Chapter 160
TL: Zimming
‘Well, what should I give him?’
I left the cake shop and agonized with a serious face.
“You know, Adr…… what are you doing?”
When I turned my head to ask him what he wanted, I saw Adrian packing the candle that was wrapped in cream.
“……Why?”
I immediately shook my head.
‘I’d better focus on choosing a gift.’
The prince, who celebrated his birthday with a friend for the first time, would be happy even if I gave him a stone by the side of the road.
Adrian followed me after wrapping candles in a handkerchief and putting them in his pocket.
“Is there a place you want to go?”
Adrian nodded when I asked.
“A bakery or something.”
“Like a bakery……. Where are the commoners going?”
“Yeah, I like a place only you know.”
He must have liked the commoner experience quite a lot.
‘Then, let’s see……where to go.’
I asked Adrian as I rubbed my chin and pondered.
“Should we do a commoner package trip?”
“What is it?”
“Well, a package trip that beggars always wanted?”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed slightly, perhaps because he didn’t expect the word beggar to come out. But as my eyes kept twinkling, he smiled slightly and nodded. I grinned and said, “Okay.”
“Then let’s start the trip, prince.”
Adrian smiled in a friendly way.
First, I headed to the parlor near the cake shop.
The clerk of the parlor was resting his chin on the counter without getting up even when he heard the sound of the jingle.
Adrian asked me.
“To buy clothes?”
“No, cape.”
“But this isn’t a dressing room.”
“They make and sell capes with the leftover scraps of cloth. So it’s very cheap, but warm and pretty.”
He doesn’t know how much I wanted to have a cape like this in my life as a beggar. Adrian stood motionless and asked as I went to the place where the cape was placed.
“……Pretty?”
It could look like rags to the eyes of the prince as he lived in the imperial palace where people dressed fancily.
“If you wear one of these in winter, the kids around here will be envious!”
The children who live in the slums, have no guardians, are poor, and mostly sick, they cannot even think of buying clothes or something like that.
I usually wear clothes that people gave to the orphanage, and even if it I had basic outfits, the coat was a problem.
Coats with goose fur, rabbit fur, or thick fabric are expensive, so they were often worn again even if it was torn. They usually passed those to their younger siblings. It was a lucky day to get a coat that was thrown away.
‘Usually, the stronger kids get those.’
So in winter, a child wearing a cape like this was lucky.
‘At the time, this looked more precious than Sharon’s clothes… … .’
I touched the scraps of the cloak and immersed myself in the memories.
“It looks warm, though. And if you search well, you can get a pretty cloak. The cloak here is made by the owner of the cloth shop as a hobby, but sometimes she make pretty cloaks because she has a passion.”
“Something like this?”
Adrian grabbed a pastel pink cape.
“Right! ……Ah.”
As I let down my hand after shouting happily, Adrian looked at me.
“……Leblaine.”
“…….”
“Leblaine?”
I smoothed the pink cape as my forehead narrowed.
‘It’s her cape.’
“Look, Blaine. Pretty, huh?”
“Wow! Wow! Where did you get this? Pretty.”
“I’ve been saving money since the summer without Max knowing.”
“Pretty. It’s really pretty. You look like a princess!”
“Do you want to buy this?”
Adrian asked and I shook my head in response.
“……No.”
The fact that it was still there meant that she might soon stop by this parlor.
“Let’s search something for you. Oh, how about this six-button cape?”
“Up to you.”
“But it’s the nicest one here. Don’t you want to wear it?”
“I’ll take anything that you like.”
Adrian nodded as I put on my cape and pressed down on my hat.
“Cute.”
“Really? Then I’ll take this…….”
Just then,
Jingle.
I could hear the cheerful sound of children. When a bright ivory-haired girl, who looked about ten years old, held out the money to the counter, the clerk counted the coins one by one and nodded.
The children quickly approached the side where the cloak was hung.
“Where did you get your five francs?”
“There’s nothing you can’t save if you use your brain.”
“Did you steal money without Max knowing?”
“Max is a big fool. He take most of the money we earned because he’s older than us. I just got what I was supposed to have.”
“What if you get caught stealing money and he kick us out?”
“Tri, you’re a coward.”
“But without Max, the rest of the gang is going to pick on us.”
“My dad’s coming to pick me up soon. By that time, I’ll say goodbye to this damn slum.”
“If they don’t show up until you’re ten, they don’t even know you exist. Give up, Emeline.”
“Shut up.”
I hardened and squeezed the cloak’s hem.
“Blaine, Blaine! Where have you been? A little while ago, the Dubbled carriage passed by. Did Henry ride it too? Anyway… … . Oh yeah! I have received your share of bread.”
The gentle and kind Tri.
“Blaine, you idiot! You don’t know where it is? There’s a reason why you shouldn’t do things you shouldn’t do! That’s stupid!”
The coy and smart Emeline
‘……They’re my friends.’
“Look, the clothes I’ve wanted…….”
Emeline looked at the pink cloak that was still in Adrian’s hand.
By then, I was still shocked, Emeline pouted.
“That’s what I’ve been wanting since last month.”
When Adrian didn’t answer, he came up to me, frowning.
“Didn’t you hear that? I booked it first.”
Tri blushed and glanced at Adrian, “E, Emeline…I think he’s a noble, but even so…….”
“Are you stupid? He must be a servant of a noble.”
“How can a servant wear such nice clothes?”
“They could if they were servants of a noble family. The butlers also wears decent clothes. Tri, you don’t know it.”
Emeline snorted and reached out.
“Give it to me. It’s mine.”
Adrian narrowed his forehead. When he wanted to say something, I grabbed his sleeve.
“…….”
‘Please.’
Adrian, who saw my pale face, hung the pink cape on a hanger.
Emeline quickly took the cape, as Adrian grabbed me by the shoulder and headed to the cashier.
The clerk who saw us said,
“Ten francs.”
“…….”
Adrian stared at the clerk as the clerk shrugged and crossed his arms in response.
“It’s not made of scrap cloth, it’s expensive. It has six buttons, rough fabric, but it’s from the Dubbleds.”
Adrian put down a thousand franc silver.
Maybe it was because he didn’t have ten francs.
In this neighborhood, there was no one who would see 1,000 francs, or silver. Commoners usually use one franc bills.
The clerk, who had a bored expression before, opened his eyes wide.
“Well, wait, not enough change……p, please wait!”
“No need.”
“Huh?!”
Adrian brought me out without a reply.
After meeting friends from my previous life, I held him as soon as I left the store.
“Let’s wait for the change.”
What a waste!
“Let’s go back and ask…….”
“You didn’t want to be in that parlor.”
“…….”
“Are you okay now?”
“……Yes.”
“That’s enough.”
Adrian patted my head fondly.
‘I feel better when I’m with Adrian.’
I grabbed him by the sleeve with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s continue. Is there a place you want to go?”
“Then we’ll go to the general store and…….”
Just as we were getting out of front of the parlor.
“Excuse me!”
Again, Emeline’s voice was heard. The child, dressed in a pink cape, ran frantically down the steps of the parlor and reached out to Adrian.
“Take it.”
990 francs. That’s the change.
As Adrian narrowed his brow, Emeline grabbed him by the wrist and squeezed a bunch of bills over his hand.
“It’s a waste.”
Then she brushed her hair behind her ears, coughed, and glanced into space.
“I’m Emeline.”
“…….”
“Emeline Reese. I live near here. You gave up your cape, so I’ll pay you back next time if it’s okay. ……hey, if someone gave you their name, you should give yours too.”
“I don’t need to know about your name.”
“What?”
“Get lost.”
It was the first time I heard Adran using this dismissive tone.
I opened my eyes wide with surprise, and Emeline murmured with a red face.
“Wh, what……!”
It was then.
“Find the lady!”
“Search everywhere!”
……My knights!
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