Chapter 31: 31

Chapter 31 – The Prince And The Pauper

The two crossed the main street and reached the riverside of the Rivier River. The same path they had walked at the last dinner party.
Unlike that time, when he was walking a few steps away from her, Hadius was very naturally side by side with her.

Walking in the warm sunlight, Emilia gradually fell into a strange mood.

Not knowing what to do with her empty mind, Emilia just stared blankly at the river.
A friendly family of ducks was swimming leisurely. Behind the big duck that looked like the mother, seven cute little ducklings followed in line.

The peaceful scenery seems to have caused a stir in Hadius’ hardly agitated heart. He asked in a whisper.

“Have you ever thought about that?”
“Thought about what?”
“What if I were an ordinary person?”

The two eyes that had been following along the river turned towards him.

“… The Young Master cannot be an ordinary person.”

In Emilia’s small world, ordinary men are her late father, Mitch, the butcher’s glutton son, Mr. Haspel… Only those kinds of people.

How can you compare them to Hadius Meyer?

No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she had no choice but to admit it. Hadius Meyer is a star. Shining loftily from a high place. That alone is something that won’t ever change.

“If I were an ordinary person, my relationship with you would have been completely different from what it is now.”

Although her heart was pounding, Emilia smiled calmly.

“Your greed really has no end. I can’t believe someone who feels satisfied by having everything they want even expects ‘normality’.”
“That’s right.”

After those words, there was silence again.

Unlike Hadius, who looked calm, Emilia’s head became more and more crowded with thoughts.

What if he was an ordinary person?
If only he was the butcher’s Hadius and not the Meyer’s Hadius.

She would have liked him. Without hesitation.

She was very shocked by the conclusion she reached on her own.

Emilia started walking again, a little dazed. Not long after, she noticed something very strange.

People have been constantly glancing at them since a while ago. Some were whispering behind them, while others were directly staring at them, strangely.

She realized why in an instant. They were looking at their clothes, not faces.
A well-dressed noble man and a shabby young woman.

A moment later, something even more embarrassing happened.

Wasn’t that little kid who was passing by openly pointing a finger at Emilia? The child looked at the woman who seemed to be their mother and said something; and the woman was startled and quickly lowered the child’s hand.

But she couldn’t stop the voice that came out. The child obviously called her that. A ‘maid’.

Emilia felt dazed again.

That’s right, she looks just like a maid here. It was always like that at Cavendish mansion, too.

It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.

But it was different for Hadius. He is the heir of a prestigious noble family, and this is the center of Nowak, the city of nobles.

A place where the clothes you wear for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are different.

A world where people are clearly divided by their appearance and clothing.

It may have been natural for Hadius to try to dress his fiancée in seven dresses. Since they have to show it to people.

Who was the one who spoke confidently, saying that she would do her duty as a fiancée to the end? What is wrong with that dress? How about just trying to wear it once…

“… Excuse me, Young Master…”

Emilia was only thinking about going back to the mansion and changing into the dress Hadius had bought her.
But Hadius was not looking at Emilia. Tilting her head, Emilia turned towards the place his gaze was fixed on.

There was nothing there, only a small side road…

The moment she tilted her head, she felt something strange on her wrist. Hadius had grabbed her wrist. Emilia was so startled that she looked up at him in a daze, not even thinking of pulling her wrist out.

“Follow me.”
“What?”
“Let’s walk comfortably.”

Hadius suddenly changed his direction. It was a slightly bumpy and shady road, unlike the neatly paved trail.

“… W-Where are we going?”
“A place I’ve never been but always wanted to go.”
“Where is that…”

She couldn’t speak any more. Because Hadius suddenly accelerated his pace. Emilia, whose hand he was holding, had no choice but to also speed up.

The legs in front of her got faster and faster, and Emilia was practically running.

As the speed increased, the scenery changed rapidly. It was not a luxurious high-class neighborhood, nor an overgrown countryside trail, but an alleyway with gray walls.

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“Where on earth are we going?”
“The famous Türn Street is nearby. I heard that the tavern there is so much fun.”
“Don’t tell me… That tavern… You don’t want to go there, do you?”

Hadius suddenly took out his watch and checked the time.

“Run. I don’t have much time.”

Emilia’s eyes widened.

“Wait, wait a moment… Going to a tavern… Are you crazy?”
“Have you ever heard of The Prince and the Pauper?”
“The Prince and… The Pauper?”
“The favorite story of the five-year-old Young Master Meyer.”

The unexpected confession snapped off something that was squeezing her heart tight.

Emilia stopped trying to pull out her wrist. She relaxed her arms and started running properly after him. Every time she stepped on the hard stone floor, she had a pleasant feeling as if she were flying in the sky. Her blood rushed and a sense of freedom came.

Hadius noticed Emilia was out of breath and slowed down a bit. The legs of the man and woman who had been running off-beat slowly found their rhythm.

“You’re pretty good at running.”
“I may look like this… But I was a relay athlete… At the village festival…!”

Emilia answered enthusiastically while panting.

“I have a friend… Called Haley… She fell down… But I caught up to them. I was… The last runner… I got a goose. As a… Prize.”

Hadius understood all the words that were said incoherently and asked, ‘Is that so?’. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

“Well, let’s see that.”

Hadius suddenly increased his speed. As if he would not allow giving up, he put more strength into the hand that was holding her wrist. The tremors caused by his touch had disappeared. Her pride was aroused.

Emilia gave her best effort and doubled her speed.
However, it was close to impossible to catch up with a man from the military academy. Even though she ran as if her lungs were being ripped, he didn’t allow her to outrun him for a single moment.

“Ah, enough!”

Emilia declared defeat. Hady immediately let go of her hand.

Ahh… Ahh…

The ragged breaths of the two people who were standing still got entwined.

“You know… You’re really… Unfair.”
“Unfair? Me?”
“No matter how… The Younger Master is a man.”
“I am disappointed. Are you using sex as an excuse? Haven’t you heard of the Knights of St. Mary?”
“Ha! That’s different from a one-on-one match!”

Emilia scowled at him eagerly. Unlike her eyes, her mouth was filled with laughter.

As Hadius said, “See, we arrived sooner than expected.”, Emilia straightened her bent back and looked around.

At the end of the long, narrow side road, a completely different world was unfolding.

On both sides of the winding road, noisy stalls, shops, and bars were tangled and crowded with people. The road was crowded with stagecoaches and carts, but it was not as dirty or frowned upon as the slums.

“Buy oysters! 3 knot for a handful of fresh oysters!”
“Take a look around, I have a lot of brooches. And fans, too!”
“Clean the chimney! The chimney!”

She was completely distracted by the people touting and bargaining. In the meantime, the smell of bread being baked and the scent of cheese wafted in, stimulating her appetite.

Now that they are walking down a lively street, she really feels like she is with an ‘ordinary man’. Emilia wanted Hadius to become the protagonist of The Prince and the Pauper and to peacefully enjoy the rest of the day.

But after a while, she realized a little sad truth.

She didn’t know what he was expecting; but even here, the strange looks continued. It is not only the nobility who divides people by their clothing. Prejudice exists in all classes.

The people in the market also looked strangely at the very wealthy-looking young man and the ordinary woman next to him. There was also a mix of ridicule and contempt.

Emilia swallowed the bitter truth and tugged at Hadius’ sleeve.

“Excuse me… Shall we just go back?”

Hadius stared silently at the glancing people and asked, “Does it bother you that much?”

“It’s not that, but…”
“I have a good idea.”
“What?”

Hadius suddenly looked around as if searching for something. Then, after a while, he stopped. There was some man in the place where his gaze had reached. He was an ordinary man you could usually see in the market.

“… What is it?”
“Wait a minute.”

He approached the stranger and talked to him. A bright smile immediately appeared on the man’s face, who was startled.

After a moment, something surprising happened. The two men started changing clothes. The shiny black jacket was replaced with an old jacket with padded elbows, and the creamy-colored silk tie was replaced with a faded black hunting cap.

The man who put on Hadius’ clothes shrugged as if he couldn’t believe his sudden luck and disappeared. Hadius passed him and returned to Emilia.

“I can’t have clothes ruin the rest of our time.”

A huge wave covered her whole body. Emilia was swept away by the hot wave, unable to do or say anything for a long time.

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