362 - I Think I've Gotten Used to This by Now
Weddings, it seems, are not much different no matter which world you're in. A priest of the Sopdejania Church, which governs law and order, officiates the ceremony. After an edifying sermon to the newlyweds and their vows, the couple signs the marriage contract and it's over. There are no events like a kiss or a bouquet toss, but the girls are given bracelets made of nuts as a share of happiness. Apparently boys can get them too if they wish. But since the bracelet carries a wish for fertility, almost no boys seem to want one.
Once the ceremony ended and alcohol was served, the reception quickly turned into a drinking party. It was becoming an uncomfortable place for a child like me, so I greeted the groom once more and left the Lorenz residence.
Having completed Leonardo's errand, I decided to go around the Harvest Festival as originally planned. Once I left the knights' residential district and entered the main street, Petrona's house was right there.
"Wow. Even though it's the Harvest Festival, it's full of customers."
If I wasn't mistaken, it was busier than usual. The Harvest Festival celebrates the fruitful autumn, but seeing Petrona's shop, which deals in thread and fabric, so busy felt somehow strange.
"There are weddings all over during the Harvest Festival, so lots of people get inspired by the brides and want to do embroidery."
Welcome, Tina-chan, Petrona called me 'Tina' for the first time in a while and I felt relieved. Lately, some people had stopped calling me 'Tina' and started using 'Christina' instead, which made me a little sad.
"Like 'next year it'll be me,' or 'first I need to find a wonderful boyfriend by the Spring Flower Festival' -- autumn is always when embroidery thread sells well."
"I see. That makes sense."
Winter is a time when people spend more time cooped up at home, so it's probably a good time to do elaborate embroidery for the Spring Flower Festival. I do embroidery all year round, but for women with other jobs, winter is the season when they can carve out substantial time. If you're admiring the brides getting married at the Harvest Festival and want to do embroidery for the Spring Flower Festival, you'd buy embroidery thread in autumn and take your time embroidering in winter.
While subtly pushing Aaron toward Petrona as a "gift," I observed the inside of the shop. Women dressed up more than usual for the festival were eagerly looking at the colorful embroidery threads and fabrics. In this life, wedding dresses are made in each household. For women of marriageable age, the longing for a wedding dress must be strong. Nobles, of course, have a tailor make the dress, but even then, the bride does at least the embroidery as a final touch. If I ever get married, Leonardo would probably eagerly call a tailor and have a wedding dress made for me.
...Before that, I need to cure Leonardo-san's trauma, though.
I'd brought Aaron along to meet Petrona, hoping some romantic event might occur, but the two of them are just nothing special. Whether Aaron is dense, or he gave up from the start knowing a Silver-White Knight and a merchant's daughter could never work out, Petrona only gave him embroidered goods for the Spring Flower Festival that one time.
...Petrona-chan is the heir, isn't she? In that case, for them to be together, Aaron would have to quit being a knight and become a merchant, so it's impossible.
Or alternatively, Petrona would have to pass the inheritance to a sibling and follow Aaron instead. In a world where it's common for daughters to be heirs, that seems quite difficult.
After mentioning that I might call her to the residence again regarding thread purchases, I left the shop. I also peeked into Elke's shop, which handled miscellaneous goods, and it showed similar bustle. I'd thought the Harvest Festival was a festival where food shops were the busy ones, but it seems on a festival day, every shop has its chance to profit.
When I came out to the plaza where the main street and central street intersect, this year's Wemishuvara Contest had just ended. Smiling and waving from the center of the stage was the same beauty who had won before. I don't know how it was during the two years I was in the capital, but she won even the first Wemishuvara Contest I ever saw, and even then it was supposedly her second consecutive victory, so I wonder if she'll soon be barred from participating as a hall of famer like Felicia.
The central street was lined with street performers and food stalls. I spotted a stall selling grilled chicken skewers with Coral among them and bought three skewers as a souvenir for Leonardo. I don't like the smell of Coral, but it seems to be one of Leonardo's favorites.
...Come to think of it, Teo liked Coral grilled chicken too, didn't he.
I remember him being given a large copper coin by Bertrand and told to buy whatever he liked, and buying as many Coral grilled chicken skewers as he could. Remembering Mirshe eating grilled chicken skewers with Teo, looking so happy, I bought some extra skewers. It seems everyone besides me finds the scent of Coral appetizing.
...I prefer roasted chestnuts over strongly-scented herb-grilled food, though.
I found a roasted chestnut stall selling them by weight and bought ten nuts. They were bigger than the sweet chestnuts I'd seen in my previous life, so if I ate them all I'd be full. So I only ate one to taste and put the rest in my coat pocket. The freshly roasted chestnuts were nice because they could serve as a humble substitute for onjaku.
...They're fluffy and delicious, but they don't have the sweetness of sweet chestnuts.
While walking and wondering if there might be sweet chestnuts in Napaji, I spotted Leonardo working and handed him the Coral grilled chicken skewers as a snack. That lightened my load, but I'd carelessly given him Mirshe's portion too, so I might need to buy more on the way back.
"The Harvest Festival is a food paradise."
No matter where I looked, there were nothing but food stalls. Leaving aside roasted sweet potatoes which are just roasted, even having a buttered potato stall -- I'm absolutely sure it was a Japanese reincarnator who started that. Mont Blanc cakes have already become established as 'Mont Blanc' here. Even if people haven't noticed, there are surprisingly many things brought in by reincarnators.
"I find it strange that Christina-sama can so readily put things purchased from stalls into your mouth."
Pointing out that noble daughters normally don't eat things sold at stalls, she explained why Giselle hesitated every time I offered her roasted chestnuts or buttered potatoes as a taste test. She wasn't hesitating because she didn't want to take a child's food -- she was conflicted about eating something sold at a street stall. Noble young ladies basically only eat food cooked by their personal chefs.
"It's not like I eat street stall food normally, you know?"
It's because these are festival-exclusive menus or stalls I don't normally see that I'm diligently buying things that catch my fancy today. Since I don't leave the residence normally, my snacks are almost all made by Kalisa.
When I bought as many grilled cakes as I could carry at the Three Crows Tavern, all the objectives for my outing were complete. Kalisa and the others and I ate grilled cakes one by one while they were still warm, and the rest I'd bring back as souvenirs for the residence.
"So Mirshe isn't with you today."
"Mirshe is apparently learning how to cook festival dishes, so I couldn't bring her out today."
When I showed the roasted chestnuts and the freshly bought grilled cakes as proof that I was buying souvenirs to bring back, the owner, who seemed concerned about Mirshe, added a few extra grilled cakes. I like anko, but it seems Mirshe is on the custard side. Five custard-filled grilled cakes were added.
Having bought souvenirs for Mirshe and Tabitha and the others, I checked my purchases and turned back the way I came. The paths I'm allowed to walk are decided by Leonardo, so on the way back I just retrace my steps. As I was walking, thinking I'd need to buy Coral grilled chicken skewers again, I heard a woman's scream and a loud crashing sound from across the street.
"Wah?! That startled me."
The scream was a completely different kind from the festival's din, and my attention was momentarily drawn to it. I wasn't the only one looking toward where the scream came from. Not just Kalisa and Giselle, but the surrounding people all looked toward where the scream was heard at once.
...What was that?
I wondered what was happening. When I looked in that direction, I saw three shabby-looking men who looked exactly like ruffians, and a young girl. I was thinking I should notify a soldier or Black Knight standing at some street corner, when a black shadow fell before my eyes. For a moment I couldn't tell what had happened, but even so, I reflexively put strength into my arms hugging the bag of grilled cakes so as not to drop them -- that's quite the food obsession, I think. In the blink of an eye, a large hand covered my mouth. Before I knew it, thick arms were wrapped around my stomach and I was being carried into a nearby alley.
...Huh? A kidnapping?
I wondered if there could be anything other than a kidnapping in this situation, but the reason I could stay calm even in circumstances like this was probably because I've gotten used to it by now. Looking back, I've led a life where I've almost been kidnapped quite often. The first time was in the sunroom of Lagarette, the second time in an art gallery, also in Lagarette. I've been taken by spirits too, but this is the third time I've nearly been taken by humans. If we're just counting attempts and plans, there are even more.
...How many minutes until this kidnapping is resolved, I wonder?
I was being carried with an arm around my waist, lifted from behind. Since I had a clear view of the kidnapper's back, I could see Kokumaro, Aaron, and Kalisa immediately chasing after me.
...Yeah, Giselle really is slow off the starting dash again.
Part of the reason I have room in my thoughts is probably that I've truly gotten used to this, but I think I'm still scared. There's no one who wouldn't be scared being forcibly carried off by a strange man. But if I let fear consume me, I wouldn't be able to move when it's time to escape, so I deliberately kept my composure and observed the situation.
...Hermine-sensei's lessons taught me that, after all. Learn to act with reason and emotion separated.
I can be scared and cry from fear as much as I want later, once I'm back with Leonardo. Right now, to escape safely from this kidnapper, I should stay as calm as possible.
We passed through a dark alley in the shadow of buildings, and my eyes were dazzled by the suddenly bright view. I closed my eyes involuntarily, my body was jolted up and down once, and the next moment I was thrown onto a hard surface.
"...Khah?!"
I was slammed onto the floor in an odd position, the air forced from my compressed lungs. As I tried to get up, wondering where I'd been taken, I heard a door close behind me, followed immediately by Kokumaro's barking and a man's scream.
...Looks like Kokumaro caught up?
I coughed lightly until my lungs settled, then slowly sat up. I was a bit dizzy from being swung around, but in front of me was a seat upholstered in fine fabric. As I reached out to use the seat to help myself up, my shoulder throbbed with pain. I'd been handled roughly, so it seemed I had more bruises. Looking closely, I also had scrapes on my knees.
"If you start moving, that would be a problem!"
I felt the floor begin to sway, and from the seat in front of me, I realized this was inside a carriage. At this point, I had no choice but to accept a little pain. Ignoring my aching shoulder and knees, I turned toward the door, when a loud sound came from around the step, and the door, which had just been closed, was opened.
"Aaron!"
Seeing Aaron appear as he opened the carriage door, I let out an involuntary cheer. When the carriage started moving, my blood ran cold, but it seemed this kidnapping would be resolved too. Beyond Aaron's body, I could see Giselle running at full speed, sweat dripping, and then she vanished. It seemed the carriage was speeding up. The shaking was getting a bit more intense too.
"Would you be so kind as to explain your intentions, Prince Chadwick?"
"Prince?"
Aaron's gaze wasn't directed at me, but at someone else. Following his gaze, I turned my head inside the carriage and saw a blonde man seated across from the seat I'd been thrown onto. He wore what seemed like a good-natured, gentle smile. With loosely wavy blonde hair and features similar to the First Prince, Elvis.
...A strange face. He should be an adult by age, but he doesn't look like an adult.
In terms of beauty, he wasn't bad. But his face had the look of someone who'd only aged without ever entering society. He wore an expression as innocent as a child, yet only his body had grown to match his age, which felt jarring. That was the impression.
"You common rabble are awfully rude. Do you know who I am?"
"I take it you are His Highness Prince Chadwick, the Second Prince of our kingdom?"
Aaron's eyes narrowed, as if to say there was no way a member of the royalty would stoop to playing kidnapper. Over these two years, I as his charge had been treated as his master, but Aaron sometimes adopted a politely insulting attitude as a provocation toward enemies. It seemed a strange switch had been flipped toward the Second Prince as well. Or rather, he'd started acting as my guard.
"Could you not see the crest displayed outside? You have boarded the royal carriage without permission, and presumptuously intend to draw your sword against me, a member of royalty. You do realize this is an absolutely unacceptable situation for a Silver-White Knight, do you not?"
"Only White Knights who grovel to power would be silenced by that crest. As for the crest of royalty who isn't even a Royal Peerage -- we Silver-Whites, of course, and even the Black Knights would quickly gather."
As the two began arguing about something, I, for my part, quietly sidled up to Aaron. Now that help had arrived, there was no need to stay in the carriage and be taken away.
It didn't seem like it would end at a clean break, so I'll stop here.
Will fix typos and errors at a later date.