Chapter 93

As the day of the trip to the Duke's territory finally arrived, I prepared with Yana, humming a tune.

Haniwa-chan was dancing adorably in time with my singing, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Both you and Haniwa-chan are in a good mood, aren't you?"

"Of course, I'm really looking forward to the trip."

In my previous life, I was too poor to go on any trips outside of school events, and in this life, I had only experienced trips as part of escape plans.

The thought of being able to go on a trip without any worries with the people I love made me feel elated.

This time, we were going with Yana, Evan, Haniwa-chan, Zain, and Mariabel, a total of five people and one creature.

"Should we bring some card games too?"

"That's a good idea. We should definitely play for money. Actually, I've been having trouble with the money piling up lately."

"Does your savings increase only to receive some kind of punishment?"

Evan, as usual, had been doing a different job for the past few days. Because we spend so much time together, even a few days felt like a long time.

While looking at his well-structured face, I suddenly remembered the conversation with Zain.

"Oh, right. You told Zain about Charlotte, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that happened. Is he angry?"

"No. But it was surprising to hear you talk about me like that."

I was surprised and flustered, but now I think you might have told him about Charlotte for my sake.

Still, I wondered if Evan would think that far and act on it.

"Actually, it was me who suggested it. I thought you should tell the Duke directly."

"Really?"

To my surprise, it turned out that Yana had come up with the idea.

I let out a loud gasp and quickly clamped my mouth shut, waiting for Yana to continue.

"When I heard that you had almost fallen over while drunk, I thought it might be an act by Charlotte. It's a common tactic, and if the Duke doesn't recognize the advances of such a cunning woman, it could happen again."

Yana stopped packing and continued.

"Men can be surprisingly insensitive, so sometimes things don't get through unless they are said clearly. You might hold back from saying what you think out of consideration, so I took it upon myself to act to prevent you from getting hurt again."

"Yana-senpai..."

I was moved by Yana's kindness and reliability. She was right; I would never have been able to tell Zain directly.

I remembered telling her once that Zain probably didn't realize Charlotte's feelings, and that's why I thought Evan must have passed the message on.

"Thank you both so much. I'm really happy and relieved."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I just passed on the message, though."

I was more grateful that Zain cared about me and that both of them were worried about me and took action. I couldn't thank Yana and Evan enough for always supporting me.

Thinking about how much I wanted to repay them, I expressed my gratitude once again.

◇◇◇

Before I knew it, the day of the trip arrived, and after two days of travel, I found myself in the Duke of Winslett's territory.

"Wow... It's such a beautiful place."

As I stepped out of the carriage with Zain, a beautiful town filled with nature came into view.

Even from a high vantage point, I could see that the town was thriving. The expressions of the people I saw from the carriage earlier were bright, and the atmosphere felt warm.

I can't quite put it into words, but everything seemed dear to me just because it was where Zain grew up.

"It's so vast; we won't be able to see everything in the three days we're staying."

"Eventually, this will be your home too, so take your time."

"Wh-What?"

I understood Zain's words a moment later and covered my cheeks with my hands, feeling embarrassed. Zain, as usual, had a cool expression, which made me feel a bit frustrated.

"I'm glad you could come with me. Thank you."

"Thank you too. I, um, appreciate it."

"Ah."

We smiled at each other, feeling happy, and he led me by the hand to the even larger and more luxurious Duke's mansion, which was even grander than the townhouse.

After resting and moving our luggage into the mansion, we decided to explore the Duke of Winslett's territory together.

"Grace? Why aren't you looking at me?"

"...Because you look so handsome, Zain."

In the carriage heading into town, I couldn't look directly at Zain, who was sitting next to me.

As the lord of the territory, Zain is known by the people, so he wore a hat and glasses to disguise himself and move around freely.

However, his unparalleled beauty couldn't be hidden, and the glasses actually made him even more attractive, changing his usual demeanor.

He looked so good that it felt like the glasses were made just for him.

"I see, you like this look. I'll wear them more often in the future."

"W-Why...?"

"I don't want you to fall for me too much."

I wanted to immediately deny that such worries were unnecessary. If Zain were to get serious, I felt I would sink to the bottom of the swamp in no time.

Unable to withstand Zain's beautiful face and sweet aura, I shifted my gaze to the window.

"Is there a big festival going on? There are so many people and stalls."

We had arrived in the town without realizing it, and the main street was bustling with people and stalls. I was excited because I had always loved festivals since I was a child.

"Yes, I arranged it."

"Arranged...?"

"I thought you would like it, so I'm glad you're happy."

Zain said this casually, but I knew it must have taken a considerable amount of time and money to organize such a large-scale event. This was the power of a lord.