The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 169

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 169

“It’s not even a party, but that silver hair is too flashy. Black hair is common. Among all these people, my build won’t stand out much either.”

He tapped around his eyes above the mask.

“I changed my eye color.”

His eyes, now turned gray, sparkled through the gaps in the mask.

Dressed in a light gray vest and pants with a linen shirt, looking like the son of a moderately wealthy merchant, he examined Lillieta and nodded.

“Good disguise.”

“Is it okay?”

“Yeah, you look like a maid working at a large manor.”

“It’s actually clothes that a maid from our house used to wear.”

Rita had bought an outing dress from a maid with a similar build. She wore a thin white shirt with a long beige skirt that tied with strings at the chest, and a ribbon of the same color around her waist.

Gid, who had been gazing at her intently, pulled out small lavender flowers woven with yellow ribbon from somewhere and tucked them by her ear next to the mask. A fresh, gentle fragrance brushed her nose.

“What’s this?”

When Rita tilted her head and asked, he smiled from behind his mask and answered.

“It’s a festival, and you’re even wearing a mask, so we should match the atmosphere.”

He pinned similar lavender flowers to his vest’s front pocket and extended his bent arm toward her.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Rita placed her hand on his arm. Walking side by side, she thought.

‘This way, we’ll look like lovers enjoying a date at the festival. Especially since we’re both wearing the same flowers.’

Rita quickly suppressed the strange feeling that was rising. This is a mission, after all.

The square around the arena was incredibly crowded with all kinds of tents and what seemed like every citizen of the capital had come out.

Gid wrapped one arm around her and skillfully used his large frame to cut through the crowd.

Thanks to this, Rita could walk without getting irritated from being pushed around by people. Her feelings became even stranger.

When they reached the predetermined location in a secluded spot near the back gate of Rhamcard Arena, Oli and Luca, who had been staying at the night market earlier, greeted them.

“…You two really had a good time.”

Rita muttered in bewilderment at their appearance.

Olivia, wearing a cat half-mask, was dressed as a witch with several colorful pointed hats stacked high on her head, holding an armful of mysterious toys or decorations. Lucas wore a wolf mask while holding cotton candy larger than his face and a large sword-shaped lollipop.

“Were you planning to just sit in one spot and space out for three whole hours? You should enjoy yourself moderately.”

Olivia snorted in response, naturally dumping her load onto Lucas and snatching the cotton candy he was holding. Taking a bite, she ignored Lucas who became tearful saying “Hey, sister! That’s mine!” and said.

“You two enjoy yourselves too. We don’t know when the ‘event’ will happen. Won’t get another chance like this, right?”

Oli waved her hands playfully and walked away, shaking her stacked pointed hats while munching on cotton candy.

Lucas, carrying an armful of her belongings, let out a groan of “Uaaah,” then bowed his head to Gid and Rita before hurriedly following after her.

Left behind, Rita suddenly looked up at Gid. He had been looking down at her and smiled through the gaps in his mask.

“Well then, shall we enjoy ourselves moderately too?”

Rita found herself being led by him back into the crowd.

Whenever it seemed like she might bump into someone, he would unfailingly extend his arm to wrap around her shoulders and pull her to him, so even in the crowd she could walk comfortably without having to endure irritation or suppress the urge to retaliate.

It was the same as before. Her feelings became even stranger.

“How about this?”

Gid stopped in front of a tent. Targets lined up in a row and slingshots placed on a long table. Rita looked at them for a moment and asked in confusion.

“What is this?”

“Ah.”

Confirming her reaction, he stroked his chin and muttered.

“Come to think of it… this would be your first time at a festival like this.”

During the Ash-covered Era when survival was urgent, proper festivals didn’t exist. For young Lillieta, who was the noble daughter of a duke’s house and had a weak body, she only had memories of watching festivals on the streets from her window.

This was Lillieta’s first time participating in a festival. Everything was unfamiliar. Unlike Gideon, who had returned four years earlier and was experiencing his fourth National Foundation Day, she had only returned a few months ago.

Gid, who belatedly realized this fact, let out a short sigh.

“I’m really determined to make sure you enjoy this properly.”

“Huh?”

“Rita, this is a game where you hit targets with a slingshot to win prizes. It’s one of the common stalls you can see at festivals.”

He explained kindly and asked with a smile in his eyes.

“Want to try?”

“…Wouldn’t it be a bit unfair for me to play a target-hitting game?”

Rita answered reluctantly and looked up at him.

“You try it.”

“Me?”

“If it’s a game, that would be better.”

“Hmm, right.”

Gid paid the participation fee to the merchant with coins he had prepared in advance and received five cork ball-like projectiles.

Loading the first shot into the slingshot, he fired it with an incredibly clumsy motion. Rita, who had anticipated the result from his posture, burst into quiet laughter seeing the projectile miss the target by a wide margin.

“What’s this, is that all you can do?”

“I’ve never had occasion to handle a slingshot.”

“You’re pretty good with guns though. The aiming technique shouldn’t be much different from shooting.”

“I’m not sure. Will you teach me?”

Gid leaned toward her and whispered in a voice tinged with laughter.

“Help me with my posture.”

Rita, who had been frustrated by his clumsy posture anyway, readily nodded.

“Alright.”

He quickly raised the slingshot in front of her. Rita pressed close to his side, gauged the position of the target, and grabbed his arm to correct his aim. Almost as if she were embracing him from behind.

“There. Try shooting like this.”

“…”

“Gid?”

“…”

“What’s wrong? You’ve gone completely stiff.”

“…So this is what it means to fall for my own trick.”

Gid, muttering something incomprehensible, belatedly fired the slingshot. The target fell over precisely.

Watching the remaining three shots all hit smoothly as well, Rita realized something and narrowed her eyes behind her yellow bird mask.

After receiving a prize for hitting four shots and leaving the tent, she quietly confronted him.

“You deliberately pretended to be bad at it just now, didn’t you?”

“You caught me.”

“You never intended to hide it till the end anyway.”

“I wanted to act a bit spoiled with you, so I was scheming… but you forgot about self-awareness again, so it became difficult to continue.”

“Self-awareness?”

Gid bent down toward her. Holding the brooch he received as a prize, he whispered.

“You were too close earlier, Rita. Close enough that I couldn’t continue my scheming.”

“…Ah.”

“You said such things were up to me from now on, then acted without self-awareness again. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about this.”

A low laugh echoed by her ear. She could feel a subtle warmth. Rita momentarily stopped breathing.

After a moment, he pinned the brooch he was holding onto the ribbon in the middle of her shirt collar and stepped back.

She pulled her clothes slightly to look down at the brooch. The copper brooch with a yellow glass bead seemed to imitate the Black Dragon’s Eye, the imperial prize from the Frontier Festival shooting competition.

Though crude, it was pretty.

He gently lifted her hand as she gazed at it and pulled her toward him.

“Don’t think too deeply about it.”

She could feel that he was smiling happily inside his mask.

“Let’s enjoy ourselves now. Like Oli said, it’s a rare opportunity.”

Rita found herself being led by him as they began walking.

Every few steps, new experiences and small mementos accumulated for her.

A dragon-shaped lollipop, a small bouquet of fresh flowers, a bracelet woven from colored thread, a rosemary sachet, a wooden charm carved with a horseshoe pattern for good luck, bite-sized apple pie, a yellow bird doll…

Before she knew it, she had started smiling too. While she didn’t completely stop being vigilant of her surroundings, she steadily enjoyed the festival with him. She even danced among the people to the lively music.

It was truly a new experience. It was the most enjoyable mission she had ever undertaken in her life.

No, is this really a mission?

Slipping out from among the dancing people, she suddenly muttered.

“Somehow it feels like it’s become something other than a surveillance mission.”

“Something else, like what?”

Gid asked back. Rita closed her mouth.

He spoke the expression she couldn’t bring herself to say.

With light in his eyes, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him, in a low, soft voice by her ear.

“Romance?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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