David grabbed a handful of his snack and stuffed it all into his mouth.
"Hmm. It's edible."
"..."
At first, Karina was surprised at how he looked completely unlike a Crown Prince, but as she kept watching him she got used to it.
'Yeah. Because it seemed like he had a strong sense of responsibility.'
Karina thought that if he often went out to inspect the common people, he would know this kind of life well. He even ran an information shop in the underworld.
'There's no way a person like that wouldn't know the ways of the world. I guess he comes out and wanders around every now and then.'
Karina was easily convinced and looked at the snack in her hand. Just like David, she took a handful of the snack in the bag and put it all in her mouth, munching on it. The snack was crunchy and salty on the outside. The nutty nuts were crunchy. Sweet raisins were chewy in between.
'It's okay.'
The sweet and salty flavors were just the right balance, and although they seemed like they wouldn't go together, they mysteriously continued to stimulate her appetite. And when she was a little thirsty, the refreshing, tangy taste of the drink refreshed her mouth.
'Is it really okay!?'
It was honestly delicious. Karina's eyes sparkled.
"I guess it suits your taste."
David said, staring with interest at the sight of Karina eating deliciously.
"...!"
'What? Were you watching the whole time?'
Karina nodded her head in agreement, slightly embarrassed.
"Oh, yes. It tastes good."
David smiled brightly at her answer and handed his share of the snack into Karina's hands.
"Eat mine too."
"Uh, no. It's okay..."
"It's because it looks good when you eat well."
Then he leaned down and got closer to Karina.
".....!?"
Karina, startled, leaned back.
"Oh, don't be surprised."
David raised his hand and tapped the powder from the corner of Karina's mouth.
"I just did that to get rid of it."
“...!”
Karina opened her eyes wide and quickly wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She felt embarrassed that she had eaten it so sloppily, like a child. The tips of her ears turned a little red.
“Ha ha ha.”
David smiled cheerfully as if he found her cute. After a while, the lights that had been brightly filling the concert hall went out and the surroundings became dark. A spotlight was suddenly turned on in the center of the stage, focusing on one spot. There, a person wearing a vest with shiny gold trim and a dark blue jacket appeared.
"Hello, audience!"
He identified himself as the captain and continued his narration.
"We sincerely welcome everyone to our circus troupe's performance hall today!"
The circus performance officially began with the loud sound of fireworks and lively singing from the cheering audience. The performers in colorful and splendid costumes that could be seen from afar came out and waved their arms to greet them. They held onto the tightrope hanging in the air with bright smiles on their faces and rose into the air in the blink of an eye. They began to perform thrilling acrobatics, moving around lightly as if they were flying around on a single rope.
"Wow...!"
Karina couldn't help but be amazed. Their movements, gathering and dispersing in the air and performing tricks, looked like the movements of butterflies. It seemed as if they could break through the tent and fly into the sky at any moment.
Karina was completely absorbed in the exciting spectacle presented by the circus performers. She watched for a long time without being able to take her eyes off them. Then, all of a sudden, she felt David's body rise.
'Huh?'
David smiled faintly as Karina looked at him with eyes asking where he was going.
"I'll be out for a bit, so make yourself comfortable."
He whispered softly in her ear. It was a casual tone. Karina nodded, not wanting to hear an answer, and turned her gaze back to the stage.
"Did you follow me all the way here?"
David came out of the concert hall, blocked Jeremiah's path, and asked.
"I just came to pick up my wife."
Jeremiah stood firm and refused to back down.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please do not call my wife like this any time from now on."
"That would be difficult. I brought her out separately to spend some time alone with the Grand Duchess."
David crossed his arms and tilted his head.
"I didn't expect the Grand Duke to interfere like this."
There was no other reason why he pretended not to know about the existence of the article Jeremiah had posted. Since Jeremiah would already know that he possessed the Dark Statue, he thought there was no need to waste energy on pointless tailing. And besides that, he wanted to show that the connection between Karina and him was not just the Crown Prince and the Grand Duchess, but also something else.
"I'm becoming close with the Grand Duchess, so it would be a problem if I interfere."
At those words, Jeremiah let out a chill colder than ice.
"I am in trouble. Please stop paying attention to my wife. Even if you are the Crown Prince, I will not stay still."
"What are you going to do if I don't stay still?"
David snorted. An invisible spark flashed between the two men's eyes as they faced each other. The air around them tightened, pressing against each other.
"If you keep doing this, I will also formally..."
At that time, Jeremiah's words continued slowly.
"Gyaaaaaaah!!!"
"...?!"
"...!"
Suddenly, a scream came and the inside became noisy. Jeremiah and David, who were confused, immediately tried to enter the concert hall to figure out what the fuss was about. However.
"Ugh!!!"
They were blocked by a horde of people. rushing out from inside at once.
***
Just before the incident happened, Karina was concentrating on the performance. The circus performers, who had been jumping here and there and switching between swings, performed three aerial spins, spinning their entire bodies in the air, before returning to the ground.
'Awesome!'
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Karina clapped her hands. They exited the stage to the loud cheers and applause of the audience. Next, a large lion with a well-groomed mane appeared with its trainer. A large ring lined up was suddenly lit up. The lion ran through the ring to the trainer's command and showed off its skills. The lion passed through the ring of fire that gradually became smaller and stopped in front of the smallest ring. The cheerful song that was flowing out changed into a heavy drum sound as the performance reached its climax. The heavy sound that shook the eardrums heightened the tension of the situation. The moment the lion was about to show off its long-awaited final performance.
“Gyaaaah!”
A child's scream, like a dolphin's, erupted from the audience near the stage. It wasn't a scream, but rather a burst of joy that came out without one's knowledge. However, it was quite a shock to the lion. The lion was momentarily startled by the unexpected sound and stumbled over the fire ring without being able to jump over it properly. The fire in the ring caught onto the lion's fur.
"Kuaaaang!!"
The lion writhed in pain and roared. The trainer looked bewildered.
"No! Stay still!"
After appearing to violently rebel against the trainer who was trying to calm him down, the lion soon broke free and stormed into the audience.
“Gyaaa..."
"Don't come here!"
"Ugh!!"
"Mommy!"
The concert hall quickly became a scene of chaos with the audience screaming and falling into shock and fear. Karina was not free from the aftermath either. She was tossed and swept around by the crowded crowd, unable to come to her senses. And then at some point.
"Ugh!"
Karina got stepped on by someone. She felt a sharp pain in her instep, followed by a sharp sting.
'It hurts!'
It didn't end there. There was a moment when she lost her balance and almost fell over due to the crowd of people continuing to pour in.
"Karina!"
Someone lifted her body up and shouted her name.
"Karina! Are you okay?"
Before she could recognize who it was, the first thing she noticed was the pitch-black hair and eyes like the night sky.
"...!"
She was surprised when she saw the face of the one who had caught her. He had broad shoulders and solid muscles that could hold her in one go. Jeremiah had an aura so strong that even a lion that had lost its mind and was running wild would not be able to approach him easily. He was looking at her with a very stiff expression.
"Why are you here?"
Karina asked, surprised by his sudden appearance.
"That's not important right now."
He held her tightly, his expression hard. So that she would not be swept away by the crowd anymore. He moved to a place farther from the entrance and less crowded and carefully examined Karina's condition. Karina's current condition was difficult to say was okay, even with empty words. Her hair was all messed up, and the hem of her dress was dirty from being stepped on. The sleeves were torn and tattered as if they had gotten caught somewhere while being swept away by the crowd.
'Haa. Why did I have to show this to Jeremiah?'
Karina had to swallow her sighs.
"You're hurt."
Jeremiah noticed her right instep starting to swell red. She tried to act nonchalantly and responded nonchalantly.
"I'm okay."
It was an answer that came out habitually, like a habit.
"..."
He stared at her with an expression that asked if she was serious.
"That's... Suddenly a lion burst into the audience and I got swept up in the crowd..."
Karina stammered. Jeremiah didn't seem to be listening at all. He carefully straightened her disheveled clothes. Of course, his expression showed that he was not pleased at all. He carefully examined the condition of her instep and said.
"You'd better go back quickly and get treatment."
But Karina couldn't answer right away.
"That won't work. His Highness the Crown Prince is probably still somewhere in the concert hall."
Karina said she couldn't go alone.
"If the Crown Prince, you don't have to worry about him."
"Yes?"
She, who did not know anything, asked back.
"If it was the Crown Prince, he must have seen what is outside before coming in here."
"Ah....I see."
She guessed he had to go out of the concert hall for a moment because of some business.
'You're so lucky. I'm jealous.'
As she was thinking that, Jeremiah broke her thoughts and said:
"Really. I can't take my eyes off you for even a second."
"Yes...?"
At that time.
"Grand Duchess! Are you alright?"
She saw David running urgently through the crowd. But before she could respond, Jeremiah struck first.
"I will take my wife."
"..."
"Wouldn't that have been right from the beginning?"
Jeremiah glared at him with sharp eyes. Then David spoke again with a serious face.
"No. Since she was injured while she was with me, it is right for me to take responsibility for her treatment. Let's go to the palace right now."
"Ah..."
Karina hesitated, unable to agree right away. She didn't like the Grand Duke's family, but she was even more reluctant to go to the Imperial Palace. In that case, she thought it would be better to just go to any doctor in the city. However, just as she was thinking that she had taken a breather, the unexpected happened.
Ting. Thud!
With the sound of the ropes snapping, one of the pillars supporting the tent collapsed in the chaos of the crowd. As soon as one pillar collapsed, the tent attached to the end was pulled, and like dominoes, the pillars on the other side began to sway and fall one by one. It was complete chaos.
"Ugh! It's dangerous!"
"It's falling!"
If things continued as they were, the ropes, various steel frames, and tents hanging from the ceiling would come down on people's heads at any moment, creating a dangerous situation that could lead to a major accident.
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