he said.
“Yes, please!” I exclaimed.
He seemed to suddenly remember me, and he scratched the back of his head. “Sorry ’bout what happened earlier. His Highness wouldn’t stop messing around.”
“It’s all right. Thank you for defending me. But please, let’s forget about that so I can finally take on your challenge.”
“Ha ha ha! You’re really motivated, aren’t you? You’re a strange one, you know that?” He noticed me taking out a coin, and he immediately added, “You don’t need to pay. You did earlier.”
“Thank you! Heh heh, I’m itching to have a go!”
I rolled up my sleeves and accepted the apple and knife the shopkeeper handed me. I was ready to begin when someone grabbed my apple from behind me. Again?!
I turned around to find not the prince, but my fiancé.
“Lord Kyros! You’re finished cleaning up?”
He nodded. His armor was off, and I assumed the clothes he was currently wearing were the outfit he’d worn at the royal palace: a long mantle over an azure tunic adorned with an exquisitely embroidered hawk. He was so handsome and dignified that I couldn’t help thinking he was worthy of sitting on the throne.
Lord Kyros played with the apple in his hand. He looked at me, then at the big sign hanging in front of the stall, and then he started to hum. “Seems like fun. I’ll have a go too,” he said, giving the shopkeeper a copper coin.
He took the knife the man handed him and started peeling the apple with a serious expression. The gap between his handsome, focused face and what he was doing made me laugh.
“You’re good at this, Lord Kyros. Do you cook?” I asked.
“I often have to camp outside,” he said. “I don’t know much about complicated seasonings, but I can put a meal together. It’s my first time peeling an apple, though. I like to eat them as they are.”
These last words reminded me of the silver-haired prince, and I asked, “Has His Highness woken up?”
“I just did,” a voice came from behind.
Lord Kyros was even more surprised than me, and he broke the peel. “Ah! This is all your fault, Luifon. You’d better try your hand at this too now—it’s the only way society can forgive you for your crime.”
“This is a travesty of justice!” the prince shot back with a frown.
The shopkeeper didn’t give Prince Luifon any time to argue and just offered up two apples with a smirk. Lord Kyros took both apples and pushed one into Prince Luifon’s hands. The prince didn’t react and simply stared at the apple annoyed. Nevertheless, Lord Kyros didn’t insist and just started on his own apple.
“Urgh. I failed again. Is there a trick, Marie?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “First, you should hold it upside down and start with the bottom, not the part with the stem. It’s softer, so you’ll have an easier time getting your knife under the skin.”
I demonstrated it for him.
“Oh! It’s true!” Lord Kyros said.
“Then, you put the apple down on the counter and turn it sideways, like this. You have to press on it lightly to rotate it as you go. Try to peel as thinly as you can, but if you catch the flesh too, it’ll break.”
“A thin layer, huh? That’s the hard part. You’re really good at this, Marie.”
His praise made me so happy that I trembled slightly. I stopped my hands for a moment, and looked down, giggling.
“I’m not that good at cooking either,” I said. “But I used to do everything I could to maximize the edible parts. It was quite literally a matter of life or death, so…”
Lord Kyros knitted his brow at first, but after a few seconds, he smiled.
“I like this side of Marie. She looks frail, so I get the urge to protect her, but the truth is she’s unexpectedly strong and reliable,” he whispered, peeling his own apple.
He wasn’t talking to me, but to the prince. Unlike when he spoke to me, there was no trace of sweetness, shyness, or playfulness in his tone. Rather, he sounded calm and matter-of-fact.
“If Marie is with me against her will, I won’t stop her from leaving,” he added. “If I did, I’d be no better than her father; I’d essentially just be buying her from him. That’s not what I want.”
Prince Luifon shrugged. “And if she stays? Are you telling me you’re enjoying acting like a fool and doting on a woman who doesn’t care for you one bit?”
“Oh, I am,” Lord Kyros declared. The prince raised an eyebrow at the statement, but Lord Kyros smiled softly. “I’m having fun—a lot more fun than I ever thought I could have. Ever since Marie came to my castle, I’ve been enjoying myself every single day, no matter what I’m doing. Even when I have to leave for work and can’t see her for several days in a row, the thought that she’s waiting for me at home brings me joy. As long as she’s getting along well with my servants and having a good time, that’s all I need. Even if she doesn’t like me now, I get excited thinking about how we might grow closer in the future. It might take years for us to become husband and wife in the real sense of the term, but I’m not in any rush. I’ll just keep loving her and doting on her happily until that day comes.”