TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 73
Today, the peaceful Young Lady’s room.
After reading the Knight predicting an unprecedented cold, I was preparing for a rare outing to spend the harsh winter warmly.
I should go out to buy the Young Lady’s snacks, order firewood, and purchase a cotton blanket and fur clothes.
Wearing my black Butler’s attire, I looked up at the Young Lady, who was extending her white feet.
The Young Lady had a sullen expression.
She pouted her lips and glared at the socks in my hand.
“I don’t like them.”
The Young Lady turned her head away primly, pouting like an adolescent Girl refusing to go to school unless it’s The North Face Padding.
“I don’t like red socks. They’re tacky.”
“Fashion always goes in cycles.”
“Ricardo, you don’t even know how to dress.”
“What’s wrong with my sense of fashion?”
The Young Lady scanned me, who insisted on wearing Butler’s attire 365 days a year, and let out a deep sigh.
“You wear such dull clothes every day.”
“But I’m wearing something different today.”
“It looks the same….”
“How can you say it’s the same? The shirt pattern is different from usual, isn’t it? I put effort into choosing it, and you don’t even notice. That’s disappointing.”
“That’s exactly why it’s the same!”
Why, what’s wrong with my Butler’s attire?
When I first wore the Butler’s attire, she praised me, saying I’d look like I’d do my job well, but now the Young Lady has a lot of complaints.
Was that not praise…?
Anyway, the Young Lady, who wouldn’t appreciate the Butler’s intention of putting warm wool socks on her to keep her feet warm in the cold weather, didn’t seem inclined to back down.
The Young Lady declared she wouldn’t go out unless they were black socks. Her unyielding stubbornness only fueled my determination.
‘You’re not going to wear them? Then I want to make you wear them even more.’ A mischievous frog-like mindset.
Red has long been a symbol of good fortune… In my previous life, buying red thermal underwear with one’s first paycheck was a cultural practice, so I’ve always held red in high regard.
The Young Lady shook her head.
“Aaah! I don’t want red socks. Give me black socks.”
“Stop whining. You’re so cute that it makes me want to switch to black.”
“Hmph! Black socks!”
The Young Lady, trying to win unfairly with her cuteness. I wanted to show her I could whine too, but I held back for the sake of the Young Lady’s post-breakfast stomach health.
‘I’ll show her next time.’
Promising myself for tomorrow, where I’d lie on the floor and whine, I spoke with a serious expression.
“It’s bothersome to fetch them.”
“What’s so bothersome about it! You can just get them from the wardrobe.”
“That’s what’s bothersome.”
“Eeeek…!”
The Young Lady threw a pillow.
*
There was a brief clash of opinions.
Although we had a minor conflict over the somewhat childish topic of socks, we reached an agreement with a piece of chocolate.
That level of expense is bearable.
Sitting on the bed, the Young Lady looked at her feet, now donned in red socks, with a sullen expression. Although we had reached a peaceful agreement, the Young Lady seemed displeased.
Straightening my bent back, I stretched the Young Lady’s sullen-looking cheeks.
“Eeeek… They’re going to tear!”
Her cheeks were as soft and stretchy as always.
Is it because it’s winter? They seem dry.
‘I should buy moisturizer too.’
Seasonal changes always strain the wallet. Monsters hide because of the cold, and the opportunities to earn money decrease accordingly.
Since I have the money pouch Malik gave me, I figured I could endure a certain level of spending and mentally listed today’s purchases.
“Ugh… Ricardo, you’re like a rich Parvenu.”
“That’s correct.”
“…You admit it quickly.”
Turning my back to the Young Lady, I spoke.
“Let’s go. It’s been a while since I treated you.”
The Young Lady replied with a serious expression.
“Ricardo buys things every day.”
“…”
The Young Lady stated the obvious.
***
Hamel’s Street was cold.
“Hoo…”
The Young Lady, piggybacked on my back, exhaled white breath with bright, shining eyes.
She had resisted coming out earlier but now looked around with curious, shining eyes, blowing white breath. I thought bringing her out was the right decision.
The Young Lady was bundled tightly in a blanket.
Worried she might feel cold, people’s attention was drawn to her as she boldly ventured out wrapped like a bundle in a blanket. But the Young Lady, acknowledging the formidable enemy known as cold, didn’t say much.
“It’s because of the red socks.”
Instead, she found another reason.
The Young Lady, blowing white breath, widened her eyes when she saw a street stall selling chicken skewers.
At the sweet smell of meat, the Young Lady’s attention was captured. Struggling to free her hand from the tightly wrapped blanket, she pointed at the stall.
“Ricardo, skewers!”
“No. Impulsive purchases hurt the wallet.”
“It’s okay if the wallet hurts.”
“Then, our estate will become cold too.”
“That’s not okay.”
The Young Lady swallowed her saliva and gazed longingly at the stall.
“Ske…wers.”
“Ugh… I want to eat them.”
The Young Lady, with a sorrowful expression and a wistful gesture as if saying, ‘We shouldn’t pass it by,’ murmured. I smiled lightly and walked toward the stall selling skewers.
“One spicy and one mild, please.”
The Young Lady smiled happily, wriggling inside the blanket. She moved restlessly with excitement.
Looking at me as I prepared to pay, the Young Lady hastily spoke.
“Wait…! I’ll pay!”
The Young Lady searched her chest pocket for gold coins.
Her treasure hunt took a while, making me smile faintly as I placed silver coins on the table.
“I’ll pay. You can pay next time.”
“But I already found them…!”
Saying she found them, the Young Lady pulled out chocolate instead. Tilting her head in confusion, she resumed her search.
“I’ll pay.”
“Next time, I’ll pay, so Ricardo, don’t interfere.”
Nodding, I responded to the Young Lady’s words. I decided to continue paying since I didn’t want her gold coins to be given to others.
The Ajumoni making the skewers looked at the Young Lady and me with curious eyes. It must’ve been her first time seeing a Noble Lady using a blanket as a bundle.
I hoped she wouldn’t ask any strange questions….
Although the Young Lady had grown less sensitive to people’s gazes compared to her first outing, she would probably feel flustered if asked awkward questions like, ‘Why is the Young Lady being carried on someone’s back?’
Looking at the Young Lady, who puffed out in anticipation of eating chicken skewers, I smiled awkwardly.
“Could you please hurry? It’s cold outside.”
The Ajumoni smiled brightly and worked quickly with her hands.
“Sure~ But how long have you two been together?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking how long you’ve been dating.”
She seemed like a kind person.
I decided in my heart to become a regular.
“…We’re not a couple.”
From behind me, the Young Lady’s voice was heard.
The Young Lady, speaking informally at a first meeting.
I lightly nudged the Young Lady on my back to point out her mistake. Speaking informally at a first meeting is impolite.
Realizing her mistake, the Young Lady shook her head vigorously and spoke to the Ajumoni with a hint of apology.
“We’re not a couple… yo.”
“Is that so? Hoohoo…”
The Ajumoni gave a kindly smile.
“I only said it because you two look so good together. If you were a couple, I was even planning to give you a little extra.”
The Young Lady’s eyes lit up at the mention of ‘extra’ as she asked.
“What kind of extra?”
“Why, would you start dating today if I gave you extra?”
“No. That’s not it….”
The Young Lady looked at me with a troubled expression.
“Oh my, oh my, I must’ve been too forward. Please forgive me, I’m just an Ajumoni.”
The Ajumoni let out a hearty laugh and handed over the chicken skewers. A set of three flavors: spicy, medium, and mild.
“This is the extra!”
“Hiiiik!”
The Young Lady’s eyes widened.
Receiving the skewers, the Young Lady smiled brightly and gave her thanks to the Ajumoni.
“Thanks.”
“Young Lady..”
“Thank you.”
The Young Lady was polite.
Before leaving the street stall.
“Hey, student!”
The Ajumoni called me and, with a ting, tossed the silver coin she had placed on the table.
“Do your best.”
As expected, Ajumonis were sharp observers. Bowing my head slightly, I expressed my gratitude.
“I’ll try my best.”
My face felt hot.
*
My hands were full of receipts.
Since I had no free hands after shopping while carrying the Young Lady, we paid a small fee to request delivery.
The Young Lady, looking at the crumpled receipts, was wide-eyed.
“One zero… two… three… Hiiiik!”
The Young Lady feared money more than ghosts.
Back when the household’s support was intact, this amount was easily manageable, but now the weight of money felt heavy, making the Young Lady’s shoulders tremble.
“Ricardo, you’re rich.”
“Yes, I’m rich.”
“Really?”
“No…”
The Young Lady sighed and hugged me tightly.
“I’m sorry…”
A soft and tender sensation.
I felt like a rich man.
A natural smile appeared on my lips.
“It’s okay.”
As we walked through the marketplace, we talked about various topics. Things like buying more chocolate, getting insect repellent to keep at home, and purchasing snacks for Gomtangi.
In the middle of our discussion about the rarely opened wallet, as we passed a jewelry shop, the Young Lady stopped talking.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
The Young Lady admired a Diamond-Studded Bracelet.
It wasn’t the kind of bracelet a High Noble Lady would typically wear, but it was absurdly expensive with the money we had.
Putting the receipts back into her pocket, the Young Lady clenched her fist tightly as she gazed at the dazzling bracelet through the glass.
Saying nothing, I slightly bowed my head to count the number of zeros on the price tag in front of the bracelet.
“Three… four… five…”
The outrageous price made me let out an empty laugh.
Stealing a glance at the pocket containing gold coins, a pang of regret stung even harder.
Since the proceeds from the recipe wouldn’t come in until next year, my heart grew heavier.
‘The Young Lady’s birthday is approaching too…’
Glancing back at the Young Lady on my back, I carefully asked.
“Do you want it?”
“Ah.. no…!”
The Young Lady was startled.
Shaking her head, the Young Lady spoke.
“Ahhh… it’s not that.”
The Young Lady was a poor liar.
Muttering softly, the Young Lady tickled the Butler’s heart.
“It’s just… too expensive…”
I felt conflicted.
In many ways.
Moving my reluctant footsteps, I turned toward the estate.
Plod. Plod. As my heavy steps led us back to the estate, something cold and wet greeted my forehead as it melted away.
“Ricardo, look at that.”
The Young Lady spoke while gazing at the sky.
White snow falling.
The first snow of the year was coming down.
“It’s winter.”
“Yes… it’s winter.”
The first snow was falling.