Winter looked puzzled, but he wrapped one arm around Violet's waist and pretended to rest his chin on her head for a moment. Violet laughed at his actions, and Winter laughed cheerfully along.
Winter, who was wondering what was the reason for his wife's cute behavior, looked at Harlin and said as if he was being interrupted.
"You get out of here. Our Princess needs some rest before going to that piece of crap. We'll leave tomorrow morning."
"It's more trashy than I thought..."
"Isn't it turning off?"
As Winter fumbled for his jacket, Violet grabbed his arm as he looked for something to throw. Meanwhile, a frightened Harlin bowed his head and ran to the hotel where he was staying first.
The two soon got into the carriage. As it was still summer, he took off his jacket and threw it across from Violet as soon as he sat down next to her, then rolled up his sleeves to his forearms.
As the carriage departed from the port and headed to the hotel, Violet watched Chiron through the window.
After a while, she got off at the hotel located at a high place and saw the sea everywhere. As the weather became colder, many guests came to travel from not only the people of Rockround but also from the north of the continent, and the entire hotel was bustling.
Violet muttered again as she looked back at Chiron, who, unlike Rockround, seemed to have a cheerful energy all year round.
"This is a really nice place. I feel lucky to have been able to stay in a place like this."
"Is it."
Winter stared blankly at Chiron, where the Hotel stood tall. It was the result of his rush to forget, even if only for a moment, that his wife was not with him.
He looked up at the hotel and muttered to himself.
"... Even when I'm absent-minded, I can do this much."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I am amazed at my ability. It's amazing! Tourists no longer come to Chiron to find a hotel, but to find this hotel."
Winter looked at Violet as if to say, "Amazing!" and pointed at his hotel with both hands. Violet found that sight somehow cute and let out a small laugh.
"You're right. It's a very nice hotel. I heard that the hotel has helped increase tourism revenue and boosted the economy of Chiron."
As Violet praised him generously, the corners of Winter's mouth twitched involuntarily. The two of them talked like that and headed to their guest room.
After that, the two of them took long baths in their respective bathrooms to wash away the sea breeze, changed into thin summer pajamas, and got a good night's sleep.
The next morning, Violet woke up before Winter, excited.
Winter approached while Violet, wearing a white muslin dress and a hat made of dense fabric, was enjoying leisure at a table in front of a balcony with a view of the vast sea.
"What's going on? The sleepy Princess is already getting ready."
"The weather is so nice. I can't sleep any longer because it's a shame."
"It's a good idea to enjoy it enough. We're going to a place that's terribly cold from now on."
Winter replied and sat down at the table. After a while, breakfast was placed on the table in front of the two. The couple enjoyed a Corsican breakfast, a rare treat for the locals.
Violet said, putting honey on warm white bread.
"Now that I'm back, I'm reminded of how great Chiron was."
"Should we live here?"
"Even though Chiron is better than the capital city of Rockround in every way, I still want to live in the capital city. It's strange."
"It's strange, and I don't understand it. I was born in the South, but I never thought about going back to the South."
"Doesn't it feel like home?"
"Not at all. I don't have a specific place I want, so you can live wherever you like."
Violet smiled at Winter's casual remark.
"It's enough to come to Chiron to play. By the way, the atmosphere here is completely different from the capital hotel. It's a tourist destination atmosphere, so even just staying in the room makes me excited."
The rooms they stayed in were brightly colored. The variety that could not be seen in the capital of Rockround matched well with the dazzling weather of Chiron. Winter asked with a proud face.
"Do you like it here?"
"Yes. I really like it."
"Well, but I can't give you this hotel."
Violet answered Winter's words.
"I just want to come here to play, not to have anything."
"Really? If I like that building, I want to have it."
Winter finished his conversation like that and stretched, leaning back in his chair. Violet didn't say anything more about it. She had recently learned that her husband felt pressured to buy something immediately if she said something was good. It was absurd considering the size of the hotel, but it was the first time he had ever told her firmly, without joking, that he couldn't give her something.
He really likes his hotel, Violet thought, smiling.
***
As the journey north was very long, the couple finished breakfast and headed straight north. After a full day of riding in a carriage, they arrived at the capital of Hanus, a country bordering the northern border of Corsica, and it began to feel cold again.
Violet, who had landed in a busy downtown area in the middle of the capital, spoke with an excited face.
"I was invited to Hanus once, but I stayed in the palace the whole time. This is my first time going outside the palace."
It was rare to see Violet with such a childish expression on her face, so Winter, who had been watching intently, noticed a newspaper on the stand and pulled it over.
"You have a face."
"Huh? Ah..."
The front page of the newspaper had a big story about Violet and Ash. Winter picked up the paper excitedly.
"They say that magic tools become useless once they leave this continent, but that faint magic is better than the Rockround camera."
"...Do you happen to know how to read the common language of this continent?"
"Read carefully. Hey, the Kanik clan lives on this continent, Alika. When my real mother and I went around together, we spoke the common language of the continent."
"..."
Violet sighed in shame.
In Rockround, the newspapers took a somewhat neutral stance, keeping an eye on Ash's mood, but here, the papers wrote freely about Violet.
The title itself suggested that Violet Lawrence should be regarded as a civic Goddess, and the details of Violet's desire for the separation of the Lawrence family and the council, as well as the tenant manager, were described in detail and logically.
Winter spoke in a serious voice, reading the newspaper carefully.
"Now the word Princess is not enough. There is a better word, Goddess."
"...Do not do it."
"I need to buy 200 copies. No, let's buy about 10,000 copies and distribute them to the capital. You go to the magic tool shop, and I'll go to the newspaper office."
"Please stop..."
Violet pushed Winter's back with a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, and the two barely managed to get away from the stall. At that moment, the voices of Jen and Hayel, who had gotten off the carriage a little later, were heard from behind.
"Mr. Hayel, did you exchange a lot of money? Can you lend me some?"
"Huh? How many copies do you want to borrow money to buy?"
"How many copies? What do you mean? I have to buy as much as I can afford. I have so many relatives."
At Jen's words, Hayel briefly checked his wallet and responded.
"I'm sorry. I can't lend you money."
"Yes? Why?"
"I should buy one too. As a souvenir."
"Mr. Hayel doesn't have any relatives!"
"Are you kidding me that my parents are going to get life imprisonment right now?"
"What are you talking about? You pray every day for them to get a life sentence!"
"That's true."
Winter looked back at the two people bickering and said.
"Hayel, you two go to the newspaper office and buy all the newspapers they have."
"Yes, Sir. Let's go, Jen."
Then, Jen got excited and started to drag Hayel toward the newspaper office.
"If it's not enough, tell us to take more!"
"Yes, yes. Go ahead and do that."
After the two people took the work and left, Violet covered her face with both hands.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Don't make that face. Do you think I would buy a newspaper just to embarrass you? I feel a duty to give the people of Rockround a newspaper that is free of political interference."
"Is that so?"
"Is there any other reason?"
When he gave Violet a tailored explanation, she immediately understood and slowly lowered the hand that had been covering her face. Of course, Winter had no interest in the right to know of the Rockround people and was just spending money to tease Violet because she was so cute when her face turned red with shame. And the way she naively trusted him was so adorable that he couldn't help but laugh.
The two soon entered a nearby magic tool store where they would purchase heating equipment. Violet's eyes widened at the items displayed throughout the two-story large store.
"How do I use this... Oh my!"
Violet opened the small box but was startled by the cold wind blowing through it, so she quickly closed it. Winter, who noticed Violet's eyes sparkling with curiosity, asked.
"Should I buy it?"
"If you take it to the locker room, it's just a box."
"If you buy it at a really high price, you can use it in the Rockround too."
"Not only does it cost money, but maintaining the magic throughout the Rockround costs a lot of money each time you use it."
After Violet nagged, Winter chose the heating tools he would need when going to Alika. In particular, the heating cushions and tape stripes had exotic patterns that could not be seen in Rockround and were unique and beautiful. When Violet began to worry about which ones to buy, Winter immediately started buying them by type, to the point of being unnecessary.
Violet felt a strange curiosity when she saw Winter like that. He is a man who buys affection with things, but he firmly insists that he cannot give Chiron Hotel to her. The fact that he loved his work, especially his hotel, was attractive to Violet.
She grabbed his arm and said playfully, wanting to tease Winter and show him her love for the hotel at the same time.
"Winter, you said you couldn't give the Chiron Hotel to me?"
"Yeah. No."
"Why?"
When Violet asked, rather willingly accepting the rejection, Winter frowned and said.
"The hotel farthest from my house is the Chiron branch. So no. If you have to come here often for work, then of course I don't like it, and if you have no interest in this place at all, then even less so. The hotel is my pride. I love you, but I won't let you break my pride for no reason."
Violet smiled at his words.
Because it was far away, and because of pride. Both were very pleasing answers. She said it as if she was urging Winter to hear more about how much he loved the hotel.
"But what if I still want to have it?"
Then Winter looked at Violet without answering. Violet felt even more amused by his expressionless face and asked again.
"Would you like it?"
"... "
"You don't like it?"
"I'll give it."
Violet frowned slightly when Winter answered more easily than she expected. In the meantime, Winter spoke while taking out a box that was too high for Violet to take out, which caught her eye.
"When I get back to Rockround, I'll do the paperwork right away. I'll give it to you."
"Your pride?"
"I just realized, you can break it without any reason. This is only the second time you've asked me to do this."
"What's the first one?"
"Time."
Winter replied curtly and opened the box she had been waiting for. It was a toy that played a sweet song.
Comments
Post a Comment