Chapter 148
“The trio’s here…”
Seeing their bustling footsteps, I let out an awkward little laugh.
“Good luck.”
Feyden burst into loud laughter, then, at the sight of the three aunties heading straight for my shop, sprang up from his seat and went up to the second floor.
Even if he never helped with the work, he usually stayed where he could see me under the pretense of protecting me, but the reason he fled so completely this time was none other than…
“Estira!”
“We’re here!”
“This place still isn’t fully organized.”
“My goodness! Did you go to Rupine Bakery?”
“Oh my! I sent my son there today, but they said everything was already sold out!”
“Haha. Welcome.”
It already felt like my ears were bleeding.
After setting up outdoor tables in front of the shop, I was forcibly dragged into the aunties’ tea time. I couldn’t bring myself to truly hate these chatty women, because every time they came, they treated me like a daughter and brought this and that to stuff into my mouth, all out of genuine warmth.
In truth, this trio of aunties was a relationship I had deliberately worked to build. In this market, notorious for its harsh territorialism, a young girl like me with no connections surviving here had about the same odds as a private surviving on a battlefield.
Because of that, I kept an eye on the aunties who had strong influence and a bit of power in this market, visited them every day, buttered them up shamelessly, and brought all kinds of gifts until I finally managed to win their favor.
The skills I’d honed in Korea, sweet-talking convenience store owners into ordering new products, really shone here.
“Why are you so skinny? Here, eat some more of this, Estira.”
“Aren’t you an adult now? But your body’s skinnier than the little one in our house…”
“This is really yummy!”
On the surface, it might have looked like a trivial affair of eating tasty food and chatting, but this was all work. And very important work at that.
If I fell out of favor with this trio of aunties, I might as well kiss doing business here goodbye. It was dirty and petty, but isn’t that just how the world works.
Today too, I ate Auntie Noi’s horribly tasteless madeleine and clapped like a trained seal. If Feyden had seen this, he probably would’ve muttered something like, “Pathetic. Truly pathetic,” with a cold sneer.
To hide the trembling at the corners of my mouth, I lifted my teacup and covered my lips.
“But your birthday’s in December, right? I heard you applied early for your baptism ceremony.”
“Isn’t that allowed?”
I’d heard you could apply for any baptism ceremony held in the year you turned twenty. Was that wrong?
Since I’d applied for the earliest one in April, I looked at Auntie Rose, who’d brought it up, with unease.
“No, I mean, it is allowed. I just heard that person is also receiving baptism at the April ceremony.”
“That person?”
“You know…”
Aunt Rose suddenly lowered her voice and glanced around the empty shop as if checking for prying eyes. At her gesture telling me to come closer, I blinked and quietly leaned in.
“Duke Ragnar’s lost son.”
“Really? I heard he was already an adult last year.”
“Well, yes. But they say that since the Duke announced he’d found his son right around the time he was supposed to receive his baptism, it got postponed by a year.”
“Oh my. Then Estira, you’ll get to see the Young Duke’s face there?”
They say he’s handsome, a perfect copy of the Duke!
The trio of aunties excitedly slapped each other’s arms and burst into giggles.
But in that cheerful atmosphere, I alone couldn’t smile.
‘Declan’s attending the same baptism ceremony I’m going to? And his ceremony should’ve been held last year, but got delayed because the announcement came late?’
I closed my eyes slowly, then opened them again, turning the thought over and over.
They could’ve made the announcement at any time, so the reason they waited until after his coming-of-age birthday… could it be.
‘No. That can’t be.’
The ducal household could have any number of unspoken circumstances, and it’s not like I’m the only one attending the April ceremony. Young adults turning twenty from all over the country would be gathering there…
The idea that Declan deliberately delayed the announcement just to attend the April ceremony was far too forced.
“Haha. Is that so? That’s news to me too. If I see him in person there, I’ll be sure to tell you.”
“Oh my. You’re so lucky. They say he hasn’t really shown his face publicly yet, so even nobles who’ve seen him are few.”
“That’s why there’s a rumor that all the young masters coming of age this time applied for the April ceremony.”
“I wonder how crowded it’ll be.”
The baptism ceremonies, held three times a year, were famous enough to be talked about even in foreign countries. Because of that, people living far away would deliberately spend time and money to come up to the central temple in the capital to receive baptism.
And now, on top of an event that already drew massive crowds, rumors had spread that Declan would be participating, so it wasn’t hard to imagine just how many people would gather.
“……”
Declan.
That name, which had truly faded in my memories until I came to the capital, had been coming up often lately.
Maybe because of that, a small curiosity stirred. How had he grown up? What kind of face did he have now?
Would I be able to catch even a fleeting glimpse of him at the baptism ceremony?
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