“Really, as expected, nothing is predictable.”

So, he was a more interesting opponent.

Etienne appeared last. However, she was no different from the morning. If you had to point out, she was a bit cleaner?

Without knowing that Fernando was looking at her, Lehart continued to watch Etienne.

Coming down with light steps, without the need to hold her skirt to reveal her ankles, Etienne approached the crowded dining table. Instead of sitting down, she asked while standing.

“Is today a free time?”

“Rather than free time, it’s more like buying what we need and resting individually… Is that what it is?”
When Lehart mumbled, Etienne responded as if things were going well.

“Then I’ll go out first. Because there are things to buy.”

With an expectant smile, Etienne turned around. Then, Fernando also got up.

“See you tomorrow morning.”

Fernando, as if telling Lehart not to look for him, said. Thanks to him, Lehart, who had planned to get up first, couldn’t leave his seat and watched the two people move away.

“Then I’ll get up too.”

Bazone also got up after checking the situation, and Heishi also stood up following him. Except for Solha and Hanna, who were still eating, the seats were soon empty. Lehart, with a disappointed smile, greeted the three remaining people.

“Try to stay in bright places as much as possible, as it might be dangerous. As you know, I didn’t bring a separate escort.”

Lehart, who pointed out that there might be commoners who would recklessly bother the nobles but also emphasized that there was no one to protect them, turned away.

Solha and Hanna, who had tried hard to dress up but received no proper attention, showed a disappointed expression.

Hanna’s hand holding the cup trembled. To her, who had never experienced such indifference, it was a lifelong humiliation.

“Are there things to buy?”

“Yeah. It seems like a sleeping bag alone won’t be enough to sleep outside.”
Expectations and reality were completely different. While Etienne was organizing what else to buy based on the experience of spending a night outside, Fernando quietly watched her.

Fernando was also surprised when he saw Etienne earlier.

Etienne tied her red hair into one, so her white face contrasted brightly. Whenever she moved, a white light seemed to emanate from her face.

Although she had a makeup-free face, perhaps due to her eyes, she looked even more lively. Therefore, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Simple yet more splendid than anyone else.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

As Etienne, who had been looking around, met eyes with Fernando, he responded.

“Because you’re pretty.”

“What?”

When Etienne revealed the emotions that she hadn’t felt when Solha and Hanna came down earlier, she widened her eyes in surprise, then soon smiled.

“Do you know how surprised I am every time I hear that from you?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I haven’t heard that I’m pretty a lot.”

‘Because you didn’t tell me I was pretty back then.’

So it felt more awkward.

“Fernando, look at that.”

Although Fernando noticed that Etienne turned the conversation belatedly, he pretended not to notice and looked where she was pointing.

After pointing at something, Etienne went there first. Fernando’s eyes followed Etienne’s back.

“Pretty.”

Fernando repeated the words he had just said.
“Why are you surprised when I said you’re pretty, Etienne?”

Fernando asked in a gentle voice, but Etienne, who had already gone far away, didn’t hear.

Meanwhile, as if she had discovered a fascinating object, Etienne rushed to the display and picked it up. After asking how much it was, Etienne immediately opened its lid.

Then, a mirror appeared. The laughter disappeared from Etienne’s face as she reflected Fernando behind her in the mirror. She spoke to Fernando in a small voice so that he couldn’t hear.

“I used to hope for those words too much.”

She had imagined countless times. She didn’t know how much she had imagined scenes where Fernando would look at her brightly, say exciting words, and those fantasies became a reality, making it difficult for her to force a smile.

“Are you buying it?”

“…Yes, I’ll buy it.”

Etienne calculated the value of the item she had used to suppress her emotions. Etienne, who belatedly examined the mirror again, sighed as if it couldn’t be helped.

“I might need a mirror.”

There were things I brought, but this one is small.

Thinking that, she put it in her pocket. Now, she had to move diligently to buy the things she really needed.

“Fernando? Shall we go over there…?”

Suddenly, he was standing next to her. And it smelled very delicious.

“You didn’t eat.”
Fernando appeared with skewers and extended them as if to say, “Eat.” While she had just been reminiscing about her past life, Fernando was looking at her present self.

Feeling somehow apologetic for the truth, Etienne received the skewers with an even brighter expression.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

For Etienne, who knew about her past life, it was a time of constantly revisiting the past, while for Fernando, who didn’t know about the past life, it was a time of looking at the reality.