After finishing the skewers, they took another stroll around the marketplace.

“Oh, it’s the handsome brother from the other day!”

A woman selling baked goods called out to them. She seemed to be acquainted with Ethelbert as well.

“You were a great help back then!”

“No, I just did what I was supposed to.”

“Would you like to treat your girlfriend to some of my sweets? As a thank you, I’ll give you a discount!”

Ethelbert approached the store in a friendly manner. Charlotte followed suit while wondering if they looked like a couple after all.

“Sir Ethel, what happened the other day?”

“Oh, a customer secretly hid some of his change in his pocket and started making a fuss, complaining that he didn’t get enough change. I happened to see it, so I confronted him and he ran away.”

“This brother left immediately. I almost didn’t get a chance to thank him. He was really cool.”

The woman nodded as she spoke, perhaps recalling that moment.

“The culprit turned out to be a serial offender who had been scamming other places as well, so he got arrested.”

“That’s great news.”

Come to think of it, Charlotte did recall receiving a report regarding such a case.

He appears to be more familiar with the castle town than me.

Not only was Charlotte born and raised in the royal capital, she had lived in that kingdom for 18 years. Yet, somehow, Ethelbert, who came to study from abroad a few months ago, was more knowledgeable about it than her.

Moreover, he could navigate around town with ease. Even back in the empire, he must’ve been accustomed to going incognito. With his magic, he could easily sneak out of the imperial palace or disguise himself without anyone finding out, so he could do whatever he wanted.

“Here you go. Pick anything you like.”

The woman offered the two some baked goods on display. She carefully explained what ingredients were used and what the flavors were like.

“They look great.”

“Don’t they? But sales aren’t going well, probably due to the price hike…”

“The cost of raw ingredients is going up, isn’t it?”

“Yes, because of the bad harvest. I’m honestly troubled by it. I’ve reduced the prices, but it looks like everyone is trying to save money and can’t afford to treat themselves…”

The woman sighed in frustration. The prices of not only that store, but the others as well were almost twice as high as normal. Business was likely to be down everywhere.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sell anymore, so it’d be helpful if you can take some of these off my hands. What does your girlfriend like?”

Since Charlotte hadn’t denied it earlier, the woman fully believed that she was his lover. Before Charlotte could correct her, Ethelbert spoke up.

“Truthfully, her family has already arranged a fiancé for her, so I’m trying my best to approach both her family and her.”

“Oh, I see. Good luck to you, Brother!”

…And the plot thickens.

Not that she could deny the fiancé-arranged-by-her-family part.

The woman was surprised to hear that Charlotte was already engaged courtesy of her family, but she accepted it relatively easily. Perhaps, in her mind, Charlotte and Ethelbert were either from merchant families, wealthy families, or lower-ranking aristocratic families.

“Miss, there are very few gentlemen who are this cool, kind, and daring, so please consider him.”

As the woman winked at her, Charlotte didn’t know how to respond besides smiling and saying, “yes.”

The cool, kind, and daring Ethelbert bought several kinds of baked goods because of the discount. After buying some drinks at another place, Ethelbert and Charlotte proceeded toward the park to relax. Charlotte was holding the paper bag containing the baked goods, while Ethelbert was holding the drinks.

“If I recall, Sir Ethel doesn’t have a fiancée.”

“That’s right. I don’t.”

“Why not?”

She asked out of genuine curiosity. It was rare for a member of a royal family to not have a fiancée, more so at his age.

“I already have my hands full with inheritance disputes, but it’s mainly because I don’t want anything to interfere with my magic research.”

“Do you mean that once you find a fiancée, most of your time will go there?”

“Yes, it’d be a hassle. My older brother keeps nagging and telling me to get engaged soon, but as long as he only keeps it at that, I planned to just ignore them.”

‘Planned,’ as in, past tense…?

Charlotte tilted her head.

“But now it’s different…?”

“Now, I no longer think having a fiancée is a hassle.”

Ethelbert maintained a calm expression as he spoke.

Apparently, he had a change of heart. Perhaps, he’d taken a liking to someone. Given the timing, it might be someone from that kingdom—a student of the academy. In other words, someone without magic. Wouldn’t he just be signing up for a lot of hardship in the future?

—Either way, it was just her assumption.

“I hope it’ll become official soon.”

“I sure hope so.”

A calm smile graced his lips, reaching his eyes.

Charlotte doubted that she’d be able to forget that smile anytime soon.

---

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***T/N: YES ENGAGEMENT WHEN

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