Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 54

Reus usually preferred plain and neat food, so I wondered if he would immediately spit out the stimulating street food I was holding.

“If I had known, I would have just gone to a restaurant. Or even now, we could…”

At that moment, Reus lightly grasped my wrist and pulled me slightly towards him.

While I was quietly watching, wondering what he was suddenly doing, Reus took a bite of the chicken skewer I was eating without any hesitation.

I was surprised to see him readily eating street food that I thought he would never put in his mouth, and even more surprised to see him eating what I had been eating without any reluctance.

However, unlike me who was dumbfounded, Reus didn’t seem to mind too much.

‘Is it because he often goes to the battlefield…?’

I heard that on the battlefield, it’s difficult to even have proper meals, so hygiene is often put aside and meals are hastily eaten together.

Thinking about that, it seemed like it wasn’t a big deal…?

I stared intently at Reus as he chewed the chicken skewer, curious about how he would react to this food.

“Does it not taste good?”

But the more he chewed, the more I could feel his face subtly darkening.

“Is it really bad…?”

“…It’s delicious.”

‘I guess it doesn’t taste good…’

It was like watching someone chew on rubber.

I realized for the first time that there are moments when Reus can’t hide his feelings, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he truly can’t.

* * *

Reus was worried that Roel might get sick from eating the wrong food every time she bought something new.

But the woman, unaware of his concerns, was eagerly tasting almost every food that caught her eye at the food stalls.

I wonder if it’s good to eat so actively even in the Grand Duchy’s castle. It was truly dissatisfying, but there was an unexpected gain.

It was the fact that he got to know Roel’s food preferences that he didn’t know before. She couldn’t just pass by spicy foods that looked like she couldn’t even put them in her mouth.

‘She doesn’t seem to eat as well as she likes, though.’

Reus thought that the amount of drinks and sweet desserts that went into Roel’s stomach today was probably three times more than the amount of spicy food she ate.

After filling their stomachs moderately, they passed the street selling food and this time headed to a place lined with street vendors. This place was also packed with people, leaving no room to set foot.

Reus extremely disliked physical contact with people, but today he didn’t feel as bad as he thought.

Perhaps it was because of Roel, who was holding his hand tightly all day and looking around with an excited expression.

In his eyes, everything looked the same, but the woman’s eyes sparkled at trivial things as if they were somehow new and fascinating.

Reus was completely captivated by Roel’s appearance, which looked like an excited squirrel.

‘If I had known she would be this happy, I should have come up to the capital from the first day of the festival.’

Reus became a bit pensive, realizing that he couldn’t take Roel to the festival area every day.

Then Roel stopped in front of a street vendor. It was a shop selling various accessories, and after looking around for a while, she couldn’t take her eyes off a certain bracelet.

‘It’s so pretty… Should I buy one as a memento of the festival?’

Roel was looking at a bracelet with a light blue gem, which she thought resembled Reus’ clear blue eyes.

She was agonizing for a long time, even frowning, about whether or not to buy the bracelet.

Reus quietly purchased the bracelet, knowing in advance that Roel would eventually not buy it after just pondering.

Unaware of this, Roel just kept thinking and then moved on.

After lightly looking around the street vendors, they headed to a certain basin that was a bit far from the festival street.

This was because a knight of the Grand Duchy strongly recommended that they must go there, saying it was the best spot to watch the fireworks.

If the fireworks were going to explode in the sky anyway, Reus couldn’t quite understand if there would be a big difference in watching them here or there.

But when he saw Roel happily saying that the fireworks would be more visible like a child, those thoughts completely disappeared.

They took a seat on a suitable bench.

Roel silently looked at the scenery in front of her for a moment.

The twinkling electric lights, as if a cluster of stars had poured down, felt like a blessing descended upon the earth.

‘I didn’t know this place was so beautiful.’

Roel usually came to the capital to attend balls held at the Imperial Palace. They were all trips to the capital forced by Feria, so she didn’t have many good memories of this place.

But with this moment today, it seemed like she could cover up all the bad memories.

Seeing Roel unable to take her eyes off the festival street, Reus regretted again that he should have come from the first day of the festival.

‘Or maybe next year again…’

The thought didn’t continue to the end.

Roel would leave the Empire soon. Of course, Reus himself was planning to do the same.

He kept forgetting that this would be the last time they would spend the sweet early summer together.

Thinking that the time they could spend together was rapidly being consumed even at this moment, his mouth felt more bitter than ever today.

Then Roel, feeling the gaze directed at her, turned her head towards Reus.

“What are you thinking about?”

“What about you… What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing big, just thinking that today was so much fun?”

Roel tried to focus as much as possible, making eye contact even in a fleeting casual conversation. At that, Reus’ eyes softened slowly.

Soon Roel showed a bright smile.

“Thank you for making time to take me to the festival despite being busy. Thanks to you, I have one more good memory.”

Looking at the woman’s gentle face, his chest tickled. It also felt like a flower bud that had swelled up to the point of bursting inside was just blooming.

With his unsubsiding feelings, Reus moved his lips for no reason.

“What about you, Reus? How was today for you?”

“…It was good.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I was a bit worried that only I would enjoy it.”

Roel endlessly expressed her gratitude for today’s events in a soft tone. At that, Reus’ heart melted endlessly.

It was amazing that one person’s kindness could have such a great impact. That fact felt fresh, but at the same time, it felt natural because it was Roel.

Then a streak of fireworks shot up into the air and burst with a loud sound, peng-!

As silver-gold streaks flowed down in all directions, embroidering the dark sky, Roel immediately turned her head to the sky, captivated.

The sound of huge fireworks continued to be heard, but Reus did not turn his head. Instead, he looked at the sky through Roel’s eyes.

The flourishing fireworks in her clear eyes couldn’t look more beautiful. He was confused as to whether it was the fireworks or the woman that enchanted him.

Judging by his heart beating so fast that it was uncontrollable, it seemed he was once again captivated by this woman.

If he had fallen for her once, wasn’t that enough? He didn’t know why the woman’s appearance was imprinted in his eyes as if it was the first time again.

Reus stared endlessly at Roel’s side profile.

So that this moment could leave a trace in his memory. And so that he could recall today whenever he wanted, even after the woman left him.

* * *

After the quite lengthy fireworks display ended, we headed back to the festival street. There were far more people on the street than before we went up to the basin.

I adjusted my grip so as not to accidentally let go of his hand, and Reus stopped in his tracks.

“Reu… no, Leo, what’s wrong?”

He seemed a bit out of it since the fireworks ended, and still looked a bit like that.

I shook his hand slightly as there was still no answer. Only then did the light return to his blank eyes.

As if there was no big problem, Reus started walking again without any particular explanation.

I also continued the story about the festival without further questions.

“I’m so glad I got to enjoy the festival before leaving. I would have been a bit upset if I had missed it.”

“As you said, it was good that we came. Although it seems like it will be the first and last time.”

“Nah, it may be the last for me, but you can come back anytime, Leo.”

“Well.”

Hmm. Come to think of it, Reus doesn’t seem like he would visit this place alone again.

Even though he suggested it first this time, he’s not the type of man to deliberately go to crowded places.

But it would be nice if he came back again someday, since he said he enjoyed it.

“Hmm… Maybe you could come back with someone new?”

“…”

Is it that unpleasant to hear that I hope he finds a real Grand Duchess?

These days, Reus answers with silence when he dislikes something. Last time, his reaction was lukewarm, but today he seems to dislike it even more.

It would be nice if he took some time to completely get away from work and training and rest occasionally.

‘Unless someone next to him tells him, he’s absolutely not the type of person to do that…’

It was a moment of untimely worry.

As we entered a certain section, people poured out, and soon the festival street became packed without any room to set foot. Then I accidentally let go of Reus’ hand.

“Uh…! Reu…, Leo!”

Reus must have been a bit careless too, as he let go of me too easily. We tried to hold hands again, even belatedly, but there were so many people that we couldn’t return to where we were originally.

After being swept away by people for a while, I was able to walk properly again only after arriving at a place completely separate from where I was standing before.

I didn’t know we would get so far apart in an instant like this.

Looking around, this place seemed to be the end point of the festival street. Then, it meant I was in the completely opposite direction from where I was before.

“Hmm… Is it better to wait here, or is it better to go back to the hotel?”