Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 294

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 294 – Accompanied By the Loyal Dog to the Festival

“Even if you say you want to tell me something…”

Because of his previous behavior, Krone couldn’t help but brace herself.

She’d heard he was getting along well with Ain, but she hadn’t forgotten his intense advances toward her.

“N-no! It’s not like how I was before! Besides, there’s a woman I care about now!”

“Oh—I see. Well, then. I suppose that’s okay.”

Clearing her throat softly, Krone took a step back.

“So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

“…Well, it’s this…”

“If you want to apologize, that’s fine. But is there something else?”

“…”

The scene in which they had a fierce argument was probably on the day of the meeting between Ishtalika and Heim.

Since then, there hadn’t been any major conflicts.

After Lili entrusted Helion, an orphan, to him, Tigre found himself strangely drawn to the rather inept girl. Before he knew it, he had arranged for her to be brought to the Heim Autonomous Region. That was Tigre’s biggest ordeal.

“Besides, I’m not actually angry, and apologizing seems misplaced.”

“But—”

“Truthfully, it’s an honor to be courted by the royal family. I’m simply a selfish woman, unable to accept such a favor. Please don’t trouble yourself.”

National character plays a part, but what Krone said was also true.

Especially since the Heim royal family held significant influence back then. Had she been born into a lesser house—say, a count’s family—rather than the Grand Ducal House of Augusto, they likely wouldn’t have been allowed to object to Tigre’s proposal.

“Besides, speaking now about how displeased I was… I dislike that idea myself.”

“My bad. Apologizing unprompted is probably wrong, too, but just this once, forgive me.”

“Hmph… Fine. Refusing would just make me seem petty.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

They never imagined they’d be able to speak like this.

While it was primarily up to Tigre to sort out his feelings, his apology did seem somewhat self-serving.

“People grow through repeated failures. Grandfather often said that. Tigre-dono, you’ve had many experiences, haven’t you? I heard about it from my mother before.”

“Hmm, Elena. Yes, Elena took care of me, too. She forgave me for treating her coldly and escaped Heim with me during that unprecedented crisis.”

“Mother is quite action-oriented, so sometimes I wish she’d calm down a bit.”

Krone was much the same. Tigre kept that thought to himself.

The tension naturally drained from his entire body as he rejoiced in being forgiven by his former beloved.

“May I ask one thing?”

“Actually, I must return to the mansion soon, so just one question?”

The festival was equally busy for both of them.

Tigre nodded and asked his question.

“Ah, well… For example, if back then I—”

“Back then, you mean before the Heim War?”

“Exactly. When we were children, if I had been the man I am now and had thought things through more wisely, would you have accepted my proposal?”

“Isn’t that question disrespectful to Tigre-dono’s beloved?”

“True. But I don’t have any lingering feelings for you. What I want to know is about the distance between you and Ain.”

Then, Krone, who had been wearing a puzzled expression, also grasped the intent behind Tigre’s question.

He was chasing after his friend, Ain, following him.

The proof was clear in his slightly sulky expression and hint of hidden discontent.

“I think it was better than before. But I’m certain the answer itself wouldn’t have changed.”

“Besides,” Krone continued.

“Tigre-dono, if someone told you the world would end in a few minutes, would you believe them?”

“Huh…? Wh-what kind of outlandish thing are you saying?”

“Fufu, that’s exactly it. To me, standing beside anyone other than Ain seems ridiculous and has no basis in reality. Which comes first or last is a trivial matter.”

Tigre saw it for the first time.

He saw that the natural smile she wore was truly beautiful.

At the same time, he reaffirmed that she was a woman who would never fade, even standing beside a man like Ain.

“Well, I suppose you’re right. That man has his reckless side, but I have to admit he’s a big shot.”

“Besides, asking me about Ain was a mistake, wasn’t it?”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

When he pressed her for an answer, Krone laughed cheerfully, turned away, and said, her back to him:

“I like Ain so much. I want to be every woman for him. I will become his wife. But I cannot be his sister or his daughter.”

“Ah, well, that’s obvious, but—”

“I’m the kind of woman who resents that fact. So tonight, I’ll indulge in pretending to be either Ain’s sister or his younger sister. I gave Chris-san time until we return to the mansion, so surely that much is allowed. I’m sure.”

“Ah—! Hey, wait!”

After speaking of a love too deep, Krone left Tigre’s side.

Tigre was not merely stunned by this side of her he’d never seen before; he was robbed of the chance to think.

“I see. It was meant to be. It had to be those two. That’s what it means.”

Ain also has a powerful side.

The woman who left was sharp, too. He thought they had a lot in common.

“So she was a woman worthy of a hero. No wonder I couldn’t form a bond with her. But what exactly did she mean by ‘giving time to Christina-dono’?”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The scene shifted to a back alley in the city.

Ain and Chris walked side by side. Dill and several other Royal Knights followed behind them.

The atmosphere between the two of them, as they walked ahead, felt different from usual, slightly tense.

“So…! I said no!”

Chris raised her voice.

“No, no, no… I think we’ve been doing this for a while now…”

Ain said calmly, almost scolding.

Incidentally, they were all walking down this particular path because they were on their way home after finishing their official duties.

They deliberately chose a place with little foot traffic, mainly because Ain was present, and they feared crowds would gather.

Watching the two argue, a guard knight addressed Dill.

“Dill-sama, is it truly acceptable not to stop them?”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘stop’? That Ain wished to visit the night market incognito? Or Captain Christina’s attitude toward Ain?”

“If I had to say, I believe it’s both.”

The guard knight looked concerned for a simple reason: he had never seen the two of them engage in such a heated exchange before.

However, Dill remained calm, showing no particular concern.

“It wasn’t an argument to begin with. That’s how it looks to me.”

He replied in a tone that seemed almost protective.

“But Captain Christina’s demeanor…”

She spoke her opinion to Ain in a way that was closer than usual. In fact, their faces were close, and you could tell she was serious about trying to stop him.

Her voice seemed on the verge of rising, and the guard knights felt she really should stop.

“Honestly, I’m no expert on women’s hearts either, but I’ve received quite a bit of guidance from Katima-sama.”

“Women’s hearts, you say?”

With a half-smile, Dill explained the guidance to the bewildered guards.

“That’s right. Katima-sama said that Captain Christina can’t be straightforward and has a bad habit of ‘waiting to be invited.’ It’s probably unconscious, but when she’s lonely, she pouts and acts out. Wait, those aren’t my words, okay? They’re Katima-sama’s words.”

“Knowing Katima-sama, I can easily imagine it.”

“That’s helpful.”

Given that, there was only one phrase that could be the solution.

Dill predicted that Ain would soon say that phrase.

“Hey, what’s Chris worried about? Is it about me being protected?”

“Of course! There’s no need to isolate yourself on purpose when you’re trying to flush someone out!”

“Hmph—fine then!”

While listening to the heated exchange, neither Dill nor the Royal Knights doubted for a moment that Ain needed an escort.

He was stronger than anyone else; frankly, he didn’t need a bodyguard. But worrying about the worst-case scenario was typical of a first-rate knight.

“Ain-sama enjoys night markets. When we went to Magna before, he went incognito.”

Dill’s sigh vanished instantly into the air. Hearing Ain’s voice echo, Dill waited for his next words.

“Yes, Chris’s robes! This is fine, right?”

“Ah, uh…? Um, where are my robes?”

“It was Katima-san’s advice. She said this morning that, since Chris would probably object, it would be better to just drag her into it.”

At that moment, Dill realized it was a planned operation.

Katima had orchestrated it, meddling in her usual way to help Chris.

Furthermore, seeing Ain—who had been carrying two disguises all this time—left him half-dazed.

“So… T-that means I’m going with Ain-sama?”

“Yeah. No complaints then, right?”

Dill and the Royal Knights certainly had complaints.

Chris was strong. If she acted solely to protect Ain, she had more than enough combat power.

However, considering that Ain had traveled with only two people on his recent trip, it wasn’t something they could make a big issue of.

“Uh, yes. Then it’s fine, definitely. Yes.”

Slowly, her face betraying hidden joy, she began to drape the robe she’d been given.

No longer merely a loyal dog, even her smallest gestures were now rich with feminine grace.

“Ain-sama. Since you didn’t seem keen on going to the night market, I’d assumed you’d given up on it today.”

“Well, um?”

“Was this a premeditated plan? I never imagined you’d consulted Katima-sama about it.”

Returning a wry smile to Dill’s, Ain put on a robe like Chris had.

Then, a smile spread across his face as he beamed at the night market he hadn’t seen in so long.

Leaning closer to Ain, Dill spoke in a low voice.

“You weren’t planning to go alone from the start, were you?”

“Well, um… I promised you before.”

It was about the dream content Arche had mentioned.

Ain clearly remembered promising to go shopping together.

“I’ll take a look around some shops while I’m out. I’ll be back before it gets too late.”

“Understood. Please take care on your way back.”

Without offering the clumsy suggestion of coming to pick him up, Dill led the royal knights away.

Soon, Ain and Chris, who had been left behind, looked at each other and said,

“Well then, shall we go?”

“Yes!”

Chris drew her shoulders a centimeter or two closer and walked shoulder to shoulder with Ain.

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