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“Th-thank you, Chairman….”

Sia, Rachel, and Wendy each held containers filled to the brim with strawberry ice cream.

“You didn’t have to buy us any… and this much….”

“If you’re thanking anyone, thank the Princess, not me.”

At those words, the silver-haired Princess, Bella, who stood beside Tristan, smiled softly.

“I just happened to be in line to buy ice cream. I thought I’d get Wendy some while I was at it….”

Feeling sorry for Wendy, who had dropped her ice cream, Bella joined the long line to buy more.

Wendy and her group would’ve had to wait over an hour, but Bella managed to get the ice cream in just a few minutes.

It wasn’t that Bella had used her status as a Duchess to cut in line. Above all, she was known for her upright character among people.

So, how did Bella manage to get the ice cream so quickly?

It was simply because the man standing behind her was overwhelmingly intimidating.

Even to Wendy, Tristan didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

He had repeatedly emphasized to Wendy, as a maid of the Ruelberta Family, to maintain her dignity. Though he didn’t say it, her dropping the ice cream must have displeased him.

The people in line could also sense his discomfort.

As far as Wendy knew, Tristan was the only person who could express “Wrath” without saying a word.

When he got angry, the atmosphere around him changed completely. The people of the Count’s family knew this well and were careful not to provoke him.

Eventually, the people in line began to give up their spots one by one.

Bella tried to refuse, but they insisted on letting the two of them go to the front.

“Really… this is why the Count’s reputation is still bad. What kind of Chairman threatens people like that?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were giving off such a scary vibe that people would think you’d kill them if they didn’t move. You didn’t need to say anything.”

“They were just kind people who happened to let us go. Consider yourself lucky.”

“Unbelievable….”

Bella shook her head in disbelief.

Tristan bought a ton of ice cream for Wendy and the other two.

Sia, who had been particularly looking forward to the ice cream, couldn’t hide her joy as she held her container filled to the brim.

“Thank you… but how did you manage to get so much? They only sell one per person….”

“Did they? I didn’t notice.”

“Hmm… really? You didn’t know, Count?”

“They were selling, so I bought. I guess they wanted to sell me a lot.”

Tristan answered nonchalantly, glancing at the ice cream in Wendy’s hand.

“…With that much, it’s fine if you drop a few.”

“S-sorry….”

“No need to apologize. It’s not your fault.”

“Okay….”

Wendy hung her head, feeling down.

Why did she always end up looking so clumsy in front of him? It was embarrassing.

“Well, anyway, it’s a treat from our Chairman, so enjoy it.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

“Then we’ll be going now. Have a great festival, everyone.”

Bella hugged Tristan’s arm.

To anyone watching, they looked like a loving couple. Complex emotions bubbled up in Wendy’s heart—none of them good.

Wendy knew.

These were ugly, weak emotions like jealousy and frustration. Knowing that, she could only suppress them inside.

‘It’s fine… they’re not in that kind of relationship yet….’

As she repeated this to herself, Rachel unexpectedly spoke up.

“By the way, what’s your relationship?”

“Hic?!”

Wendy was so startled she hiccuped.

She hadn’t expected Rachel to ask so directly.

Bella, amused, responded to the question.

“Hmm… what do you think?”

“Uh… it looks like you’re dating.”

“Really? Hehe… I guess it does seem that way.”

“So, are you two really…?”

“Well….”

Bella touched her cheek, looking troubled.

The silver ring on her finger glinted.

“Well, let’s just say we’re more than lovers but less than married.”

“Huh?”

“In other words….”

“We’re neither lovers nor married.”

But it wasn’t Bella who answered Rachel’s question—it was Tristan.

“Shh! Count, you should stay quiet.”

“Don’t order me around.”

“Really! Instead of helping, you keep making things worse.”

Bella poked Tristan’s side, looking disappointed. Even their bickering made them seem like a couple.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Suddenly? Oh, come on… Well, we’ll be going then. Have a great time, everyone.”

Tristan turned away indifferently, with Bella clinging closely to his side.

As they walked away, Rachel muttered.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but they look good together… those two.”

“Yeah….”

“…….”

Rachel’s opinion was met with agreement from Sia, but Wendy remained silent.

*

How long had we been walking around?

Before we knew it, the sun was about to set.

“That was delicious….”

Blanshe, sitting across from me, wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Helga, having finished her meal, put down her fork.

“Phew. I’m full… thanks to the Count, we get to enjoy such luxuries even during work.”

The four of us shared various festival foods together.

Why four instead of two? It started when Bella called over Blanshe, who happened to be nearby. She must have felt sorry for the loyal Blanshe, who was skipping meals even at the festival.

Following the same logic, I called over Helga, who was also nearby.

The four of us gathered at a table set up in a corner of the festival and enjoyed a cheerful dinner.

Thinking about it, if there had been alcohol, it would’ve been no different from a real university festival.

The street food sold here was no different from Korean street food.

“Is this yakitori? Grilled over charcoal, it’s flavorful and easy to eat with your hands.”

“The stir-fried intestines on the iron plate were spicy and delicious. The texture was surprisingly fun.”

Listening to Bella and Blanshe, I realized that the nobles and knights of this world didn’t stand on ceremony when it came to food.

This was probably one of the Easter eggs my younger sibling had planted while adapting the original work into a game. That’s why I sometimes found familiar foods in places like this.

“Count, you’re surprisingly good at eating raw fish, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Bella was talking about sashimi.

I never thought I’d get to eat sashimi in this world. Among the festival stalls, there was one called “Kruger” that prepared and sold fresh fish as sashimi on the spot.

I tried it on a whim, and it tasted exactly like flounder sashimi. Having not eaten it in so long, the taste felt exceptionally good.

Helga stretched and spoke up.

“I hope we didn’t intrude on your time together. Princess.”

“…Not at all. Hehe. No matter what, you have to eat, right? If you’re going to protect us, you need to eat properly.”

“I’m truly happy that you’re concerned for us, Princess.”

Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt like a huge wall had formed between Bella and Helga.

It seemed like they were subtly checking each other, but it was probably just my imagination. Maybe.

“Ah…! Everyone, look at this.”

Blanshe let out a small gasp, pointing to the flower petals falling above us.

“Wow….”

As night fell, the “Flower Scented Years” finally began to shine. True to its name, it emitted a bright light and a rich fragrance.

‘This scent…….’

It was different from the one I had smelled before.

The Flower Scented Years, just beginning to fall, smelled sweet like flowers but also fragrant like pastries.

The petals falling around us created a spectacle beyond words.

Like falling shards of stars, they adorned the darkening night.

The beautiful sight left us all momentarily speechless.

Then, Bella whispered softly in my ear.

“Count.”

“…?”

“Don’t you think it’s a shame to part ways like this after such a rare day?”

Bella’s hand gently grasped mine under the table.

Amid the Flower Scented Years petals falling like fireflies, she gazed at me with a distant look in her eyes.

“Can’t you… stay with me just a little longer?”

 

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