Chapter 23

People leisurely strolling through the capital of the Empire and the commercial district, smiling.

There were times when she wanted to be like them, going to meet the father of the child in her womb, Floyd.

Of course, she felt she had achieved half of it. She was strolling leisurely through the same streets without being restricted by the family she was born into.

The only difference from them was that she wasn’t smiling.

Was it really this hard to have a relaxed smile? 

Elina pressed her lips firmly as soon as she stepped outside, showing no sign of a smile.

“No, there’s no need to force a smile. It’s enough not to cause trouble for others….”

Elina eventually gave up on the desire for something impossible and continued her halted steps.

The kitten, experiencing its first outing due to its owner who never thought of going outside, peeked its head out of the basket.

The house she rented was on the outskirts of the commercial district, but it wasn’t far from the center, so there was no need to hire a carriage.

She just walked a little more than others.

The commercial district, which she had seen in haste when Lady Rasiche sent her on errands, was splendid. There were shops handling various fascinating items, and well-dressed people filled the streets.

Elina wandered the streets alone, wearing a pale yellow dress, one of the items Floyd had filled the carriage with.

Come to think of it, she had nothing else to wear besides what he gave her, so she decided to wear it for the last time today. She wore flat shoes without heels, making it comfortable to walk.

“Shall I buy your gift first? How about that?”

Elina spoke to the kitten circling in the basket. She knew it couldn’t understand human words, but she had no one else to talk to.

Since she had saved money while finding a house, she thought it would be okay to indulge a little today.

Since it was uncommon for someone to go out with a small animal, people passing by glanced into Elina’s basket.

The black kitten was indeed cute.

The gift she whispered to the kitten about was a ribbon. Before she knew it, a shop dealing in various ribbons appeared in front of her.

In front of it, young ladies of not-so-high status were touching and admiring the ribbons one by one. In the past, she wondered where she would use ribbons if she bought them, but now she felt a somewhat impulsive desire to purchase.

Eventually, Elina squeezed in among the young ladies gathered in front of the ribbon shop and chose a very expensive red silk ribbon.

She split it in half, tying one beautifully around the kitten’s neck and using the other to tie her hair half-up with the shop owner’s help.

After realizing why Lady Rasiche had approached her with a certain motive, she always wore her hair up, not wanting to look young.

It was more convenient for work, and there were other reasons, too.

Her hair, let down for the first time in a while, reached below her waist and swayed. She blushed, feeling like an innocent girl who knew nothing.

“It suits you very well. Why don’t you let your hair down more often, Miss? The kitten is so cute, too….”

“Thank you….”

Elina gave a faint smile to the shop owner and then walked to the opposite side of the street.

This commercial district wasn’t far from the capital of the Empire, so if you looked closely, even high-ranking nobles were leisurely wandering around.

That’s why Floyd was here that day…

Elina roamed the streets, buying the groceries she had discarded when she left the house, and purchased colorful yarn to pass the time alone at home.

She planned to knit a scarf for the grandmother on the first floor.

Then, feeling hungry, she followed the crowd into a restaurant. She avoided places that made her stomach uncomfortable from the smell and chose one selling mild bread.

Inside the restaurant, there were people who looked like lower-class nobles and those subtly different in appearance. 

Could that person be a high-ranking noble too?

For high-ranking nobles, this commercial district was a place to catch their breath. If they disguised their status and wandered around, no one would recognize them.

Before meeting Floyd, she had vaguely heard such rumors when Lady Rasiche sent her on errands here.

Back then, she thought it didn’t matter to her and dismissed it.

She never imagined that the Floyd she met that night would hide his status.

No, high-ranking nobles are high-ranking nobles in their own right, but isn’t he not even a noble?

He was a member of the Imperial Family. And he was a war hero beloved by the Empire’s citizens.

The story she heard from him that day, about volunteering to go to the battlefield after his mother’s death and a fight with his father…

She never imagined the story she heard from him would be the heroic tale of the Grand Duke of Rennes, not an unknown knight.

Thinking about Floyd still made her feel miserable.

Thinking about what someone like her had done with a member of the Imperial Family. But now that it was all over, she decided to neatly fold those thoughts and tuck them away inside.

“Would you like to order?”

“White bread with tomato salad… and orange juice, please.”

Elina quickly finished ordering and looked around near where she was sitting. Across the table, two sturdy men were chatting with a large amount of food ordered.

Eavesdropping on others’ conversations was never her hobby, but she ended up listening to their conversation. The words that reached her ears were too familiar.

Did they think it didn’t matter if a young woman across the way heard such things?

“That woman finally left the Grand Ducal residence, they say.”

“Ah, I thought it would be fun if she fought with the Princess.”

“Is the Princess that kind of person? But I didn’t expect our Grand Duke to let such rumors spread because of a woman.”

“Well, it’s not the first time high-ranking people have taken mistresses….”

Though no names were mentioned, she could easily tell they were talking about her. 

Still, was this the only level of gossip circulating now?

Compared to the words uttered by the maid cleaning the bedroom and the retainer who tried to find her a few weeks ago, it wasn’t so bad that she felt like dying.

It was just enough that she had to leave the restaurant after taking a few bites of the food she wanted to eat.

Elina went out into the alley between buildings and caught her breath.

It’s okay. Those people don’t know I’m the Grand Duke’s ‘that woman.’

She consoled herself like this and soothed her bitter taste with fruit skewers sold on the street. Compared to the fresh fruit from the Grand Ducal residence, it tasted somewhat inferior, but it was edible.

Although she felt burdened every time, it seemed the food the grandmother on the first floor gave her was really delicious.

What else should I buy now? 

Because she left the restaurant too quickly after going in for lunch, she had plenty of time left.

When the cold wind blew and the hem of her dress fluttered, she remembered that the dress she was wearing was one Floyd had bought for her.

Only then did she enter the street where the most people gathered and carefully looked at each clothing store visible through the transparent windows.

At home, she would be in pajamas anyway, and she needed a few light dresses for occasional outings.

But on the stands, there were no light-design dresses, only heavy and fancy dresses. She needed an outing dress but couldn’t wear something like that.

“I can’t wear something like that, kitten.”

After pondering, Elina turned away. The impulsive purchase of the ribbon earlier was enough, and she needed to choose and buy a practical dress.

It was funny to buy a new dress with the money Floyd gave her because she didn’t want to wear the dress he gave her, but it was true that she didn’t want to keep wearing the clothes he gave her forever.

At least she couldn’t bear to wear the dresses he must have carefully chosen and sent her anymore.

It was a meaningless way to shake off lingering feelings. She didn’t want to think about Floyd anymore….

Meow. As if understanding Elina’s inexplicable feelings, the kitten in the basket meowed quietly with a red ribbon around its neck.

“Shall we go somewhere else…?”

Meow. Indeed, the only one who cared for her was the kitten.

Thanks to the merchants who wrapped the groceries tightly in bags after seeing the kitten in the basket, the kitten was now buried deep in the only unpackaged yarn.

Would I find a clothing store I liked? 

Hoping there would be a decent clothing store, Elina walked as diligently as when she was looking for a house.

“That’s cute….”

And after wandering around for a long time to find clothes she liked, she was lucky enough to find a really cute clothing store as soon as she entered a new alley.

The place was very different from the other clothing stores she had seen so far.

How was it different? Through the transparent windows, instead of fancy dresses, there were small, cute clothes that babies might wear.

Moreover, the comfortable dress design she wanted was also on display, catching her eye immediately. Without further hesitation, Elina opened the store’s door.

She thought she would buy a few dresses here and return home.

As soon as she entered the store, the owner greeted her with a friendly smile.

“My goodness, what a cute lady. Welcome. What would you like to wear? We have many affordable and pretty clothes!”

Without Floyd by her side, she was someone who received such a warm welcome. Elina finally thought she had done well to leave the Grand Ducal residence.