Volume 1 Chapter 54 Autumn Festival And The Popular Mr. Lucian
On the day of the autumn festival, I wore a deep red dress that reached my knees, with a brown shawl over it.
The sunlight pouring down from the sky had completely changed to an autumn vibe, and it felt a bit chilly without the shawl.
Until recently, I had only worn black clothes, but my heart's darkness has cleared up a bit, so my outfits changed from cute black ones to colorful and cute ones.
Some of my clothes got torn or were covered in seawater and octopus slime, so I bought new ones.
Since I got money from Sir Ciel and Sir Roxas, I thought if I was going to buy new clothes, I should get something cute, and the red dress was one of them.
"Lydia, I came to pick you up... Today feels different from usual."
"Maybe it's because I'm not wearing an apron since I'm not working today..."
"I see. You're always cute, but you're cute today too."
Around noon, Mr. Lucian came to see me.
Today, Mr. Lucian wasn't in his Leonsroar military uniform; he wore black slacks, a white shirt, and a black vest.
His beautiful golden hair, like moonlight, was half-up and tied messily with a black string.
From the gaps in his long hair, I could see small red earrings shining in his ears.
He had a sword hanging at his waist. Even though it was a festival, he might be wearing it because the security in the south district isn't very good.
"...You're the same as always... You're so lively...! You say things like that to everyone, so people get the wrong idea...!"
"I'm saying this because I think you're cute... Is that wrong, Lydia?"
"It's not okay."
"Is it wrong to compliment a woman who dresses up nicely for our outing?"
"This isn't a date...!"
Isn't a date supposed to be when 2 people in love go out together...?
Mr. Lucian and I are not a couple.
We are just a regular customer and a restaurant chef.
So, it's different.
"Going out together isn't a date? I took time off just for our outing. Actually, I had to escape from guarding Lady Francois today."
"Is it okay to just run away...?"
"I left it all to Noctis. He complained a lot, but I think he'll manage. Today, she has to inspect the Holy City. I don't get what's so fun about looking around. If she wants to see the Holy City, she can go alone... but she's a saint, blessed by the Rest priest family. I can't say that."
"A saint, huh?"
"That's what they call her lately. She give sweets to the kids at the orphanage and help treat people with White Moon disease at the clinic. ...Lydia, your cooking has been said to heal people, but still, more and more people say Lady Francois is the true saint."
"I don't really care about that... It's true that Francois has the goddess's blessing."
I have to keep my conversation with Sir Ciel a secret.
I felt a little guilty about not telling Mr. Lucian, but I brushed it off.
I have the blessing of the goddess...!
But honestly, I can't really believe that.
I want to help someone, but I don't think my current position is that bad.
Working at the restaurant is fun. I enjoy cooking, and it's nice when customers come in.
"I'm sorry. Even though today is a precious day off, I ended up talking too much. Shall we go, Lydia? It's my first time at a festival. Plus, I don't have much experience guiding a woman. If you need anything, just let me know. I might not be very helpful."
"Mr. Lucian, I thought you were used to this..."
"I've said it many times, but I don't have a girlfriend. I've never had one, and I don't plan to have one in the future. So, I'm not a womanizer or anything..."
"But you do go to the brōtḥel, right?"
"The ones who go are my subordinates. I don't go."
"...That's suspicious."
"I'm always honest. You invited me, so I took the day off. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought about joining the festival."
"That's the part I'm talking about..."
I stared at the hand Mr. Lucian offered me and quickly walked past it.
With a wry smile, Mr. Lucian followed me, and when I got outside the restaurant, I locked up with the closed sign.
The square visible from the alley seemed busier than usual, as if the festival had already started.
"Oh, how nice, Lyd-Lyd. A date? Finally, are you going on a date with Lucian?"
On the way, I passed by Mx. Margaret's shop and ran into Mx. Margaret.
As usual, Mx. Margaret is sitting on a round chair in front of the shop, crossing their legs.
What's different today is that it looks like they're set up a stall for the festival, and in front of them is an outdoor barbecue grill, with sausages sizzling over the crackling charcoal.
Kids are sitting on the stone steps leading up to the high ground, eating sausages on sticks.
"Mx. Margaret, this isn't a date."
"It is a date. Lydia invited me."
"I invited you, but it's not a date, Mr. Lucian..."
"Oh, come on. If you go out just the two of you, that's already a date. Lyd-Lyd, you're single, so you can go on dates as much as you want! No one can say anything about it. Well, maybe... I wonder if someone would. It's Lucian, after all..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You should really think about it with your hand on your heart."
"I can't think of anything..."
"Lucian... when you walk around town, that woman you helped yesterday comes up to you saying, 'Sir Lucian~' right? I'm worried you might get stabbed one of these days."
"That's a misunderstanding, it really is..."
Mx. Margaret seems to think the same way as I do.
When I look up at Mr. Lucian with a strange gaze, he shakes his head, saying it's not true.
In this case, it's not Mr. Lucian who might get stabbed, but me walking with Mr. Lucian.
Maybe I should have let someone else have the date. But it's not a date, anyway.
"Lyd-Lyd, the sausages you made for me the other day are selling really well. I'm just grilling them, though. Here, I'll give you one."
"Um, yes, thank you very much."
Mx. Margaret handed me a sausage on a stick.
It wasn't anything special, not a demon king or anything fantasy, just a regular sausage.
When Mx. Margaret ordered them, she said, "Make sure it's something the kids can buy. Just a normal, regular sausage will do," so the size is a bit smaller than usual. I thought it would be easier for the kids to eat.
"Mr. Lucian, are you going to eat one too?"
"No, I'm good."
"I see..."
After saying goodbye to Mx. Margaret, I walked and munched on the sausage.
When grilled over charcoal, the skin is crispy and delicious.
Mr. Lucian looked at me happily as I chewed.
Maybe he actually wanted a sausage too.
But it's not nice to give away something half-eaten.
With Mr. Lucian not eating anything, I felt a bit embarrassed munching on the sausage all by myself, like a real glutton.
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