“Hey, pretty Miss! Come here and check these eggs! Today’s eggs are super fresh, I tell you! Look, they’re so shiny. If you buy today, I’ll throw in some quail eggs specially for you.”

“Oh my, I bought two trays yesterday because you said the same thing, and now you want me to buy more today? No way, no way, forget it!”

Cindy waved her hand and quickly escaped from the merchant’s grasp.

But the egg shop wasn’t the only problem.

Next came the fruit stand, then the meat shop, then the spice store, each capturing her in turn.

Finally, only after shopping until the twins’ shoulders, whom she brought along as porters, could carry no more items, Cindy headed back to the mansion.

“Didn’t you say you’d buy just a few things?”

“Is this ‘just a few things,’ Cindy?”

“Be quiet. Don’t you know the storage is always emptied because certain people eat tremendous amounts? If you don’t like shopping, then eat less!”

Cindy gave Arwin and Darwin, who were sticking to her sides, a haughty glance, and finally bought some sweet cream and warm baguette for herself.

The market street with various goods was full of people.

The city scene overflowed with vitality and energy, making ‘that incident’ from about two weeks ago feel like a dream.

Neither the sellers nor the buyers showed any dark shadows.

Although parts of the city were damaged by the events then, people’s voices were more vibrant than ever, so no one felt the desolation.

Cindy looked around with curious eyes before boarding the cart.

Among these people would be those who had taken up weapons and brought down the palace that day.

Quite a lot of blood had been shed, and an enormous number of people had been injured.

Perhaps in exchange for that blood, the political situation in Levania was changing rapidly.

While some people were confused and others resistant, the city itself was more vibrant than ever.

That day of explosions heard all day long, and people’s screams and shouts that made her tremble, truly felt like a dream now.

That day, until Lumiere returned, Cindy had crouched in front of the door, blankly watching the city change moment by moment.

From morning till night, she prayed desperately for the safety of her loved ones.

“What are you looking at so intently? Did you forget to buy something, Cindy?”

“No, just thinking…… people recover faster than I expected……”

The twins exchanged glances at her words.

Then simultaneously they lifted Cindy onto the cart and spoke lightly as if it were nothing.

“We heard this before too, that people’s inner selves are stronger than we think, so they have the power to overcome even the most shocking experiences. Of course, some people collapse from exhaustion before they can draw out that inner strength, but many somehow endure.”

“And those who believe in themselves can manifest that power even more strongly.”

“……Who told you that?”

“Someone. A person who saved us before.”

“Someone we respect and admire.”

Cindy didn’t ask further about the twins’ answer.

She had a vague idea who it might be without asking.

She didn’t know in detail what kind of past these suspicious twin brothers had.

She didn’t want to pry into it in an old-fashioned way, so she didn’t ask.

But whenever she saw their bitter faces like this, Cindy strangely wanted to give these twins something delicious.

Cindy opened the cream container she was holding and dipped the sliced baguette she had bought into it.

Then she pushed one piece each into the twins’ mouths.

The twins stared at her with round eyes, wondering what she was doing.

Smiling brightly, Cindy dipped a piece of baguette into the cream for herself and said while putting it in her mouth.

“Eating something delicious makes you feel better.”

“……”

“Well, you two always look happy, but being happier is even better, right? Come on, let’s go. The Miss will be waiting.”

The twins, munching on their baguettes, looked at each other.

Then quickly chewing and swallowing their baguettes, they stuck to Cindy’s sides and said,

“Cindy.”

“Yes?”

“I just said earlier that people have the strength to overcome even shocking experiences. Thinking about it, there seems to be an even bigger world after overcoming it.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Cindy looked at Arwin with uneasy eyes.

“What Arwin means is, why don’t you reconsider the proposal we made back then?”

“……Proposal?”

Cindy made a thinking face as if she couldn’t remember well, but soon as it seemed to dawn on her, she hit the twins’ shoulders with a suddenly reddened face.

“You must be crazy, we’re not animals!”

“Did you know? Humans actually belong to the animal kingdom. We’re all animals, actually.”

“Wha-what are you saying! Be quiet. Goodness, what on earth is in your heads!”

To her outburst, Arwin and Darwin simultaneously said with grinning faces.

“You.”

“You.”

……No, are these guys really crazy?

Cindy glared at them alternately with an incredulous expression, then said angrily while huffing.

“Don’t tease someone just because I’ve never dated before. Hey!”

“Huh? We’re not teasing.”

“That’s right. We’re very serious.”

Arwin grabbed Cindy’s hand.

Then he licked the cream that had gotten on her fingertips, perhaps from when she had dipped the baguette earlier.

“……!”

Then, as if not to be outdone, Darwin approached Cindy’s cheek, who was startled and flinching, and whispered in a small voice.

“Do you hate us, Cindy?”

Startled by that intimate voice, Cindy grabbed her ear.

She felt her heart beating irregularly.

The twins with beautiful features, unlike their sturdy limbs, looked at Cindy with sparkling eyes.

Despite the bright daylight, she somehow felt trapped in the middle of the night.

“……Oh, God.”

Cindy squeezed her eyes shut and began calling upon a god she didn’t even believe in.

In truth, Cindy didn’t dislike Arwin and Darwin.

She felt grateful and reassured by these two who followed her around daily and volunteered to solve all difficult and challenging tasks.

Moreover, she wasn’t without curiosity about their proposal.

But……

‘……If I accept that, wouldn’t I be crossing a line that humans shouldn’t cross?’

She had never even had an ordinary relationship, let alone had a crush on someone.

And now they were suddenly asking such a person like Cindy to deal with both of them simultaneously.

“……Oh, God. Lead me not into temptation.”

Cindy prayed loudly as if exorcising Satan and gripped the reins tightly.

The sound of giggling laughter, amused by her innocent reaction, truly sounded like Satan’s voice.

Cindy drove the cart with all her might to avoid being enchanted by these pretty demons.

Thanks to that, the loaded cart carrying the three people arrived at the mansion in no time.

* * *

Due to the protests and riots, not only the palace but also many places throughout the city were damaged.

‘Karl Winger’ actively extended a helping hand in rebuilding this damaged city.

People deeply appreciated the good deeds of Karl Winger, the cousin of the ‘dead king.’

Karl gilded himself, saying he hoped the country his dear cousin had loved would find stability as soon as possible, and that this was his way of mourning his dead cousin.

Laedro Carlei Stings Winger thus officially became a dead person.

Karl looked at the black page of the newspaper commemorating the king’s death.

A newspaper announcing his own obituary.

Laedro Carlei Stings Winger de Swimpton.

It was truly a cherished name.

But he felt no lingering attachment.

There were no more ‘Stings’ in this country anymore.

Half of the palace, which had been the symbol of royalty, had collapsed, and people decided to build a city council on that ruined site.

Luperia Palace and the royal chapel were completely burned down, and some of the remaining buildings were opened to the public.

The bridge connecting Torc Island, originally the royal island, and Mariant, the nobles’ island, had completely collapsed.

After discussions, people decided to build a new bridge, with two bridges connecting the islands and three more bridges connecting the islands to the mainland.

It was a decision embodying connection rather than isolation, and two-way traffic rather than one-way.

And Karl Winger’s side agreed to carry out all the construction at minimal cost.

It was essentially a project funded almost entirely from his own pocket.

“I think I finally understand why the President has been making money so ruthlessly all this time.”

Chris was in the midst of swallowing his sorrow while looking at the astronomical amounts of money flowing out every day with hollow eyes.

“Money is meant to circulate.”

“……Will these amounts ever come back to us?”

Chris seemed to find it a bit regrettable.

Karl smiled and pulled out an envelope from his pocket, handing it to Chris.

“What is this?”

“Take a look.”