Feeling the indoor temperature suddenly cool, I asked Cheshire again.

“What did you just say?”

“On the day of the New Year’s Festival, go on a date with me.”

Ah, I hadn’t misheard after all.

At Cheshire’s nonchalant answer, the dinner table erupted into chaos.

“Who was it? Who just mentioned a date?”

“D-d-d-date?!”

“What’s a date?”

“The knife’s edge is too sharp, I’ll replace it with something else.”

Ignoring the sudden uproar, Cheshire looked at me.

His eyelashes, fluttering with each blink, looked just like flower petals swaying in the wind.

Just as I was about to respond to Cheshire’s request, Terry jumped up and shouted even faster.

“As I observe, that magician’s head is full of impure thoughts! Master, just give the order!”

I didn’t even want to ask what kind of order she wanted me to give.

Our household members tend to get overly excited whenever anything related to romance comes up, behaving like elementary school kids shouting, “Who’s dating who?!”

However, I didn’t need to open my mouth to calm these frenzied monkeys.

Cheshire’s next words left everyone gaping, unable to say anything.

“You all haven’t forgotten about the alliance, have you?”

Alliance?

Cheshire didn’t even try to hide that there was some sort of bond I didn’t know about, right in front of me.

“Alliance? What do you mean by that?”

“To find out, you’ll have to go on a date with me, won’t you?”

Really, his way with words was quite admirable.

After pondering for a moment, I nodded.

“If that’s the reward you want.”

As I agreed, sighs of lament erupted from here and there.

Everyone seemed to be taking Cheshire’s date request too seriously.

‘Cheshire is always like this, after all.’

The date was just an excuse; he surely had something else he wanted from me.

At that moment, Terry, who had been trembling with indignation, opened her mouth as if to counterattack.

“Chet too! Chet says he wants to go on a date too!”

Right, Ratchet?

Leo, who had been glancing about in bewilderment trying to place who Chet was, finally recognized the name referred to him.

The quick-witted boy clenched his fists with determination and spoke with conviction, his words carrying a promise of trust.

“If you just tell me what a date is, I’ll do my best too!”

“Seedo, I’m sorry, but a date is supposed to be just two people…”

“I allow it.”

“…Master?”

What. Again. Got a problem with that?

I kindly explained to Cheshire, who was looking at me as if he’d been blindsided.

“You said you wanted to go on a date with me, but you never said it had to be just the two of us.”

***

The New Year’s Festival, though smaller in scale than the Seal Stone Festival, had a more intimate atmosphere, perhaps because it was an event enjoyed only by the people of the kingdom.

The prices, which had soared during the Seal Stone Festival, had stabilized, and with fewer tourists from other countries, public safety seemed much better.

Still, it was clearly a peak season for merchants, as food stalls similar to those seen during the Seal Stone Festival were occasionally visible.

“Ah! Lady Belinda! Look, it’s those cloud snacks from before!”

Leo, who had been rhythmically hopping while holding hands with me and Cheshire, stopped in his tracks after spotting something.

Then, after rummaging in his pocket, he proudly displayed a shiny gold coin and a few silver coins on his palm, saying:

“I received a lot of pocket money.”

Before leaving the mansion, Terry, Vivian, and Sir Penadel had surrounded Leo and earnestly told him something; it seemed they were giving him pocket money.

Not stopping there, Leo raised his index finger and, tracing from one end of the alley lined with stalls to the other, boldly declared:

“Now I can say ‘Give me everything from here to there!'”

“….”

I couldn’t bring myself to ask where he had learned to say such things.

“As expected of Master’s Seedo, he takes after you perfectly.”

It seemed it was about time to teach him about economic concepts.

But…

“I’m going to buy everything Lady Belinda and Teacher want!”

I couldn’t bring myself to reveal the truth to Leo, who was having such admirable thoughts.

The fact that one gold coin and a few silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to conquer the stalls in this alley.

“Wow, really? I actually had something I wanted, I’ll have to ask Seedo to buy it for me.”

Cheshire stepped in instead of me, who was conflicted and unable to say anything.

He took Leo’s hand and headed towards a stall selling various accessories.

The stall was neatly decorated with accessories made of cheap gemstones and opaque glass beads, cleverly woven together.

Of course, it was nowhere near the level of jewelry stores used by nobles, but unfortunately, the few silver coins Leo had weren’t enough to afford them.

“How much is this?”

“Ah, that’s only 5 silver.”

“5 silver means… 16 cloud snacks…”

“Then how about this?”

“That’s a natural pearl used even by nobles! Oh, it’s cheap, cheap! Only 1 gold!”

“1 gold means… one meal for Sugar…”

Leo’s expression turned gloomy, having tasted the bitterness of money just 5 minutes after experiencing its power.

Cheshire, as if teasing Leo, kept pointing at increasingly expensive accessories and asking their prices, and with each one, Leo’s face grew more ashen.

‘That’s enough of that.’

This should be sufficient to teach Leo about economic concepts.

“Cheshire, stop testing and choose something.”

“Really? Will you buy it for me, Master?”

As if this was his plan all along.

Cheshire’s face lit up at my unexpected intervention.

Then, he meticulously selected several purple-tinted gemstones, holding each between thumb and forefinger as he studied them with keen interest.

Finally, alternating his gaze between me and the jewels, Cheshire chose a not-too-expensive amethyst necklace.

It was just a roughly crafted hexagonal column shape attached to a leather cord, but Cheshire nodded with a face that showed he was completely satisfied.

“Is that all you want?”

“Yes, I like this. I’ll cherish it forever.”

I thought he would choose the most expensive one among these.

Does he have a different motive for the date?

With an uneasy feeling, I paid the price, and finally, it was Leo’s turn to act.

At my mention of wanting to eat cloud snacks, Leo excitedly ran to the cloud snack stall.

“Ah, it’s that child from before.”

The merchant remembered Leo well.

Well, our Leo is unforgettably cute once you see him.

“Today too, your mom and d…ad didn’t come.”

The merchant quickly scanned me and Cheshire while speaking to Leo, then cleared his throat with an “Ahem.”

It seems the merchant still hadn’t forgotten the lie told to discourage the piglet.

As Leo was rolling his eyes, not knowing what to do, Cheshire, who had received a pink cloud snack as fluffy as his own head from the merchant, said with a smile:

“I’m the second husband.”

“…?”

“We’re in the process of divorcing the first husband. Here, Seedo, your cloud snack.”

With one sentence, he silenced the merchant, and Cheshire, who had become my second husband despite me never having married, let alone divorced, smiled like an early spring flower.

***

If the highlight of the Seal Stone Festival was the parade, the highlight of the New Year’s Festival was the ‘Wish Sending’ event, where people floated small wooden boats with lanterns bearing their wishes on the vast Berbet River that crossed the royal capital.

As soon as night fell, the Berbet River was illuminated by small fragment boats that people had set afloat one by one.

The beautiful scenery, as if the Milky Way was floating on the river, was enough to captivate people’s footsteps.

Leo, too, was busily moving his hands to float his wish on the river.

[Please let me become an excellent servant.]

Leo, who initially wrote his wish like that, soon crossed out what he had written and wrote anew.

[̶P̶l̶e̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶e̶x̶c̶e̶l̶l̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶v̶a̶n̶t̶.̶ Please let me become an excellent servant who can be helpful to Lady Belinda.]

‘This still seems lacking somehow…’

Glancing around, everyone was writing their wishes without hesitation and placing them inside the lanterns to be sent off on wooden boats.

Thinking it was the last time, Leo picked up the pen again.

[Please let me stay with Lady Belinda for a very long time.]

This should do it.

As Leo was putting it down with satisfaction, he suddenly seemed to think of one more thing and hurriedly scribbled another line.

[Please let Lady Belinda be happy for a very long time!]

Leo carefully folded the note, which had become a mess with marks of writing and erasing, and placed it inside his share of the lantern.

Watching the fragment boat drift away, Leo unconsciously clasped his hands together and earnestly prayed for his wish to come true.