68: Berry Candy
I strolled through the capital of Vandergant with Leticia and Ciel as the sun began to set.
I had simply changed out of my formal jacket. Leticia, too, had covered the crested gold buttons on her blouse with a scarf. Ciel wore a simple black dress, having removed her apron, cap, and the ribbon from her neckline.
We left through the back entrance of the lord’s mansion and wandered aimlessly.
“Elder Sister, do you know where you’re going?”
“Of course. This is my territory. It’s like my own backyard.”
Since it had been a year, I wasn’t as familiar with the city as I boasted.
However, I could still get a general sense of direction from the district numbers on the signs.
I had been trying to impress my sister, but my sense of direction was only good enough to avoid getting lost in a well-marked city.
Leticia’s attention was caught by a row of stalls lining one of the streets.
“Look, look…”
“We’re having dinner at the mansion.”
I steered my sister, who seemed interested in the street food, away from the stalls.
“…Okay.”
Leticia obediently followed.
But then she stopped again, and I turned around.
“Leticia?”
“Oh, yes! Sorry, coming!”
I saw the stall that had caught her attention.
Berry candy. Small berries—the type varied depending on the season and the vendor, but these small red ones were probably raspberries—skewered and coated in hardened syrup.
Some vendors sold them in cups or jars; there were various styles.
It was a local specialty of the north, rarely seen in the capital. It must have been a novelty for Leticia, who had always lived in the capital, specifically the “back alley.”
“…Just a little, though.”
“Huh?”
I took my wallet out of my small bag and looked at my most loyal subordinate, who was standing beside me.
“Ciel, would you like one?”
“Yes… but should I…?”
I interrupted Ciel and addressed the vendor.
“Three, please.”
“Certainly! That will be six copper coins.”
The vendor, a woman with plain apron and her auburn hair tied back with an embroidered scarf, gave us a professional smile.
Two copper coins each. A standard price.
I discreetly checked the hygiene—passable.
This way, I could justify it as part of my inspection duties.
I placed the coins on the wooden plate on the counter, handed one skewer to Ciel, and offered another to Leticia.
“Oh… thank you.”
Ciel gave me a look, and I nodded, giving her permission to eat first. She took a bite and nodded in approval.
I also took a berry, rolled it on my tongue to dissolve the syrup coating, and then, as the tartness of the berry emerged, bit into it, savoring the sweet and sour mix of sugar and fruit.
Then I took a bite of the second one and popped the rest into my mouth.
Leticia, who had been watching me eat, hesitantly took a berry candy from her skewer and put it in her mouth, closing her eyes.
“How… is it?”
While I could tell she was savoring the taste, I couldn’t help but ask.
Since the berries were (probably) from Vandergant, and this was a stall in the capital city, I felt like my qualifications as lord were being evaluated.
Well, that was probably an exaggeration, and presumptuous of me.
“It’s… delicious, and I’m so happy… and it’s making me feel so… content… and my heart feels so full…”
Her reaction was exaggerated and… intense.
However, she smiled as she looked at the skewer, now missing one berry.
“They’re so sparkly, like jewels.”
The syrup coating on the berries gleamed in the fading sunlight.
But it was her smile that was sparkly, like a jewel.
“They’re sweet when you put them in your mouth, and then a little sour at the end. It makes you want to eat another one…”
As she spoke, she popped another one into her mouth.
And then she smiled contentedly.
I suddenly noticed a small crowd had gathered in front of the stall.
The vendor, beaming, was serving customers, and when she noticed my gaze, she smiled.
She was probably grateful for the free advertising.
I, on the other hand, was grateful for the opportunity to see my sister smile for the mere price of two copper coins.
Since my sister was so easily pleased, I wanted to shower her with gold coins, make her truly happy.
…However, she wasn’t a girl who would be happy just because the amount was a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times greater.
What would make her happy?
How could I make her happy?
…Perhaps I should start by… not being mean? The relatively sensible and kind part of me suggested.
I promptly locked that thought away in the deepest recesses of my mind. As if that were possible.
It was such a precious, fleeting moment, being able to see Leticia’s smile while she ate…
But as long as it was in her mouth, the sugar coating would melt, and the sweet and sour taste of the berry would disappear.
I crushed the seeds between my teeth and swallowed.
I tossed the skewer into the stall’s trash can.
In Vandergant, stalls that produced such waste were required to have trash cans, and littering was punishable by a fine.
Such measures helped maintain the beauty of the city—at the cost of some freedom.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
My sister naturally fell into step beside me.
I glanced at Ciel, who, like a proper attendant, remained a few steps behind.
The city was quietly sinking into darkness. The outlines of the brick walls and trees blurred… and combined with the evening chill, a slight sadness, a hint of melancholy and unease settled over me, blurring my sense of reality.
Then, lights flickered on in the windows of the houses, and color returned to the world.
With dinner time approaching, smoke curled from chimneys, and the occasional aroma of roasted meat or stew wafted through the air.
The capital city of Vandergant was safe enough for a young woman to walk alone even after dark.
Even so, I wanted to return before it became completely dark.
Then, I heard a familiar voice.
“[Lady Leticia! I never expected to meet you here.]”
A bright, cheerful voice. A sunny smile, visible even in the twilight.
My sister murmured his name.
“Your Highness… Konrad…?”
So, fate had decided they would meet here.
Konrad von Eustasia, First Prince of the Kingdom of Eustasia.
One of the [Capture Targets] of [Moonlight Liberium], head over heels for my sister, and the ‘prince’ who was first in line to the throne and not on good terms with me, her older sister.
Leave a Reply