Chapter 77
After quietly finishing the bread, Noctis stared at his now empty hand for a moment, then turned his head and spoke casually to her, who was still eating.
“…Ella, I want more.”
“Really?”
As if she had been waiting for that, she took out her pouch again. Clink, clink. The clear sound of copper coins hitting each other rang out. With a proud expression, she added,
“Pick as much as you want to eat, Noct.”
“Ahaha!”
He burst into laughter again. When Lucian had told him to go out, he had not expected much. He had been a little excited, but that was not all.
In fact, the anxiety that had weighed more heavily on his heart melted away in an instant.
After receiving another piece of bread, Noctis finally looked around at the surroundings. Seeing the lively street, unchanged from what he remembered of the outside, a hope rose within him that someday he could walk here with her in his true appearance.
It did not matter even if that time came when he was already an old man.
Yes, someday.
Because everything eventually comes to an end.
Crunch. The bite felt especially good. He tightened his arm around the one she had linked with his. It felt as though the emptiness that had filled his chest for so long had lessened just a little.
* * *
Only after quite some time were the two finally able to leave the food stall street. After drinking apple juice to refresh their mouths, they entered the nearby merchandise street.
There were wooden craft stalls, stuffed toy stalls, stalls selling unfamiliar small instruments, stalls selling fabrics and handkerchiefs dyed with local specialties, and even herbal and scented candle stalls. The variety was remarkable.
Elaria looked around in a daze. She examined small dolls that looked like ones she might have seen as a child, then moved on to look at a small instrument that made a clear, beautiful sound.
Noctis watched her instead. Her honey-colored eyes sparkled without rest, and her full lips kept forming small circles in wonder.
“It smells nice.”
She murmured in front of a scented candle stall. Without thinking, Noctis searched through his jacket pocket. Lucian had given him money beforehand, after all.
Taking out a purse from the inner pocket of his jacket, he absentmindedly pulled out a coin and said,
“Pick whatever you like. I’ll buy it.”
“Hm?”
Elaria looked at Noctis in surprise as he held up a gold coin. The candle stall owner also looked flustered at the sight of the gleaming gold.
Even without knowing the exact prices, she was certain that one gold coin might be enough to buy everything at this stall.
“…Should you put that away first?”
“Why?”
“I’ll pay today.”
Noctis raised one eyebrow at her confident expression. It somehow felt like their positions had been reversed. When he hesitated with only his fingers twitching, she added with a hint of laughter in her voice,
“I’m not being foolish today, right?”
There seemed to be a pointed meaning in her words, and his mouth shut tightly. Today, it seemed like he was the foolish one. Seeing his red eyes wandering awkwardly, she let out a small giggle and took out her own coin pouch.
“What kind of candle has this sweet scent?”
“Ah… There are several sweet ones. Here, try smelling this one up close.”
Seeing her curiosity, Noctis loosened the arm he had been linking with hers.
“Does your arm hurt? Take your time and look around. I’ll be over there.”
“Okay, I’ll be quick.”
“You can take your time, Ella.”
She focused on the stall owner’s explanation. After watching her carefully smell the candles for a moment, he turned and walked away.
Since the candle stall was at the end of the street, there were places nearby where people could sit and rest. Many couples were seated near the fountain. The marble fountain reflected the sunlight, giving off a reddish glow.
Before he knew it, the sun was beginning to set. He had thought they had come out early, but time had passed quickly.
“A bit disappointing…”
Wondering if there might be a street to see at night as well, he looked around. He did not know the area like she did, but from the flow of people he could roughly tell where the festival streets were.
“Hm.”
He checked her location again. He also confirmed the guard knights in ordinary clothing who were following from a distance.
“Is there another street over there?”
Noticing a street where particularly many people were entering, he moved toward it for a moment. He only intended to check the entrance and then return to where he had been.
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