There was a bit of scuffle as they left the front gate, but Siella and Nina safely left the Duke’s mansion in the end. The rain, which had been getting thicker and thicker, slowly weakened and then stopped altogether; the sky was still hazy.
“It’s good that we didn’t take the carriage.” Nina said, leading Siella further down the path. “It’s easy to have accidents on days like this.”
Looking up at the cloudy sky, Nina held the wet umbrella in her hand. Following Nina, Siella looked up at the sky and slightly nodded her head.
Ever since she had that accident, Siella found it difficult riding a carriage. Still, she couldn’t stay afraid of riding carriages, so she had to work hard.
“Besides, the roads are slippery, and the coachman must have driven the carriage very slowly.” Nina glanced at Siella’s face as they walked in silence. “That’s why I’m glad that we didn’t take the carriage. Even if we did, we might have gotten to the marketplace later than we would have on foot.”
“Yes, that would have happened.”
She could tell that she (Nina) was saying this out of concern that she (Siella) might have been upset. Siella nodded her head with a slight smile at what Nina said in a brighter voice than usual.
She didn’t know how it would look to other people, but right now, Siella was in a better mood than she had been from any time in the recent days. It was good to walk with Nina now, the umbrella swaying gently as she trudged along. She could feel Nina’s concern for her the whole time, walking at her pace as if to protect her, and she was grateful for that.
Siella hadn’t felt so at ease in a long time. The farther they got from the mansion, the more she could feel like she could finally breathe! She even felt the cold feeling in her stomach, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. She could breathe much easier than yesterday when she first left the mansion by herself.
There was a huge world outside the mansion, and it made her realize how refreshing it is to just walk around.
I should have spent more time outside, just doing things. I wonder what I was so afraid of that I locked myself inside the mansion all these years…. I am out here, free to roam as I please, and nothing happens to me. I should have been more courageous.
(T/N: They say that when you take the first step, it’s easier to take the next ninety-nine. Wishing that all of us can have the courage to take one step to face each of our fears [sending virtual hugs])
“I think the air exceptionally felt clean because it had just rained.”
“Mmhmm, I’m sure the air in Jenard is even better.”
They reached the market street with light steps. There were fewer people coming and going than yesterday, maybe due to the rain, but the streets were still filled with a lively atmosphere.
“Speaking of which, it will be the festival period in a few days.”
“Festival?”
“Yes, it’s almost spring.”
A chill breeze blew in, causing Siella to pull her shawl tighter around her and look back at Nina.
“Ah… it’s already that time.”
Yes, there would be a festival here when the weather became warmer. It was the biggest festival in the region with a long tradition, welcoming spring and wishing for a safe new year.
Siella had been here for five years, yet she had never been to the festival. Now that Edwin is back, the festival is sure to be even bigger than before. The thought of leaving without seeing it made her feel a little bittersweet, but Siella smiled, nonetheless.
“Nina, have you ever been to the Spring Festival?”
“No, I had only arrived in the Duchy last year in spring…. Uh, come to think of it, I won’t be able to see the festival this year as well. Maybe next year?”
Nina scratched her cheek and giggled, a big smile on her face, and held the door open for her. Thank you, Siella softly said. Siella entered the shop first, and Nina naturally followed her inside.
The store’s clerk who had been glancing at Siella’s appearance in the distance, sneaked up on her and asked, “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“I’m just looking to see if there’s anything I can carry for self-defense.”
In response to Siella’s reply, the clerk gestured to one side of the store.
“Ah, in that case, I think you should focus on the daggers. They are over there, I’ll show you.”
“Okay.”
As they followed him, Nina whispered in Siella’s ear, “There’s not much here. There’s nothing we can do as there’s only one weapon shop on this street….”
“Really?”
Siella looked around the shop, which was filled with the distinctive smell of metal. It was dotted with displays of weapons and armors of various shapes and sizes that she couldn’t identify.
“Looks about right to me.”
“Uhm, no, it doesn’t. Everything here is rubbish.” Nina said with a serious face. “I think we should just buy something reasonably cheap and carry it around us, and then go to Jenard to buy something proper.”
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
I’ll listen to the expert. Siella smiled and nodded, then looked back at the clerk who was talking to her.
“But why would a person like looking for a self-defense weapon when you have a bodyguard…?”
“Why would you want to know that?”
As soon as the clerk asked in curiosity, Nina leaned in close and cut him off with a threatening look.
“Why don’t you just give us a product recommendation instead of asking stupid questions?”
“What? Oh, no, I was just asking out of pure curiosity….”
“Then why are you curious? No, forget it, go away.”
“What?”
“We’ll make our own choice, so don’t talk to us and go away.”
“…”
The clerk hesitantly backed away from Nina’s strong pressure. Even as he turned to another shelf, he glanced back at Siella’s direction. He couldn’t look at them anymore as Nina let out a threatening sound to him.
“In any case, people who run these stores, when they see someone who looks like a noble, they will try to talk to them for as long as possible.”
Nina clicked her tongue as she glanced at the clerk, who stood silently in the corner of the shop with his tails between his legs.
“Siella, let’s buy the cheapest things here and get the hell out of here, okay?”
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
After Siella bought the items she needed for the trip to Jenard, she brought them all back to the inn. She then took Lena, who was guarding her luggage, out to eat at a nice restaurant and before she knew it, it was evening.
“Then tomorrow, we’re just going to stop by the bank and then hit the road?”
“Mmhmm.”
Siella nodded in response to Lena’s words as they arrived in front of the inn.
She had been walking around the streets all day, and she had gotten most of the work done. All that remained for her to do was to go to the bank and send the cash held in the vault in her name to the bank in Jenard. The last time she visited the bank, she only took out the cash she needed right away and set the date for her next visit. It was because Siella had yet to decide where to go at that time.
“As you requested, I’ve arranged a business carriage.”
It will take about three full days to take a trip from the Duchy to Jenard, assuming that thy were traveling nonstop. But that was only a journey Lena or Nina could make, their bodies hardened by years of mercenary service. If they rested their horses along the way, fed Siella, and rented lodging for a night, it would take them a generous week to reach Jenard. The last thing they wanted to do was to starve a weak young lady or leave her sleeping in the middle of nowhere.
Lena found a coachman who would be responsible for their long journey. The coachman was named Gary, and the carriage he was assigned by the business office was well-maintained and clean.
“I will load the luggage into the carriage in advance, so Siella can comfortably do the bank job tomorrow and come here.”
“Okay, thank you.”
After making sure that Lena had returned to her quarters, Siella and Nina headed straight to the Duke’s mansion. Upon their return, the Duke’s mansion was unexpectedly noisy, hard to believe as it was a place that was usually as tranquil as a haunted mansion.
“What’s going on?”
Siella pondered, but soon shrugged it off and continued on her way. She wondered inwardly at the absence of the knights who should be guarding the main entrance day and night since Edwin’s return but didn’t think much of it.
But before she could get past the garden and reach the long staircase leading to the main building of the mansion, Siella was unexpectedly stopped in her tracks. She was suddenly surrounded by a group of knights who came running out of nowhere.
“Duke, we found her!”
“The Lady is here!”
(T/N: This Eschert is really stupid, isn’t he? [roll eyes] He keeps getting on my nerves.)
