Chapter 10

The opposite side of the carriage from where Aiden was looking should have been the coastline.

I liked looking at handsome Aiden, but I also remembered the trip I hadn’t gotten to finish.

Since we’d already come out here, I wanted to enjoy it properly, so I quickly pressed myself against the window.

Wow…….

The refreshing coastline came into full view.

Also, the color of the hill not far away was somewhat different from the surrounding area.

It seemed the wildflower fields were getting close.

I wanted to tell Aiden that we were almost there, so I calmly turned my head.

“?”

Aiden was staring at me with a dazed expression.

But there was something strangely heated in his gaze, so I couldn’t help asking,

“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ahem! Looking at you?”

Startled, Aiden cleared his throat and turned his gaze toward the window I had been looking through.

“I happened to make eye contact with you while trying to look at the scenery from that window.”

So he hadn’t been looking at me after all.

Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze back outside, but Aiden asked,

“Is the scenery on that side pleasant?”

“I was actually just about to ask if you wanted to look.”

Without realizing it, I shot back at him a little coldly, just as I used to when we attended the academy.

But Aiden simply shifted seats as though he were accustomed to it, moving over to the window I was looking through.

After gazing at the coastline spread out beyond the window for a moment, the corners of his mouth curved gently upward.

“It is different from the northern sea I know. It is a romantic coastline that looks like something out of a fairy tale.”

His voice had become gentler as well.

Without taking his eyes off the coastline, he continued,

“You must have been very disappointed when you were summoned to the Imperial Palace after coming to see such a beautiful place.”

“Th-That’s true……”

I couldn’t figure this man out.

He could be warm, then cold, then gentle, and now he was speaking as though he understood my feelings.

Just then, the carriage stopped.

Aiden got out first and held out his hand to me with a bright smile.

“It really is beautiful, Lady.”

As I got down with Aiden’s escort, his words made my face burn.

Was he talking about me?

But once I got down, I saw that the hill was completely covered with blue wildflowers.

What’s wrong with this man? He’s making it impossible to tell what he means.

I felt restless and confused, but I smiled and nodded as well.

“I see. The wildflowers really are beautiful even from here. And……”

There were so many tourists.

“There is a shop selling food over there. Isn’t that what you were talking about? The grilled conch skewers.”

My restless thoughts vanished in an instant.

“Oh! Really?”

I turned my head and saw a shop built by stacking grayish stones. It was bustling with quite a crowd.

At the nearby tables, people were enjoying daytime drinks with grilled conch skewers as snacks, while some wandered around holding skewers in their hands.

“Let’s go quickly, too.”

I hurried toward the shop.

The closer we got, the more a savory garlic aroma mixed with butter wafted through the air.

When we got closer, I saw a large stone plate and several small stone grills set up in front of the shop.

The charcoal piled inside the small stone grills glowed and flickered red.

The shopkeeper placed a handful of conch skewers on top of the stone grills.

Then he swiftly tossed something he was holding onto the stone plate, flipping it around like a deck of playing cards.

Ssssssizzle!

What melted with a loud sizzling sound were pieces of butter cut into just the right size.

Sliced garlic was then mixed into the butter.

The shopkeeper quickly moved the conch skewers from the grill onto the stone plate and sprinkled some kind of seasoning over them.

Just watching him made me swallow hungrily.

The grilled conch skewers the shopkeeper prepared in no time were sold to the waiting customers almost instantly.

Even so, the line was still long.

This wasn’t the time to stand around.

“Grand Duke of Wolverlake, let’s go stand in line, too.”

Impatient, I quickly pulled Aiden along and joined the queue.

After waiting for a while, the line became a little shorter amid the delicious sizzling sounds.

As we waited, a large commoner man standing ahead of us spoke to the shopkeeper in a bored tone.

“How much?”

“Five coppers each.”

One copper was roughly equivalent to one thousand won in the concept of money from before my transmigration. Ten coppers made one silver, and ten silvers made one gold.

“Hey, why is it so expensive? I feel like I’d have to eat about thirty just to fill my stomach.”

“Ha-ha, isn’t this just a snack?”

“Tch! Give me two.”

The commoner grumbled as he bought two grilled conch skewers.

I examined the size of the conch skewers he was carrying away.

Even if they were meant as snacks, the commoner’s words were right.

One definitely didn’t seem like enough.

Maybe ten would be plenty, even if thirty was excessive?

Wouldn’t Aiden eat about twenty as well?

After doing the calculations in my head, I excitedly turned to ask Aiden how many we should buy.

But Aiden’s dazed eyes were trembling.

Only then did I realize how I had been leading him while we stood in line.

I was holding the parasol in one hand and tightly clasping his hand with the other.

“Ah, a-ah! I’m sorry!”

Startled, I immediately let go of his hand.

Aiden stared silently at the hand I’d been holding before nodding as though he understood.

“No. It was an honor.”

“?”

An honor?

What was he talking about?

Aiden’s ears suddenly turned red.

He seemed to realize what he had just said and looked embarrassed.

After avoiding my gaze for a moment, Aiden handed the shopkeeper one silver once everyone ahead of us had disappeared from the line and received two grilled conch skewers.

Aiden handed one to me.

“We can sit at that table over there.”

“……”

No way.

Only two……?

I was planning to eat at least ten all by myself, so if we’d already bought only this many……

But it was too late to say anything.

We had already left the line, and before I knew it, I was sitting at the table after following him.

Well, the taste might be different from what I imagined, right? If it doesn’t suit my taste, I might have to throw it away.

With no other choice, I took a bite of the skewer.

The conch was savory and salty, with the aroma of the sauce perfectly absorbed into it, and its texture was pleasantly chewy.

I was so happy that I nearly cried.

It was incredibly delicious, exactly as good as I’d expected.

I really think I could eat ten of these.

Aiden nodded, apparently satisfied with the taste of the grilled conch.

“It is delicious. Now I understand why the person ahead of us asked for two.”

That oblivious Grand Duke of Wolverlake.

If I’d bought them, I would have gotten thirty.

I shouldn’t have dragged him into the line with me.

I should have told him to wait there and gone to buy them myself.

No, I shouldn’t have come with him at all.

There probably isn’t a single Duke’s daughter who would eat thirty of these in front of the Grand Duke…….

I might look like a pig if I did that.

Rather than damage my dignity, I had no choice but to chew as slowly as possible and savor the flavor.

I nibbled at the conch while looking around.

People were climbing the low wildflower hills in groups of couples and families.

Judging by the way things looked, the wildflower field itself seemed to be beyond that hill.

Once we finished our snack, Aiden stood up.

“Shall we go, too?”

It was time to say goodbye to the grilled conch skewer shop.

After only getting to eat one. Sob.

I silently sniffled inside as I climbed the wildflower hill with Aiden.

They said even the most beautiful scenery was best enjoyed after a meal, but since I’d barely eaten, I wasn’t sure I could properly appreciate the flowers.

But that feeling lasted only a moment.

“Wow……”

The moment we reached the top of the hill, I couldn’t help but gasp.

Blue wildflowers stretched as far as the horizon in the distance.

Whenever the wind blew, the flowers rippled in waves of blue unlike the sea, and an aroma similar to acacia blossoms drifted through the air.

Perhaps the passing breeze had been a little strong, because flower petals scattered into the air.

Each time that happened, people let out delighted exclamations.

Couples walking side by side held hands tightly or linked arms affectionately, while fathers in some families lifted their children onto their shoulders.

Unable to suppress the smile that naturally spread across my face at the peaceful and heartwarming scene, I looked around even more.

To the right, I could see the sea stretching alongside a beautiful white-sand beach.

There were large temporary shops and a camping ground set up there.

Then I heard the voice of a young boy.

“Mom, Dad, are we camping today, too?”

I turned around and saw a child and his parents looking down over the field.

The burly-looking father hoisted the boy onto his shoulders and cheerfully said,

“Of course! We’re having a grilled conch party there tonight, too. Dad went all out and prepared a special package for today!”

“Yay! We can see spirits, right?”

The boy became excited, and his mother smiled happily as well.

“I hope we can.”

“Excuse me. What is the special package?”

My ears perked up, and I quickly asked the family.

The boy’s father pointed to one side.

“If you stay at the campsite you can see over there, you can enjoy the special package during the day, and there’s a party at night.”

“A special package and a party?”

“The special package comes with a spirit necklace and lets you enjoy various activities. Fishing, gathering conches, making wildflower souvenirs, foraging, exploring caves, and so on. They say you can see a spirit if you’re lucky.”

It sounded exactly like a tourist package.

“And at the nighttime party, they serve unlimited alcohol and conch.”

Unlimited conch?!

“Oh! Really?”

I wanted to ask more about the conch, but with Aiden beside me, I changed the subject.

“Has anyone actually seen a spirit?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that.”

The boy’s father pulled out a small map and smiled.

“But isn’t the experience of searching for one together with your child itself romantic?”

He was talking about the tourist courses around the wildflower fields.

His tone made it sound as though the spirit-summoning necklace was simply a souvenir.

“Oh, I see. I hope I really get to see a spirit, too. I suppose I’ll have to reserve the special package. Thank you.”

He laughed heartily at my thanks.

“Think nothing of it. But camping requires reservations, so I don’t know how many spots are left. If you’re interested, go check and make a reservation.”

The family of three soon ran excitedly into the fields.

As the child’s laughter gradually faded into the distance, I decided that I would spend tonight here.

We had to stay at the mansion tonight anyway.

If so, it would be better to have a party at the campsite.

The only problem was whether there were any spots left.

“Ma’am. The spirit necklaces are only provided to guests who reserve the party. However, the only tent currently available for rent is our premium model, so the price is rather high.”

That was what the campsite manager told me when I went to ask about it.

The fact that there was a spot available, even if it was a premium tent, was good enough for me.

“I don’t mind.”

“Lady Hedesson, are you planning to stay here for one night?”

At Aiden’s question, I answered as though I had no choice.

“I really want to see a spirit. But they say you have to reserve the party to receive the spirit necklace. I think it’s necessary to book the special package, though.”

“……”

“And whether we stay at the mansion for a night or stay here, isn’t it basically the same? Since we’ve come all this way to see the place, we should properly enjoy it before we leave.”

At my emphatic words, the campsite manager wiped away cold sweat.

“W-Well, the special package is a tourist product, but the spirit necklace is more like a souvenir……”

“They said there’s an extremely small chance of seeing a spirit, didn’t they?”

“The necklace does have a magic enchantment that slightly increases one’s affinity with spirits. But the actual probability is very low, so…… it may not be worth reserving the premium model solely for the purpose of seeing a spirit……”

“It’s fine.”

My real goal isn’t the spirit. It’s the unlimited grilled conch.

I raised my head confidently and asked,

“So, how much is it?”

“It is ten gold per night.”

I looked at Aiden.

“You’ll be staying for a night as well, won’t you, Grand Duke of Wolverlake?”

A blush appeared on Aiden’s face as he looked at me.

“……Of course. Ahem!”

At his answer, I smiled brightly and pulled out twenty gold.

“Then give us two premium tents.”

“Gasp?”

The campsite manager was startled at the same time.

Then he carefully gave us some additional information.

There was only one premium tent available.

“……”

In other words, either we would have to share the tent, or I would have to send Aiden back to the mansion.

What should I do?