Having servants and maids accompany us increased the number of people more than I had expected.

Even though we minimized the number of people before departure, it still exceeded ten.

Still, I felt more comfortable than being alone with Alex.

Whenever I was alone with Alex, I tended to get swept away by his eloquence. So, it was better to be with others.

We left the tavern and walked wherever our feet led us. Then, I remembered the most fundamental problem.

“Alex.”

“Yes?”

“Where is the market?”

Although Viper was part of Maynard county, I had never left the central area of the Maynard except for special occasions.

So, even though I had come to Viper, I had no idea where to go.

“You don’t know?”

Alex asked me, surprised.

“No. Usually, when I come to Viper, I never leave the tavern. As you know, I serve Lady Veronica, and she has no reason to come to Viper and go to the market.”

“That makes sense. You were walking so confidently that I thought you knew.”

Alex nodded in understanding. Feeling embarrassed, I looked around unnecessarily.

Then, I heard a faint chuckle from Alex’s direction.

“Come this way. I’ll guide you.”

“Do you know the way, Alex?”

“Despite appearances, I’ve traveled a lot while running the merchant guild. Although I don’t come to Viper often, I know where the market is.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Let’s go quickly.”

I led the way out, but I decided to follow Alex since he knew the direction.

We arrived at the bustling market entrance following Alex.

“Wow, we really made it.”

“Of course. You didn’t doubt me, did you?”

“No way. Let’s go inside!”

The market was more crowded than I had expected. It was nice to feel the liveliness of people.

After a few steps, a savory smell tickled my nose.

It was lunchtime, and I was feeling hungry, so it was perfect timing.

“Alex, let’s go over there. It smells delicious.”

“Gladly.”

We followed the sweet and savory smell. There was a street vendor selling pies on one side of the market.

“I want to eat that. What do you think?”

I was hungry, so I didn’t mind eating it, but Alex and the Rose Knights might have different opinions.

We decided to buy lunch from a street vendor before seriously exploring the market, but they might not like the food or its hygiene.

“If you want it, I like it too.”

Alex answered immediately.

I thought they might find it uncomfortable, but my worries were unfounded.

“What about the rest of you?”

I turned to look at the Rose Knights.

“If the Duke is fine with it, so am I.”

“I like it too.”

“No problem here.”

“Haha, I’m good with anything.”

“Same here.”

The Rose Knights had no objections.

“Then I’ll go buy it.”

Avina said as everyone agreed.

“I’ll go with you.”

I offered, but she shook her head with a smile.

“No, Miss. Please wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

“But…”

“Do as she says, Claire.”

Just as I was about to insist, Alex intervened. I turned to look at him.

“You seem to keep forgetting that you’re my guest.”

“But still, this is something we can do together.”

“Thank you for saying that. But really, I’m fine, so please wait here.”

In the end, Avina walked towards the vendor to buy the pies.

I felt sorry for making her do it.

“Does it bother you that much?”

“Of course. I suggested eating, but now someone else has to do the work.”

I said with an awkward smile, and Alex looked at me kindly.

“Why don’t you get used to it? This will happen often in the future.”

Alex suggested gently.

It would indeed happen often in the future. At least for the three months I would be at the Berzel residence.

When I decided to come to the Berzel residence, I thought I would take a break for three months anyway.

So, I needed to get used to this situation.

“I’ll try.”

Although it wasn’t something that required effort…

Anyway, the important thing was to get used to not feeling uncomfortable when I was with Alex.

I waited for Avina to return next to Alex.

It didn’t take long for Avina to come back with a bunch of pies.

I took the pies from her and carefully took a bite.

The pie was filled with plenty of marinated beef.

The salty sauce was soaked into the bread just right, making the inside moist.

“It’s delicious!”

I was worried it might not taste good even though I chose it, but it was delicious.

I exclaimed in admiration and looked at Alex.

“Not bad. Considering it’s street food, it’s quite good.”

Alex also admired it.

“Right? Street food in markets is always a delicacy.”

I felt proud of my choice.

“Even though eating while standing is one thing, eating while walking is quite odd.”

For nobles, meals were to be eaten while seated.

Even at balls, no one ate while moving around.

For them, it was a matter of etiquette.

“This is meant to be eaten like this. It saves time and is convenient.”

Alex nodded in understanding.

We soon headed further into the market.

Although it couldn’t be compared to the night market in Maynard, the Viper market had plenty to see.

There were many stalls selling handmade ornaments and accessories, as well as street vendors selling snacks that could be meals.

Then I saw a crowd of people gathered in the distance.

“What are they doing over there?”

“Who knows. If you’re curious, we should check it out.”

“Let’s go.”

I naturally grabbed Alex’s hand and led him. He soon matched my pace and followed.

“Wow!”

After squeezing through the crowd, we saw a splendid magic show.

Everyone gasped in amazement at the pigeon that suddenly appeared in front of them.

“Can we watch this for a bit?”

“Of course. You can do whatever you want.”

“Thank you.”

After leaving a short thank you to Alex, I watched the performance.

The magician pulled a rabbit out of a hat and tore up a card only to make the same card appear again.

Finally, the magician performed a trick where something appeared out of nowhere and bowed politely to the audience.

The crowd cheered and applauded. I also clapped for the magician who entertained us.

After finishing the bow, the magician walked among the crowd with a hat, collecting money.

I paid 2 copper coins from my emergency stash. It was a reward for the enjoyment.

Alex also handed a gold coin to the magician. The magician, surprised by the large sum, bowed deeply to Alex.

Money certainly talked.

If only I had more money, I could pay generously too.

“What’s wrong? Have you fallen for me again?”

Alex’s sudden comment made me frown in embarrassment.

“No, I haven’t.”

“That’s a pity.”

Alex answered with an expression that showed he wasn’t disappointed at all.

Then he slowly moved to a different spot.

“You seem to enjoy this kind of thing.”

“Who wouldn’t? It’s fun and amazing. Did you not like it, Alex?”

“No, it was quite impressive. And since you liked it, I liked it too. If you want, I can invite a famous magician for you later.”

“Really?”

I looked at him with anticipation, and Alex smiled contentedly.

“Yes.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Even if it was just a polite remark, it was nice of him to say it.

As we moved further into the market, there were many food stalls.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s much to see here.”

“You’re right. Unless it’s a special occasion like a festival or night market, there’s not much to enjoy.”

Alex agreed with my disappointed remark.

Still, since we had spent quite some time exploring, it seemed like a good time to head back and rest.

Feeling a bit disappointed, we retraced our steps back to the tavern.

However, the atmosphere at the tavern was a bit odd.

To be precise, the people of the Berzel’s residence seemed to be watching Alex.

What happened?

Puzzled by the different atmosphere from when we left, I encountered a familiar person.

Light wheat-colored hair and dark brown eyes. A lanky, thin frame.

“Derrick?”

It was my childhood friend, Derrick.

But it didn’t make sense for Derrick to be here.

He worked with me at the Count of Maynard.

Like me, he rarely had personal reasons to come to Viper.

“What brings you here?”

I asked in surprise, and Derrick gave an awkward smile.

“Well…”

“It’s because of me.”

Before Derrick could answer, I heard a voice from the stairs.

It was a voice I missed so much that I turned reflexively.

There stood a lovely lady with pink hair.

“Lady Veronica!”