30 minutes before the promised time.

I was leaving the kitchen and heading to my quarters.

The original plan was to go straight from the kitchen to his office, but for some reason I wanted to go to my room and wash my face.

Perhaps because of the hot weather, just being outside for a short time made my whole body sticky and my face quickly became dull.

Upon arriving at my quarters, I went straight to the shared bathroom to scrub my face and tidy my hair.

Not having a mirror was quite inconvenient, but there was nothing I could do about it.

As I was pondering if there was anything I could use instead of a mirror, suddenly an appropriate item came to mind.

‘That brooch, right?’

The brooch I bought for 5 coppers from a haggard old man on the day I went out to buy butter had nothing inside, so I could use it to see my reflection.

It’s not large, so I won’t be able to see my whole face at once, but I should be able to check roughly.

I immediately opened the top drawer of the bedside cabinet.

There I saw the gold brooch neatly placed. Looking at it again, the brooch was quite ordinary.

It was gold-colored, but clearly not real gold, just painted, and the inside was empty.

However, strangely enough, the more I looked at this brooch, the more I liked it. I preferred that there was nothing inside.

‘It might be nice to buy a small accessory to put in here when I go to the festival today.’

I liked that I could fill the empty brooch myself.

Ah, of course I was planning to buy clothes too.

If I happened to go out again in the future, I would need clothes, so it seemed good to prepare in advance.

As I carefully examined my face in the brooch, I realized it was the first time I had looked at my face.

In fact, I hadn’t even thought about looking in a mirror since coming here, as there hadn’t been any occasion to.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve lived without looking in a mirror.’

In my previous life, I couldn’t imagine living without a mirror.

It was part of my daily routine to check my face when I woke up in the morning.

I often lamented my somewhat disappointing face when looking in the mirror after seeing people with beautiful appearances on screens.

The mirror was a tool that reflected my confidence. When I liked how I looked in the mirror, I became confident, but on days when I didn’t, I became timid.

But here, even though I hadn’t looked in a mirror, I wasn’t very curious about my appearance.

No matter what I looked like, I always tried to live as the person I wanted to be.

Hoping that the way others saw me was the way I wanted to be seen.

I gave a brief assessment of my face that I was seeing for the first time.

‘Pretty.’

I had often been told I was pretty or cute, but seeing my face directly, I felt it.

Though I couldn’t see it all at once, as I looked at each part, my features were delicate and clear.

I was on the pretty side. Of course, that was all.

“No eye boogers, and my face is soft after washing.”

That’s good enough. I hurriedly got up. I stuffed the brooch I was holding into my pocket.

And headed towards his office.

Knock knock.

Despite the soft knock, the door opened wide as if it had been waiting.

He was wearing a light white shirt and dark blue pants. In his left hand, he held a gray cloak.

It seemed he had brought it along since it wouldn’t be good to be seen with a maid.

Being with a maid in the mansion and going to the summer festival with a maid were different stories altogether.

I had anticipated this sufficiently.

I naturally averted my gaze and waited for him to come out.

However, he remained standing in place without moving from his office.

“Why aren’t you coming out?”

At my question, he tilted his head to the side as if telling me to come in.

Though I didn’t understand, I entered the office for now.

“Aren’t we leaving right away?”

“Yes. We’ll go right away.”

“What should we ride? Do you want to ride a horse? It might take a while if we walk, but I’ll follow quickly behind.”

I was thinking that I might need to leave first since it would take some time to get to the main gate, when Dietrich put the cloak he was holding over his shoulders.

Then he spread out his left hand to me.

Wondering what he was doing, I stared blankly, and he said in an indifferent tone.

“Stop chattering and take my hand.”

“…Huh?”

Take his hand? As soon as I heard those words, my face instantly flushed red.

I couldn’t understand at all why he was telling me to take his hand. Surprisingly, seeing my bright red face, he hastily explained, seemingly flustered.

“Magic, we’re going by magic! What on earth were you thinking…”

“Nothing. I wasn’t thinking anything.”

I quickly denied it, but I knew it was already too late. Feeling the awkward atmosphere, I gently placed my hand on top of his large hand.

Dietrich’s hand was softer and warmer than I expected. In contrast, my hands, which touched water every day, were rough.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I tried to slightly pull my hand away, but he lightly grasped it.

Then with his remaining hand, he picked up a blue orb that was placed on the desk.

As I quietly looked at the orb, he briefly explained.

“It’s a magical item with teleportation magic. It’s convenient because you can move to any desired place. Be careful not to let go of my hand. If you’re careless, you might end up alone in a different place.”

A magical orb with teleportation magic.

It was a rare item that couldn’t be easily seen. I gripped his hand a little tighter.

Along with the excitement of using magic for the first time, I also felt fear that I might end up alone somewhere else.

‘I should just close my eyes.’

It would be terrible if I got distracted by curiosity and let go of his hand.

I tightly closed both eyes. Soon after, I heard a cracking sound followed by the sound of Dietrich stepping on the orb.

And when I opened my eyes.

“Chicken skewers for sale, chicken skewers!”

“Fresh, cool, and delicious mango juice made today!”

People selling food from stalls circling the square and.

“Whew, there are too many people.”

“They say there will be fireworks in the evening. Before that, there’s a small banquet in the square. A summer night waltz with someone you like. Isn’t it romantic?”

Even the voices of people excited about the festival.

Looking around at the bustling surroundings that made me feel dazed, I couldn’t stop my mouth from hanging open.

Dietrich, who had now put on his cloak, chuckled at my gaping mouth.

“Your jaw’s going to drop.”

So what if my jaw drops a little.

I couldn’t hide my surging joy as I gazed, mesmerized, at the lively festival scene.

It finally felt real that I had come to the summer festival I had been looking forward to so much.

“How long are you going to stand here like this? Don’t you want to look around elsewhere?”

“Elsewhere?”

“You’re showing too much that it’s your first time at the summer festival. Come this way.”

He grabbed my hand firmly. Having held hands once before, I felt more at ease than earlier.

Dietrich, who usually walked quickly with long strides, seemed to want to enjoy the festival atmosphere as he walked slowly to match my pace.

Thanks to this, I was able to walk while fully savoring the festival atmosphere.

“Let’s start here first.”

The place we arrived at after walking leisurely was a dress salon that looked luxurious at first glance.

Looking up at the store with its grand sign prominently displayed, I asked him.

“Are you buying clothes?”

Finding my question ridiculous, he burst out laughing.

Did Dietrich have this kind of taste? That’s definitely not the case.

Is he trying to buy a gift for someone? Just as I was thinking that maybe he wanted to choose a dress to give to Princess Ariana.

He lightly ruffled my hair and clicked his tongue.

“I can see you’re thinking strange thoughts again. What are you thinking so hard about with that small head of yours? Try thinking more simply.”

He pointed to my clothes and said.

“Not my clothes, but your clothes.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he flung open the door of the dress salon.

The inside of the store was as splendid and neat as its exterior. It was clearly a store frequented by wealthy noble ladies.

‘He means he’s buying clothes for me?’

While I was grateful for Dietrich’s intention to let me buy clothes other than my maid uniform, I felt a bit awkward.

I didn’t have enough money to buy clothes at such an expensive dress salon.

With the money I brought today, I could only buy ordinary casual clothes and maybe one imitation jewel.

“Dietrich. You see, this is a bit difficult for me…”

However, before I could finish speaking, a neatly dressed employee approached us.

“Welcome. Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

A man in a cloak and a woman in a maid’s uniform.

At first glance, we didn’t look like a wealthy combination, but the employee was friendly.

Though rare, it seemed she had seen odd combinations like us before.

For example, a young master of a noble family smitten with a pretty maid, or a maid in love with a man whose profession couldn’t be revealed.

People like that, I mean.

While I was thinking unnecessary thoughts, she guided us to a comfortable-looking sofa.

Dietrich naturally sat on the sofa and crossed his legs.

Then, after quietly looking at the clothes stretched out from the beginning to the end of the store, he said.

“Do you have any clothes you would recommend?”

“Ah, it’s difficult to give a definite answer as everyone’s tastes differ, but these days, dresses with splendid styles are in fashion.”

The employee quickly pulled out a snow-white dress hanging on a clothes rack.

The dress was too beautiful.

The snow-white dress with its antique gold embroidery and pearls adorning the hem was both splendid and elegant.

However, upon seeing the dress, Dietrich lightly shook his head.

It seemed he didn’t like it. I didn’t like it either.

Of course, the price.

I scooted closer to him once again, trying to hint that we should leave this store.

But as if he hadn’t noticed my intentions, he opened his mouth without hesitation.

“How should I put it, do you have any dresses that would suit a lovely image?”