# 41
“They were both a little late.”
Was the drink stand far away? Or maybe it was crowded and the drinks took longer to prepare.
I checked the time and looked at the people passing by.
Sitting still, I could clearly hear the surrounding noise. At that moment, applause from behind caught my attention, and I turned around.
There was a stage set up in the street visible from afar.
It seems the play has just begun.
Out of curiosity, I went to see the play with Fares. I left another knight behind, as the other two might arrive soon.
“Oh, this is based on a fairy tale.”
I recognized her immediately; It was a story my mother used to read to me when I was little, when she was still alive.
“Oh, I remember...”
In the story, a monster with the wings of an eagle and the face of a lion kills the king, leaving the kingdom on the brink of destruction. The princess, now alone, is overcome with grief. At that moment, a knight who has long admired her comes forward, vowing to defeat the monster in exchange for a wish if he succeeds. The princess agrees, and the knight succeeds in killing the monster and returning, only to ask for her hand as his wish.
The knight married the princess and became the new king. Grateful and happy, he holds a fishing competition every three years to grant wishes. Thus, the fairy tale ended.
“Diana.”
At the sound of my name, I turned to find Harold standing with Knight, holding drinks bottles.
Relieved to see them, I quickly realized that someone was missing.
“Where is Mister Dante?”
“He suddenly remembered something urgent and left. He asked me to apologize on his behalf.”
I nodded without question. If Harold had pushed Dante away because he didn't like him, he would have done so earlier without walking with him for two hours.
"What was so important? Mister Dante was so excited about the festival. He even said he wouldn't miss the fireworks—ah!"
A cold bottle of drink touched my lips.
I looked up. Harold's eyes, narrowed with unspoken annoyance, softened when our eyes met.
“I thought you might be thirsty. Shall I feed you?”
“I have two hands, you know.”
I held the bottle resolutely, and Harold's lips curved into a long smile.
“Let's go. We need to find a place to watch the fireworks.”
Although I had heard about some places from the crew, I wondered if there would still be room when we arrived.
While I was biting my lower lip, lost in thought, Harold solved my problem with one sentence.
“We just need to get moving. I've already reserved a viewing spot.”
"truly?"
“Quiet and perfect for just the two of us.”
At the mention of a pre-arranged location, my heart, which was already beating, sped up even more.
"Where is he? How do we get to him?"
“We'll need to take a cart. Shall we leave now?”
"certainly!"
I felt my steps light and energetic as we headed to where the carriage was waiting.
By the way, somewhere quiet and perfect for both of us?
Where could he be?
I had never thought about renting a place before. Even though I was now living as a Duchess, my thinking was still rooted in the ordinary life I lived on Earth.
Moreover, I was just acting like the Duchess of Weissen in front of everyone, basically, I was just there to treat him.
So, I didn't feel like I had any real power as a duchess.
“…?”
Suddenly, I heard the faint sound of a child crying.
I followed the sound, turning my head to see a child wearing shabby clothes clinging to a guard's pants.
"Oh? That boy is…"
I recognized him. He was the boy who asked for more bread during his first volunteer outing with Mrs. Mayer.
What's going on?
What was he doing there? Without realizing it, I lost the strength in the hand holding Harold, and he immediately held me steady.
“Do you want to go there?”
“…Would that be okay?”
I wanted to know what was happening, so I asked. “Go,” Harold answered succinctly.
As we approached the boy and the guard, their conversation became overheard.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! It's a festival; your brother is probably playing with the other kids!"
“My brother may be a little slow, but he will never leave without telling me!”
“Ah, we don't have the manpower to deal with beggars like you now! We're busy, get out of here!”
"No! I'm not leaving!"
The guard, alarmed, violently pushed the boy away. The child, who was still clinging to the guard's pants leg, ended up rolling on the floor.
"Are you well?"
I let go of Harold's hand and ran to the boy.
He had rolled on the ground and looked even more messy, but fortunately, he didn't seem to have any serious injuries.
How could he throw a kid like that? I shot an angry look at the indifferent guard before turning back to the boy.
“Are you injured somewhere?”
“Ah…”
The boy's eyes widened as he looked at me.
“You… are the lady who distributed bread before, right?”
The boy straightened up quickly, clinging tightly to the hem of my dress as if he were holding on to hope itself.
"Please help me! Please, please help me find my little brother! He's very shy, and if he wanted to go to the festival, he would have come with me, not with other kids. I know him—he won't just disappear like that! Something must have happened to him!"
The boy, with tears falling like chicken droppings, his face swollen from crying.
“I have no one to help me... No one will help me, so please...”
“…”
“Just once, please help me...”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
The boy's desperate voice pierced my heart. But I had no authority to help him directly.
The only person here who could help him was…
I looked at Harold, who was approaching.
“…”
“…”
When our eyes met, Harold stopped. His eyes narrowed, and his dark blue eyes flashed with something mysterious.
After a moment, he silently pointed at Knight.
The knight came forward and tried to help the boy up, but the boy refused to let go of my clothes, pulling so hard that the fabric looked like it might tear.
“What is this power...?”
Even the knight seemed surprised for a moment at the strength of the boy's grip.
Harold clicked his tongue softly and grabbed the boy's wrist.
“Let go of my wife.”
“But…but…”
“I already spoke to the guards. They said they would allocate some reserve manpower for the search.”
“…!”
The boy's face lit up with hope, and I felt a similar sense of relief.
“We will form an additional search party when we return to the estate. In the meantime, give the guards details about your missing brother.”
"Yes! Thank you very much!"
Despite the boy's warm gratitude, Harold didn't even glance at him.
Harold ignored the boy's grateful words, without so much as a glance. The boy left with the guard. I glanced angrily for a moment at the back of the guard, whose attitude had completely changed. They should have helped sooner if they had extra manpower.
I got into the carriage with Harold. Since we were late, fireworks suddenly exploded in the sky.
“Ah…”
I stared blankly at the colorful fireworks exploding in the distance.
I had a vague feeling that this might happen, but it still left a feeling of regret.
However, I didn't regret helping the boy.
But I couldn't bring myself to look at Harold, who had probably prepared a special place for the two of us to watch the fireworks.
"Harold, thanks for today. And I'm sorry for ruining your plans."
“Don't worry about it. For me, that was as easy as throwing a single gold coin.”
“…”
“But even if that boy finds his brother, nothing will change if they continue living like this now.”
Harold's words were cold, but they reflected a harsh truth.
The boy's life wouldn't get much better in its current state.
Just as if, if I had not gained my powers, I would have met the same tragic end as the villain in the novel, without anyone's help.
I clenched my fists tightly on my lap.
“Harold, I have a request—”
“What you are about to say is not a request.”
“Huh?”
A deep wrinkle appeared between Harold's eyebrows. He covered my hands with his, gently passing his palm over mine.
"Of course, you haven't forgotten. Diana, you're the Duchess."
That…
While I hesitated, Harold pulled my hand closer.
“Now, honey.”
He kissed the ring on my finger and then looked up, locking his eyes with mine.
In his deep, dark blue eyes, I saw myself reflected.
“Say it again.”