“…Miss. Miss.”

Somewhere, I heard Avina’s voice.

When I lifted my heavy eyelids, the unfamiliar room’s scenery came into view.

Where was this?

After blinking a few times, I finally remembered where I was and where I was headed.

“I’m awake.”

I rubbed my dry eyes and sat up.

I intended to take a short nap, but it seemed I slept deeply.

Instead, all the fatigue accumulated from the carriage ride had vanished.

“What time is it?”

“It’s 11:30.”

“Is it that late already?”

“Yes. The Master is waiting for you outside.”

I blinked blankly at Avina’s words.

“He’s waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

Avina nodded without hesitation.

“I don’t think we made any promises…”

“Oh, really? From what I heard, you were supposed to go to the market together.”

“The market? Ah!”

I remembered belatedly.

We planned to spend the day in Viper shopping while in the carriage.

But since we hadn’t set a specific time, it hadn’t come to mind immediately.

“I’ll be out soon.”

I got out of bed and stretched.

“How about going to the powder room for a moment?”

I briefly checked my condition at Avina’s suggestion.

I had been neglecting my appearance while I slept.

My clothes were wrinkled, and my hair was tangled from rolling around in bed.

If I went out like this, I’d be a laughingstock.

“It’s best to head to the powder room first. This way, please.”

Avina must have felt sorry for me as I checked my appearance. She kindly guided me inside.

The powder room had a large mirror on the wall.

I was shocked when I saw myself in the mirror.

“Oh my, I almost went out looking like this.”

I said to Avina, feeling embarrassed.

“It won’t take long to fix.”

Avina skillfully picked up a comb and started tidying my hair.

When I got into the carriage, my hair was tied up, but now it fell smoothly under her hands.

My wavy brown hair seemed to get silkier with each stroke of the comb.

Avina not only fixed my tangled hair but also straightened my wrinkled clothes with practiced hands.

“You’re all set.”

“Thank you, Avina. You’re really skilled. I’m not good at this, so I envy your ability to handle it so well.”

I complimented Avina as we left the powder room.

If it were me, I would have just brushed my hair roughly and left the back messy.

As we passed through the bedroom and living room and opened the door, I finally saw Alex’s back.

He stood with his lips firmly set, staring straight ahead.

I cautiously approached his side.

The view from the sixth floor was quite different from what I saw on the fourth floor.

White buildings with red roofs stretched out, and trees and plants filled the empty spaces.

The bright early winter sky contrasted with the building roofs.

“Wow, if I had known the view was this good, I would have booked the sixth floor with Miss Veronica.”

I exclaimed in admiration, and Alex turned his gaze to me.

“Why did you book the fourth floor? The sixth floor is quieter and better.”

“Well, you saw that. I was huffing and puffing up the stairs. I didn’t think I could make it to the sixth floor, so I booked the fourth.”

“I see. If I had known, we would have booked the fourth floor too.”

“No, it’s fine. We’ve already got the rooms, so what can we do? And I’m satisfied now. We won’t be going up and down all the time anyway.”

When I shrugged and answered, Alex smiled in satisfaction.

“But why did you call me out so early? We could have left later.”

It wasn’t even noon yet.

I couldn’t understand why he called me out early.

Was he planning to go out early and come back early?

“Since it’s before lunch, I thought it would be nice to eat out.”

“Eat out?”

“Why, don’t you like it?”

“No! I like it!”

Since we had time to leisurely stroll around Viper, it seemed fun to look for something delicious to eat.

“Let’s go quickly!”

I urged Alex in my excitement.

Alex, unable to resist, followed me down the stairs.

Climbing up was so hard, but going down was a breeze.

We reached the first floor in no time, where five members of the Rose Knights were waiting for us.

“Miss Claire.”

Sir Kruger, who had spoken with me earlier, greeted me and approached.

“We will be escorting the Duke and Miss Claire today.”

“Oh, Sir Kruger is coming too!”

I clapped in delight. Then Sir Faby pouted and spoke to me.

“We’re coming too, you know? Don’t just welcome the captain, welcome us too.”

Feeling a pang of guilt as the mid-teen boy showed his disappointment, I quickly added,

“Of course. Everyone is welcome. Outings are more fun with everyone.”

Only after hearing my words did Sir Faby’s expression brighten.

He opened his mouth to speak to me again but then glanced at Alex, smiled bashfully, and stood behind Sir Kruger.

Sir Kruger gave a familiar, awkward smile and then checked with Alex.

“We will follow right behind you.”

“Do so.”

With Alex’s permission, he turned to me.

“Claire.”

His extended hand still felt awkward.

Usually, I would be watching as a third party, not the one involved…

Hesitantly, I placed my hand in Alex’s.

“Shall we go, my lady?”

“My lady? Ah, yes!”

It was hard to get used to, but it didn’t feel bad.

As we stepped out of the tavern, the lively streets welcomed us.

“Where will we have lunch?”

“Well, from what I heard, there’s a famous restaurant nearby.”

“So, you’re planning to have a proper meal at a restaurant.”

“Why? Is that a problem?”

I shook my head and spoke.

“How about doing this instead?”

Alex raised an eyebrow, signaling me to continue.

“Having a proper meal at a restaurant and then strolling through the market is nice, but it feels a bit lacking.”

“Then what other way is there?”

“I’m worried if this will be okay.”

“It’s fine. Tell me. I’ll listen to whatever you suggest.”

Alex urged me to speak.

“How about buying simple street snacks at the market and eating them as we walk around? It’ll taste better while exploring.”

When holidays coincided with night markets, I often skipped meals and bought food at the market, enjoying it while browsing.

It was similar in my past life, so I had no aversion to such things.

But for nobles like Alex or the Rose Knights, it might be different.

They might find street food unsanitary and refuse.

Still, I hoped my suggestion would be accepted as I looked at Alex.

Contrary to my hopes, Alex’s expression was hesitant.

“Street snacks…”

“Well, it varies. Since it’s my first time at the Viper market, I don’t know what’s there.”

“So, we’re eating food we’ve never seen before from an unverified place?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded, Alex seemed to be deep in thought.

He said he would listen to whatever I suggested, so it must be hard for him to refuse.

“Just in case, if you don’t like it, please tell me. Forcing yourself to eat something you dislike could cause more trouble.”

At my words, Alex seemed to ponder even more deeply, stroking his chin. It was somewhat cute.

Wait, what am I thinking?

Cute? Alex?

He was a head taller than me and much more built from years of sword training.

How could I find him cute?

It made no sense.

I must have been overly excited about the outing and had a momentary lapse in judgment.

“…Huh? Claire?”

“Yes? Did you call me?”

Startled by Alex’s voice breaking through my thoughts, I asked back.

Alex looked at me with concern.

“If you’re not feeling well, let me know.”

“No, I’m fine. I just got lost in thought for a moment.”

I couldn’t tell him I was denying reality because I found him cute, so I evaded the topic.

Alex, seemingly unconvinced, watched me for a while before sighing.

“If anything’s wrong, tell me right away. Understand, Claire?”

“Yes, I will. But why did you call me? Have you decided?”

“Yes, let’s do as you suggested.”

I thought he might refuse, but unexpectedly, Alex agreed.

“Really? You won’t regret it? Even though it’s street food?”

“Even so.”

“What about the knights?”

Not satisfied with just Alex’s answer, I checked with the Rose Knights who were to accompany us.

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m fine! I’ve always wanted to try eating while walking around.”

“If it’s the Master’s will.”

“I’m used to it. Don’t worry, Miss Claire.”

“Since it’s Miss Claire’s suggestion, it should be fine.”

Alex, Sir Faby, Sir Kain, Sir Zyle, and Sir Tennant answered in turn.

“So everyone is okay with it. I’m not responsible for any issues.”

I said, as if to set a disclaimer. Fortunately, there were no complaints from them.

Only then did I feel relieved and looked at Alex.

“Shall we go then?”

“Let’s.”