Following the Flowing River
A small building, far from the bustling plaza.
"Whew~ That was delicious. Don't you think so?"
Having finished their meal, Leje spoke with a satisfied smile.
"Yeah, it was pretty good. When did you find this place?"
"Hehe. Unlike you, I frequent the Royal Capital. I stumbled upon this place by chance."
Rudell's compliment seemed to please Leje, as she puffed out her chest with a proud expression.
Seeing her act like a child begging for more praise, Rudell let out a chuckle.
"It's unexpected, though. I thought you'd go to a fancy, high-class restaurant."
Following Leje's lead, Rudell had arrived at a small, home-style restaurant, the kind one could find anywhere.
With a slightly worn exterior, the clientele consisted mostly of ordinary commoners rather than nobles.
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn't a place where a princess of a Dukedom would confidently bring a friend.
"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'?"
"Well, that's true."
Judging by appearances, it also didn't make sense for Rudell, the Young Master of a Viscounty, to be friends with Leje, the princess of a Dukedom.
Convinced by her words, Rudell nodded and continued down the path.
"So, where do we have to go now?"
"Hmm… I think we should head to the commercial district first. We have a lot to buy, so we need to move quickly."
Just off the top of her head, they needed basic furniture and various daily necessities.
If one were to ask why they needed to buy such things when they weren't setting up a household, the answer was simple.
"Considering the state of the dormitory… We need to buy furniture first."
The two of them were now fifteen years old.
In other words, it was time for them to enter the academy.
Students entering the academy were generally required to live in dormitories. The problem was that the dormitory environment wasn't very good.
The basic provisions were a single bed, a small desk, and a wardrobe.
Everything else had to be purchased by the students at their own expense.
This wasn't a big problem for ordinary students who struggled to even pay tuition, but it was a serious issue for students of noble birth, including Rudell and Leje.
Fortunately, students from wealthy noble families could bring in their own furniture and necessary items.
The reason the two of them had met today was to purchase items to furnish their dormitory rooms before the entrance ceremony.
"When I first heard about it, I thought Sister Cayley was teasing me…"
"I can see why you'd think that."
Rudell chuckled at Leje's grumbling.
Even though Rudell had already experienced living in a studio apartment in the 21st century, the dormitory environment was poor even by his standards.
If it was this bad for Rudell, how much worse would it be for Leje, who had lived her entire life in a Dukedom without ever wanting for anything?
He even wondered how the protagonist managed to live in such harsh conditions.
"Come on! Let's get moving! We need to finish everything before sunset."
"Yes~ Yes~ I'm coming, I'm coming."
His thoughts were interrupted.
Leje, stretching her body, walked ahead, and Rudell, watching her, followed with a chuckle.
It seemed like today was going to be a busy day.
* * *
The sky had turned crimson, and the sun was setting beyond the high walls.
Under the sky, where red and black blended together with twinkling stars, Rudell and Leje walked along the road.
"Ugh… I'm tired…"
"That's unusual. You're actually saying you're tired."
Even though he knew that the fatigue she was referring to was mental rather than physical, Rudell playfully teased Leje.
"Hey, are you seeing me as something other than human? I'm a person too, you know?"
"Hmm… An ogre?"
"Ugh, you come here!!"
Looking at her monstrous strength, one might believe she was an ogre or a giant.
As Rudell narrowed his eyes, thinking this, Leje immediately lunged at him.
"Ouch! Sorry! I was kidding! It was a joke!! Lady Leje, I was wrong!"
"Shut up! I won't let you off the hook this time!"
A powerful blow landed on his defenseless back, and a painful scream erupted from Rudell's mouth.
Of course, Leje's attack continued for a while.
"One bad joke and she's trying to kill me…"
Rubbing his sore back, Rudell muttered.
"Shut up, you're lucky it ended like this."
And Leje snapped at him in a haughty voice.
Come to think of it, she was right.
If it had been anyone other than Rudell who made such a joke to Leje, they would have been decapitated on the spot.
That's how special Leje considered Rudell to be.
"By the way, have we bought everything we need?"
"Let's see… We bought all the school supplies… furniture… individual necessities… I think we got everything."
At Leje's question, Rudell took out his notebook and checked the pages, closing it as he checked the last item.
"Then should we walk around for a bit, have dinner, and then go back? It's almost dinner time."
"That sounds good. Do you have any place in mind?"
To be honest, Rudell also felt a bit reluctant to go back just yet.
This was only his second time in the Royal Capital.
Considering that he didn't remember his first visit, today could be considered his first real experience in the city.
It would be too boring to just stay in his room and read books like he usually did, especially since he had come all the way to the Royal Capital.
"Hmm… I don't have a specific place in mind."
"Then let's just walk around. We'll find something eventually."
When in doubt, walking aimlessly was the best option.
With a faint smile at Leje's answer, Rudell started walking along the wide river.
"Don't you think time flies? We're already fifteen."
"Sometimes, I still remember the day we became friends."
The day he became friends with Leje remained vivid in Rudell's memory.
"You know how scared I was back then? You suddenly dragged me away and asked me to be your friend…"
The emotions Rudell felt at that time still made him break out in a cold sweat when he recalled them.
"Scared? I didn't say I was going to eat you."
"I think I would have been less scared if you had said you were going to eat me."
"You'd really only have your mouth left if I threw you in the water."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It's not a compliment!"
When Rudell responded with a playful expression, she glared at him in disbelief.
At her reaction, Rudell giggled, and Leje held her forehead as if she had a headache.
As they continued down the road, exchanging silly jokes, it happened.
"Rudell! Look at that!"
"Huh? What is it?"
At Leje's strangely excited voice, Rudell tilted his head in confusion and followed her gaze.
And what he saw were small boats moving along the river.
"It's a gondola. It's my first time seeing one in person."
"Gondola? Is that the name of that boat? I've only seen them briefly while passing by."
"Yeah. Want to try riding one?"
Leje's eyes sparkled as if she had discovered an interesting toy.
Noticing the intention in her gaze, Rudell cautiously asked her.
"Yes! I want to! I want to ride it!"
"Let's see… There should be a pier somewhere nearby."
At Leje's vigorous nodding, Rudell muttered and started looking for a pier.
Soon, he spotted a pier where numerous gondolas were docked, and he headed there with Leje.
And so, the two arrived at the pier…
"Watch your step."
Carefully entering the pier while holding Leje's hand, Rudell approached a nearby gondolier.
"Welcome, are you looking to ride a gondola?"
"Two, please."
"That'll be 10 silver."
When Rudell held up two fingers in response to the gondolier's question, the gondolier extended his hand.
Rudell took out a shiny gold coin from his pocket and handed it to the gondolier, who pocketed the money and guided them to a gondola.
"Be careful not to misstep."
"Ooh… This feels strange."
"Here, take my hand."
Rudell, who boarded the gondola first, extended his hand towards Leje, and she took a seat opposite him, her voice trembling slightly.
"Just a reminder, but please don't stand up or move suddenly while we're moving. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
Rudell nodded and turned his gaze to Leje. Seeing her looking around nervously, he smiled faintly and offered his hand.
"Here, take my hand."
"What? Oh, no, it's not that I'm nervous…"
"Yeah~ Yeah~ I know, just give me your hand."
With a chuckle at her hesitant words, Rudell took Leje's hand.
"Eek!?"
At the same time, an indescribable sound escaped Leje's lips, but soon she lowered her head and began to mutter something in a low voice.
It was hard to hear clearly because of the surrounding noise, but it probably wasn't anything important…
"Alright, then let's depart."
With the gondolier's voice, the gondola carrying the two began to glide along the river, which was gradually turning a dark, inky blue as dusk approached.
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