140 – Seoul (2)

Upon arriving at Krause’s mansion in Luden, Alphonse went downtown with Ken. Originally, Louis and Robin were supposed to be accompanied as escorts, but they deliberately left them at the mansion and set off.

I thought it would be better to have just the two of us together for a while, so the escort problem would be solved if Ken accompanied us, so there was no disagreement.

When Alphonse left the mansion, the first place he headed was the street he had just traveled by carriage.

As I looked through the window, I wrote down in my mind the places I wanted to visit, so I headed there. And more than anything else, it was because I wanted to walk and see the streets with my own feet, not a carriage.

Unlike when he entered Luden, he moved to the city by foot rather than by carriage.

It was because the family coat of arms drew more people’s attention than expected, and Alphonse wanted them to walk around freely rather than look around in a carriage. Even in the south, they usually traveled by wagon, so they didn’t want to go around Luden as they did back then.

“It’s also better to walk on your own.”

The view of the city, moving my body and seeing it with my eyes, rather than looking through a small window, made me feel a greater sense of liberation than I thought. Ken knew that he had been moving by carriage for Alphonse’s safety, but that’s why he was able to look at the happy Alphonse with a smile.

They were two people who changed clothes once in the mansion.

Ken dressed like he wasn’t a butler, and Alphonse was dressed like he wasn’t a scion. I didn’t mean to wear bad clothes, but maybe because Luden was a well-to-do town, I was able to melt the two people who were not a butler and a master into a normal grandson relationship.

This was to avoid people’s attention, but it also had the effect of temporarily escaping the two from the family name. Alphonse remained as a child of my age, and Ken remained as a grandfather who went for a walk with the child.

“Looks like you’ve decided somewhere.”

That’s what Ken said when he saw Alphonse moving to a specific place instead of just going out on the street.

“I’ve seen some strange-looking shops on the way. I’m planning to buy some presents for my older brother and sister, and Hailey, as well as a look around. I brought some from home, but I think it’d be nice to buy a new one from Luden.”

“That’s a good idea. Damien-sama likes deep fragrances and bitter tastes, so let me choose, and Lady and Miss Hailey should focus on sweet snacks, so Alphonse-sama should choose.”

“No. I want to choose a present for my older brother.”

“Are you okay? Last time, Damian-sama tried the coffee he usually drinks and didn’t touch the car for a while.”

Alphonse’s face turned slightly red at Ken’s words.

What Ken is talking about was after Damian left for the academy, and it was the day when Arthur taught him and achieved some success.

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Maybe it was because he identified himself with the fact that his martial arts had progressed to some extent and that he had reached a certain level of adulthood. Alphonse tried the challenge on this day. The challenge was to try drinking the tea and coffee that Demian enjoys.

Alphonse had been avoiding coffee because of its bitter taste, but he thought it would be possible if he took a step forward as an adult.

Demian, Arthur, Ken, and all the adults around him enjoyed drinking coffee, so Alphonse deserves the perception that coffee is a drink for adults. Above all, the hyung, who has been mature since he was young, didn’t think so much because he heard that he enjoyed drinking coffee even when he was his age.

Of course, Alphonse wasn’t ignorant of the fact that there are adults who can’t drink coffee well. Mostly because Elena was like that.

Anyway, Alphonse challenged Coffee as an adult and, understandably, lost.

Is it because I’m still young? Or is it just that the bitter taste just doesn’t suit you? They said that when you get older, your taste buds change, but since he was still a young Alphonse, there was no way to know which of the two was the correct answer. The important thing is that he does not know how to drink bitter coffee and is unfamiliar with it.

He knows that he can’t eat bitter food as well as his older brother. As Ken said, if you want to choose a gift after tasting it, it would be right for you to only eat sweet desserts.

Alphonse scratched his reddened cheek and said to Ken.

“Even so. It’s my gift, so I have to prepare it.”

“I see. I understand.”

At Alphonse’s answer, Ken smiled and nodded.

It is a story everyone in the family already knows that Alphonse is a grown-up even if he can’t drink coffee. Still, Ken and the people around him did not tell Alphonse that he was mature. It’s because Alphonse’s effort is cute.

The two of them walked slowly, looked around the city, stopped at the shops they had marked out in advance, and had a leisurely time. They had plenty of time and there was no reason to move hastily, so their steps were light.

Luden, befitting the most developed city in the Empire, had a lot to see, and all of those things became Alphonse’s pleasure.

“My sister likes sweets, but I don’t think it’s okay to choose too many. Last time, while having snacks with my sister, my older brother was worried that he might get sick. But if I eat too much sweets, will I get sick? I’m cleaning my teeth diligently.”

“It’s good not to overdo anything. If it’s a lady, I think it’ll be fine, but there’s no need to worry about the youngster.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, but if you don’t know which one to choose is the best, wouldn’t it be best to just give it to Hyung-nim by category?”

“That’s one way. You won’t be disappointed with the gift Damian receives from you, Master.”

“Is this… a lion doll? It makes a beeping sound when pressed.

“Miss Hailey will like it.”

“That’s right!”

Alphonse and Ken, who were looking around the store and choosing gifts for the three of them, found their hands full of miscellaneous items, including presents. It was inevitable that the amount of presents increased so much because they did not simply choose gifts to give to the three people, but also to give to themselves and others in the mansion.

Every time I stopped by the store and left, the luggage increased one by one, so it looked like it needed to be sorted out.

“I’d like to sit down for a while.”

I walked around slowly, but I still need some rest.

To rent a place to pack things for a while, Ken took Alphonse and borrowed a chair in a store to sit down. Because the weather was nice, the store was open outdoors.

Ken sat down and began to sort out the mess, while Alphonse watched the people passing by on the street.

“uh.”

Alphonse let out a small exclamation as to what he saw while watching people. Wanting to know what was going on, Ken also turned his gaze there.

Looking at the place where Alphonse’s gaze landed, there was a little girl.

I wondered if Alphonse was reacting that way because it was a face he knew, but at least it was a face that Ken didn’t remember. Then, wondering why she reacted like that, assuming that she was a stranger, I knew at once that the little girl was a noble, so I knew that it was like that.

The clothes and accessories on her body were of high quality, so she could tell at a glance that she was a lady from a noble family, but there were no escorts around her. Alphonse thought it was strange that he had to hide his clothes, but he walked the streets so confidently without an escort.

“Why are you alone?”

“That’s right.”

She doesn’t seem to be wary of her surroundings, so it doesn’t seem like she’s being chased by anyone, and it seems she’s just a girl who sneaked out into the streets.

It was unclear how they managed to break through the escorts’ surveillance and come out into the street, but they couldn’t take their eyes off the little girl because they felt strangely uneasy. Unsurprisingly, as if responding to the anxiety of the two, the incident suddenly broke out.

The little girl, who was about to cross over to the other side, must have been so distracted by the surroundings that she hadn’t noticed the carriage running beside her. The coachman, who was surprised to see a man suddenly appearing in front of him, tried to stop the horses, but it was impossible to stop the carriage due to the speed at which they were originally running.

As soon as there were signs that the incident was about to explode thanks to the fact that he had been paying attention in advance, Alphonse quickly moved his body.

Alphonse, who disappeared without a sound, managed to catch the girl before the carriage reached her.

“oh.”

Because she was caught in a hurry, she lost her balance and fell backwards, but Alphonse supported her back with her hand before she hit the ground, so the unfortunate accident of rolling on the ground did not happen. Alphonse, who readily accepted the girl, asked as he slowly raised her up.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes…”

I checked to see if there were any injuries, but fortunately, there seemed to be nothing wrong except that my face looked a little hot.