THSMW 44

chapter 44

Siegfried soon disappeared into the crowd.

It wasn’t long before the second act of the puppet show began. But Siegfried still didn’t return.

He’s the one who suggested watching the puppet show! What a con artist! I grumbled to myself. Was he having some sort of emergency?

Even as the puppet show neared its end, Siegfried still hadn’t come back. At that point, I began to worry he might have gotten lost.

Once the crowd dispersed, I stood up, brushing off my skirt. I figured I should probably go look for him. What if Asa really did send assassins?

Gasp. That thought made me suddenly anxious. I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh. Thankfully, I had brought it with me.

Siegfried wasn’t the type to be easily kidnapped in broad daylight… but still, you never know.

I decided to walk in the direction where Siegfried had disappeared. After a short walk, I found myself on a street lined with shops selling clothes and jewelry. Is there a restroom nearby? Why did he head this way?

Just as I was about to stop a passerby and ask if they’d seen someone matching Siegfried’s description—

Jingle. A shop door nearby opened.

What first caught my eye were several light pink shopping bags—completely out of place—being carried by large, scarred hands. Hands that attractive weren’t common. And more than that, they looked very familiar.

Naturally, my gaze followed upward.

“Ariel?”

“…Your Highness?”

I blinked in confusion. I thought you’d been kidnapped or something—why are you just standing there?

“Has the show already ended?” Siegfried clicked his tongue as he glanced at the clock inside the shop window. He muttered,

“I didn’t realize that much time had passed.”

“You said you had something to take care of. Why are you coming out of there?”

I asked, baffled by Siegfried’s appearance. All that worrying I’d done for nothing.

Now that I thought about it, whenever something happened to Siegfried, I always felt a strange sense of unease. But this time, there hadn’t been any. I should have trusted my instincts. That would’ve saved me the trouble of preparing to draw my dagger.

Relieved to see Siegfried just out shopping, I let the tension in my shoulders go.

“This was what I had to take care of. But how did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t. I just got worried you might’ve been in trouble.”

“Worried? About me?”

Siegfried’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. Why does he look so pleased? I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

He stepped closer to me.

“If I disappear again, will you worry about me?”

“Don’t start plotting something weird just because of that.”

“Tsk.”

I saw right through him. He clicked his tongue, disappointed.

My eyes then drifted to the many shopping bags in his hands. What on earth did he buy that was so important it warranted ditching me alone?

“They’re for you.”

Noticing my gaze, he spoke. His voice practically oozed pride.

“If I couldn’t buy the sea for you, I figured I’d buy things from the sea.”

The first thing that came to mind was fish. Surely he didn’t buy every type of fish… right?

But the shop he exited was a jewelry store. Just from that explanation, I had a feeling I already knew what he had bought.

What caught my attention, though, was the sheer number of shopping bags. Just how many are there?

“…You didn’t buy all of those, right?”

“Why do you think I didn’t?”

Siegfried tilted his head, genuinely confused. That innocent look made me give up with a sigh.

“You didn’t have to go this far. I already understand how you feel, Your Highness.”

“You’ll understand even better once you see what’s inside. But this isn’t the place. Shall we go back to the inn and open them?”

“I’ll carry some. Please share the load with me.”

“It’s fine.”

He declined, ignoring my outstretched hands.

Apparently, he had been shopping for quite a while. The sun hadn’t set yet, but it was getting close to dinner time.

We headed back to the inn. Since the town wasn’t very big, we arrived quickly.

In the end, today’s outing consisted of a brief visit to the sea, a short puppet show, and Siegfried’s shopping spree.

He led me by the hand to the sofa near the entrance of the inn. At this point, holding hands with him felt completely natural.

“Open it.”

Siegfried handed me one of the shopping bags. With a rustle, a small box adorned with a pink ribbon appeared.

When I untied the ribbon and opened the lid, I found a pure white pearl ring resting on a black cushion.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

Truth be told, this was my first time receiving jewelry from a man—aside from family. It was hard not to feel happy.

As I carefully slipped the ring onto my finger, Siegfried promptly handed me the next shopping bag.

“Open this one too.”

Inside the next box was a pair of pearl earrings that matched the ring. Before I could even touch them, Siegfried pulled out another shopping bag.

The third box contained a necklace that seemed to be part of the same set. But before I could even react to it, he had already opened the next box.

The fourth box revealed a black pearl ring. That’s when an uneasy feeling began to creep in.

There were still countless shopping bags beside Siegfried. Surely they were more rings, earrings, and necklaces. But starting from the fourth box, the colors changed. Which meant, perhaps…

“They’re not all pearls, are they? In every color? Right?”

“Nope. There’s coral too.”

Siegfried said this as he picked up a particularly large shopping bag. Inside was a coral ornament the size of my forearm. I understood the pearls, but what was this for?

“You can decorate your room with it when we get back. Since I couldn’t buy you the sea, this is the least I could do.”

“…Why are you turning my room into an ocean?”

“One piece of coral doesn’t make it the sea. Unfortunately.”

I don’t know what’s so unfortunate about that. The box containing the black pearl ring snapped shut with a click. Even the Little Mermaid didn’t carry this many pearls. Siegfried didn’t deny my guess that he had bought them in every color.

Weren’t pearls usually white, black, and pink? So why were there so many boxes? Three of the ones I’d opened already were white, so the others must’ve contained black and pink pearls. But then what were the rest?

“There’s something called blue pearls. I didn’t know that either. There are green ones too. And even silver and gold.”

“At this point, you might as well buy the whole jewelry store.”

“…!”

Siegfried’s eyes widened in shock. He looked as if he’d just had a genius idea. Why did I say that? What would he even do with a jewelry store in a village he might never visit again?

“So, do you like them?”

If I nodded too eagerly, I had the feeling he’d run off and actually buy the store. So I hesitated a little. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them—quite the opposite. My heart fluttered. Just when I was still basking in the joy of the vineyard he gave me, here came a parade of pearl jewelry. What woman wouldn’t be swayed?

But this was Siegfried—five years younger than me, and someone I’d have to say goodbye to soon. I had to exercise extreme restraint.

Of course, that didn’t mean I had any intention of giving the gifts back.

For all I knew, Siegfried might one day bring the heroine and toss me aside. So the pearls and vineyard could be considered my prepaid alimony.

“…Yes, I love them. Thank you very much.”

Even though I paused, the answer was obvious. Siegfried fidgeted with his fingers on his thigh, looking anxious.

Is there any woman who wouldn’t like such a gift? A smile naturally formed on my lips.

Finally, Siegfried seemed relieved as he met my eyes with a smile. His violet eyes sparkled.

“Ariel, you really like jewelry, huh?”

“I do.”

I replied lightly. I mean, who doesn’t? They’re shiny and pretty.

He slightly parted his lips, then clutched the front of his clothes with a fist. Just as I was about to ask what that bashful expression was—

“I like you too.”

“….”

I blinked in shock at the unexpected confession.

Thinking I hadn’t understood, Siegfried opened his mouth again. But I quickly cut him off.

“You mean you like jewelry, right? I know.”

“What are you talking about? I obviously—”

“I love jewelry too. Really, really love it.”

“…Ah. I see.”

Realizing what I was doing, Siegfried calmed down a little. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, and locked eyes with me.

“For now, that’s enough.”