Chapter 10

Walking north for several kilometers, the destination, a post town, comes into view.

As it is located at the foot of a mountain, it also serves as the entrance to a hiking trail.

However, it seems that the bridge over the river beyond this post town has collapsed, making passage impossible.

When I asked a passerby about this, I confirmed that it was indeed true.

Perhaps due to the collapsed bridge, the post town was very crowded.

Apparently, there is a route that bypasses the hiking trail and leads to the northern town, and it is overflowing with travelers and merchants who want to take this route.

"Can't we go on foot?"

When I asked this question to someone nearby, they replied,

"It's a very dangerous path. There's also a forest of fairies nearby that can bewitch people. If you have seven lives, you might try it."

Unfortunately, I only have one life, so I decided to use the shared carriage.

When I went to the shared carriage station in the center of town, there was a long line.

Everyone seems to have the same idea...

Since there was no choice, I obediently joined the line, but it hadn't moved at all for some time.

Looking ahead, there seemed to be some commotion.

It appears that some trouble has occurred.

Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to observe.

"There is a dishonest thief in this carriage station! Owner, please investigate!"

A woman in a maid's uniform was confronting the owner with a firm tone. She had a doll-like appearance with her hair cut evenly at the neck. It was unusual to see a maid in such a mountainous post town. Normally, maids are found in larger cities. There must be some reason for it.

While I was focusing on the maid, I noticed the person standing next to her was her mistress.

A small figure with a white hood over her head, presumably a woman, was looking down, hoping for the situation to resolve itself.

The woman, who looked like a maid, and the woman who stood there like she was hiding, made an odd pair. Before I could think further, the owner spoke.

"No, miss, you have to manage your valuables yourself. This is not a social gathering in the capital."

Laughter from the surrounding crowd confirmed this.

"I understand that, but didn't you tell us to put our luggage there?"

The maid was still angry.

"Indeed, I did, but I didn't expect you to put valuables there. You ladies seem to have been raised very well."

"Hmph."

It seemed to hit a nerve. The maid bit her lower lip in frustration. Her mistress gently tugged on her sleeve and reprimanded her.

"...Marie. The owner is right. It is our fault."

"...Miss."

"Let's consider this a good experience. More importantly, our goal is to return to the capital. Once we reach the northern town, it's a short distance to the capital."

"...Yes, that's true. I understand. Let's give up here. ...I'm afraid I will have to make you go hungry for a while, Miss..."

"I was just thinking I wanted to go on a diet."

The mistress smiled to ease Marie's concern. This alone revealed her character, but more misfortune was about to befall them.

After giving up on the investigation, Marie and her mistress were hit by another tragedy.

When Marie checked the counter, the ticket that was supposed to be there was gone. It was the ticket needed to board the shared carriage, but it had vanished without a trace.

"What!? It was there just a moment ago!? Mistress, do you know anything about the ticket?"

"I don't know. I didn't receive it."

"That's ridiculous. I placed it right in front of you."

"I don't know. You started complaining about your wallet before I could check."

Both the owner and Marie checked the floor to see if the ticket had fallen, but there was only dust, no paper.

"How ridiculous. It was stolen...?"

Having learned from the previous exchange with the owner that anger was futile, she now showed no signs of anger, only despair. Her mistress gently placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

The owner, without mercy, said,

"If you don't have a ticket, you're not a customer. Go away."

Marie showed her frustration, and her mistress looked disappointed as they left the carriage station.

As they passed by me, I caught a glimpse of the mistress's face under her hood.

She had a very cool and composed face, and her golden hair was very striking. She was a very beautiful girl, but what caught my attention was that I had seen her somewhere before.

I have a good memory, but I couldn't quite place her.

(...I'm good at memorizing magic books, but I lack social skills.)

My sister once said,

"Lord Rihito can't remember people's faces because he's 'not interested in others.'"

And then she continued,

"Perhaps it's because you are so beautiful and intelligent that you don't notice others who are inferior to you."

But that's an overestimation.

In the Esterque family, evening parties are often held, but being approached by young ladies was a rare occurrence, maybe "three times a night" at best.

"...That's an awful lot."

I could almost hear Elen's exasperated voice, but now was not the time for such reminiscence.

The current issue is who this golden-haired girl is.

If I know her, she must be one of the noble young ladies who attended the Esterque family's evening parties. That would explain why I can't remember her. I danced with noble young ladies at every party, but I never had any interest in them.

They were as beautifully adorned as birds of paradise, but their beauty was only skin-deep, and their minds were empty, filled only with vanity.

Their daily concerns were the types of sweets to eat in the afternoon, playing pretend love with their piano and language teachers, and then fishing for men in society when they grew tired of it.

I had no interest in these empty women in fancy dresses.

--- But this woman is different.

She is definitely a noble, but she has a dignity and intelligence that sets her apart from the young ladies whose brains are like cake sponges.

I can sense an air similar to my sister Elen.

Curious, I watched them until they left the carriage station. As they exited, they apologized to the owner and the other customers for the inconvenience they had caused, bowing deeply to everyone in the store.

When I saw their sincere apology, something stirred inside me.

Perhaps it was a sense of chivalry.

I felt a sense of mission to help these unfortunate women.

I told them, "It's too early to give up," and asked them to stay.

"Interesting"

"Looking forward to the next part"

"Please keep updating!"

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