31- Walking Around the City

Nurturing love in the middle of cold, “The Great Snow Festival Strategy”.
It was a strategy that could make Bernard get chills if he heard it.

“Do you think there is any progress?”

Gigille asked Allen with a serious look. He coldly shook his head.
She thought so, she whispered and looked at the scenery outside the window with a sad look.
The snow is piling up and the leaves were scattered. The north wind was strong today, the sky was gloomy, and the weather was so rough, no one would dare to go into the garden.
Gigille thought this scenery could represent Bernard’s situation now.

“The spring, won’t come…..”
“No, spring won’t come that fast right.”

Allen pointed out the fact calmly to his mother who looked like she was in despair.
After that, he advised that it wouldn’t be good if she pushed it too much.

“That is true. It will slowly become warmer and spring will come. If the season changed quickly, the heart and body can’t keep up with it.”
“Right, right. You only need to interfere moderately.”
“I’ll leave it as it is for now.”

Allen was relieved that his peaceful days were back, even if it’s just for now.

***

One week after the festival.
They received an approval from Gigille that they were somehow not awkward anymore.
Bernard and Agnes decided to visit the optician located downtown of the royal capital.
They rode a private carriage to avoid people’s attention.
Dominic was the one who held the handle, Bernard ordered him to wait at the parking area in the royal capital so they could get back early.
The parking fee was draining his wallet, but since it couldn’t be helped he could only held back his tears.

Inside the quiet carriage, Agnes was nervous.

“Oi.”
“Ye, yes?”
“Your face looks stiff.”
“Wh, what should I do?”

Even when she asked what to do, he didn’t know how to ease others' nervousness.

“.....Mast-, I mean, Bernard-sama, what will you do when you are nervous?”
“Me?”

Speaking of the situation that made him nervous, he remembered when he was waiting before he got interviewed for the promotion test.
At that time, he chewed on the candy Gigille gave him to overtake his anxiety. Once he did that, he would be distracted.

“Chewing, a candy?”
“That’s right.”

When she asked how to do it, he simply said just chewed it normally with the back teeth.
Agnes looked confused because she couldn’t imagine it.

“Somehow, I want to see how to do it.”
“There’s no candy now.”
“I bring some.”

Agnes brought candies and chocolates in her bag so she could hand them over anytime if Bernard said he was hungry. She gave Bernard a honey flavored candy wrapped in a silver paper.
He took the candy and put it in his mouth. There were crunching sounds as he chewed it.
He chewed the candy without changing his expression and swallowed it.

Agnes eyes widened and looked at him in disbelief.

“That, can I do it too?”
“Don’t do it, you will lose your teeth. Candy is normally eaten by licking it.”
“.....So it’s not something anyone can do. What a wonderful talent.”

He never thought anyone would be impressed by something like a strong jaw, so he was surprised by her reaction.
He said to Agnes, whose eyes were shining, that it was not something to boast about.

“I understand.”
“Also, don’t tell anyone about this.”
“It will be our secret.”

Agnes laughed when he said it was a strange secret.
When she noticed it, her stern face had long gone.

The carriage stopped at the roundabout on the central street. There was a popular performance today at the theater so it was crowded.
Since it seemed to be not moving because of the traffic, Bernard called out to Dominic from the small window and decided to get off there.
First, he got off first and checked if it was safe. He then offered his hand to Agnes.

“Thank you very much.”
“Get off slowly, you don’t have to hurry.”

Besides Bernard, there were a lot of nobles who stopped midway too.
It seemed the performance was starting soon, so they were hurried.
Agnes hid her face using the brim of her hat.

“It will take a short walk from here.”
“Alright.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”

Bernard knocked the carriage wall using the cane on his hand. After that, the carriage that Dominic rode moved away..

Even as they walked, their hands were still holding each other.

“Tell me if I walked too fast.”
“Yes, thank you.”

Because there were so many people, they must not be separated, he said without looking at her.

“.....There’s no other meaning behind it.” (t/l: there’s no other meaning behind him holding her hand)
“I understand.”

That sounded just like an excuse but Agnes nodded obediently.

When they finally got out of the crowds, suddenly they heard a voice calling from their back.

“Huh, Bernard?”

That voice sounded familiar.
He pretended not to hear it, but unfortunately the said person came closer.
He tried to hide her with the hat and said to her they should speed up but the person caught up with them.

“O~i, Bernard! So it really is you, Bernard!”

He clicked his tongue unconsciously.
The one who appeared and blocked the way was a knight from the same division as Bernard, Gibril Noir.

“Why are you pretending not to know me~”
“.....What do you want.”
“Well, there’s no reason.”

Agnes quickly hid behind Bernard.
Gibril noticed that he was with someone and happily teased him.

“Huh, a girlfriend? Uwah, since when?”

He was found out by the person he didn’t want to the most after Ernest. Sweats were gradually forming on his forehead.
Gibril tried to look at Agnes, but got blocked by Bernard's hand.

“I just want to look a little, isn’t it fine.”

Bernard grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away without saying any words.
Gibril looked dumbfounded at Bernard and noticed he was different from usual.
He hit his palm with his other fist as he guessed what was happening.

“Ah, my bad, my bad.”

Saying that, he came closer and whispered, “It must be a secret mission, right.”.
He interpreted Bernard’s frightened face as something else.

“I’m really bothering you. Well then, I’ll leave the young ones.”

Gibril waved his hand and left.
Bernard exhaled deeply, relieved.

Agnes who was behind him, was trembling while holding onto his jacket.

“Oi, it’s alright now.”
“Yes…. ah!”
“What is it?”
“So, sorry.”
“That’s why, what is it about.”

She looked down and came to the front sadly.
She held his jacket too strong and now it had wrinkles, she said as if she was confessing to God.

“Gigille will fix it later. Don’t mind it.”
“T, thank you, so much.”
“There might be some other acquaintances around here. Let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”

Bernard held Agnes’s hand once again, and this time they paced faster.

They walked through the dazzling shopping street for nobility, crossed the market where commoners gathered, and entered the narrow street of the downtown.

There were many old shops in the downtown area. Clock stores and shoe stores, cutlery stores and musical instrument stores.
Each shop had a professional craftsman, they sold high quality products which were made carefully.
You could find almost anything here.
It’s not unusual for nobles to visit those stores to make special orders.
That was why the residents didn’t seem to mind Bernard and Agnes who were wearing expensive looking clothes.

Soon after, they arrived at the optical store.

As they stood in front of the store, both of them stroked their chest and sighed.

“That’s nerve-racking.”
“I’m glad, we arrived safely.”

Agnes breathed out deeply.
She made him do the hard work, and felt guilty about it.

“Are you alright?”
“Yes, somehow.”
“Then that’s good. How’s your feet?”
“I wore low heel shoes today, so it’s fine.”

The other day, Gigille told Bernard, “Women can’t walk fast.”.

In any case, they reached their destination safely. They felt satisfied with this achievement.

==============================

The way Bernard protected Agnes <3

He’s an awkward person but somehow can do gentle things naturally. Like asking her feet condition, holding her hand while walking, and escorted her from the carriage. Such a sweet bear, he only needs to notice his feeling.

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