Chapter 80

Lia pushed through the crowd, searching for Rafaella.  

Perhaps because the child was so small, she couldn’t see her anywhere.  

“Raffy, Raffy!”  

In a panic, Lia called out for her daughter, her face turning pale.  

It had only been a moment—a very brief moment that she’d let go.  

‘Where could she have gone…?’  

The sound of music announcing the start of the parade rang out.  

‘What should I do, there are so many people now, I can’t even move.’  

Just as she began to sink into despair.

Tap.

Johann appeared and grabbed her arm.  

“What’s wrong? What happened?”  

In his hand was a pink cotton candy.  

“Oh no, I let go of Raffy’s hand and now I can’t see her….”  

Lia’s lips trembled as she spoke.  

“I should have held on tighter. If anything happens to Raffy, it’ll be all my fault….”  

She covered her mouth with both hands, about to cry.  

“Calm down, Lia.”  

Johann handed the skewer to someone nearby and gently gripped Lia’s shoulders.  

“…We need to find Raffy right away.”  

“We’ll find her for sure, so don’t worry. First, let’s get out of here.”  

“Yes.”  

Johann led Lia out from the center of the parade.  

“Where’s Sir Veronica?”

He called out to one of the knights who had been secretly guarding them.  

“She went after the young lady just now.”  

“Is that true?”  

Color returned to Lia’s face.  

“Yes, Miss Lia. Sir Veronica is in charge of Lady Rafaella’s security today.”  

“Then, Sir, bring back Rafaella and Sir Veronica.”  

“Yes, Your Grace.”  

The knight ran off in the direction Rafaella had disappeared.  

“So the knights came with us.”  

As Lia’s tension faded, her legs gave way, and Johann caught her firmly.  

“Of course. We only pretended to be country folk, it wasn’t for real.”

“If not for you, Duke, truly…. Thank you.”  

Lia straightened up and bowed her head slightly.  

“It’s only natural for me to protect Rafaella—and you. No need to apologize.”  

Johann furrowed his brow slightly and lifted her chin.  

He saw her emerald eyes, shimmering with tears.  

His fingers unconsciously reached for the tears clinging to the corner of her eye, and gently wiped away the ones that wouldn’t fall.  

“Don’t cry, Lia.”  

He whispered his wish in a gentle voice.  

“…Ah.”  

Lia, flustered by his action, blushed and wiped the other eye with her hand.  

“Rafaella will be with you soon.”  

Still blushing, Lia nodded slightly.

Before long, Rafaella was seen walking over, hand in hand with Veronica.  

“Raffy!”  

Lia ran over and hugged her child.  

“Mom!”  

Up close, it looked like Rafaella had been crying too; her eyes were a little red.  

“I’m sorry, I let go of your hand.”  

“No, I’m the one who let go of your hand, Mom.”  

Mother and daughter blamed themselves, eyes filling with tears.  

“It’s nobody’s fault. This sort of thing always happens in crowded places.”  

Johann approached and patted Rafaella’s head.  

“Raffy, you must have been scared. Are you alright?”  

He bent down and asked his daughter.  

“I was a little scared at first, but Master Veronica showed up right away, so I was okay.”  

Rafaella smiled at Veronica.  

“Thank you, Sir Veronica.”  

Lia expressed her gratitude to Veronica.  

“I was just doing my duty, Miss Lia.”  

Embarrassed to be praised for something so obvious, Veronica scratched her head.  

“But is the parade over now?”  

Rafaella looked a little disappointed as she glanced at Johann.  

“The first part is over, but there’s a second part. Want to go see it?”  

“Yes! This time, I’ll hold on tight!”  

“No need. Daddy will carry you.”  

Johann lifted Rafaella with one arm.  

“It might be uncomfortable, but it’s to prevent what happened earlier.”  

Then, he offered his arm to Lia.  

“…Ah.”  

Lia hesitated, swallowed, and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm.  

He smiled at the sight.  

They walked off to find a spot.  

“There are even more people than before, Daddy.”  

Rafaella looked around and hugged Johann’s neck.  

“If you’re in Daddy’s arms, you’ll be fine.”  

Johann adjusted Rafaella to hold her more securely.  

Lia also gripped his arm a little tighter.  

‘It does feel much more secure than just holding hands.’  

The parade began. People dressed as the First Emperor, the heads of the Five Great Houses, and magicians danced and sang as they walked the streets.  

They scattered colorful magic paper and waved to the crowd.  

Rafaella caught the falling paper and waved back.  

‘So pretty.’  

Lia thought as she looked at the magic paper in her palm.  

After the parade, they ate street food and watched a small circus troupe perform.  

Before they knew it, it was dinnertime, so they ate at a nearby restaurant.  

By the end of the meal, Rafaella started nodding off.  

“Raffy, you must be tired.”  

Lia stroked Rafaella’s cheek and asked.  

“…Nnngh, I’m not tired.”  

Rafaella rubbed her eyes.  

“Are you sure you’re not sleepy?”  

“Haaam, I’m definitely not going to sleep—I want to see the fireworks.”  

There were still two hours left until the highlight of the festival, the fireworks.  

But before that, Rafaella’s heavy eyelids closed.  

“She fell asleep after all.”  

“We’ll have to save the fireworks for next year.”  

Lia looked at Rafaella, now sleeping in Johann’s arms.  

“That’s probably best.”  

It was a shame, but there was nothing they could do.

As they made their way toward the carriage, they ran into Isabella and Penelope.  

Isabella was also returning from the festival with her now-healthy daughter.  

“Oh my, are you leaving already?”  

Isabella approached.  

“Rafaella fell asleep.”  

“Raffy must have been very tired.”  

“Aren’t you going to stay for the fireworks, Mother?”  

“We’re going to watch them from the estate.”  

Penelope replied.  

“We’ll take Rafaella with us, so you two stay and watch the fireworks.”  

Isabella gestured to Johann, making her suggestion.  

“Oh, that’s really not necessary….”  

“What do you mean, it’s your first time seeing fireworks, you have to see them up close.”  

Isabella cut Lia off and insisted.  

“Johann, you make sure Lia sees the Founding Festival fireworks properly. Understood?”  

Isabella grabbed her son’s arm as she spoke.  

“Yes, Mother.”  

Johann nodded.  

“We’ll be off, then.”  

Johann carefully laid Rafaella in Isabella’s carriage.  

“Don’t worry about Raffy!”  

Penelope waved from inside the carriage.  

“Then, I suppose we should go watch the fireworks.”  

“…Yes.”  

Just the two of them, for the fireworks.  

She hadn’t expected this at all.  

‘Isn’t it uncomfortable for him to be alone with me?’  

Without Rafaella, it would be awkward.  

“Here.”  

He offered his arm to her again.  

“It’s dark. We can’t lose each other, right?”  

Johann gently took Lia’s hesitant hand and placed it in the crook of his arm.  

“…Where do we go to watch the fireworks?”  

The maids had said they’d be beautiful from anywhere.  

“Over there.”  

He pointed to a hill.  

It did look like a good spot.  

“Do you always go there to watch?”  

“No, usually I just watch from the estate.”  

“Then how did you know about that place?”  

“Hmm… Someone told me about it once, so I went there.”  

After answering, Johann fell silent.  

His face looked strangely sad.  

So Lia didn’t ask who it was and just followed him.  

Quite a few people were heading to the hill, just like them.  

‘…Most of them are couples?’  

She felt strangely embarrassed.  

“This is it.”  

Before she knew it, they had reached the top of a hill with a wide lawn.  

There were already quite a few people there.  

They were all sitting and waiting for the fireworks to begin.  

Johann sat on the grass first.  

He took out a handkerchief and gently laid it beside him.  

“Sit here.”  

Lia was flustered by his unexpected consideration.  

“It’s a clean handkerchief, so there’s no need to be so nervous.”  

He joked and smiled softly at her.  

She looked at his smile for a moment, then sat down.  

‘…Why do you keep being so kind to me, when you don’t remember anything about me?’  

Lia bit her lip slightly.

Johann bought two beers from a vendor selling light snacks.  

“From what I remember, most people watch the fireworks with a beer.”  

He handed one to Lia.  

“Thank you.”  

She drank the beer in gulps.  

Maybe because her heart was fluttering because of Johann, the alcohol went down easily.  

She was halfway through when a small firework shot up into the sky and the show began.  

“…Wow.”  

Watching the fireworks burst and bloom for the first time in her life, Lia was amazed.  

Then, suddenly, she felt a sense of déjà vu.  

‘Why does it feel like I’ve watched fireworks from a hill like this before?’  

A long time ago, sometime.  

What was it? She was sure it was her first time.  

Did I live in the Capital as a child?  

But her grandmother had said they’d always lived in the North.  

She tilted her head, then met Johann’s gaze.  

‘How long has he been looking at me?’  

His red eyes sparkled brilliantly, reflecting the light of the fireworks.  

“……”  

“……”  

Strangely, she couldn’t look away.  

Maybe it was because she’d gulped down the beer earlier.  

Her cheeks grew hot and her mouth kept going dry.  

Her hands tingled, so she clenched her fists tightly.  

Johann gently took her hand and drew closer.  

‘…His hand is so warm.’  

She could tell where his lips were headed as he leaned in.  

Her mind screamed that she should avoid it, but she couldn’t move away.  

With trembling eyes closed, Lia accepted his burning lips.  

The sound of fireworks exploding loudly seemed to come from far, far away.