Chapter 127 : Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Festival (5)

“How did you know I was here?”

It was the first thing I said as we sat down.

Thinking about it, it was the question I should’ve asked first.

“Bill told me. Since you spent a few days together in Easton, I figured he might know something.”

“Ah.”

“I really thought it was fate.”

“…What?”

I was about to ask further when—

Godin poked his head out from the kitchen across the table.

He glanced around cautiously, speaking in a hushed tone like a spy on a secret mission.

“Your Grace. The day has finally come to address you as such.”

“Have you been well, Godin? It’s been a while since I last visited. I’ve been busy.”

I stared blankly, looking back and forth between the two.

Godin’s face, uncharacteristically playful, contrasted with Adeline’s relaxed ease.

It was an atmosphere that could only come from a long acquaintance.

“Of course. I never dreamed I’d see you today… Well, you must have your reasons. I won’t pry further.”

Adeline gave a slight smile, pulling up the corners of her mouth, and gently wagged her raised index finger side to side.

“You’re awfully chatty today, Godin. If the owner breaks the rules, what’s the point?”

“As you command.”

Godin slipped away as quietly as he’d appeared. Only then did I blink.

“…You two go way back?”

“Quite a while. It started when Godin was serving in Bastion. He was part of my escort when I was conducting diplomacy as the Conwell heiress.”

Hearing this, I suddenly thought both of them were remarkable.

Adeline, for maintaining a connection across such a social divide and Godin, for not trying to leverage that connection even when he faced unjust hardship.

“Now, this is a special service.”

Godin reappeared out of nowhere, placing a glass in front of each of us.

As he tilted the oak barrel in his hand, a deep purple liquor flowed from the spout.

The fuller the glass, the more its sweet aroma softly spreads.

“A new menu item, soon to be our signature: The Dashing Cervantes.”

The man sitting next to me said this.

He winked, flicking two fingers from his forehead, and had a large instrument strapped to his back.

I had the urge to give him a good smack on the jaw, but he looked oddly familiar.

“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

“Heh, who knows? Perhaps a small melody I left somewhere guided you here.”

…What’s he talking about?

Just then, Adeline let out a small “Kyaa” and lightly shuddered.

“Oh, that’s good.”

The casual expression she made suited her surprisingly well.

She wasn’t just skilled at hiding her emotions—she was good at expressing them openly too.

Godin, watching, spoke softly.

“It’ll suit your taste. It’s a flavor anyone would love.”

“*The Dashing Cervantes*. What’s the meaning behind it, Godin?”

“I hesitate to say, but Easton’s been quite chaotic lately. Cervantes appeared out of nowhere, sorted out the mess, and vanished, leaving only his name. A true hero.”

Godin’s voice was quiet but carried a strange resonance.

“He’s already a celebrity in Easton, but no one’s heard of him since. This is a small tribute to that hero of Easton.”

Godin paused, wiping a glass and looked at me steadily.

Feeling oddly guilty, I grabbed my glass and downed it in one gulp.

“…Mm, it’s good.”

No wonder Adeline had that expression.

Did Godin give me a faint smile, or was it my imagination?

“There’s never just bad things, is there?”

Adeline set her glass down and spoke quietly.

“They say heroes emerge in troubled times. That phrase has been on my mind a lot lately.”

Her gaze shifted to me.

“Like Cervantes and like you.”

“….”

“We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

Maybe it was the lingering aroma of The Dashing Cervantes, but the air between Adeline and me felt oddly comfortable.

The cozy atmosphere of The Oath of Bastion.

Once I leave Conwell, I’ll surely miss this someday.

“Talk comes after eating. Focusing solely on the food—that’s the rule of this place.”

Adeline let out a small laugh, and I smiled back.

It’s all in good fun, isn’t it?

* * *

When we left The Oath of BastionIt was fully night.

The streets were still bustling.

Music from instruments filled the air.

People danced without regard for rhythm, gathered in groups, arm in arm, shouting songs—or maybe just noise—at the top of their lungs.

That’s how it was. As if an invisible god of revelry was controlling the entire street and its people.

“…Prime Minister Zisair. So that’s what happened.”

Thanks to the noise, we could talk at a reasonable volume without worrying about being overheard.

I relayed everything Orlen and Cecil had told me to Adeline.

“Do you know who he is?”

“No. I vaguely recall meeting him and exchanging greetings, but I’ve never heard much about him.”

Orlen had said something similar.

Zisair wasn’t the type to stand out.

“Oh, there’s one thing I remember.”

“What’s that?”

We were walking through the middle of the street.

With drunken revelers liable to stumble out at any moment, I barely had time to glance at

Adeline walking beside me.

She hesitated for a while before speaking, looking like it was awkward to say.

“He’s… ugly…”

“What?”

“Like, seriously unattractive…”

I blinked.

My brows furrowed instinctively.

Just how ugly is he for Adeline to say this?

“Well, that’s an unexpected trait.”

“…I’m embarrassed.”

“Anything else? His background, his family, his political faction?”

Adeline shook her head.

Well, even under the same Kingdom roof, Conwell and the Imperial Capital are practically strangers.

Unlike the Empire.

Anyway.

With this, I’d completed the “mission” Orlen and Cecil gave me.

Anything beyond this wasn’t my concern.

Truthfully, even this conversation wasn’t something to burden a newly crowned lord with, especially one already swamped with post-civil war matters.

But.

I’m a bit curious.

I glanced at Adeline subtly.

I didn’t feel the need to probe her outright.

Orlen said that since Adeline was related to the imperial family through her maternal side, she wouldn’t just sit idly by regarding the Imperial Capital’s affairs…

Well, who knows?

Was that just his wishful thinking, or was it true foresight?

Or did I just toss her some bait?

We both walked in silence, as if by agreement.

The noisy clamor around us was gradually fading into the background.

The path narrowed, leading us to an old stone bridge over the river cutting through Easton’s city district.

That’s when it happened.

Boom—the sky split open.

A red spark shot up, trailing a long tail, then shattered into golden fragments.

Cheers erupted from below the bridge.

Two or three more bursts followed, painting the black night sky with red, blue, and white lights.

Adeline and I stopped in the middle of the bridge, watching the spectacle for a moment.

“Sir Bihen, do you know my nickname?”

My head tilted instinctively.

It was a rather sudden question.

I thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind.

“No, I don’t.”

“Bride of the Rose. My brothers’ maternal relatives used to call me that. It was more of a derogatory term than a nickname.”

I knew Adeline and her two older brothers were half-siblings. Her maternal side was royalty, wasn’t it?

For Callence and Killian’s maternal relatives to mock her like that…

“No way…”

“You’re probably right. They told me I was the flower the Conwell heir, destined to wear the crown, would claim. I didn’t understand what it meant back then. I was barely ten years old.”

Bride of the Rose.

A flower for the crown-wearing heir to claim.

In plain terms, possessing Adeline, with her royal blood, would grant legitimacy and claim to the throne.

I felt sick.

No wonder Callence and Killian were both lunatics.

“You grew up well.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

You idiot.Is that the best you can say for comfort?

A soft chuckle sounded.

“I can never quite figure you out. You’re so eloquent normally, but at times like this…”

“Eloquent? That’s a first.”

“No way. You definitely have a knack for making people listen.”

…Me?

This regression keeps surprising me.

Thanks to her, I discovered a talent I didn’t know I had. A talent only becomes real when someone else acknowledges it.

“Isn’t it funny? That someone like me, mocked like that, would get this opportunity.”

She outright called it an opportunity.

Did my face show surprise?

No, probably not.

The moment I heard about the Imperial Capital’s turmoil from Orlen and Cecil, I thought Adeline, with her imperial blood, might aim for the throne herself.

Didn’t I just anticipate that reaction?

—If a war breaks out with the Empire, have you ever imagined what it’d be like?

The first day Adeline and I spoke alone.

When I asked, she answered without hesitation that she had.

Even before I came to Conwell, Adeline might’ve had her own plans.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she’d already discussed things privately with Chief Attendant Ternien.

In the end, Orlen and Cecil’s message didn’t mean much.

Ambition.

Adeline’s ambition.

I’d glimpsed it before.

Light and darkness don’t cancel each other out by embracing tightly.

“…Your Grace, do you wish to become Queen?”

If so, there’s no need to beat around the bush.

“To become Queen… The throne isn’t a seat you can claim with just desire.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me ask you in return.”

Adeline, who’d been looking up at the night sky, turned to face me.

I turned to meet her gaze in response.

“Sir Bihen, did you set out to become a hero?”

“….”

“Are you asking if I came to Conwell with that intention?”

I answered immediately.

“No. I’m no hero to begin with.”

“Denying it on your own doesn’t change anything.”

The fireworks lighting up the night sky briefly illuminated the smile on Adeline’s lips.

We both turned forward again at the same time.

“When I left home, my grandmother told me something.”

A firework burst, shattering into colorful fragments, mingling with the stars shining in its place.

“Live as a shining star. That’s all.”

“…If someone ever asks me the same question, I’ll answer the same way.”

The faint noises of the night streets layered over the silence between us.

Was there a need for more words?

Adeline was a truly wise woman.

With just a few questions, she seemed to enlighten even a dimwit like me.

Deeper conversations… I couldn’t ask for them now.

Just as I couldn’t reveal every detail of my journey guided by the Old Knight from my past life, Adeline must have her own story.

Knowing this much is enough for now.

Adeline’s ambition wasn’t so different from my own journey to become a star.

In this life, we were walking the same path.

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