Who Regressed the Timekeeper? - Chapter 60

Noah, who was about to turn back to the old woman to ask properly, was grabbed and turned around by Amy. The two walked side by side down the street, engaging in a serious conversation.

“Amy, don’t just get angry. Think about it carefully.”

“About what?”

Amy snorted. Noah glanced at her sideways and whispered meaningfully.

“That fortune-teller from earlier might not be a fraud.”

“What?”

As if she had heard the most absurd thing in the world, Amy rubbed her ear with a disinterested expression. Noah persisted stubbornly.

“Who knows? She might be a prophet.”

“…What are you saying right now?”

Ignoring his words, Amy looked around the square they had just entered. People were crowding around the stalls that densely lined the edges of the square. Hmm, business seems to be going well. Amy thought contentedly as she watched, then suddenly had an idea.

‘Maybe I should take a look in case they’re selling defective goods?’

As the organizer who had collected taxes, it was their duty to ensure fair trade. As Amy’s feet turned toward the stalls, Noah stuck close beside her.

“I mean, it could really be Amy’s future.”

“My future?”

Amy pushed through the crowd and scrutinized the goods laid out on the stalls with a hawk’s eye. At first glance, everything seemed fine. Amy picked up a ring with an intertwined pattern like a straw rope. The northern flower engraved on its surface sparkled in the sunset.

Just then, Noah put his lips close to her ear and whispered.

“Someday, Amy might marry someone and have children too.”

“……”

The breath tickling her ear made all the hairs on her body stand on end. Amy quickly pulled her upper body to the side to create distance and rubbed her ear with her hand. Why are you saying such ticklish things?

“That makes it sound even more like a scam. I have no intention of getting married.”

Amy declared as she put down the ring. Noah’s eyes fixed on the ring, then returned to Amy.

“Why not?”

His voice seemed to have sunk somehow, but Amy answered halfheartedly while looking at the bracelet next to it.

“Why? Because I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

Noah persistently asked why? why? like a child draining their parents’ energy. Amy grabbed Noah’s arm and walked across the square, replying.

“Do I need a reason for not wanting to?”

“…Then you might want to again without reason?”

“I suppose so.”

Though she didn’t really think so, she went along with it to avoid this conversation going on forever. Noah seemed satisfied with Amy’s answer and smoothed out his furrowed brow.

“But why are you curious about that?”

This time Amy asked. Noah answered immediately.

“Because I want Amy to be happy.”

“That statement is a bit flawed. People don’t necessarily become happy just because they get married.”

“Yes. I’m only talking about a marriage that could make Amy happy.”

Noah wore a childishly stubborn expression.

“Who could know that?”

Amy laughed with a deflating sound and thought.

‘If it were before the regression, I might have foolishly thought of the Crown Prince first.’

Well, is it the fault of the one who believed or the one who deceived? As Amy was thinking this, music began to play.

“Looks like dance time has started.”

As Amy smiled watching people run to the center of the square, Noah stared at her intently and asked.

“Amy, do you want to dance?”

“What? No, not really.”

“…I see?”

Noah looked dejected and stared at the ground. Amy remembered that Noah’s lessons included etiquette and dance, but she passed over it thoughtlessly.

“Then shall we head back to the duchy after seeing this?”

“…Alright.”

Amy retreated to the edge of the square with Noah. Soon, fairly fast-paced music could be heard, and four men and women facing each other began to dance, stomping their feet.

“There’s Dwayne and Mary.”

Dwayne and Mary faced each other palm to palm, tracing figure eights as they turned. While Dwayne smiled brightly, Mary wore a disinterested expression.

“There’s Viola too.”

She had her arm around her fiancé’s waist as they spun in place. It was nice to see her enjoying herself.

Just then, the village children approached Amy shyly, holding out baskets.

“Hm? What’s this?”

Looking inside the basket, there were paper flowers made one by one with tiny hands. The children smiled, showing gaps in their teeth like a chessboard.

“Thank you for coming to our village festival. We welcome guests with these flowers and the spring that the Duke has brought~”

The children surrounded Amy and Noah, jumping up and down and giggling. Then they pinned a paper flower to Noah’s chest and Amy’s hair.

“They’re very pretty. Thank you.”

As Noah patted the children’s heads, a few precocious girls blushed looking at him. Amy felt her hair, touching the flower.

Somehow, her heart swelled. The fact that even such young children came out to help the village made her heart soften.

Just then, the tallest boy casually came and stood next to Amy.

“Aren’t you going to dance time?”

“No.”

As Amy absently straightened the boy’s crooked collar, he tilted his head shyly. A sharp gaze was felt from the side, but thinking it must be her imagination, the boy suggested.

“Then why don’t you try some flower tea?”

Flower tea? As Amy tilted her head, the children shouted, competing to be first.

“It’s tea made in our village. It’s very delicious!”

“It’s nutty and fragrant. We brought it out for the first time at this festival, and people really liked it!”

Amy and Noah exchanged glances. Amy, who hadn’t known the villagers were planning such a thing, thought she should ask Joseph if he knew about it when they returned to the castle.

After waving goodbye to the children, they noticed quite a few people with paper flowers on their chests and heads. Once again feeling proud, Amy felt motivated to make this a place where children could grow up without worries.

The two went to the street tea house the children mentioned and drank flower tea. As they had heard, it was so fragrant that it naturally relieved fatigue. As Amy was looking at the flower blooming in her teacup, Noah spoke.

“I’ve been thinking… How about Amy taking classes too?”

“…Pardon?”

It was such an abrupt suggestion that she understood a beat late.

“Me? University classes?”

As she asked back dazedly, Noah nodded and said as if it were obvious.

“Amy, you want to study.”

“……”

Before the regression, she had watched the Crown Prince studying reluctantly and thought, if only they would let me do it instead, feeling regretful.

Seeing her lingering around the study room with nothing particular to do, eavesdropping, the Crown Prince seemed to notice something and asked if there was anything she wanted to do. So after much deliberation, she honestly confessed that she wanted to learn academics. Then the Crown Prince…

‘Amy, what use is such study for someone who will become Empress.’

He had snorted and dismissed it.

Amy looked at Noah and unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

‘Did I show it again like back then?’

She had vaguely planned to realize that wish buried only in her heart later, after everything was over, by hiring a private tutor while living in a warm southern country…

As if reading her mind, Noah added.

“It’s just my thought. And the tutor also said it was a good idea.”

“Well, that person would earn more money after all… But I… I’m not confident I can do as well as Your Highness.”

As Amy hesitated, Noah snorted.

“Amy, are you fighting with me now?”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you tell me before that studying is something you do alone? After trying it, I found that to be true. No matter how fast others progress, I just need to do a little better than yesterday, right?”

“Ah……”

“So don’t compare yourself to me. Even if there’s nothing in my head, it doesn’t mean anything will pile up in Amy’s head.”

“That’s true. But… is it really alright for me to do so?”

“……”

Seeing Amy ask cautiously, Noah was at a loss for words for a moment. Perhaps saying his heart ached would be a more accurate expression. She always acted boldly for Noah’s sake, but it upset him that she lacked such confidence in herself.

He deliberately smiled with creased eyes.

“If it’s something Amy wants to do, there’s no question of whether it’s alright or not.”

“No, it’s just that a woman receiving higher education is a bit… Many universities don’t allow female admission either.”

“Who in this duchy is more qualified than Amy?”

Noah frowned as if displeased.

“Once the North gets on track to some extent, I’m going to bring a university here too. And I’ll make it so anyone can enroll regardless of gender.”

Amy tilted her head skeptically.

“Will the university agree to do that?”

“When I offered the tutor the position of dean, he gladly agreed.”

“Well, as I said earlier, that person would earn several times more money…”

Noah clenched his fist and declared.

“From now on, the world will change to focus on individual ability rather than gender or status. I want the North to be the first place to become like that. Just look at the duchy’s employees, how many talented people are there? Wasting that is a national loss.”

“……”

“The North lacks talent. Because of the harsh weather, many young people who should be working have crossed over to the Empire. Now we need to bring them back, and nurture new ones.”

“…Your Highness is right.”

Amy’s heart swelled anew at finding a master who understood her innermost feelings. If only she had known before the regression… Then she unconsciously voiced her thoughts.

“Why are you so good to me, Your Highness?”

Noah looked surprised and asked back.

“Am I good to you?”

“Yes.”

“Is that so…? That’s good.”

Amy stared intently at Noah, who was smiling contentedly. While she had her reasons for acting this way due to the favors received before the regression, Noah had no reason to treat her like this at all.

As if reading her mind again, Noah gazed at Amy with warm eyes.

“My life’s goal is for Amy to be happy too.”