51.

“They say you use this cream when you want to turn the other person into… a beast at night.”

Before she had even finished speaking, Rosetta realized what the main ingredient of the cream was. An arousal agent made from Melbette berries. It was a drug that circulated discreetly among those who treated their bodies as commodities, effective equally on both men and women when applied locally.

Judging by its subtle fragrance, unlike the versions sold commercially, this one seemed to have reduced Melbette content blended with flowers and other fine medicinal ingredients. Truly, it looked like something a noble lady’s chambermaid might carry around.

“Where on earth did you get this kind of thing…?”

Before Rosetta could finish scolding her, Anna brought a finger to Rosetta’s lips. The mischievous wink she gave left Rosetta utterly exasperated.

“Shh. It was extremely hard to obtain, so I can’t share the source with my lady.”

Rosetta irritably slapped away the hand pressing against her lips.

“Damn it… I don’t need it.”

“Don’t say that. Just keep it for now. They say it really works well.”

“……”

“I’ll get more for you whenever you run out.”

Rosetta swallowed hard. She had absolutely no use for it—yet her eyes kept drifting toward it, and a sudden thought crossed her mind: maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have one just in case. Strange things happened in this world, and unforeseen emergencies did occur. Her fingers twitched, just about to grasp the wooden box, when—

“Lea, are you awake?”

At the same time as the knock, a voice rang out, making both women jerk their heads up in alarm. Flustered as if caught doing something naughty, they accidentally bumped foreheads. Both quickly stifled their groans in perfect unison. But even the slight break in their breathing was enough to erase the ease in Cardier’s voice.

“Is there a problem in there?”

“A-ah, no, not at all….”

Her voice clearly sounded like trouble was brewing. The doorknob clicked and began to turn, as if about to open at any second.

“I’m coming in.”

While clutching her forehead, Rosetta gestured urgently with her eyes for Anna to hide that damn cream somewhere. Through desperate efforts, meticulously rationing every second like candle wax, Rosetta managed to lie gracefully on the bed with her arm draped across it by the time the door opened. Anna was casually counting flower petals by the window. For a moment, Cardier seemed at a loss, staring at the suspiciously unnatural scene.

“You don’t seem to have any… problem.”

“I told you there wasn’t.”

Rosetta grumbled, but quickly scanned him from head to toe. After his handsome face, her eyes caught his noticeably simpler attire. The white tunic-style shirt was the kind worn by fishermen in coastal villages, yet it suited him strikingly well. Well, with a face like his, anything would look good.

Seeing him dressed like this vaguely reminded her of his childhood appearance. As she half-lidded her eyes, Cardier let out a soft chuckle upon seeing Rosetta’s reddened forehead.

“If there’s no problem, were you hiding something from me?”

“Hiding something? More importantly, you.”

Rosetta snorted, narrowing her eyes as she turned the accusation back on him.

“What’s brought you here all of a sudden? Haven’t seen you around at all until now.”

“Oh, I thought you might be short on clothes.”

“Clothes?”

In his right hand was a piece of clothing. Judging by the volume, she realized it was closer to a dress than a gown. A crinoline dress, recently popular in high society, couldn’t be carried so casually even by a man with large hands. Rosetta brightened and sat up halfway from the bed where she had been half-lying.

“Change and come out. Let’s go out for a bit.”

“Now?”

“Yes. You haven’t eaten yet.”

“Well, that’s true….”

“There’s something I want to show you. The weather’s nice, so we could even walk back along the beach.”

He was usually quick to back down if she showed even slight reluctance, so she couldn’t very well refuse when he put it like this. As Rosetta began to toss off her undergarments, Cardier quickly closed the door.

“I’ll wait outside.”

Rosetta giggled and pulled the dress over her head with her own hands. It felt like centuries since she’d last worn anything with a skirt—it had always seemed so cumbersome. Just not having to wear that waist-crushing undergarment made her feel like she could breathe again. Anna hesitated for a while between a red ribbon and a navy one, then tied the red one around her waist.

“It’ll be cold by evening.”

It was a gesture of intent—somehow trying to cover the modest outfit with a hood. Instead of arguing, Rosetta simply pulled the hood over her head as Anna suggested. When she opened the door, Cardier, who had been leaning against the narrow hallway, smiled softly at the sight of her.

“You changed quickly. Is it uncomfortable?”

“It’s passable.”

“It suits you well.”

Cardier narrowed his eyes slightly, wearing a satisfied smile. Rosetta awkwardly returned the smile. Lately, Cardier had acted publicly as if he were utterly infatuated with her, yet always maintained a subtle distance. But this… this gaze, as if dazzled by her, was different.

His eyes were nearly like those that once looked upon Rosetta in her past life—filled with reverence, admiration, blind affection. Beneath those ocean-deep blue eyes burned a seething longing. Facing him, her throat felt parched, as if she’d swallowed seawater. Damn it, she never thought she’d say this herself, but for a moment, she wasn’t sure who he was actually looking at.

Yes, though it felt sudden, Lea was truly a stunning beauty—so much so that even a calloused pirate couldn’t possibly compare. Her lips involuntarily twisted. This emotion felt unfamiliar, yet at the same time, she knew it was overly childish. It was like asking, do you like me, or do you like her? She deliberately turned away from that feeling.

“So, where are we going?”

“It’s a bit early, but let’s go anyway.”

He smiled gracefully and extended his hand. Watching him, she felt as if she were being escorted right in the middle of a ballroom—despite both of them wearing everyday clothes far removed from noble attire.

As Rosetta watched him ask the innkeeper to call a carriage, she suddenly asked,

“Are we going to see the festival?”

“We are heading toward the square. Want to take a look?”

“A little. Since we’re near the sea, I’d like to walk on the sand too.”

“Then we’ll do whatever you’d like.”

Though the distance from the hill where the inn stood to the village square wasn’t long, the steep slope meant they’d be completely drained of energy before arriving if they walked. On the other hand, using a carriage bearing the Montrosa seal would inevitably attract unwanted attention. After all, the name Montrosa carried an absolute weight in the Eastern region.

By this time, most of the village carriages would already be gathered near the square, so the hastily arranged carriage was of a rather shabby sort. The innkeeper seemed deeply apologetic, but Rosetta climbed aboard without hesitation. Most importantly, shedding over twenty attendants felt as refreshing as clearing three hundred years’ worth of indigestion.

The closer they got to the square, the stronger the coastal village’s salty scent became, mingling with the smoky aroma of grilled meat and lively music. Though the official festival wouldn’t begin until evening, gambling games and drinking parties were already scattered throughout the streets. Soon, the carriage creaked to a halt.

“We’ve arrived. I’ll wait here. Please call me whenever you wish to return.”

The driver spoke with polite demeanor, likely thanks to the generous fare. Thanks to the soft, comfortable clothes made of a single layer of fabric, Rosetta could jump down from the carriage without needing to take Cardier’s hand. If she could, she’d have preferred wearing trousers like she did during her pirate days, but this was good enough. Back then, she’d have had no problem knocking down any man who came at her—but not now. If she thought of it as a form of camouflage, enduring this much wasn’t so hard.

“Uuugh, the smell….”

She let out a soft moan, her eyes hungrily fixed on a stall grilling fish to golden perfection. The vendor, with flamboyant movements, squeezed juice from a halved lemon over the sizzling fish. Yes, now that was real food.

“Want to eat?”

“Yeah. Totally.”

“You’ll feel queasy on an empty stomach.”

She snorted.

“Who, me?”

“I’ll go get some. Stay here—it’ll get oily. Don’t go wandering off.”

“Got it.”

Cardier glanced around once more, looking doubtful, but finally headed toward the stall with a resigned air. Rosetta smiled contentedly as she watched him buy two large fish. It had been a while since her stomach would get a proper greasing.

At that moment, three other carriages pulled up nearby, and people began pouring out. In the brief moment of distraction, Rosetta was suddenly swept away by the crowd coming to enjoy the festival. It happened so fast she didn’t even have time to call for Cardier.