🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 24
After that, Bartholomew came to visit Lucy almost every day.
‘More accurately, he’s coming to see Cerberus.’
Bartholomew would give Lucy a casual greeting, then spend the entire time she fished playing with Cerberus.
‘Does he really like Cerberus that much?’
Holding her fishing rod, Lucy watched Bartholomew and Cerberus.
Cerberus growled whenever he looked at Bartholomew, yet at the same time rolled onto his back and begged to have his belly rubbed.
Lucy couldn’t understand Cerberus’s contradictory behavior.
Every now and then, Cerberus would suddenly try to bite Bartholomew.
Whenever that happened, Bartholomew calmly avoided his teeth, and Cerberus ended up biting only his clothes instead.
Bartholomew seemed to think even that was part of their play, because he would tease Cerberus with the hem of his clothes.
‘Well, at least Bartholomew looks happy.’
Thinking that, Lucy focused on fishing.
Her fishing level had already risen to level 5.
Her stamina had improved quite a bit as well, even if it was still in the negatives.
At first, Lucy had found fishing unbearably boring.
But it was far better than being trapped inside the detached residence.
Even during pleasant weather like this, when a walk would have been perfect, Lucy couldn’t freely stroll outside, so she enjoyed spending time outdoors however she could.
Fishing was the art of waiting.
Whenever she caught a fish, a rush of dopamine hit her.
Then she released the fish back into the water.
Still, sometimes it was boring.
Like now.
Lucy let out a small yawn.
“Are you bored?”
Bartholomew had apparently noticed, because he asked immediately.
Lucy honestly nodded.
“Then why not stop fishing?”
“But fishing helps improve my stamina.”
Bartholomew looked unable to understand.
“Didn’t I tell you that you’re free to move around whenever I’m with you?”
“That’s true.”
Lucy took her gaze off the fishing rod and looked at him.
“But I can’t always rely on you, Bartholomew.”
“……”
“What if you get tired of me and run away?”
Lucy grinned mischievously.
She meant it as a joke.
As he stroked Cerberus, Bartholomew replied,
“Then what use would I be?”
“Do you only become friends with useful people, Bartholomew?”
“……”
“Be honest. You don’t really think of me as a friend, do you?”
Bartholomew fell silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
“What exactly is a friend?”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
“I’ve never had friends before, so I don’t know what friendship is.”
At his serious answer, Lucy was momentarily speechless.
He had never had friends, so he didn’t know what a friend was.
All this time, she had thought Bartholomew simply refused to acknowledge her as a friend, but apparently he had never even possessed a standard for friendship in the first place.
Lucy set down her fishing rod and walked over to him.
She bent down beside him and stroked Cerberus together with him.
This time, Cerberus no longer wrinkled his nose in displeasure.
“There are lots of different definitions of friendship.”
“What are they?”
Bartholomew asked sincerely, curiosity plain in his voice.
His blue eyes, fixed on Lucy, were calm and still.
Thinking those eyes were beautiful, Lucy began to speak.
“A person who’s dependable and makes you feel comfortable when you’re with them. Someone you can open your heart to, and just talking to them makes you feel comforted.”
“……”
“Some people think a friend is someone who helps you when you’re struggling, but for me, I think someone is my friend if I want to help them when they’re struggling.”
“……”
“So? Do I fit even one of those?”
After thinking for a moment, Bartholomew asked,
“What if you do?”
“Then that means you and I are friends.”
“Which part makes you think of me as your friend, Princess?”
“All of them.”
Bartholomew slowly turned his gaze away from her.
He focused on petting Cerberus instead, but the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
“So please don’t think I’m calling you out here because I expect something in return.”
“……”
“And you don’t need to feel pressured into thinking you have to do something for me.”
Bartholomew quietly nodded.
Lucy smiled brightly.
“But I’m bored, so instead of only playing with Cerberus, won’t you play with me too?”
“With you?”
Bartholomew looked utterly unable to imagine what “playing” with Lucy would even entail.
“How about we go out somewhere together?”
Lucy rode in a carriage with Bartholomew toward the city.
They got off in the shopping district.
Lucy had finished reading all the fairy tale books she had bought before.
Her Bookworm level had risen too.
‘It doesn’t seem like a particularly useful skill, though.’
Still, since it was a skill, she figured there was no harm in leveling it up.
Now she needed new books.
Privately, Lucy was excited.
Her intelligence had increased, and she had diligently read fairy tales, so maybe now she would be able to read books at a higher level.
She intended to browse the bookstore personally and buy every book whose title she could read.
Lucy had already been planning to visit the shopping district soon, and she thought it would be nice if Bartholomew came along.
Based on her experiences so far, Lucy suspected Bartholomew had never really wandered through a marketplace freely before.
Her assumption turned out to be correct.
Bartholomew couldn’t take his eyes off the unfamiliar sights of the city.
Lucy didn’t want to ask if it was his first time here.
Instead, she simply slowed her pace and let him look around to his heart’s content.
“I’m planning to stop by a bookstore. Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Bartholomew?”
“A bookstore is fine with me too.”
While confined in the estate, Bartholomew’s only entertainment had been reading books from the library.
Even then, the number of books he could read had been limited, and he had already finished every one available to him.
The same had been true at the temple, so Bartholomew wanted to see some new books.
Lucy led him to the nearest bookstore.
Together, they browsed through the shelves.
The store was filled with that distinct smell unique to books.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating dust floating in the air.
It was a quiet yet cozy place.
Lucy couldn’t read most book titles, but she could at least read the titles of thinner novels.
As she pulled out books she could read, Lucy suddenly opened one and widened her eyes.
Then she tapped Bartholomew on the shoulder.
“Bartholomew, look at this.”
Bartholomew followed where her finger pointed.
There was an illustration of the author.
“Doesn’t he look like the attendant who used to serve you at the temple?”
Bartholomew’s brows lifted in surprise.
He really did resemble him.
The only difference was the exaggerated mustache that curled dramatically at the ends.
“Imagine if that attendant had a mustache like this. Wouldn’t it be hilarious?”
Lucy giggled.
The corners of Bartholomew’s lips slowly lifted as well.
He nodded while laughing softly.
Watching his smiling profile, Lucy felt strangely excited.
Every new expression Bartholomew showed her made her feel oddly proud.
“Excuse me.”
A bookstore clerk approached the two of them as they leaned close together looking at the author portrait.
“We’ll be closing early today, so if you’d like to purchase anything, please check out now.”
The clerk spoke apologetically.
Lucy nodded, placed all the books she had gathered onto the counter, and even asked for recommendations for similar books to order later.
Bartholomew also picked out a book, but Lucy insisted on paying for it too.
“I can buy it myself.”
“Just think of it as a gift. I’ve only ever received help from you, Bartholomew.”
“I thought friends weren’t supposed to expect repayment.”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
“So you’re admitting we’re friends now?”
“……”
“This is a gift to celebrate becoming friends with you. Please accept it.”
Bartholomew no longer refused.
Lucy informed the clerk that the servant accompanying her would carry the books, then asked another question.
“Does this bookstore usually close this early?”
“No. It’s because of the night market being held today.”
Night market.
Lucy’s eyes sparkled.
