Olivia was still a strange human to him, thanking him even though he wasn’t playing with her like Lime was. Alois carefully placed her gift at the edge of the sunshade and opened his arms toward Olivia.

“Come here, Livi.”

Though he called her without any particular reason, Olivia promptly sat beside him and slipped into the space he created. Leaning her head against his firm chest, she hummed in a small voice and wiggled her toes, apparently unable to contain the joy of this moment. Alois looked at her and let out a wispy laugh. Somehow his laugh seemed less energetic than usual, so Olivia tilted her head back to examine his face. But when she met his expression directly, it didn’t look much different from usual.

“You come to me without asking questions whenever I call you.”

“Being together is better, isn’t it?”

She didn’t specify what was better, but the meaning seemed clear without saying it. Because Alois too found everything better when he was with her than when he was alone. He still couldn’t understand why, while countless other humans remained annoying, troublesome, and unpleasant, Olivia was the exception. But amid this uncertain anxiety about what it might be, Alois privately thought that he liked the weight and warmth of her as she carefully leaned against him enough that he couldn’t give up being together.

* * *

As the crowd grew larger and the flower blooming on the sea completely changed color, the three headed back to their lodging. Though it was a top-class hotel reserved solely for Olivia, it barely passed the duke’s standards, considering his refined taste. After briefly looking around the interior of the lodging and finally checking the bedroom, the three became quiet.

“Quite an unusual bed arrangement.”

“Huh? This can’t be right?”

Confused, Lime went down to the lobby to inquire, but whether he had checked something incorrectly during the reservation, they confirmed this was indeed the room he had booked. He was certain he had chosen a room with three single beds, but the room they were assigned had one double bed and one single bed.

“Since Olivia and I are family, we can share one bed, and the duke can comfortably use the other bed.”

“I don’t want to casually hand over what’s mine to someone else until the debt is repaid.”

The two men sharply opposed each other over who would use the double bed, while Olivia, sitting between them, touched and tried both beds before cautiously offering her opinion.

“Usually in situations like this, I, as the woman, would use one bed alone, and you two men would share the other bed……”

“Absolutely ridiculous!”

“The most absurd thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

But Olivia’s suggestion was flatly rejected. Slightly deflated by their intense opposition, she passed the decision to them, saying they should decide between themselves, and quietly began organizing her clothes.

Four nights and five days was neither a short nor long schedule. If they subtracted a day each for travel time, they’d be at the destination for about three days. She thought if they kept fighting, she would just tell them to each take a bed and she would sleep on the sofa outside—a comfortable thought that neither man would ever allow—as she happily unpacked her luggage. After changing out of clothes that had gotten slightly wet from seawater, Olivia emerged to find the two men still arguing and gave them a slightly exasperated look.

* * *

This shop too was packed with people, forcing Alois and Olivia to turn back out.

“At this rate, we’ll just be wandering around until it’s time for dinner.”

Nodding in agreement with Olivia’s ominous prediction, Alois looked back at the street they had just walked down. Though the famous street had many cafes and bars, there were so many people that there was no place to sit. There were still many shops ahead, but at this rate, it seemed pointless to continue wandering as everywhere would be similarly crowded.

“Since this is a main street, we’d better look for shops in the narrower alleys.”

Alois took Olivia into a narrow alley, going deep into an area somewhat distant from the main square. Sure enough, the further they went, the fewer people they encountered, and the crowd thinned noticeably.

“The smaller shops might not have the atmosphere or food you like. Is that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter. Right now, the thought of being among those swarming humans is more horrifying.”

Following the maze-like alleys, the two searched for a place to wait until their appointed dinner time.

“With so many people, maybe Lime will have to wait longer than expected too?”

“Perhaps. At least they have a reservation there, so it should be a bit better.”

The three of them had clearly been together while touring attractions, but suddenly Lime apologized to Olivia, saying he had confused the dates. Apparently, he had commissioned something as a birthday gift for Olivia and had mixed up the day to pick it up. Since he needed to collect it today, they decided to separate temporarily and meet again at the restaurant where they had dinner reservations. Olivia suggested they all go together and wait, but Lime refused out of guilt, and Alois out of annoyance, so the idea was rejected.

In the end, they had planned to spend the free time resting at a café, but as they could see, there were no available seats, so they were still roaming the alleys.

“Oh? Alois! There’s a café here!”

She spotted the entrance to a small café marked by a tiny wall sign that they had almost missed. As Olivia had exclaimed, the entrance with the very small sign was a staircase leading underground. A small passage barely wide enough for one person to pass through, with an old-fashioned but worn-looking awning hanging limply. At first glance, it didn’t appear to be a particularly clean or sophisticated establishment. But being hidden in an alley like this, at least it wouldn’t be overcrowded, so the two descended the stairs.

“Hello? Wow, how did they manage to……”

As soon as they opened the door, Olivia couldn’t hide her surprise. An old bell rang with a quaint jingle, and when the door opened, the narrow shop was densely packed with objects stuck all over the walls. From strange-shaped masks to small statues, windows, and even swords, there were also old armor and torn flags. Dishes and books were piled up here and there, making it feel more like an antique shop than a café. If not for the bar table in the middle and the bottles of liquor and tea leaves on the wall behind it, they might have thought they had entered the wrong establishment.

“Seems to be a café during the day and a bar at night.”

They carefully entered, mindful not to step on the many antiques cluttering the floor. As expected, the shop was not just quiet—it was completely empty of customers. There wasn’t even anyone who looked like an employee or the shop owner.

“Are they closed for business?”

“The door was open, so I don’t think so. Let’s wait a bit.”

Despite the shop being ownerless, Alois confidently approached the bar table. Sitting side by side, they turned to face each other, whispering over the mysterious, colored light that glowed in the dark atmosphere. As the dim light flickered, they chatted about completely useless topics like whether it was intentional or just old. Then, an elderly man appeared, pushing aside the bead curtain in the back. With neatly combed white hair and proper attire befitting etiquette, the man seemed both out of place and perfectly suited to the chaotically stacked antiques.

“Here’s the menu.”

The menu was surprisingly ordinary. Coffee, tea, wine, and whiskey were available in common varieties. Unlike Olivia, who carefully examined the menu, Alois merely skimmed it with his eyes, ordered a glass of wine, and handed the menu back to the owner.

“…… Don’t you need this?”

But when the owner waited and didn’t take the menu, Alois turned his head with a puzzled expression. Blink. The ceiling pendant light flickered uneasily again. Slightly bothered, Alois’s gaze momentarily turned toward the ceiling.

“I don’t know if they hung it like this on purpose, but it’s too frequent……”

“Your Highness?”

Alois’s comment about the light was abruptly cut off by the unfamiliar form of address. Olivia, who had been considering having her tea served cold because of the heat, also raised her head with wide eyes. The shop owner, who had been staring fixedly at Alois’s face without even thinking of taking the menu he offered, covered his mouth with trembling hands. Thud, the towel he was holding fell limply onto the table.

“……”

Slowly, he put down the menu he was holding. Alois stared blankly at the man who was shocked at the sight of him, then reached out. In an instant, he reached across the table and grabbed the owner’s collar, examining his face closely with narrowed eyes.

“You, who are you.”

Alois asked the owner’s identity in a low but eerie voice.

* * *

Soft music flowed from the old gramophone. It was an old and worn song from over 30 years ago. The music, mixed with rough, crackling noise, quietly heightened the atmosphere of the small shop filled with years gone by. When he lifted his glass, the ice clinked with a cold sound.

“I thought some items looked familiar, but I didn’t know they had ended up with you.”

“Believe it or not, I was the one who kept my loyalty to the duke until the very end.”

“For someone who claims that, looking at the state of your shop now, the price of loyalty doesn’t seem to have been very high.”

“How could you put a price on my loyalty? Besides, these are all items with my memories attached, making them more valuable than anything else.”