I found myself thinking, if we couldn’t come up with any other themes, we should go with Wibble. It was the one who had brought us together, after all.
“I’m fine with Wibble,” I said.
“Fran, marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event. We should think it over carefully.”
“Gabriel, if you get divorced, you can marry as many times as you want!”
“Wibble! How could you say that?!”
“It’s true!”
“There are many things that must never be said out loud, even if they’re true.”
“Is this one of those ‘taboo’ things?”
“No, it’s not that extreme.”
“Hmm, sounds complicated,” Wibble said nonchalantly, not seeming to care.
Gabriel, on the other hand, seemed very concerned. “Goodness! Where do you learn those words?”
“It’s a secret!”
“It would be, wouldn’t it?!”
Their conversations were always so amusing. I couldn’t help but giggle.
“Fran laughed at me because of you,” Gabriel said accusingly.
“It’s because you’re funny!”
“No, it’s because you say strange things.”
I hoped they would leave their banter at that—I was laughing so hard, I shed tears.
There was a poultry farm on the way to our destination.
“Fran, do you mind if we stop by?” Gabriel asked.
“Not at all.”
The farm raised ducks for their meat and eggs. It was also staffed by fowl knights who took care of the ducks and guarded them from slimes and other dangers. The concept of knights protecting ducks seemed unusual to the rest of the world, so there were many tourists who wanted to see them. As a result, the fowl knights had recently set up a guided tour where they explained the ecology of ducks and how they were raised.
As usual, the fowl knights were busily running around from place to place. One of them noticed our presence and said, “Oh, Lord Gabriel and Lady Francette. Greetings.”
“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy,” said Gabriel.
“Don’t be! You’re always welcome here!” The knight explained that there were three tours scheduled for the day, so they had their hands full getting ready for them. “We’re planning out ways to make it more enjoyable for the tourists. We’ll let you know when our proposal is presentable.”
“I look forward to it.”
The man bowed and ran off to continue his work.
“I’m glad this facility is well received by the tourists,” said Gabriel.
“Indeed. I’ll have to bring the knights some sweets.”
The fowl knights were also looking after my duck, Alexandrine. I’d have to find time to think of a thank-you gift.
Next, we rode to Chagrin, Triste’s only village. Up until recently, it had been on the decline, with many vacant houses. But now, it was full of life, with crowds everywhere. The number of sightseers from the capital was increasing, and as usual, there was a line outside the Lakeside Duck Bakery’s store today.
Some children coming down the street spotted Gabriel and ran up to him with beaming smiles.
“It’s Lord Gabriel!”
“Lady Francette is here too!”
We were surrounded in the blink of an eye. In the past, the children had kept their distance, but now, they were very friendly with us. Their eyes sparkled as they updated Gabriel and me on the latest happenings in the village.
“I showed a visitor how to get somewhere and she said I was a good boy!”
“Me too!”
“My mom said all of the new customers are keeping her busy, but she’s happy.”
The increase in tourism had had a major impact on the lives of the local residents. I’d been afraid that our revitalization efforts were putting a strain on them, but much to my relief, it didn’t seem to be a problem.
“My big brother came back from the capital since there’s work for him here now.”
“My dad came back home! I’m so happy!”
From the sound of it, more and more people who had gone to work in the capital were returning. I sneaked a peek at Gabriel’s face and saw him listening to the children’s stories with a tearful expression.
They kept speaking to us one after the other, until the proprietress of a bakery passed by and yelled, “Are you kids crowding His Grace and Lady Francette again?!”
“Eek!” the children squealed in between giggles, scattering in all directions. Wibble ran ahead of them, as if leading the way. “It’s Wibble!” they exclaimed, cheerfully chasing after the slime.
Wibble was very popular with the village children and played with them every time we visited Chagrin. It had originally been my suggestion—I had asked, “Wibble, why don’t you play with the children?” And now, they were the best of friends.
Thanks to Wibble, the residents had become less afraid of tamed slimes, to the point where it was hard to believe that they used to fear Gabriel for bringing Wibble around with him. Their impression of him must have changed greatly, especially since he now visited the village more often.
The bakery proprietress gave the children an exasperated look before bowing apologetically to us. “I’m sorry the kids keep bothering you.”
“I don’t mind,” said Gabriel. “I enjoy listening to their stories very much.”
I nodded firmly in agreement. Through them, we were able to learn about the residents’ thoughts and feelings. To be honest, I was grateful for the children, because the villagers were always reluctant to share what was truly going on in their minds.
“Everyone might be busy today because we’re welcoming a tour group for the first time, but do relax and enjoy yourselves,” the proprietress said.
“Thank you.”
She seemed to be heading back from a delivery, so she left quickly.
“I didn’t realize the group tours started today,” I remarked.