The restaurant Rodrick booked was quite crowded.
No matter how much I changed my face with a magic tool, could I come to such a crowded place? I was worried about it, but fortunately, the seat we reserved was divided by a curtain.
If I ate with the curtain down. People wouldn't be able to see it from the outside, so I would rest assured.
I looked around at the luxurious interior of the restaurant and opened my mouth.
"You made a reservation for this place a day in advance. There are so many people. It looks like you have to make a reservation at least a week in advance to get in."
"I gave him a lot of money. He told me to make a reservation today."
In response, Rodrick seemed to shrug for some reason.
It seemed like he wanted to be praised for his hard work for a good meal.
There was nothing he couldn't do if he wanted, so I nodded lightly.
"Good work."
After a brief compliment, his shoulders went up a little more.
He looked triumphant, like a cat that had successfully hunted.
Meanwhile, a waiter approached, and Rodrick ordered some dishes and wine.
While the meal was being prepared, I hinted at it.
"Don't forget that you decided to give me that mission."
"Oh, that's it."
In the first place, I took this time to receive a high-level assignment.
For some reason, Rodrick's expression hardened.
"Yes, I have to give it to you. But that's what it is..."
"Why? Is there anything wrong?"
"Why don't we switch to another high-tier mission? You don't have to perform that mission."
"What are you talking about? You have already promised to give it to me."
Rodrick scratched his ear in embarrassment.
"The client is a little... It's strange."
"Strange?"
He nodded awkwardly to my question.
"I met with him during the day today to discuss a few more things about the request. But I guess I should say that people look a bit black-hearted."
"Well, what do you think?"
"He keeps asking me to arrange a private meeting with you. It's just a request to attend a prom with a partner, but it seems like they're overly obsessed, and it feels weird."
It wasn't strange that he asked me to meet him before the ball.
He seemed to want a partner who could show off to others.
He wants to see if he can take me to the prom and not hurt his face.
But to ask me to meet alone in private without Rodrick... It was definitely a bit strange.
It felt as if there was some other sinister motive.
"In my heart, I just want to refuse the request. It's steamy."
"It's a little strange. But I want you to go ahead with it, because if you skip everything because you see a little bit of steamy corners, you'll end up with only low-grade quests."
"..."
"Nothing is completely safe. Sometimes you have to take risks. Isn't this what you said?"
When Rodrick returned the same voice he had made when we escaped from the air defense, he didn't seem to be able to find anything more to refute.
"You're really stubborn. Are you sure you want to do it?"
"It's not that I'm stubborn, it's that you're too worried. There must be a lot of people at the ball, but I don't think the client will do anything strange. I have the strength to protect myself."
I had learned many self-defense techniques when I was a Princess, so I was confident that I could run away.
Rodrick shrugged his shoulders as if he had lost.
Meanwhile, the meal he ordered was served.
We were so hungry that we stopped talking for a while and focused on eating.
The food tasted good, as if to prove the popularity of the restaurant, and the wine poured by the waiter was also very flavorful.
As I emptied my glass while savoring the bright red liquor like a jewel, I felt intoxicated.
It was the first time in a long time that I drank alcohol, so I got drunk faster than I expected.
I was a little dizzy, so I was putting my arms on the table, but suddenly Rodrick straightened up and said something serious.
As if he were trying to bring up something important.
He took a sip of cold water and slowly opened his mouth.
"Hey, can I ask you a personal question?"
"How personal is this question? Do you even ask for your understanding in advance? Let's hear it."
"When are you going to remarry?"
"...Remarry?"
"I'm not weirdly asking you, I'm just curious about your life plan."
If I had listened to it when I was sober, I might have been a little more abusive.
I knew that my previous marriage was not smooth, but he asked this question.
In fact, when I think of Kishian, I still feel sick to my stomach these days.
I know that it is not a subject that I dare to feel nostalgic for.
Still, a little nostalgia and guilt pierced my heart like an awl every time I thought of the time I spent with him.
But now that I was drunk, I generously answered Rodrick's questions.
"What is remarriage... I don't even have anyone to meet."
"When are you going to do it? Don't you have any plans like that?"
"I don't know how the future will go or who I'll meet, but I've made a plan like that...I think it will be a good time in about three years, and I'll be very stable by then."
I didn't mean that the situation would stabilize.
The situation is the same, but more than that, I needed time to calm down.
It would definitely take time for the wounds of the first marriage to heal and to be ready to start a new family.
"But why is that?"
"Three years..."
Rodrick said to himself, as if to assess something.
Then he muttered something that surprised me a little.
"It's not time to wait. I've already waited that long."
I'm pretty drunk now, but it's not hard to understand what he meant.
He was saying that he would wait until I was ready to remarry.
Why wait? It was not difficult to guess the reason, no matter how drunk I was.
'Rodrick...'
Maybe he had a crush on me as the opposite sex.
He seemed to have quite a heavy heart to the point of thinking about marriage.
'No, I don't. Did I overinterpret it? Maybe he meant that when the time came to get married, I would be sent out of the mercenary corps...'
Protecting me from the mercenary group would be a hassle for Rodrick.
So when the time came to start a family, he was going to send me out, so maybe he was saying that he would wait for that time to come.
Yes, I suppose so.
Why does he want to be united with me?
I am no longer an aristocrat, and I have already married another man...
I tried my best to shake off the strange thoughts that were popping up in my head.
***
After hearing Rodrick's puzzled words, I drank wine to relieve my awkwardness.
In the past, I didn't mind drinking this much, but the problem must have been that I hadn't been exposed to alcohol in a long time.
I felt bad on the way.
I thought that if I continued on the swaying carriage, I would get tired, so I got off halfway and sat down on a nearby bench.
"Are you okay? You seemed to drink a lot."
Rodrick patted me on the back and expressed his concern.
I wanted to say that it was okay, but it was pretty bad for that.
"...It looks like it's been a long time since I've had a drink. The wagon swayed... I really feel bad, I need a dried Schwindell Water."
"Water? What is Schwinzell? Is it a medicinal herb?"
I thought that nodding would make me feel worse, so I answered as briefly as possible.
"It's a grass that soothes drunkenness. Is there any?"
"I don't have it right now, but should I go to a nearby drugstore? It's not far from here."
"...If you don't have it, it's fine. Don't bother for nothing... Let's take a break."
"You're doing the hard work right now. I'll be back soon, so wait a while. Five minutes. No, it only takes three minutes."
I didn't want to bother him.
Apparently, my complexion was bad, so Rodrick hurried in the direction of the drugstore.
I slumped on the bench and focused on controlling my insides.
Still, it seemed to sink a little thanks to the cold wind.
If I chew the herbs Rodrick brought, I'll get better.
I let out a long sigh, hoping that he would come quickly.
It was at that moment that I heard unfamiliar footsteps.
The sound of men's shoes stepping on the paved road penetrated my ears clearly.
Rodrick had just run towards the drugstore.
I couldn't have seen him walking toward me so leisurely.
Then, who is approaching...
"..."
I kept my mouth shut and slowly raised my head to look in the direction of the presence.
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