#Daily Life 3.1

The purpose of sneaking out of the mansion while Diart is away was one thing.

To cheat!

No, of course, that’s just a figure of speech. I didn’t really mean to cheat. There was a reason why I secretly left the house. A few days ago, I heard Annabelle’s troubles at a tea party hosted by Leticia.

The marchioness, who found her daughter after more than ten years, seemed extremely sincere to Annabelle. The Empress even rolled her eyes at her extreme desire to do anything as much as she couldn’t do during that time.

As a noblewoman, she took care of education and even bedding, dresses, and meal menus in the bedroom, and what she was currently putting the most effort into was her daughter’s marriage. It was said that rumors had already spread in society that she was scrutinizing nobles to find the best husband for her daughter. Annabelle, who had always been grateful for her kindness and had quietly accepted everything even if it was a bit burdensome, said that she couldn’t accept this anymore.

“I’ve never been in a relationship before.”

She hadn’t even talked properly with a man, let alone had a relationship. Annabelle, who grew up among commoners where free love and marriage were natural, had dreamed of romantic love that would come to her someday. But instead of love, she’ll end up getting married to a man she didn’t even know. She felt unfair and sad.

It was said that the marquis’s daughter, who must have been receiving the best care, had a look of concern on her face. With one person sitting depressed at a tea party with only three people, it was natural that the atmosphere of the party would be ruined. I couldn’t stand it anymore and finally spoke up after emptying my third teacup.

“Then why don’t you do it now?”

There probably isn’t anyone who knows Annabelle’s heart as well as I do. The feeling of frustration when I found out that I became a married woman as soon as I possessed… Of course, now I can proudly say it was the best moment of my life. Anyway, it’s just too much for a girl who hasn’t even turned twenty to have an arranged marriage.

I smiled mischievously at Leticia and Annabelle, who were looking at me, wondering what I was talking about.

“What I’m saying is, you can meet a man right now.”

Annabelle let out a sigh of realization and expressed her proactive will. That was the reason why we were standing here on the main street of the capital. Leticia also joined in, clapping her hands.

“Is it really okay?”

She was excited a while ago, but now that we were actually going to do it, Annabelle seemed scared. I held onto her trembling shoulders and reassured her.

“Just think of it as going out to have fun.”

I felt like I had become a delinquent teaching a naive girl wicked things, but now I couldn’t just abandon the dreams and fantasies of this interesting, no, dreamy girl.

“Yes, Annabelle. Take it easy.”

Leticia also seemed to share my thoughts as she wrapped her arm around Annabelle’s opposite shoulder, persuading her.

“Since we’re already here, let’s have a good time.”

“There’s a street vendor selling chicken skewers over there, and they’re quite delicious. How about we stop by?”

Encouraged by our continued persuasion, Annabelle nodded her head with courage. Finally, I exchanged a relieved glance with Leticia. We can’t just go back quietly after going through all the trouble of changing our hair color, disguising myself to avoid looking like the infamous Duchess Wheaton, and the attention-grabbing Princess of the Empire. I’ve worked hard to keep Lily away!

Just like young students from the academy, Annabelle, Leticia and I, with our arms crossed, walked across the street. Our destination was a cafe that Jarvis had mentioned before, saying it was the perfect place for couples to lock eyes.

On the way to the cafe, we did some shopping and enjoyed some chicken skewers. Leticia was overwhelmed by the spicy taste, while Annabelle, who was relishing the freedom of her commoner days after a long time, couldn’t stop laughing.

Time flew by as we laughed and enjoyed ourselves. We hurried our steps towards the cafe before Diart returned.

“Excuse me, ladies, please have a look here.”

A familiar voice called out to us from somewhere. When I turned my head, I saw the fortune teller whom I had encountered with Diart before.

“Oh my, it’s a fortune teller.”

It wasn’t particularly appealing, but Leticia showed interest, leaving me no choice but to sit in front of her. Just like before, the fortune teller demanded payment in advance and began to speak.

“At the end of the path your footsteps touch, your destined partner awaits.”

“Really?”

Annabelle, who had asked for a love fortune, blushed with a surprised expression on her face.

“Yes, he is the one who is both a fateful connection and destiny for you. You will recognize him at first sight. The two of you will spend a long and happy life together.”

Annabelle squealed with excitement. As she looked like a cute girl of that age, we smiled proudly. Soon after, Leticia’s fortune telling session began.

“I’m sorry, but it seems you’ll have to wait a while longer to meet a new match, considering your bloodline. Until then, it is your destiny to care for him. That is the consequence of the sins you committed in a past life.”

The fortune teller clicked their tongue as if it were pitiful. Leticia asked if there was any way to avoid this consequence, but the fortune teller shook their head. In the end, Leticia resigned herself and weakly smiled, accepting her fate.

“In this life, I will never accumulate consequences.”

I looked at Leticia with pity as she made a firm determination. The fortune teller’s gaze fell on me. I was still in a state of distrust towards fortune tellers, considering that Diart still think I would run away as soon as he looked away.

‘Why would I run away? I will stick to Diart for the rest of my life, I’ll never let go.’

With no expectations, I asked the fortune teller to tell me about today’s luck. The fortune teller, who was stroking a crystal bead, suddenly trembled as if she had seen something terrifying. Her eyes shook.

“A storm cloud is approaching. It would be best for you to go home right away!”

…It’s going to rain?

I looked up at the sky, wondering if this fortune teller could also predict the weather. The sky was clear without a single cloud. Just as I suspected, she was a fraud.

Ignoring her warning, I handed her a gold coin and stood up without hesitation.

“Are you okay?”

Leticia and Annabelle asked with worried expressions.

“If it starts raining, we’ll just buy an umbrella.”

I replied nonchalantly with a smile and shrugged my shoulders.

* * *

“Jarvis seems reliable.”

The café, located in a slightly offbeat alley, created a perfect atmosphere for eye contact between men and women thanks to its dim lighting, just as he had said.

Despite the early hour, the café was filled with young men and women. Contrary to our slight concerns, there was no sense of decadence. Feeling a bit intimidated as we entered the refreshing and free-spirited atmosphere of youthful sensibility, we settled in our seats with relief.

“So, do you see anyone catching your eye?”

The taste of the cake was quite good, almost as good as Rocco Bakery. Leticia and I had already eaten two slices each and continued to scan the surroundings. There are plenty of handsome men inside the café, who were nowhere to be found back when I was determined to find a new love interest, I felt a sense of injustice.

If only I knew about this café earlier! Oh? Well, that’s just wishful thinking.

…Well, it would have been nice if it happened that way. I couldn’t even properly give it a try and ended up falling for Diart. Well, it’s not like I regret it now…

“I’m not sure.”

Annabelle’s expression became gloomy as she couldn’t find someone who caught her eye. Jarvis had mentioned that many nobles also frequented this café, so we thought it would be a good place to meet someone special, but it seems like it might be a failure.

Although there were many handsome men around, there wasn’t anyone who particularly caught my attention. Maybe my standards have become too high after living with an excessively good-looking man like Diart. It seems like no one can compare to him in terms of looks. That’s probably why they say home is the best.

“Oh my, that gentleman over there is Baron Dory.”

When we turned our gaze to where Leticia’s eyes were sirected, there was a quite decent-looking man who was smiling refreshingly. He was tall and had a good physique. He seemed like a good match for Annabelle.

“Is he a good person?”

“He’s a scoundrel.”

Leticia replied promptly and quickly covered her mouth with a startled expression. I nodded my head nonchalantly, already well aware of her hidden tone. Scoundrels are no good.