Chapter 1 – I Woke Up and It Was 5 Years Ago (6)

“What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I should be asking…”

The surrounding people held their breath and watched them. The suspicious young lady dressed in fine clothes pretending to be from a remote village in Lazure County was now conversing informally with a cadet from the Imperial Academy.

Even if they didn’t recognize Young Duke Crevelle’s face, those who recognized the golden epaulets of the Imperial Academy quickly sided with the young ladies. After all, Academy cadets were quite popular.

‘That annoying uniform is actually useful here.’

She used to tease him for being old-fashioned when he insisted on wearing his uniform even after graduating early from the Imperial Academy and working at the Senate. But feeling the crowd’s favorable attitude, Chloe nodded inwardly.

“What’s going on here?”

The man who had followed Demetrian spoke to Mirabelle. He was Faigen, Demetrian’s escort knight, a head taller than Demetrian with short red hair.

Mirabelle, who had long been acquainted with him while accompanying Chloe, spoke as if she had been waiting.

“I saw that man pickpocketing. He was hiding stolen goods inside that mask.”

Her clear voice caused a ripple, and people surrounding them began murmuring about the clown mask.

“Is it true?”

“W-what are you talking about…?”

As Demetrian lowered himself to ask, the man in the clown mask hesitated, placing his hands behind him and flailing his legs. Behind him was a crowd watching the commotion, and in front of him were the academy cadets who had the crowd’s full trust. He was in a dilemma.

“If you take off the mask, your innocence will be proven.”

“…”

The man in the clown mask couldn’t say anything and just fidgeted with his legs. Seeing this, Demetrian tilted his head slightly, and Faigen, who had been watching the situation beside Mirabelle, stepped forward.

“Hold on.”

With the strength suggested by his robust build, he grabbed the bottom of the mask and pulled it apart, ripping it with a crack.

“Hey, that’s my pouch!”

“Oh my! I wondered where my bracelet went…”

“Lenny, didn’t I tell you to keep your purse safe?”

As the stolen items tumbled down from the torn mask, shrill voices erupted from those who unknowingly became victims.

“Sir, please handle this.”

“Of course.”

Faigen approached the man who had worn the clown mask and restrained him. As he stepped aside for those eager to recover their stolen belongings, Demetrian’s gaze remained fixed on Chloe.

Even with a mask on and in plain clothes, he could recognize his young lady with the tangerine-colored hair anywhere.

“What on earth were you doing?”

“What about you? What are you doing at the marketplace? I thought you went to the palace.”

“I was…”

Demetrian couldn’t continue.

He had come out for preliminary work on a matter that would determine his fate, but there was nothing he could properly discuss about it.

Everything was still a secret.

‘No, I’ll set everything right before any signs appear.’

Demetrian suppressed all the stories he couldn’t tell and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, just overseeing the festival marketplace.”

“Does the Senate do that kind of work?”

“There was an interesting report.”

“Hmm.”

Demetrian, unable to see Chloe’s exact expression due to the mask, knew she was likely narrowing her eyes behind the mask’s holes. There wasn’t a single expression of hers he didn’t know.

Feeling an inexplicable itch in his heart, he scratched his nose, subtly hiding his crumbling smile.

“Thanks to you, it was resolved easily. The cadet’s influence is the best, indeed.”

“It could have been dangerous. You should have reported it to the guards. What if he had a weapon…”

“Oh, but I was there.”

“Still.”

Demetrian’s face was stern, to the point of embarrassment at Mirabelle’s jest. Though he suspected she also acted as Chloe’s escort, he hadn’t had the chance to gauge her skills accurately.

‘If the knight I encountered earlier trusts her enough to act separately, there’s no doubt about her skills.’

It was pure coincidence that he saw a knight from Lacroix’s escort team apprehending and handing over a pickpocket at the guard post he stopped by. Demetrian wouldn’t have remembered his face, but Faigen recognized him with his martial instincts.

‘Is the young lady of Lacroix here?’

‘Loi?’

‘That brown-haired knight is from the Lacroix escort team.’

‘…It could be Achille who came.’

Not wanting to get his hopes up, he said that, but his eyes, searching for his intended target, kept seeking the tangerine-colored hair.

‘I didn’t expect to really meet her in this crowded street.’

Thinking that perhaps Chloe and Mirabelle’s commotion had benefited him, Demetrian offered his arm, bending it familiarly at the elbow toward Chloe.

“…What?”

“Where were you headed? I’ll escort you.”

“Oh.”

Chloe stared at the arm, unable to take it readily.

‘Demi is offering to escort me…’

Yes, at this time, it was a natural and familiar gesture for them. When she arrived at Crevelle Ducal House or the Imperial Palace to meet him, she would place her hand on his arm and match her steps to his.

His elbow gestured once as if to say ‘go ahead.’ Chloe’s gaze moved to Demetrian’s face, looking down at her sideways.

Perhaps amused by the situation, his lips seemed to curve into a gentle arc… And seeing that, a belated flutter arose in Chloe’s heart. It was an emotion overshadowed by the exhilaration of playing a ‘role’ and the surprise of meeting him unexpectedly.

‘Was Demi originally at the marketplace on this day? I didn’t expect to see him again like this…’

This morning, knowing things hadn’t returned to ‘normal,’ she hoped to see him again. Yet, seeing the bouquet of purple anemones sent through the messenger, she recalled her naive feelings from this era and almost wished not to see him… But still, meeting him was thrilling, no matter how many times it happened.

‘Especially when I can interact with him so comfortably.’

Even if Demetrian had come as an envoy to Scandar as he had claimed, she wouldn’t have been able to interact so freely.

‘What am I going to do when I return to Shevik tonight and feel regretful…’

Suddenly feeling a pang of sadness, Chloe, who almost placed her hand on Demetrian’s arm without realizing it, clenched her fist and drew her hand back.

“Let’s go, Rabi.”

As she hurriedly linked arms with Mirabelle standing behind her, Demetrian’s face hardened in bewilderment. Chloe deliberately spoke in a teasing voice.

“You don’t understand, Young Duke. Being escorted in a place like this is like advertising you’re a noble.”

“Haha, indeed.”

Even that was delightful to Demetrian. He couldn’t hide the smile that kept creeping onto his face.

Using the excuse of accompanying them only until Faigen returned, Demetrian followed Chloe and Mirabelle as they resumed exploring the marketplace. Chloe didn’t notice, but Mirabelle had subtly indicated that it was okay to move freely, suggesting Dee had returned.

“Demi, aren’t you going to wear a mask? It’s customary during the festival week.”

Chloe said, looking at a stall displaying half-masks identical to the one worn by the Uniform Man earlier. The glances people cast at him as they passed by were bothering her. Demetrian, however, seemed indifferent.

‘People keep staring, so I become more conscious of Demi.’

Disliking the fluttering feeling he gave her, she tried to treat him as if he weren’t there.

“I’m not uncomfortable. I’ll be leaving soon…”

“I’m uncomfortable.”

“You are? Why?”

“Everyone’s staring. What do you think they’ll see me as?”

“If they know us, they’ll see you as Chloe Lacroix.”

“Exactly.”

“…?”

Though everyone was wearing masks, and it was impossible to confirm, half of those glancing at them would likely be nobles who recognized Young Duke Crevelle’s face. The other half would be commoners curious about the classically handsome Academy cadet anyone would turn to look at.

And naturally, curiosity would extend to Chloe and Mirabelle, who are with him.

‘If it were me at this time… Yes, I would have liked being seen as a pair with Demi.’

Recalling her genuine twenty-year-old self, who wanted to confirm she was the closest person to him even in such trivial matters, Chloe felt a renewed bitterness.

‘Back then, I didn’t know we would grow apart…’

As Chloe’s self-deprecating thoughts deepened,

“Loi, it looks like they’re selling interesting things over there.”

Mirabelle, shaking the arm she was linked with Chloe, pointed to a stall across the way. It was the busiest spot nearby, with a middle-aged woman with bright blond hair, streaked with gray, selling toys powered by magic stones.

‘Bright blond hair and magic stones.’

Chloe, feeling a sense of nostalgia, approached as if drawn by it.

“Welcome.”

‘Indeed, a northern accent.’

Chloe thought to herself that it was as expected.

“You must be from the Moniel region.”

At Chloe’s words, the merchant blinked. Mirabelle tilted her head, observing their faces.

“Moniel? In the south of Scandar?”

“That’s right.”

“Really?”

Mirabelle’s yellow eyes widened in surprise at the merchant’s confirmation, then turned to Chloe.

“How did you know?”

Her gaze, filled with admiration for Chloe’s guess, shifted to Demetrian. At times like this, Young Duke Demi would usually raise an eyebrow or something, but he was simply staring intently at the vendor’s face, lost in thought.

‘It seems officials are busy with official duties even during the festival week.’

Thinking that, Mirabelle looked back at Chloe.

“In Scandar, magic stones are crafted like jewels and used in accessories. Look here.”

Chloe said, holding up a hairpin in front of her. The description on the hairpin, with a gem at the end, claimed it created the effect of sprinkling pearl dust on hair.

“The magic stone is set with five prongs. That’s a characteristic of Moniel’s crafting guilds.”

“Oh, I see.”

Mirabelle, intrigued, nodded at the merchant, who nodded back in acknowledgment.

“You know well.”

It was knowledge she gained while serving as a noble in Scandar, where the magic stone industry developed alongside numerous gemstone mines. In Arthuzen, magic stones were typically infused with magic and inserted into lighting, kitchen, or heating appliances, so crafting them like jewels was an unfamiliar approach.

‘The education I received as a noble in Scandar still serves me well.’

Chloe pressed her lips together to hide her satisfaction.

Watching her, Demetrian’s brow furrowed slightly, as if something was bothering him.