The Reincarnated Princess Goes for a Stroll

After parting with Lord Julius, Sir Leonhart and I returned the way we’d come.

The streets had already been busy that morning, but the lunchtime rush now further swelled the crowds. Moving through the dense crowd seemed like no easy feat, but Sir Leonhart didn’t bump into anyone as he smoothly advanced. He was carrying me in his arms, as he had on the way in. I was fed up with staring at the tops of the other pedestrians’ heads, so I began to examine the goods displayed in the storefronts.

Tao lived up to its reputation as the gateway to the sea; I saw plenty of unusual wares. Vendors were selling fruit by weight, some of which I’d never seen before.

I wonder what that yellow, spiky one is. The round, solid one by its side is a mystery too—it’s green, bumpy, and the size of a silk temari ball. Is it even a fruit? Looks more like a dragon egg.

A slender woman picked up the dragon egg—really, what was it?—that I’d been gawking at. “My husband loves these,” I could hear her saying.

Oh, so it is edible.

“Lady Mary,” Sir Leonhart called, pulling my attention back from the shop stalls.

“Yes?”

I wasn’t sure why, but he seemed to be trying not to smile.

“Shall we have a look around?” he suggested.

“Oh, can we?!” I was hooked. I knew that I seemed childish, but I couldn’t hold myself back. If I pass up the opportunity to explore the town with him, I don’t know when I’ll get another chance. I rarely travel in anything except a carriage, and that’s only when I can actually get out of the palace.

The offer was irresistible to a shut-in like me. I threw my head back in preparation for a big nod, but a voice of reason from the recesses of my mind advised restraint.

Veering from our arranged plan will give Sir Leonhart more work to do. I can’t have that. Strolling through the town does sound appealing. Especially the “with Sir Leonhart” part, which is irresistibly enticing. But I don’t want it so badly that I’d make my beloved knight’s job harder. Plus, we shouldn’t keep the poor carriage driver waiting all day.

I shook my head and smiled with resignation. “We’d best not.”

Sir Leonhart looked a little surprised. “Why is that?” He pointed those scrutinizing jet-black eyes at me.

I floundered, not expecting that I’d need to explain myself. “Well... Because we should return to the palace, shouldn’t we?” I mumbled, exactly like a child making excuses. I had nothing to feel guilty about, but somehow, it was like I was being scolded.

“So your reasoning is that ‘we should go home,’ and not ‘I want to go home’?” he asked.

Well no, I don’t actually want to go home. Really, I wanted to have fun here. I wanted to spend more time with Sir Leonhart, but I didn’t want to waste his time with my selfish desires.

“Lady Mary.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to answer me honestly. Forget the unimportant factors like whether the driver will have to wait or whether you’re inconveniencing me.”

Sir Leonhart stopped walking at the end of the street. Hearing his words, I realized that he’d seen through my entire thought process. I flinched slightly when he looked straight into my eyes.

Sir Leonhart enunciated each word with care. “Do you want to have some fun with me?”

A strange yelp escaped my throat. For a moment, I failed to process the meaning of his words. Sir Leonhart grinned cheerfully as he saw the flabbergasted look on my face, and his expression was like a child who’d pulled off a prank.

A fiery blush enveloped my cheeks.

Ooh, that’s sly! Talk about a lethal choice of words! Scandalous! I’m gonna savor this!!!

My posture became hunched and I covered my bright-red cheeks with my hands.

“I...do.” My voice was so quiet that the roar of the crowds almost drowned it out, but Sir Leonhart heard it.

“So do I,” he said, tousling my hair.

Nervously, I glanced at him. I caught an up-close glimpse of his dazzlingly friendly smile and had to rush to cover my nose. Don’t fail me, nose membrane! I don’t wanna be the girl who gets a nosebleed in this situation.

“Those shops over there appear to be popular with women.” Sir Leonhart pointed at the other end of the street and then made his way over.

Young women were crowded around the storefront. I saw threads, fabrics, lace, and ribbons up for sale. The lineup was sure to speak to any girl’s heart, and my eyes lit up. Sir Leonhart smiled wryly when I instinctively craned my head toward them for a better look. He leaned down and placed me on the ground as delicately as he’d handle a glass vase.

Back on my own two feet, I gleefully inspected one item after another. My heart raced at the sight of the colorful fabrics—chartreuse, mustard, cyan, and baby pink. If I use this shade for embroidery, what color thread should I pair it with? What design would look best? Embroidery wasn’t my forte, but I was enjoying imagining the possibilities.

Next, I ran my eyes across the collections of lace. The coarser crocheted lace wouldn’t work for a dress, but it would make a fabulous headband. These ribbons on the next display are great too. I think I like the blue ones best, but the red one would look perfect on Nero!

As I imagined my lovely cat, I broke into a smile. I picked up the ribbons, turned around to Sir Leonhart behind me, and almost called out to him—but instead, I froze on the spot. Not because I couldn’t find him; that was easy. After all, every nearby woman had her eyes pinned to him.

There was a pair of girls in their midteens whose faces looked similar, so they might’ve been sisters. They were staring at Sir Leonhart from the side, and both girls had blushing cheeks. A beautiful, glamorous woman was also gazing passionately at him, and a female shop assistant was so entranced that she’d stopped working. There were plenty of other women staring at him as well, young and old, single and taken.

My heart stopped. I’d known that he was popular. And I’d thought that I understood what that meant.

Sir Leonhart noticed that I’d stopped moving. “What’s the matter?” he asked, tilting his head.

That slight gesture pierced the hearts of the nearby women, and they all sighed blissfully. I was torn: on the one hand, I wanted to embrace our mutual admiration of Sir Leonhart, but on the other hand, darker feelings were sprouting within my heart. The maelstrom of negativity I felt left me biting my lip.

I replaced the ribbons I’d picked up and took Sir Leonhart’s hand. He looked surprised as I led him away, but despite his confusion, he followed without resisting.

As soon as we’d broken free of the crowd, Sir Leonhart called my name. “Lady Mary?”

He gently tugged on my hand and I stopped, but all I could do was stare at my feet. I didn’t have the courage to turn around and face him.

I should be ashamed of myself. I’m so embarrassed! We’re not even in a relationship, but I’m getting jealous and dragging him along with me.

I couldn’t have stopped myself though. I’d been so worried that one of the women would take him for herself, and now, I was disappointed in myself for overreacting to a few admiring gazes.

He called my name again. “Lady Mary.”

My fingers gripped his hand even more firmly. The next moment, I felt my feet leave the ground. Sir Leonhart had lifted me into his arms again and was looking down at me with concern.

“Did something unpleasant happen?”

When I heard the gentle tone of his voice, a surge of guilt struck me. I could’ve cried, I felt so pathetic. Though I didn’t want to reveal why I’d fled from the store, pretending that everything was fine probably wouldn’t work. And I need to pay the price for worrying him with my behavior.

An embarrassed blush rose to my cheeks. “Sir Leon, you’re too popular...”

Sir Leonhart froze, aside from his long eyelashes, which fluttered up and down as he blinked several times, likely attempting to digest what my words had meant.

“Am I?” he asked, as though he had no idea.

“Yes, you are!” I snapped back immediately. “Didn’t you notice?” I mean, everyone’s eyes were on you!

My tone had come out as accusatory, but it didn’t seem to upset him. Sir Leonhart shook his head, looking perplexed. “I thought that I was paying enough attention to our surroundings, but...I must be a terrible guard because it seems that I was too distracted by watching you,” he said nonchalantly.

My breath caught in my throat.

Too distracted by me? Hold on, Rose. Don’t get ahead of yourself. He clearly means that he was watching me as a guard, and not a single thing more than that. He was just keeping an eye on me because if I left his sight we could’ve been separated. That’s all.

I desperately tried to convince myself, but the next bombshell statement from Sir Leonhart mocked my efforts. “Those ribbons you had... I think the blue one suits you best.”

I’m starting to feel like this man’s enjoying watching me squirm, I thought with a mixture of excitement and a sense of defeat.