Huh…

Belladonna opened her mouth in disbelief.

“What? If you don’t like kissing, are you going to sing for me instead?”

That was an even more absurd thing to say.

What song?!

Belladonna stared at his smooth cheek as if glaring at it, lost in deep contemplation.

Should she close her eyes tight, give him a quick kiss, and then go out to see the festival? Or ignore it and just stay cooped up in this room looking at those ledgers all day?

In reality, for her, there was no need to contemplate between those two options.

The reason was…

‘Those ledgers Wolf prepared are boring as hell!’

After a brief moment of consideration, Belladonna grabbed both his cheeks and prepared to kiss him.

Originally, things like this only became more embarrassing the longer one hesitated.

‘Right, let’s just do it quickly and get it over with!’

“Oh… My wife is bolder than I expected?”

Escalion lifted the corners of his mouth as if finding it amusing.

Belladonna turned his face abruptly, adjusting the angle so that his cheek was facing her.

Oh, whatever!

‘Smack!’

A crisp sound echoed through the room.

Don’t be embarrassed, being embarrassed means you’ve lost. Stay calm, stay calm…

Belladonna repeatedly chanted to herself, trying to hypnotize herself.

Face, don’t turn red, don’t turn red. Stay composed, stay composed…

“Kukuku…”

Escalion, who had received a light kiss from Belladonna, shook his broad shoulders and chuckled before raising his head.

“Alright. Since you’ve gone this far, I should go to the festival with you.”

“…”

“But we’ll participate wearing ordinary clothes, not the beautiful attire of a saint. I don’t particularly like drawing attention.”

Nod, nod.

That was a fact she had already heard through Cindy, so it wasn’t too surprising.

“Ask the maid to dress you as warmly and thickly as possible. If you fall ill again, you’ll be forbidden from going out until winter ends.”

Nod, nod.

Escalion, who was still looking at Belladonna with an amused face, raised one hand and poked her cheek.

“Stop blushing so cutely.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The day of Griblata’s end-of-year festival arrived.

Belladonna looked at herself in the mirror as Cindy dressed her in an old, thick brown dress.

‘Come to think of it, I used to wear things like this all the time in my previous life…’

A dress that was practical rather than pretty.

A functional dress with various sized pockets for carrying things, instead of fancy lace or frills.

Belladonna, dressed in the most common everyday clothes in the Ellinerus Empire, stared blankly at her reflection.

“My lady! How… Even dressed like this, your beautiful appearance can’t be hidden?”

Cindy, who was tying the waist strap behind her, poked her head out and said.

“Would you like to wear a hat too?”

Belladonna shook her head.

If she wore a hat on top of everything else, she felt she would truly look like her former self, which she didn’t want.

“How much longer do I have to wait?”

Just then, Escalion’s voice was heard from outside the room.

Startled by the low voice, Cindy hurriedly finished what she was doing and rushed to open the door.

“Lord, we’re almost done!”

Escalion, who appeared in front of the door, was also dressed in attire that ordinary people would wear.

But he too couldn’t hide his outstanding appearance.

‘Does he really not know that this look draws even more attention?’

Meanwhile, Escalion, who had noticed Belladonna standing in front of the mirror, raised one eyebrow as he looked at her.

“…”

Why is he looking at me like that? Hmm, did I dress too plainly?

After staring at her askance for a moment, he strode over to her and held out his hand to Cindy.

“Scarf.”

“Ah, just a moment!”

Cindy handed over a soft, fluffy scarf.

Escalion took it and began wrapping it tightly around Belladonna’s neck and face without hesitation.

What, what is this! If you do it like this…!

“Lord! If you do that, my lady won’t be able to see in front of her…!”

“If I don’t do at least this much, her face won’t be hidden at all.”

“But…!”

Belladonna, whose vision was suddenly blocked, stood dumbfounded in disbelief.

“No matter what, if you do this, my lady won’t be able to breathe!”

It was Cindy who saved her.

Cindy completely unwrapped the scarf that Escalion had carelessly wrapped, and draped it around her neck as warmly and comfortably as possible.

Escalion looked at her as if he was displeased.

“This will draw people’s attention even more. What are we supposed to do when she has such an appearance while wearing the plainest clothes in the world?”

“I agree. Then how about wearing this?”

Cindy, who had been looking at them with a serious expression, turned around and took something out.

Surely, they’re not going to make me wear that…?

What she took out was a large, cute rabbit-shaped ear muff that only children would wear.

“If we put this on like this, it will cover her face a bit more!”

“Right. This is better.”

Really? Is this the best solution?

Belladonna looked at her ridiculous reflection in the mirror.

I look like I’m missing something…! What is this!

Belladonna wanted to protest, but no one could read the look in her eyes.

Or perhaps they chose not to read it?

“Now, finally, if you put on this thick coat… We’re all done!”

Lastly, Cindy put a dark-colored coat on Belladonna and looked at her with a somewhat satisfied expression.

Standing next to Cindy, Escalion nodded and held out his hand to her.

“If you’re ready, let’s go.”

“Have a good time, my lady! Make lots of happy memories with the lord!”

Leaving behind Cindy, who raised her voice excitedly, Belladonna trudged along behind Escalion.

What is this, in such a foolish outfit… At least it’s fortunate that not many people in Griblata know me…

[This is the timeline separator]

“Bella, are you not cold?”

Escalion looked down at Belladonna walking beside him and asked.

How could I be cold when I’m bundled up like this?

Belladonna nodded and pressed herself closer to him.

It wasn’t so much because of the cold weather, but because there were more people on the streets than she had expected.

“Here, come take a look!”

“Ahahahaha!”

“How much is this statue?”

“Children! Let’s all offer a prayer of thanks to Eliezer!”

The excited voices of people enjoying the long-awaited festival rang out noisily from all around.

Belladonna felt her own heart flutter unnecessarily as she turned her head this way and that to take in the festival sights.

“Is there anything you want to buy?”

Escalion, who had lightly wrapped his arm around Belladonna’s shoulder as she pressed against him, asked.

Belladonna was shaking her head without hesitation when her gaze stopped on one particular spot.

“Snacks for sale…! Hot fish-shaped pastries for sale!”

Hot fish-shaped pastries…!

Her eyes sparkled and shone.

Escalion’s gaze followed hers.

“Is that what you want to eat?”

Instead of answering, Belladonna gulped audibly.

The hot pastries were by no means a luxurious or exquisitely tasty snack.

But it was the pastry she had loved most in her previous life.

‘Wow, when the weather got a bit chilly, I used to crave those hot fish-shaped pastries so much…’

It was also a pastry she hadn’t seen even once since becoming Saint Belladonna.

And yet, to encounter it here in this distant Griblata as if by fate?

Saliva instantly pooled in Belladonna’s mouth.

“If you open your mouth any wider, drool will start dripping.”

Escalion, looking down at her eager face, approached the tent selling the hot pastries.

“Ten, please.”

“Yes! That’ll be 4 blancs!”

The friendly merchant picked up a paper bag and began filling it with pre-baked fish-shaped pastries one by one.

“Keep the change.”

“Oh, my… Thank you!”

Escalion flicked a silver coin to the merchant handing over the bag of pastries and quickly turned back to her.

“If you want more, just say so.”

Wow… Hot fish-shaped pastries…!

She received the paper bag with an excited face and quickly reached in to take out a pastry still steaming with warmth.

‘Here, he bought ten of them, so you should eat at least one!’

Belladonna abruptly held out the first pastry she had taken to Escalion.

He turned his head away disinterestedly and replied.

“I don’t want any.”

‘Why! Eat it!’

Belladonna tapped the turned-away Escalion and waved the fish-shaped pastry she was holding up and down.

“I said I don’t want any.”

“…”

“I don’t… Hah. Fine, give me one.”

After meeting Belladonna’s stubborn gaze, he eventually nodded and replied. Then he said with an exasperated expression.

“I told you it was okay to be stubborn, but you’re wasting it on this strange-shaped snack. You’re really peculiar.”

Ignoring his words, Belladonna took out a second pastry and took a big bite.

Ah…! It’s delicious!

Putting the hot pastry in her mouth on this chilly day made the flavor seem even more intense.

It’s thrilling! It’s delicious no matter when you eat it!

“Let’s go over there, where people are gathering.”

Escalion, who had been watching Belladonna chew with her mouth full, grabbed her wrist and moved to a new location.

They approached a place where people were huddled together, busily writing something.

What are they all making?

“Sky lanterns.”

Sky lanterns…?

Looking down again, she saw that people were all holding small lanterns about the size of their faces and writing something on them.

“They’re writing wishes.”

Escalion, standing beside her, said.

“There’s a superstition that if you write your earnest wish on a sky lantern and release it on the day of the end-of-year festival, that wish will come true.”

Ah…

“Do you want to write one?”

Without waiting for Belladonna’s answer, Escalion caught a young merchant bustling among the people and bought a lantern.

He held it out to her along with the pen he had bought.

“Try making a wish.”

A wish…

Belladonna, who had received what he handed her in a daze, looked down at the light blue lantern.

What wish should I make?

Now that she was actually trying to write something, she had no idea what to write.

Escalion, looking down at her standing there blankly, opened his mouth.

“You must have heard countless wishes from people all over the world. Don’t you have a single wish of your own?”

“…”

“You don’t need to write anything too grand. They say small wishes are more likely to come true.”

Belladonna, who had been pondering continuously, raised her finger to point at Escalion.

So what’s your wish then?