Chapter 69

"Got it. I'm glad I got to see your smile."

Aristide-sama smiled, looking a bit embarrassed, and took out a white handkerchief from his pocket. I thought he was going to do something, but Aristide-sama spread it on my lap.

"Thank you."

"Hmm."

To be so considerate of keeping my Palushia clean, Aristide-sama is truly a gentleman among gentlemen. Aristide-sama nodded in response to my gratitude and opened the bag of spicy-sweet grilled eel. I took my Rake out of the bag, holding the skewer carefully to avoid spilling the sauce. Tempted by the appetizing smell, I bit into it as everyone else was doing.

"Mm!"

The slight spiciness and the sweetness of the honey were perfectly balanced. The Rake had a firm texture. Rather than being marinated, it seemed that the intense sauce was applied and then grilled, which made sense.

(The skin is so fragrant!)

I took another bite, then another, and before I knew it, I had eaten about half of it. The fillet was easy to eat, and the fat seeping out between the skin and the flesh was incredibly addictive.

(This would be delicious in a sandwich. In Galbreyce, they prefer sweet and spicy flavors.)

I took a bite of the bread Aristide-sama had bought. It was fluffy and light, and it seemed like it would go well with the Rake. I split the bread in half and stuffed the remaining half of the Rake into it, then took a big bite. Since we were incognito, I didn't have to worry about eating elegantly. I licked the sauce off my lips as I usually did.

Aristide-sama watched my every move intently.

"I thought Melfi would probably eat it like that."

I felt a bit embarrassed at Aristide-sama's words and chewed and swallowed the Rake sandwich in my mouth.

"Was it... improper?"

Although I had never thought about it before, I suddenly became very curious about how I looked from Aristide-sama's perspective. I glanced up at him.

"No, this is normal here. We're just Melfi and Roger now."

Aristide-sama, who had skillfully eaten the Eper, leaving only the head and spine, took out a skewer of Cheche bird from the bag. He then made a sandwich with the Cheche bird and bread, just like I did with the Rake. The sauce from the spicy-sweet grilled eel dripped onto his fingers, and he licked it off.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"Yes! The sauce and the grilling are perfect."

"Good. The shop owner is an old acquaintance of mine."

Aristide-sama's face took on a nostalgic look.

"When I was a child, I spent more time in the city than in the castle."

"Really? You didn't sneak out... but rather escaped?"

"There was no place for me in the castle. I came here at the age of ten. But, well, until I officially inherited the title, I was just a child, you know."

I recalled that Aristide-sama had said he descended to become the Duke of Galbreyce at the age of ten. At ten, one is still a child. I had been deeply engrossed in my research at that age, but I found the lessons my father arranged for me boring and often skipped or ran away. However, Aristide-sama had come here to fulfill the harsh duties in Galbreyce, away from his family. The young Aristide-sama, who came with great resolve, must have felt very lonely.

"Did you come alone...?"

"I was supposed to come alone, but thankfully, Chaos's family came with me. I did bring some knights from the royal castle, but they didn't get along with the knights here. My only ally was Chaos, and no matter how well I could talk, I was still just a child. I started by making my own allies."

Aristide-sama took a big bite of the Cheche bird sandwich. I finished my Rake sandwich and sipped the herbal tea to quench my thirst. The tea seemed to contain Nam fruits, which are a taste of autumn in Galbreyce, giving it a slightly sweet and sour flavor.

"I pretended to be a bratty but good-natured child and went to challenge the merchants and fighters who were in charge here."

I didn't quite understand why he had to fight to make allies, but when Aristide-sama explained, "There were many who engaged in dubious business back then, but after I won, more honest people started to come," I finally understood, or at least thought I did. But I still didn't think it was something a child should have done.

"Even at the age of ten, Roger-sama. Weren't there any adults in Galbreyce to enforce the law?"

Galbreyce is a territory that prospered with knights. Knights are supposed to help the weak and defeat the wicked, according to the ideals of the knights of the Kingdom of Langdias.

"There were, but at the time, Galbreyce had lost many knights due to a disaster and had become a semi-lawless area."

"Still, even if Roger-sama wanted to, it's surprising that his older brother sent such a young and beloved brother to such a place."

With a vague, uneasy feeling in my heart, I pulled the Cheche bird off the skewer and took a bite. The wild Cheche bird, which had run through the fields, had a chewy texture. It might have been rude to the Cheche bird, but the firmness that felt like a jaw exercise was delicious.

"Well, looking back, I do regret being reckless. It wasn't the king's fault; there was a pretext of recuperating under the protection of the previous duke, who was still alive. Besides, I met Mullan, Zeph, and the Ambry and Natalie siblings during that time. It wasn't all bad; in fact, it was mostly good."

My uneasy feeling must have been conveyed, as Aristide-sama added an explanation, sounding a bit flustered. I chewed the last piece of meat thoroughly, swallowed it, and drank the herbal tea in one gulp, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Roger-sama."

"What is it, Melfi?"

"If I ever get the chance to meet Roger-sama's older brother, would it be okay to say a word or two?"

I thought of the king, whom I had only seen from a distance (at the time, in a heavily guarded setting, I could only see his glittering crown). With a vague, uneasy feeling, I looked at Aristide-sama.

"Roger-sama has always put others before himself. I feel very uneasy and my chest feels very heavy. I wish I had been there with you back then, and I feel regretful."

As I expressed my jumbled feelings, Aristide-sama looked at me with a blank, deflated expression. Then he crumpled the bag of spicy-sweet grilled eel and looked down.

(What, why?)

Aristide-sama sometimes reacts this way when he looks at me. I wondered if I had said something that upset him. When I talk to Aristide-sama alone, I often discover new aspects of myself that I didn't know before.

"Roger-sama, did I say something strange?"

I was about to apologize for ruining the pleasant atmosphere, but I froze when I saw Aristide-sama's face.

"Thank you, Melfiela."

Although his face was in the shadow of his hat, Aristide-sama's smile at that moment was the most beautiful I had ever seen. But it was also very sad. I wanted to know this strong and kind person more deeply.

"Roger-sama."

Why did he make such a face? I felt that if I asked, something might change, so I just looked at Aristide-sama. His amber eyes softened gently.

"Let's go, Melfi."

I took Aristide-sama's hand without hesitation. We had been holding hands since we came down to the city, and it felt natural. Strangely, the uneasiness in my chest seemed to dissipate.

"Are you still okay with eating more?"

In the next moment, Aristide-sama was back to his usual self.

"Yes, I can still eat a bit more."

"Then let's go get the Pau Pau. It's a sweet I was obsessed with at ten. I think I can relive that excitement now."

Aristide-sama took my bag of spicy-sweet grilled eel and burned it along with his own in an instant.

The stall selling Pau Pau had a large pot. There was a warning sign about burns, but people were gathered around the pot. Some customers were getting Pau Pau in bags, while others were getting them skewered and held over the pot.

"Roger-sama, what are they doing?"

"Hmm, that. Pau Pau is crispy when eaten as is, but it changes texture when grilled, making it an interesting snack."

"The pot is for grilling the Pau Pau, then."

"I prefer it grilled."

I see, and the long skewers were to prevent burns from the pot.

"If you grill it well without burning it... look, it stretches like that."

At the spot Aristide-sama pointed to, children were eating grilled Pau Pau. Their short hands made it difficult to eat with the long skewers, and it seemed the skewers had also been burned, making them too hot to hold. The boys were feeding each other, saying "Ahn" to each other.

"Mm, phew, phew!"

"Don't drip it, eat it properly!"

"Phew!"

"Idiot, you're so bad at it."

It seemed quite hot, as a white thread-like substance stretched from where the boy had bitten. His friends laughed in delight.

"It seems to require some skill to eat."

I, being an adult, could probably eat it on my own, but I wondered if I could get the hot, stretchy Pau Pau into my mouth without dripping.

"Want to try?"

"Eh, Roger-sama?"

Without waiting for my answer, Aristide-sama bought a long skewer of Pau Pau. He demonstrated by holding the long skewer over the pot.

"...Roger-sama, I'm not as tall as you, so I can't reach."

It was impossible for me, who was only about one and a half furlongs tall, to reach the pot from over the heads of the children gathered around it.