Volume 2 Chapter 5

Walking alongside Hector, I looked around the shopping district. The jewelry store we were headed for was in the city center, so we would probably see all sorts of things before getting there. Hector had still seemed a little uneasy about walking around with his face exposed, but once he realized that none of the people passing by paid us any attention at all, he visibly relaxed. Now he simply had a long line of cheerful yellow stretching above.

(There are so many people, and so many different shops. I almost want to visit every single store I’ve never seen before.)

The capital’s liveliness was incomparable to the port town where I had lived. It was only a few hours away by horse, and trade flourished there, so it certainly wasn’t a rural place, yet it still felt completely different. The reason was probably that many items could only be sold in the capital. Feferi was one such example, and there were plenty of other things that could only be found here, making the capital endlessly fascinating.

(Cosmetics are really popular. If I developed some, they would probably sell very well. I wonder if I could make them.)

But my shop wasn’t located in the capital, so I probably wouldn’t be allowed to sell them here. Still, seeing the products available in the city stirred my desire to create things. Lipstick seemed to be all the rage at the moment, but from what I could tell, the ingredients being used weren’t particularly gentle on the skin. Continued use would likely leave lips chapped, and I felt I could make something much better. Or perhaps I could make medicine specifically for damaged lips,

「Cyril-san? Are you interested in this lipstick?」

「…Ah. Sorry. I was thinking about it from the perspective of someone who develops products.」

At some point, I had stopped in front of a lipstick display in a cosmetics shop. It wasn’t until Hector called out to me that I realized it. I had been so absorbed in thought that I hadn’t noticed. Maybe I was letting my guard down because this wasn’t the forest. I’d unconsciously fallen into the habit I had whenever I wandered around looking at unusual goods by myself.

「I thought so. You so dedicated to your work… Although it’s also one of the things I like about you.」

Alongside the colors of happiness and joy floating above Hector’s head, there was also a faint trace of pale blue loneliness.

I had slipped into the mindset of an apothecary, no, a medicine shop owner, but right now I was here shopping with my boyfriend, Hector. Things were different from when I spent all my time alone running a medicine shop. This wouldn’t do.

「I’m sorry. I think I got carried away.」

「You don’t have to apologize. Seeing you enjoy yourself makes me happy too.」

「But today is the first time I’ve gone into town with you…」

At that moment, something occurred to me. We had never actually gone out together like this before. Whenever Hector went into town, he had to hide his face, so our outings usually consisted of gathering ingredients in the forest. But that was before we started dating. Since becoming a couple and moving into the royal castle, we had probably spent more time together than most couples, yet we no longer went to the forest, and today was actually our first time going out together.

No wonder the orange joy above Hector’s head was absurdly long. There was even a translucent extension beyond it indicating that it would continue growing and last into the next day. This was what people called a first date, wasn’t it? Until now, I’d simply thought of it as shopping or an outing, but I corrected myself. This was a date.

That meant it should be fine to act a little more like a couple.

「…If I stop to look at something, could you pull me along by the hand?」

「Eh?」

「Let’s hold hands while we walk. We can’t do that when you’re on guard duty.」

A guard couldn’t have his hands occupied. Those hands needed to be ready to draw a sword. We spent a great deal of time together, but I didn’t think we spent very much time acting like a couple. I was the royal family’s personal pharmacist, and he was my guard. Neither of us could simply forget our responsibilities. But today, we were a couple enjoying our day off.

「That’s true… Yeah. Let’s do that.」

For a moment, I found myself captivated by the soft smile that bloomed across Hector’s face like a flower opening. I was helpless against his honest expressions whenever his emotions overflowed beyond his ability to contain them. Perhaps because he usually wore a carefully constructed expression around other people, the contrast always caught me off guard. The warmth of his hand as it gently overlapped mine felt almost hot. When I looked up, I could see that although he was overjoyed, there was also a rosy hue mixed in. He was probably feeling happy and embarrassed at the same time.

The two of us continued toward the jewelry store, chatting about the sights of the capital as we walked. Hector had lived in the capital before being assigned to the Second Knight Order, so he knew the area much better than I did. Even so, it seemed he had never been able to wander around freely, making this experience feel fresh and exciting for him as well.

「It’s been a long time since I came to this shop.」

「You’ve been here before?」

His comment surprised me enough that I asked. Jewelry stores generally sold colored stones, which would then be crafted into accessories. They were commonly used for meaningful gifts, though people who liked ornaments often bought them for themselves as well. Still, I had never seen Hector wearing any jewelry set with colored stones.

「Yeah. When I quit being a royal guard and got transferred, Ky and I…」

Apparently, as proof that they would remain best friends even after he stopped being a guard, the two of them exchanged rings.

However, he kept it stored away safely instead of wearing it.

When I asked why he didn’t use it despite owning it, he gave a strained smile and showed a color of disgust I hadn’t seen in a while.

「Things I use tend to disappear pretty quickly.」

「Ah… I see.」

Disappear, or rather, get stolen.

He would take off a ring during training and find it gone when he came back. Or he’d remove an earring before taking a shower and discover it missing afterward. It was obviously theft, but it must have happened so often that he eventually got tired of trying to find the culprit and simply stopped owning jewelry altogether.

「Wouldn’t earrings be at risk too?」

「I’ll never take them off, so they’ll be fine. Honestly, sometimes I think I’d like to pierce them permanently so they can’t come out.」

「That comes after marriage.」

From his joking tone, I could tell he actually meant it. But getting pierced before marriage was considered improper. It was the sort of thing that would make people frown if they found out. I didn’t want Hector doing something like that. Still, earrings would get in the way during training, and if he lost or broke them, the emotional damage would be too great.

「I’ll hold onto them during training. That should be fine, wouldn’t it?」

「Oh. Right, that’s an option. If I’m leaving them with you, I can relax.」

While exchanging those words, we entered the store. The clerk greeted us, and although he didn’t show it on his face, I could tell he was quite confused when he looked at us. It was probably because of Shutom’s effect. He couldn’t make out our faces properly. He likely couldn’t even determine our colors.

「Please show us some colored stones. Red and white, as well as gold and a transparent orange like honey.」

「Ah, yes. Your colors, then. Please have a seat and wait a moment.」

The illusion created by only two Shutom flowers could be broken if given a point of reference. Just like before, when I pointed out a single Shutom flower and Hector was able to see it. The clerk probably still couldn’t clearly make out our facial features, but he should have been able to see the colors of our eyes and hair. He would likely bring stones in similar shades.

「Hector-san, which color would you like?」

When lovers exchanged these accessories, they typically wore either their partner’s hair color or eye color. I’d asked the clerk to bring both options, but it would be easier if I knew which one Hector preferred.

「I think I’d like the color of your eyes. I love your eyes.」

「…Is that so? Then I’ll choose a red stone.」

I had often received questions from female customers about whether they should choose their partner’s eye color or hair color. Since the choice didn’t seem to affect the prediction lines at all, I always told them to pick whichever they preferred. Internally, I thought it made no difference. And in truth, the color itself didn’t matter. So why did hearing that make me feel so embarrassed?

「Um, Cyril-san. I’d like to give you both colors. Would you accept them?」

Normally, lovers only gave one color.

Giving a second color was a marriage proposal. If the recipient didn’t want the relationship to progress further, they wouldn’t accept it. If they were willing to consider marriage, they would accept it. And once they had resolved themselves to spend their lives together, they would give their own second color in return. Once both people wore the second color, the engagement was official. After that, preparations for marriage would begin.

「…I’ll accept them.」

The orange line shot upward so fast it practically made a sound.　I hadn’t even said I would wear them, and yet he was already this happy.　…And seeing that translucent extension above it somehow made me want to laugh.　It was obvious that he was going to become even happier than he was now and would still be floating on cloud nine tomorrow.　

At that perfect moment, the clerk returned with the prepared stones.　Both Hector and I selected our respective colors.　Rather than choosing the lower-quality stones intended for ordinary lovers, we chose stones of engagement quality whose colors closely resembled our own eyes.　I was genuinely glad I’d brought extra money with me today.

「Excuse me, but may I choose a white stone as well?」

「Of course, certainly.」

Out of the corner of my eye, it looked as though Hector had frozen.　I deliberately ignored it and chose a white stone too.　White was a rare color, so there weren’t many options, but I selected a glossy pure-white stone.　The shop would craft the stones into earrings, so if we spent some time exploring the city and returned later, they would be ready for pickup.　We would probably even be able to wear them starting today.

「Cyril-san, are you sure?」

「I always intended things to lead that way when I agreed to date you. I’ll give you mine as well. I’d be happy to wear both of your colors.」

I accepted both his feelings and my own because I believed Hector was someone I could spend my entire life with.　No matter how much I loved someone, I would never date them without being prepared to live alongside them.　The moment I decided to become his girlfriend, I had already assumed marriage would happen sooner or later.　Naturally, I had no objection to getting engaged.

I thought I had made that clear, but Hector suddenly covered his face with both hands as though he barely could endure it. He was the sort of person who always wore a smiling mask, but apparently, whenever his emotions became too overwhelming to control, he resorted to mask it physically instead. Even now, the orange and pink lines above his head were stretching side by side through the shop ceiling. He was clearly being swept away by a powerful wave of emotion. …To be honest, I was a little curious about what kind of expression Hector was making behind his hands.

「I love you. Please marry me…」

「…That’s what I just said when I agreed to wear both colors.」

「Ah, yeah, that’s true… I know that, but… I just love you so much.」

At this point, he was so flustered that his thoughts were spilling straight out of his mouth. The only thing to do was leave him alone for a while. Then I suddenly felt someone’s gaze and looked forward. The clerk stood there with the four selected stones resting on a cushioned tray. He wore a gentle smile and stood motionless like a statue, erasing all trace of his presence.

(…He’s perfectly suppressed all his emotions… Truly the ideal merchant.)

There wasn’t a single emotion visible in that smile. Even the prediction line above his head extended no farther than a fingernail’s length, making it nearly impossible to read his feelings from its color. He was just patiently waiting, observing us.

Although colored stone jewelry was a merchandise with purpose and meaning behind it, couples buying them together were probably the most exciting customers. And considering breakups happened, this likely wasn’t even a one-time occurrence. So it was probably a scene he saw often.

(I never intended for things to get this romantic in public. This is difficult.)

I wasn’t the type who enjoyed flaunting affection in front of other people. The whole situation was making me feel rather apologetic, and embarrassingly self-conscious.

After clearing my throat lightly, I completed the purchase arrangements. Payment would be made when we returned to collect the finished earrings, so we quickly left the store. Hector had finally managed to lower his hands from his face, though he still wore an impossibly happy smile. It seemed he’d left behind whatever mask he usually wore. That blissful expression was almost too bright to look at. I was truly grateful he was wearing Shutom. …No one else could be allowed to see this.

(…I think I understand Hector-san’s feelings a little now.)

Part of it was because letting others see would probably cause trouble. But more than that, the fact that I alone knew this gentle expression, this happiness from the bottom of his heart, that was something incredibly special. Perhaps it was the greatest happiness that belonged to me alone.

「Well then, let’s look around some more shops.」

「Yeah. Where should we go first?」

「I’m interested in that antique shop we passed on the way here. We might find a hidden treasure.」

Without either of us consciously initiating it, our hands naturally found each other again, and we walked together through the crowd. A day off spent simply enjoying ourselves, unrelated to work… It might have been my first since losing my parents. …Today was truly a wonderful day off.