[15] Chapter 3. To Not Love (2)
The rain stopped on the third day after the two of them and the caravan arrived in Maroila.
On the third day after enduring two days of menstruation that felt like piercing through the pillar of fire in the demon realm with her bare body, Fernciana’s condition had improved greatly, and Ilyas, while pretending otherwise, looked very relieved.
“Are you feeling much better?”
When Fernciana stepped out of the room for the first time in three days, the caravan members recognized her and expressed their concerns. It seemed they had been told that she had fallen ill after overexerting herself on the day of the battle. Fernciana smiled and nodded.
After finishing a suitable breakfast and stepping outside, the sky had cleared after the rain, and the air sparkled transparently. She inhaled. The slightly cold air brushed her lungs.
At that moment, a familiar face caught Fernciana’s eye. Across from the hotel building, there was a row of quaint shops, and among them, one shop had opened earlier than the others. From the signboard itself, it was no ordinary jewelry store.
A tall and handsome man was standing in front of that store. Fernciana shielded the morning sunlight with her hand and crossed over to the other side.
“Ilyas?”
“Oh. Breakfast?”
“I just finished eating… What were you looking at?”
“They do metalwork in a unique way. I was curious and asking about it.”
“Metalwork?”
Fernciana tilted her head. The store owner, who had been excitedly talking to Ilyas, widened his eyes upon seeing her.
“We have items that would suit the young lady too!”
Leaving only those words, the owner slipped into the store. She had no chance to stop or hold him back. And only a dumbfounded Ilyas was left behind.
“How did he know?”
“Know what?”
“That you’re a girl.”
“Then isn’t the one who didn’t notice the one with more of a problem?”
For example, Mr. Ilyas Seyran?
Before Ilyas could even pretend to hit her, the store owner came out again, so Fernciana smiled victoriously and cleared her throat to greet the owner.
The store owner held out a small tray lined with velvet-like soft cloth to her. On it, various accessories shimmered and emitted an elegant light.
“Ah, this is pretty.”
“You have a keen eye. It’s processed iron. What’s embedded inside is a rare yellow-tinted crystal. It was difficult to cut it into a water droplet shape and set it in…”
Even after that, the store owner busily continued his explanation for everything Fernciana’s eyes were drawn to. Then, when Ilyas asked a question related to metalwork, the explanation shifted in that direction, and when Fernciana looked at another piece of jewelry, the explanation shifted in that direction again.
Finally, when he had explained all the accessories he had brought out, Ilyas expressed his gratitude and purchased the necklace that Fernciana had first said was pretty.
“Ilyas, are you going to wear a necklace?”
While waiting outside during the purchase, Fernciana asked Ilyas, who came out holding a small case. When she was fixing her hair that was blown by the wind, Ilyas shrugged and held out the case to her.
“No. Here.”
“Huh?”
Fernciana, who was fixing her disheveled hair, widened her eyes. Ilyas urged her to take it quickly.
“After hearing all those explanations, we can’t just leave without buying anything, right?”
“Ah, no, then you should buy something you need.”
“There was nothing that suited my taste. Didn’t you say this was pretty?”
That’s true, but…
Fernciana was flustered and didn’t know what to do for a while, but eventually, she carefully took what he offered. She opened the case. Inside, the pendant she had seen was beautifully placed, hanging from a chain.
“…It’s pretty…”
“The craftsmanship is excellent… It’s hard to find artisans of this level even in Pomilas.”
Ilyas looked around the store with a glint in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking about something else.
Meanwhile, Fernciana stared at the accessory Ilyas had given her. Ilyas, who had been staring intently at the store and seemed to be pondering various things, clicked his tongue when he saw Fernciana still only looking at the pendant.
“Haven’t you tried on a necklace before? Want me to put it on for you?”
“Ah. …Yeah.”
This will become suuuper expensive later, so don’t lose it and take good care of it, Ilyas said in a playful tone. Fernciana blinked a few times at the cool presence on her nape and smiled softly.
“It’s been a really long time since I received a gift from someone…”
“…Your friends didn’t play with you?”
“Ilyas!”
Because Fernciana made a fierce expression and shouted, Ilyas quickly apologized with a smile, saying it was a joke.
*
“They say it’s delicious here?”
“That’s what I heard? The caravan members unanimously recommended it.”
Even Ilyas, who was answering, sounded a little anxious. Fernciana lowered her voice while looking at the excessively shabby signboard.
“Usually, if a restaurant has good food, it’s popular, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Then a lot of people would come, and they’d make good money, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Then wouldn’t they quickly change the signboard to a nice one or something? Usually?”
Ilyas couldn’t answer for a moment, perhaps because he also agreed with Fernciana’s words. Still, he stumbled and made excuses for the store owner.
“There must be some meaning behind that kind of signboard or something.”
“You said ‘that kind of’ three times.”
The reason the two of them eventually entered the store was not anything else, but because when a customer came out, they could see through the slightly open door that the inside of the store was full of other customers.
As Ilyas and Fernciana went inside, everyone’s gaze was drawn to them for a moment and then turned away. Since there were no seats available, the two had to sit side by side at the bar.
The waiter handed them the menu, and Fernciana carefully chose one dish. It was a dish of softly fried crab with exotic spices. Ilyas didn’t particularly choose anything and ordered the two menu items that were recommended along with the store.
“It smells good. I suddenly feel really hungry…”
“I know, right?”
The signboard looked like it was about to collapse, and judging by that alone, it seemed like a place where customers hadn’t come for at least three years, but the interior, although bustling, was properly cleaned, and there were quite a few waiters.
As the two of them looked around the interior and made small comments of appreciation, three dishes were placed in front of them. There wasn’t enough space to place individual plates in front of each of them, so they had to hold the plates and forks in both hands.
“Ah! This is delicious!”
And not long after, Fernciana exclaimed. The bartender who was wiping cups glanced at her, probably because he heard the sound, but Fernciana didn’t have time to feel his gaze. The same went for Ilyas.
“Oh, it’s worth recommending…”
“It’s not just that, it’s really delicious! Have you tried this? The fried crab? This is seriously, seriously delicious.”
Fernciana recommended it with flushed cheeks, and Ilyas took a bite and widened his eyes. The shell was soft and crispy, and the meat was not fishy but had a mild and tender crab flavor. On top of that, the unfamiliar exotic spices blended exquisitely, making it a fantastic taste.
As the two of them shared their admiration while eating, the bartender, who seemed to be the owner of the store, finally approached them with an expression of succumbing to temptation.
“Are you from out of town?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“Is the food to your liking?”
Because Fernciana’s cheeks were bulging, she nodded instead of speaking. Then, Fernciana accidentally dropped her fork.
Perhaps if she hadn’t done that, the two of them might have finished their meal, returned to the hotel, slept through the night, and continued their journey back to the capital.
“Oh dear, I’ll bring you a new fork.”
The waiter, receiving a glance from the owner, brought new utensils. While doing so, he cleaned up the dropped utensils. Not long after that, the waiter came running back, his face pale.
“Are you alright, customer?”
Even in the dim light, it was clear that the cloth napkin the waiter was holding was stained with blood. He had gone back to the kitchen holding the dropped fork, but when he saw blood on the cloth he used to wipe his hands, he came running out in surprise. The gazes of the bartender and Ilyas immediately turned to Fernciana’s hand.
A hint of red could be seen on the knuckles of her hand holding the new fork.