# 12
“Selene Empire...”
Angelica repeated the name of the Empire, hearing it clearly for the first time. It was a strange name to her, and yet, she felt a vague elation appear on her lips.
“Angelica, Commander, then I will go now.”
Isabelle said goodbye to them and then left with confident steps. The people around them seemed to be shorter than she expected, but she soon realized that the place they arrived at was nothing but an inn.
The bell rang as they entered, and Isabelle disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Hugo received from an employee of the Imperial Family a robe and a mask, and then he skillfully put on the festival mask, placing one robe on himself and another on Angelica.
“The capital is colder than the duchy, so if you feel cold, tell me, and I will get you another dress.”
"I'm fine. This is warm enough...but, Hugo."
Angelica raised her head slightly, studying his face, before asking him curiously:
“Why are you wearing that weird thing?”
The mask even obscured his bright red eyes and jet black hair, adding to his eerieness.
While Hugo was adjusting the mask, he answered in a calm voice:
“Because many people will be afraid of the scar.”
Rather, they were afraid of “the man with the black hair, the red eyes, and the scar.”
Hugo swallowed the last sentence, he was sure Angelica would be angry if she heard it. So, he decided to trust his intuition this time, and gently tucked her golden locks into the robe, then reached out to take her hand.
But it didn't work.
“Do you have glasses?”
Suddenly, Angelica turned away from him and called out to the imperial employee excitedly.
“It is preferable that the lenses be colored!”
"Ah, yes! Just a moment, please!"
The astonished employee hurried to get the glasses, then cast a spell on them to darken their lenses.
“There she is!”
The design was unique, not common in the empire. It is normal for glasses to improve vision, but adding color to the lenses? It seemed strange.
Angelica didn't care about the surprised looks, immediately put on the glasses, then grabbed Hugo's hand and pulled him excitedly.
“Let's go!”
Her fingers intertwined with his, and yet, she seemed to be leading him as much as she was being led by him.
The inn was noisy, but it was nothing compared to the commotion in the streets.
As darkness fell, it became more and more difficult to see, so Angelica tightened her grip on his hand tightly.
“If I break up with you here, we may never find each other again.”
“I will never leave you.”
"truly?"
Although his words were merely reassuring, his voice was completely devoid of any fakery.
Angelica felt very comfortable, and smiled sweetly, while Hugo glanced at her expression before asking:
“So, why did you wear those glasses?”
“Since people here are afraid of your scar, it means they are very weak.”
It was an unexpected answer, making him blink slowly, contemplating her words.
Angelica raised her head to look directly at him, then continued her speech:
“If they are afraid of such a beautiful scar, what will happen if they see my eyes? Won’t they faint?”
She seemed to be asking an obvious question, shrugging her shoulders indifferently, then turning her gaze to the crowded street.
"wow…!"
She gasped in amazement, contemplating the lights and decorations, then shook Hugo's hand enthusiastically as she chanted:
“It smells delicious of grilled chicken...! Hugo, can we walk around for a bit before we go back? Looks like today is the last day of the festival!”
It was hard to resist her request, so after a moment of thought, Hugo nodded in agreement.
“Only until dinner time.”
"truly?!"
"Yes."
Angelica was surprised at how easily he agreed, so she happily took a deep breath, then grabbed his arm tightly and smiled slyly.
“Don’t you go back on your words!”
If he knew how much she longed to attend a festival like this, he might understand why she was so excited.
“I will try everything!”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and if she hadn't been wearing those colorful glasses, Hugo would have gasped in surprise.
❈❈❈
Why do good times pass so quickly?
In one corner of the garden, away from the hustle and bustle of the square where the fireworks were being held, Angelica sat on a bench like a melted candy bar, leaning back completely limply.
She ate so much that it seemed as if her stomach could not digest any more, and yet, she did not hesitate to accept the smoothie that was suddenly offered to her.
“I'm full...”
“Even a little chick might eat more than you.”
Has there ever been a sauce who tried all the festival foods in just a few hours?
She tried to protest, but she couldn't, as her lips automatically went to the mouth of the straw, forcing her to taste the new drink.
It was different from the first one, with a more refreshing flavour.
I wondered for a moment: How many smoothies does Hugo carry with him?
“He must have a pile of dolls he won at darts, too.”
She couldn't see clearly, and he couldn't see well because of the mask, so she avoided competitive games.
But, as if he read her thoughts, he looked at her and asked in a calm voice:
“Angelica, would you like to try? I can help you.”
"Me? Can I do it?"
“If you want it, anything is possible.”
Before I knew it, I was touched by his sweet words and was picking up dart pins.
In short, he wasn't just deceiving me.
He trained me hard behind the scenes and I won all the awards.
My position was a little awkward.
Everyone thought that she and he were so affectionate that you would think they were newlyweds in a relationship.
If I had been involved with anyone else, I would have denied it.
Being involved with him wasn't bad. On the contrary, it was a fun time that I enjoyed listening to.
'Interesting.'
“I hated everything except...”
"What?"
Hugo's question snapped Angelica out of her reverie.
She was lost in her thoughts with someone beside her.
Angelica quickly wiped her hand on the back of her neck.
“No, I don’t hate you, I’m just thinking about someone…… Wait, did I misunderstand?”
She felt embarrassed because she misunderstood...and couldn't get her words out.
Since then, she has been careful to keep it to herself and not say it in public.
Meanwhile, Hugo was staring at her calmly as she suddenly blushed and became confused.
My heart sank, even though my arms were filled with traces of her day.
I asked her reflexively
“Is the person you are thinking of your first love?”
It wasn't easy to resist my urge, even though I knew she was reluctant to broach the subject.
She is the one who suppresses herself and censors herself more than anyone else.
She shouldn't have said that now, I should have stopped her.
But still. The words didn't come easily.
“Huh, I wasn't going to think about it while I was next to you, Hugo..”
And so things went, until she spoke first.
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