Chapter 36

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After finishing dinner, Olivia set out to stroll through the town with Silas.

Lanterns shaped like Chinese lanterns, about the size of a man's hands, were lit, and the colored lights from each lantern illuminated the night streets, making the town bright and lively despite the late hour.

Holding hands with Silas, Olivia wandered around the market stalls that lined the street.

The number of stalls would more than double when the harvest festival began, but even now, there was plenty of activity. It was hard to imagine just how bustling it would be during the festival, but it would surely be very lively.

First, Olivia and Silas bought the "Keguru" they had been looking for, moved to a corner of the street where they wouldn't get in the way of others, and finished eating. Then they decided to look around the stalls near their inn.

They had been told by Colin not to go too far, so they could only explore the area close to the inn.

About 70% of the stalls sold food, and the remaining 30% sold items like decorations and wooden crafts. Since they were quite full from the "Keguru," Olivia and Silas bought some sugar candies that would last and then decided to look at the stalls that sold non-food items.

Olivia bought a wooden trinket box with intricate carvings and a glass cup with a beautiful gradient from purple to blue, which she thought Taylor would like.

Silas was looking for something to please Alan, but since they didn't talk much, he wasn't sure what Alan liked. Seeing Silas looking at the wooden crafts with a troubled expression, Olivia, who had finished shopping, decided to offer some advice, even though it might be meddlesome.

While Olivia and Alan weren't close as fiancés, she had known him for a long time and knew what he liked.

"Sir Silas, there are some decorative daggers over there. How about giving one to Prince Alan for his collection?"

Alan, who enjoyed swordsmanship, also liked collecting swords. His room was decorated with long and short swords with ornate hilts and scabbards, so he would surely be pleased.

"Ah, that's a good idea. I do remember there being a lot of swords in my brother's room."

While none of the daggers on display were as expensive as Alan's collection, they were all beautifully decorated.

As Olivia looked at each one, she noticed that all the hilts had the same pattern.

Curious, she approached the shopkeeper, who had a friendly smile.

"Excuse me, what is the pattern on the hilts of these daggers? They all seem to have the same design..."

The shopkeeper, surprised that a young lady in expensive clothes was asking about daggers, looked at her with wide eyes but quickly smiled and explained.

"That's the replica of the 'Selection Sword.' I've never seen the real one, so I could only reproduce the pattern on the hilt that I heard about from others."

"Selection Sword...?"

Olivia tilted her head, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's understandable that someone your age might not know. I only heard about it from my grandfather."

The shopkeeper then explained that the 'Selection Sword' was a short sword used in a ceremony to select the king of this country, which was abolished about seventy years ago. It was said to be the short sword that the first king of Filarus had possessed.

The pattern on the hilt was the coat of arms of the first king, who was a knight, depicting a spread-winged eagle.

Olivia looked at the hilt again. It did look like an eagle, but it was so simplified that it wasn't obvious at first glance.

(But, the selection ceremony... I wonder if Prince Edward knows anything about it?)

Olivia, who loved learning new things, was very curious about the selection ceremony she had just heard about.

Since she couldn't freely read in the library of another country, she had no way to research it herself. Her best option was to ask the person she knew who seemed to know the most.

By the time Olivia's interest in the selection ceremony had taken over her thoughts, Silas had chosen a dagger with a red stone-embellished scabbard and paid for it.

Colin, who had been following them at a distance, approached and gently suggested they return, as it was getting late.

Although she wanted to look around a bit more, she couldn't make Colin uncomfortable.

Olivia and Silas returned to the inn with Colin.

After Taylor helped her get ready for bed, Olivia went to Silas's room to say goodnight. Silas, in a bathrobe, was sitting up in bed reading a book. His damp golden hair clung to his cheeks, making him look unusually charming, and Olivia's heart skipped a beat.

She had noticed that lately, whenever she saw Silas in a more relaxed state, her heart would race.

"Goodnight, Sir Silas."

Trying to hide her quickened heartbeat, she spoke a bit faster. Silas beckoned her with a finger.

Wondering what he wanted, she approached, and Silas, getting out of bed, naturally pulled her into a hug.

His body was still warm from the bath, and the heat transmitted through his clothes made Olivia's heart race even more.

"Goodnight, Olivia."

"Goodnight, Sir Silas... um..."

Despite saying goodnight, Silas's arms didn't loosen, and he had a playful smile on his face. It looked like the smile of a child who had just thought of a mischievous idea.

Wondering why he wasn't letting her go, Silas released one hand and pointed to his lips.

"I want a goodnight kiss."

"Huh!?"

Olivia's eyes widened in shock.

While Silas, who was usually proper and gentlemanly, sometimes became more forward when they were alone, she couldn't figure out what had triggered it today. As she stood there, confused, Silas gently brushed a strand of her platinum blonde hair.

"Your hair looks good up. Your nape is beautiful."

His finger trailed down the back of her neck, making Olivia shiver.

It seemed that today's trigger was her nape.

Feeling flustered, Silas said, "If you don't hurry, Taylor might come to get you."

The thought of Taylor seeing her in this state was embarrassing and would surely lead to teasing.

"Olivia?"

"..."

Olivia steeled herself.

Blushing, she closed her eyes tightly, stood on tiptoe, and quickly kissed Silas's lips.

It was a brief touch, barely a second, and Silas chuckled.

"Goodnight, Sir Silas!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Silas's arms loosened, Olivia hurriedly fled to her room.

Taylor, who was preparing the bed, looked surprised.

"Miss, your face is very red. Are you okay?"

While she wasn't okay, she couldn't say that.

Olivia dived into bed without a word, hugging her pillow. Taylor, seeming to understand everything, smiled slyly.

"You'll have a good dream, Miss."

Olivia was more likely to have a dream that would make her blush and wake up.

Thank you for reading!

The second volume of this work will be released on July 1st, and it seems that signed copies will be available for purchase, just like the first volume!

You can make a reservation on honto. If you're kind enough to consider a signed copy by Kyasan, I would be very grateful!