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chapter 49
“…A little…?”
At that, Livanu immediately shook his head, resisting the thought.
He was a little surprised by the strong reaction, but it also reminded him of his place with Livanu. He thought to himself that it wasn’t a bad feeling.
In no time, they got ready and, under everyone’s seeing-off, left the villa.
“But the village is small, so there isn’t much to see.”
“That’s fine.”
Since he had never wandered around here before, he couldn’t really tell how big or small the village was.
Still, just being able to meet Grace daily, go for walks frequently, and now go out—Livanu found it refreshing. Of course, the best part was that Grace was by his side.
“Where should we start?”
Grace seemed to think for a moment and then suggested walking around the outskirts of the village, stopping at a café to have a drink, and resting for a bit.
“Okay, sounds good.”
Even if they had gone straight to the café, Livanu would have nodded in agreement.
As they walked along the streets, Grace seemed to have gotten acquainted with the villagers and was cheerfully exchanging greetings.
“Hello, Mrs. Johnson.”
“Oh, Grace. Long time no see. And who is this beside you?”
Livanu wore a black robe, hiding his face. Only the fluffy tips of his blond hair peeked out from the robe.
Before, the hair might have stuck to his skin when melted, but now that his skin didn’t melt, his hair was always fluffy.
“This is the young master I serve, whom I mentioned last time.”
“Oh my, may I greet your young master?”
When Grace looked back at Livanu, he nodded.
“She says it’s fine.”
“Hello. I’m Pietro Johnson.”
Before he could finish, a kind-looking older lady stepped forward slightly to greet him.
Livanu awkwardly nodded in response.
“P–pleased to meet you…”
Since no one had ever stepped forward to greet him willingly, Livanu felt quite uncomfortable.
After awkwardly greeting, Mrs. Johnson smiled warmly.
“Hoho, I was very curious about the young master that Grace serves.”
Curious because he served Grace?
“Can I… ask why?”
“Of course. Grace is young, but she’s very polite and has such a good personality that many villagers were captivated after meeting her the first time. When they heard that her young master came down from the capital because he was sick, they were curious. I thought he might not want to come to such a remote estate from the capital, but he seems very cheerful.”
“I see.”
Indeed, Grace seemed like the kind of person who would be loved wherever she went.
“Oh, stop flattering me. My young master’s health has improved a lot, so we came out for a walk and to see the village.”
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear he’s better.”
After finishing the greeting with Mrs. Johnson, a few steps later, another villager approached, recognizing Grace, and Livanu greeted them as well.
They passed several people like this in succession, and Livanu was more exhausted from interacting with people than from walking, his shoulders drooping.
“Grace, you don’t come outside often, right? How do you know everyone so well?”
“This estate doesn’t get many outsiders, apparently. So I guess they find me interesting.”
That didn’t seem to be the real reason…
“Are you tired?”
“A little.”
“Then just a few more blocks to the café. Let’s go rest soon.”
“Also… nobody asked about my robe. Isn’t that strange?”
“Oh, I said it’s just that he doesn’t like to show himself while out walking.”
“Why?”
“I always knew my young master would come out like this someday!”
Grace smiled brightly like sunlight, and Livanu just stared blankly.
Unconsciously stopping in his tracks and staring, Grace called softly.
“Young master?”
How could someone be like this? It amazed him. She was thoughtful and kind to a degree that he doubted he could ever manage.
“Is something on my face?”
Just looking at Grace made his heartbeat thud all the way up to his throat.
The noise was unbearable, so Livanu pressed a hand to his chest to calm it down.
“…No.”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Grace asked, frowning.
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
“You suddenly stopped—it startled me.”
“…Sorry.”
“No, I didn’t mean for you to apologize.”
Though his heart was still racing, Livanu quickly resumed walking without showing it.
“Eh? Why are you suddenly walking faster?”
As he strode ahead, he heard Grace’s surprised voice from behind, and he couldn’t help but laugh softly.
Grace, thinking he was joking, playfully stuck close to him.
Ding-dong—
In a playful race to see who could get to the café first, Grace opened the café door first.
Her triumphant expression as she looked back was cute.
“You still need to build up your leg strength, young master.”
“Yeah. Grace, you’re amazing.”
Inside the café, the owner greeted them warmly.
“Welcome. Hello, Grace.”
The owner, clearly familiar with Grace, greeted them amicably.
“Hello.”
“And this is…”
After going through a few rounds of introductions they had done several times before, they were shown to their seats.
Livanu, unfamiliar with café menus, simply blinked at the list the owner handed him.
“Have you tried anything here before?”
“Hmm. This is my first time at this café, but I’ve had many things in the capital.”
“Really? What’s good?”
“I like sweet things, and the cream black tea here is delicious. I used to eat it a lot when I came to cafés, and I liked it.”
“Then you should have that, Grace.”
Since it was what Grace liked, she should have it.
“And you, young master?”
“I’ll have that too.”
“Let’s order two different drinks and share. Oh, only if that’s okay with you, young master.”
“I’m fine with that. Of course.”
“Then you have this cream black tea, young master. I’ll have lemonade.”
They ordered two drinks and one cake, and it was quickly served. Since the town was small and it was still early, the café was not crowded, making it easy to get their order quickly.
“Here are your drinks and cake.”
The villagers all had kind expressions.
Watching the friendly conversations around him, Livanu felt somewhat at ease.
“I don’t know if you’ll like it, but I hope it suits your taste.”
As the owner walked away, Livanu took a sip of the drink Grace had recommended.
It was warm and sweet.
It was a taste he had never experienced before.
“How is it?”
“Delicious.”
“I’m glad. Want to try mine too?”
“Sure.”
They swapped drinks and took a sip. The lemonade was sweet and sour, probably from the lemon.
He had thought lemon drinks would just be sour, but now he understood why people enjoyed them.
“Which do you like better?”
“The one Grace recommended.”
“Of course. That’s a steady favorite. Next time, I’ll recommend something else for you.”
They sat and talked about trivial things, but for Livanu, this peaceful life was all new and precious. He didn’t want to waste a single moment. He wanted to remember this moment forever.
“…Yes, I like it.”
Mulling over “next time” in his mind, he repeated it several times. Grace, noticing his delayed response, smiled.
“Next time, let’s all go out together.”
Livanu’s expression, slightly drowsy moments ago, immediately stiffened.
“That’s not really my thing.”
“Why? Even Reto has never been outside.”
“…Reto can just go out with Esi.”
“Esi should come too. It’ll be more fun if everyone comes.”
Though not agreeing, Grace seemed eager to go together. Livanu, wanting to accommodate her wishes, reluctantly nodded.
Curious, Grace asked,
“What do you think of Reto, young master? You don’t dislike him, right? He seemed to get along with Esi. I was worried you might like him more than me!”
“That’s the most useless worry in the world.”
“Really?”
“Yes. No one else matters.”
It was a little surprising. Since meeting Grace, people had gradually come into Livanu’s life.
But no one could replace Grace.
“No matter who I meet, Grace, you’ll always be my top priority.”
He said it honestly, meaning there was no need to worry.
“Then there could be a second priority, right?”
Her eyes seemed to hope there would be a second.
“And you, Grace? Who would be next?”
“Hmm…”
Grace frowned thoughtfully at the question, pondering. Seeing her think like that made Livanu smile slightly.
