CH 44

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Oh, sir,” Livia acknowledged him and then nodded with a satisfied smile. “Yes, it was really delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” the owner chuckled warmly.

Livia glanced at Vincent. There was still some soup left in his bowl.

She didn’t want to give the impression that the meal was over, or that he should be in a hurry to eat, so she asked the owner an indirect question.

“You must have been running this business for a long time here.”

“Well, yes,” the owner replied as if it were obvious.

“I’ve been in this business for 50 years.”

“Wow, that’s really a long time,” Livia sincerely admired.

The taste of this soup wasn’t just for show. But considering the taste and the passing years, aren’t there too few customers?

Then, as if reading my thoughts, the old man sighed heavily.

“The truth is, I used to run my business in the vicinity of Zone 4, but a few years ago, due to some clean street policy or something, I moved here. I heard the news late and ended up moving to this secluded place. In the hurry to move, all my regular customers left.”

“If it’s a clean street policy…”

As Livia reacted, the owner raised his voice and spoke up indignantly.

“It’s a policy being implemented by the royal palace or whatever! They’re sweeping away all the slums and driving out the merchants from that street to create a new one.”

It was the moment when the old man vented his frustration.

“Um, I’ve finished eating,” a small voice interrupted. 

“Ah, yes–” Livia began.

“Well, little one, did you enjoy it?”

As if he hadn’t just had an outburst, the old man kindly addressed Vincent. Startled by the sudden remark from the old man, Vincent tightly grabbed onto Livia’s clothes.

Seeing that, the old man let out a chuckle, as if finding the boy’s shy actions cute, and headed towards the cashier’s counter.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

“I’ll pay for it.”

Livia took out the money pouch she had carefully prepared with a determined expression.

She had saved her salary and not spent much for this day.

Cardien looked at her with an expression as if saying, “Do as you please.”

“It’s 12 silver.”

“Here you go,” Livia said as she held out the silvers. “It was delicious.”

As they finished paying and were about to leave, the old man approached stealthily.

“By the way…”

The old man stopped in front of Cardien. Silently, the store owner looked closely at Cardien’s face.

‘What?’

Puzzled by the owner’s sudden actions, Livia looked at him with a bewildered expression.

Ignoring Cardien’s cold gaze, he tilted his head and asked, “Young man, haven’t I seen you somewhere? You have a familiar look. Maybe you lived in Zone 4 before…”

Taken aback by the old man’s sudden words, Livia looked back and forth between the two of them.

However, without showing any signs of surprise, Cardien looked down at the old man with a cold gaze and soon uttered a word before leaving the restaurant.

“Nonsense.”

Jingle.

Cardien left, and only the faint sound of a bell echoed in the restaurant.

In the chilled atmosphere, Livia awkwardly smiled and tightly held Vincent’s hand as she bid farewell to the old man.

“Well, then we’ll be going.”

After that, the two of them quickly left the restaurant. Cardien was waiting for them outside the alley.

‘It feels like he’s a ticking time bomb.’

Especially with his coldness earlier, she genuinely worried if he might draw his sword against the old man.

Of course, if he were a different noble, it could have been a matter that could be taken as an offense against the nobility.

Anyway, the old man was a commoner, and Cardien was not just any ordinary noble but a high-ranking one.

‘And besides, Zone 4 is a slum area.’

Just asking if he lived there could in and of itself be considered a severe insult. So, ignoring the comment altogether could be seen as a generous response, in a way.

‘But Cardien isn’t even that aristocratic in nature,’ Livia reasoned in confusion.

By the way, why did the old man say that to Cardien? To say he was confused with someone else would be an understatement…….

‘He’s not someone to be easily mistaken for someone else.’

If there was anyone who had a look that could be mistaken for Cardien, they would have to be a hidden villain.

Anyway.

‘It’s probably nothing,’ Livia decided with a shake of her head.

Cardien seemed to think nothing of it either.

‘Let’s just enjoy the festival.’

With a light heart, she approached him.

* * *

After finishing their meal, the three of them started exploring the festival in earnest.

They watched performances by traveling troupes, enjoyed street circus acts, and participated in events where prizes were given away.

And whenever someone got hungry, they ate finger foods that could be carried around, like skewers.

Vincent, who was initially awkward and hesitant, quickly adapted and enjoyed the festival with his tutor.

Cardien didn’t actively participate but quietly watched his adopted son and Livia having fun from a few steps behind them.

As Livia and Vincent enthusiastically enjoyed the festival, time flew by, and before they knew it, it was late afternoon.

As the sun began to set and the air turned chilly, the group strolled around near the shopping district, looking at the stores.

“Wow, Vincent, look at this. Isn’t it cute?” Livia said, pointing to a small doll on display in the shop through a glass window, and Vincent came running over.

“Yes! This music box is adorable too!”

“Indeed. Is it a jewelry box?”

Although they had visited many shops, the items in this particular store caught their attention.

As they stood there, Livia had an idea.

After a brief moment of contemplation, she bent down and spoke to Vincent.

“Vincent, can you wait here for a moment? I’m going inside for a bit.”

Startled, Vincent asked in return, “Can’t I come inside too?”

Normally, she would have told him to come along, but now she was a bit hesitant.

With an awkward smile, Livia tried to explain.

“Well, it won’t take long. Just wait here with His Grace.”

“……Yes……”

Vincent quickly looked down, feeling gloomy, but he didn’t press the matter further.

Gazing at Vincent with admiration, Livia straightened herself and turned to Cardien, who had been watching them from a few steps away.

She approached him.

“Your Grace, could you please look after Vincent for a moment?”

In response to the question, Cardien’s head tilted towards Vincent. As their gazes met, Vincent hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching.

Then he stood close to Cardien’s side. Vincent didn’t notice, but Cardien looked at him with a slightly surprised expression as the child stood so close to him.

Observing that scene, Livia couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

‘Yes, this is how you gradually become closer.’

“Well, please wait here for a moment,” she said pleasantly.

Leaving the two of them behind, she entered the store.

Jingle.

Unlike the restaurant earlier, a clear bell sound resonated inside the store.

“Welcome~!” A woman who seemed to be the owner of the store greeted Livia with a bright smile.

“I want to buy a gift. May I look around?”

“Of course! Take your time.”

Livia slowly glanced around the store. It was filled with delicate items that were even more charming than they appeared from the outside.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

‘I need to buy a gift for Chelsea.’

As she scanned the display, her attention was drawn to a hairpin adorned with a blue glass bead.

‘Come to think of it…’

Livia recalled Chelsea’s black hair that always seemed to slip out of her hairpin due to its inadequate length.

‘It would go well with Chelsea’s black hair.’

Imagining Chelsea wearing the hairpin, Livia chuckled softly.

‘Great, I’ll take this one.’

With that decision in mind, she picked up the hairpin and was about to head towards the counter when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

After hesitating for a moment, she turned around and changed her direction.

* * *

Vincent stared at Livia’s pacing figure through the window.

Whenever Livia approached the door, his expression would brighten, and when she stepped back inside, his expression would darken.

If Vincent were to describe Livia in a single word, it would be: light.

‘Tutor is like a light.’

Her warmth was so radiant that it seemed to permeate even him when they were close.

That’s why he sometimes felt uneasy. He was afraid that one day, Livia would leave him, just like his mother did.

‘Like my mom…….’

In his heart, he wanted to stay by Livia’s side all day, as if he were glued to her.

‘But if I do that, Tutor might start to dislike me…’

In truth, he was already doing his best to restrain himself. Not being too childish, not throwing tantrums, not clinging too much.

But every now and then, a thought crossed his mind.

‘What if Tutor leaves me?’

Parting was something Vincent was all too familiar with. For him, every encounter meant an inevitable parting.

That’s why whenever he met someone new, he always thought about the day they would part. But when he imagined Livia leaving him, tears welled up in Vincent’s eyes.

That was when it happened.

“Why are you crying?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Vincent raised his head.

Cardien’s violet eyes dropped downward. Vincent blinked and looked up at him.

Cardien parted his lips again.

“…Are you in pain somewhere?”