The Sand Bride - Side Story 2.18

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In Marunus, the capital of Gharyam, there were usually two times when people from the Southeast flocked in.

One was the day when nobles from various countries paid their visits, and the other was the day when merchant caravans from different lands came to present their rare and exotic goods to Gharyam’s two kings and the Sayar, seeking permission to supply them.

Naturally, it wasn’t just merchants who came. Many people were mixed into that crowd. After all, even Esther and her father had been doctors hired by a merchant group.

From performers to entertain the bored, to street cooks selling food to those seeking a taste of home, countless Southerners were preoccupied with buying and selling goods to Gharyam locals and fellow Southerners alike.

Karzhen, who chose to walk directly rather than ride in a carriage, frowned at the massive crowds and the noisy sounds. Esther was held firmly by her waist in his embrace, clinging to him as she barely managed to look around the streets.

In the exotic city, as she saw familiar bright hair colors and skin tones here and there and heard their accents and conversations, Esther looked around frantically. Conversely, people also cast glances at Karzhen, who was clearly a Kemut, and Esther, a Southeasterner wearing Kemut tribe clothing beside him.

Setting aside their appearances, the two were such polar opposites that they could hardly be called a matching picture. They looked exactly like a hawk and a goldfinch, or a leopard and a deer. It appeared even more so because Karzhen was moving as if he were practically carrying Esther and dragging her along.

However, even those who looked at this mismatched pair with curious eyes could not watch them for long. This was because several armed men nearby glared at them each time as if they would kill them.

The man also had a sword at his waist, and since his attire looked high-ranking no matter how one saw it, people turned their eyes away from the two to avoid getting into trouble.

“Lord Karzhen.”

Of course, for Esther herself, that was a story that didn’t apply. She had been moving while being held firmly by Karzhen as if being dragged along, when she saw a certain spot and couldn’t take her eyes off it.

She mustered quite a bit of courage, even grabbing his collar while calling Karzhen’s name timidly. Her eyes, filled with curiosity, were directed toward something. Karzhen also turned his head in that direction.

“Now, now, everyone, have a look! Haha, let me start by introducing these two fellows!”

The loud voice of a man who seemed to be the protagonist was heard, and a crowd of mostly bright-haired people was gathered there. To be precise, it was a group mostly comprised of Southerners who had visited the capital for their own reasons.

Esther’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She knew of a few things such a crowd could be, and all of them were things she liked.

The area was bustling, a mix of roaring laughter, applause, and exclamations. Esther looked up at Karzhen and suggested.

“Let’s go over there. Please?”

At Esther’s words, Karzhen looked rather reluctant, but he did as she wished.

The crowd of gathered people was first grumbled into two sides by the hands of the guards. They frowned and cast glares at the man and woman who had forced them to move, but they all shut their mouths soon after seeing Karzhen’s appearance.

What the people were watching was a performance. A man wearing a square hat and striped clothes was performing tricks with a parrot wearing a scarf with the same pattern as his clothes and a monkey wearing an identical hat.

He caught a glimpse of the two while performing in the middle of the murmuring crowd and his eyes lit up.

Not only guards, but a man and woman wearing expensive clothes and jewelry! Furthermore, while one was a Southeasterner, the male side was unmistakably a Gharyam local. Likely, one of the high-ranking people of Gharyam had come to show a performance to his Southeasterner woman.

While it wasn’t common for a couple to be from the two regions, this was an opportunity nonetheless. He had a hunch that if he entertained that woman, the man looked like he would bestow a generous reward.

“N-now, first of all, if I were to speak of this parrot…….”

“My name is Mari! Mari!”

It was just as the man shouted humorously. The parrot suddenly cut in, said its own name, and pointed to the monkey with its beak.

“His name is Nora! Nora!”

At that, the monkey took off its hat and bowed. People clapped, saying it was marvelous. At the sound of the applause, the parrot fluttered its wings noisily and spoke again, saying, “Thank you, thank you!”

This time, the people burst into laughter at the parrot’s antics, and Karzhen, one of the few Gharyam locals in the midst of it all, fell into confusion.