“Did you say Rietta?”

“That’s… well, I can’t just call you by your full name outright. So I thought I’d try a shortened version instead. Do you dislike it?”

Ah. Only then did my startled heart settle. Everyone always called me Miss Julietta, or simply Julietta. The nickname felt unfamiliar.

Of course, Yezar likely meant it not as a pet name, but as an alias.

‘I’m surprised. Since I’ve never been called by a nickname before, it feels so hard to get used to.’

“It’s not that I dislike it. It’s just strange. It feels too much like a nickname…”

“If calling you by a nickname was inappropriate, I’ll change it.”

“No, it’s fine. No one else has ever called me by a nickname anyway. I like the name Rietta. Please keep calling me that.”

It was a little embarrassing, but not unpleasant. As I said this with a bright smile, he took my hand.

“I understand. To make it less strange, I’ll keep calling you Rietta throughout today. Rietta.”

“Yes, Eorn.”

My response startled him. I had simply called him Eorn, just as he had called me Rietta. I wondered why he seemed so surprised.

“Did you say Eorn?”

“I tried using a nickname since it felt right. Has no one ever called you that before?”

“There was someone.”

I immediately thought of Bertisha, but quickly dismissed her. I recalled she only ever called him Yezar, never using a nickname.

Then who had called him that?

“When I was very young, my parents used to call me that. No one else has.”

I wondered why his face looked flushed. Ah, it must be because it was a childhood nickname.

‘Could I have made a mistake? Still, he doesn’t seem to mind.’

I gathered my courage and spoke to him.

“Even if it’s a childhood nickname, may I call you Eorn today, just as you call me Rietta?”

“I was the one who said I’d keep calling you Rietta so it wouldn’t feel strange. Now you’re calling me by my nickname—it makes me feel a little embarrassed.”

He seemed to feel the same emotion I had, clearly flustered.

‘Ah, I’m not the only one. Yezar also finds being called by a nickname awkward, unfamiliar, and oddly ticklish.’

That thought lightened my heart.

“It’s the same for me too. But so what? Since we’re out together anyway, let’s spend the day as Rietta and Eorn!”

“Yes, Rietta.”

“Yes, Eorn.”

He smoothly used my nickname, but his cheeks visibly flushed as I called him by his. It was an expression he probably didn’t want anyone else to see.

“Eorn, don’t forget your hat—make sure you wear it tightly.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Well, I don’t like other women seeing you.”

When I teasingly repeated his earlier words, Yezar leaned his face close to mine.

“Yes, I’ll only look at you, my lady.”

He was joking, yet he showed me a face so dangerously close to my heart.

“I-I’m fine! Let’s go now.”

I tugged his hand, and he followed. Somehow, he seemed more suave than before.

To quietly enjoy the festival, I had asked the maids to wait in the carriage separately. Meanwhile, the guards were secretly following behind us. The street he mentioned was crowded, likely due to the festival.

“Please hold on tightly, my lady, so we don’t get separated.”

He must have feared losing me if our hands slipped. I gripped his hand tightly, just as he said. Was it because it had been so long since I’d been in such a crowded place? Rather than noisy or chaotic, the lively atmosphere naturally lifted my spirits.

Just then, I heard a voice calling out to us, as if hawking wares.

“Hey there, young couple! Wait a moment! Try a bite before you go!”

Apparently, we looked like a married couple to others. When I paused, Yezar looked at me.

“Shall we stop by there?”

The vendor, having overheard us, called out.

“Oh! Good idea! Come over here!”

“Do you want to try something?”

“Yes, let’s go there quickly.”

I led him toward the vendor. There, they were selling skewers of ripe strawberries coated in sugar syrup.

“It looks sweet just by looking.”

My muttered comment prompted the vendor’s reply.

“Very sweet indeed. Popular with young ladies. But with a wife this beautiful, the husband must be worried.”

He had only thought to hide Yezar’s face completely. My face, uncovered by a hat, had naturally drawn such a comment.

‘I changed my eye and hair color anyway. I thought I wouldn’t attract as much attention as Yezar.’

Still, hearing this made me think I should’ve worn a hat after all.

“In case some strange men come creeping around.”

“It’s fine. If anyone approaches you, I’ll simply make them disappear.”

The words slipped out naturally, yet they were far from what Yezar would normally say.

‘Make them disappear? Yezar really is committed to his act.’

The vendor laughed heartily at Yezar’s firm reply.

“Hahahaha! My, my, you’re head over heels for your wife! Since you’ve got such a beautiful lady, I’ll give you one free. Take it.”

Unintentionally, we received a fruit skewer for free. Seeing Yezar standing there holding a skewer in each hand made me laugh.

“You’re holding one in each hand—must be difficult. What should we do, Eorn? Shall we sit somewhere and eat?”

“There seems to be an empty bench over there. Let’s go.”

Since he was tall, navigating through the crowd wasn’t difficult. We sat on the empty bench and took a bite of the sugar-soaked fruit skewer.

“Wow. It’s really sweet. Does it suit your taste, Yezar?”

I had been worried, but he surprisingly enjoyed it.

“Yes, I’ve occasionally bought and eaten these before.”

“Oh, so when you went on inspections, you’d buy little things like this? How interesting. You seemed so distant from things like this.”

The image I held of him was far removed from a bustling marketplace. Perhaps because I’d only ever seen him training in the martial grounds or focused on work in his office.

“But I’m glad to see this different side of you. If we go out together often, I’ll surely get used to this side too.”

“Yes, I’ll get used to it.”

Before I knew it, he had finished, patiently waiting as I slowly ate mine. After finishing the fruit, we walked back into the crowd.

“Wow. Look at this, Eorn. They say it’s a bracelet made of raw gemstones. Do you think it suits me?”

Though I usually wore expensive jewelry, such things didn’t fit here. I showed him the raw stone bracelet with a bright smile.

“You look good in anything, Rietta.”

“Then, shall I buy one?”

We exchanged words like this when the jewelry vendor glanced at us and casually remarked:

“You two are hot together. Newlyweds? The husband’s eyes are dripping honey. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Somehow, every time we stopped and entered a shop, we heard something like this. At first, I felt embarrassed, but now I was used to it and didn’t mind.

“Yes, we’re newlyweds.”

“Oh! The wife is too pretty, so pretty. If you don’t hide such a beautiful face but cover your own, what’s the point?”

I’d heard that line several times already. A playful impulse stirred, and instead of thanking him, I said something else.

“Well, actually, my husband is so exceptionally handsome that I usually cover his face. I get jealous if other women see him.”

“Oh really? The wife is beautiful, and the husband must be a handsome man too.”

“Yes, an incredibly handsome man.”

“You’re a lucky one, truly lucky.”

I said it boastfully and turned to leave, when Yezar called after me.

“M-Madam. What exactly was that just now?”

I replied as if I’d been waiting for his reaction.

“I only spoke the truth. You said you didn’t want other women to see me, didn’t you?”

He seemed to know I was teasing, but embarrassed, he scratched his cheek. Then he glanced around, as if searching for something.

“Is there somewhere you’d like to go? What’s wrong?”

“You should probably wear a hat now, madam.”

“A hat?”

“Yes… I don’t like feeling the glances from people around us stealing glimpses of your face.”

Had they been glancing? With so many people around, perhaps. I thought maybe their eyes just happened to meet mine while looking at something they wanted to eat or buy. Still, since he said so, I considered following his suggestion.

‘We really do seem like a real couple like this.’

Even though it was a contractual relationship, setting that aside—walking together just the two of us, being called a couple, casually playing along. A warm, ticklish feeling stirred in my chest. I felt glad I had come.

“All right. Then let’s go to a hat shop and buy one. Oh, before that, could I borrow some money for a moment… Huh?”

The money pouch I’d been holding was gone. I didn’t think I’d dropped it, so I looked around. Just earlier, when Yezar was speaking, I had felt something brush against my back.

I’d thought it was just the crowd jostling, but…

“Eorn, a pickpocket must have stolen my money and run off.”

“Shall I catch them?”

“Hmm. No. Since I was the one robbed, I should retrieve it myself. Could you lend me your sword for a moment?”

I’d been feeling stiff lately anyway. Maybe this was for the best.

Today was truly my lucky day. To steal such a heavy money pouch.

‘No use dressing shabby—it shows. I don’t know what wind blew these noble lords here, but thank you very much~’

He slipped out of the crowd and headed into an alley. He couldn’t risk other pickpockets spotting him and demanding a share.

He was already thinking he’d drink his fill tonight.

Tap tap tap. He heard someone chasing from behind. At first, he thought it was a hallucination, but the sound grew closer.

‘Damn. I thought I’d gotten away clean. Are the guards chasing me? What rotten luck.’

As he thought this and prepared to run, something flew up into the air. At first, he thought it was a bird, but upon closer look—it was a person.

“Eek! What is that?!”

After ten years as a pickpocket, he had finally met someone so terrifying they might haunt his dreams.