“I’m leaving.”
“Let’s go together!”
Standing on the stone floor, Luce knew the dawn was coming.
Sunlight illuminated the entire capital. Only then could Luce take a closer look at the capital.
The first thing that caught her eye was the well-polished floor without a single spot.
She looked up and saw buildings with high, pointed roofs.
Even though they must have different uses, buildings with similar shapes had the power to oppress people with their shape and height.
The capital was clearly bustling and tidy. It was a well-organized city, densely packed with no gaps.
It feels suffocating.
However, the colorless gray-white buildings dry the mind with their existence.
As Luce stepped on the stone floor where not even a single blade of grass could be seen, someone’s comment passed by Luce’s ears.
The capital is a very cold, chilly place.
Luce looked at the bleak city and silently agreed with that assessment.
“Haa, it looks neat looking under sunlight like this.”
“Is that so?”
“I can see why the people living in Rodante decided to settle in the capital. It’s the city you vaguely dreamed of. It’s very lively and sophisticated.”
‘Is that so? Am I feeling this way because I don’t have very good memories of the city I went through in my previous life.’
Dominic looked pretty excited. The sound of his footsteps echoed lightly in his shoes.
Luce missed Xenon’s smell of grass and the soft soil ground.
A piece of paper was pushed in front of Luce as she swallowed her saliva.
It was a tourist guide and a list of accommodations in the capital that Dominic had taken from the stand while looking around.
Dominic stuck right next to Luce, who opened the map.
“It’s not far from here to the imperial palace, huh?”
“Since the academy brother Dietrich attends is the imperial one, it’s close to the imperial palace, well. My brother sleeps a lot, so while he was complaining that it was hard to stay far away, my parents worked hard to save money.”
Given the map’s scale, it took about 10 minutes by carriage from Dietrich’s house to the academy.
It was much closer than Luce expected.
A white building came into Luce’s eyes as she narrowed her eyes on the street.
“That must be it. “
‘It’s more like a hospital because it’s white than a school.’
“People in the capital seem to like neat and angular things.”
A tall building could be seen behind it. Perhaps it was the imperial palace.
Apparently, the nobles of the Vladin Empire seemed to like the Neoclassical style.
A long, white, and impressive colonnade held up the roof. The royal palace was so big and cold that no other building in the capital could compare to it.
Luce shook her head tiredly and turned her back on the imperial palace without any regrets.
“Let’s go in the opposite direction, not in the direction of the imperial palace. I think I’ll have an upset stomach if I see that building while eating.”
“It’s just cool, why?”
While grumbling, Dominic followed without hesitation.
“I know you want to live separately but don’t go too far. It’s not because I’m worried about you. It’s because I have a hard time moving your stuff. Hmm, the imperial palace is so big that it seems like you can see it from anywhere in the capital, but this valley is deep enough to cover it. Would you like to take a look this way?”
The first hotel she encountered looked a little old, but it was still neat.
The location wasn’t bad, and the size of the individual rooms seemed okay when she looked at the window size.
Luce, who opened the door wide because she thought it would be okay here, quietly closed the door.
“Why? I think it’s okay. The interior is not bad, and the candles are subtle, so it has a good atmosphere.”
“The sun is up now, Dominic.”
“Eung.”
“What do you think of the meaning that the light is soft even when the candle is lit?”
“Ah. The light doesn’t come!”
“The smell of mold that I smelled as soon as I opened the door is a bonus.”
The situation at the second hotel, which they arrived at after a short walk, was no different.
“Why this time? The sunlight was good and there was no smell of mold.”
“The building was clear. But the owner of the counter smelled like alcohol.”
“…Ah?”
“It’s clear that you’re struggling because business isn’t working. It’s a pity, but there’s a reason why people don’t visit hotels.”
The third hotel didn’t smell like mold, and it didn’t smell like alcohol from the boss, but the room was too small.
It was a situation where I had to sleep standing up when she put all of Luce’s bags in.
The fourth hotel met all the demanding standards.
“Wow, it’s really nice here. There’s a lot of space even considering the luggage. It shines and smells good.”
“Eung, I like it here, too.”
The gentle face of the manager smiled.
“I’m glad you liked it. These days, a lot of people are looking for a place to stay because of the qualification exam, so there’s only one room left.”
Dominic seemed to be in a hurry to hear that the good product was about to be sold out.
Luce also liked the room, so she approached the manager.
The manager held out a piece of paper with the price written on it with a smile on his face.
“….”
“….”
“I’ll be back after thinking about it….”
“Yes, please.”
Luce walked out and leaned against the table set up on the balcony deck.
“I’ve done the math, Dominic. If I live in this room, I’ll have to live with only bread for half the year.”
“The room is really nice. The lighting is good and the angle is slightly tilted, so you can’t see the Imperial Palace. The location is good, and the manager is kind.”
“That’s right.”
Dominic groaned and rested his chin.
“It seems that the time has come to accept reality, Luce.”
“It’s a rather heartbreaking reality….”
“Objectively judging, staying at Brother Dietrich’s house with me is the best option. I’m willing to wear an eyepatch for you. I won’t say anything even if you sleep wearing only perfume.”
A chuckle was heard from Luce, who was lying on her stomach.
It made her laugh, so it was a success.
There have been many customers in the hotel since morning.
Dominic, who was coughing while looking at customers coming and going, touched the table with his fingernails.
“I know you’ll be angry, but I have to talk about this.”
“….”
“You don’t have to pretend to be okay on purpose.”
Luce looked up at the unexpected words.
Dominic wasn’t immune to her green eyes being directed at him.
Nevertheless, Dominic didn’t avoid it.
“You can say it hurts when it hurts, and it’s hard when it’s hard. With that guy gone, all of the people in our territory’s expectations were directed at you, and you thought you shouldn’t fail because you don’t have parents. You don’t want to be in debt, so you’re thankful for someone being nice to you, but how burdensome would it be?”
“….”
“I think it’s kind of cool to see you do well on your own, but sometimes… it’s a bit pitiful.”
“Dominic.”
He had never said anything like this to Luce.
Although it was embarrassing, Dominic emphasized it one by one.
“Look at it now. You can ask me for some money, or you can take on the chores instead of living with Brother Dietrich and me, but you’re just trying to laugh it off with silly jokes. Like you’re going to endure everything on your own.”
“….”
“I know it’s presumptuous, and I don’t know if I’m telling you properly because I’m not good at talking, and I think you might get angry because I jump to conclusions on my own, but I’m saying it because I think I’ll have to say it someday.”
Luce’s big, pure eyes suddenly became wet.
Her eyes were so pretty that they crossed the threshold. Dominic turned his head away and covered his reddened ears.
“Why are there so many people? What is that black robe?”
Dominic’s hand, who was grumbling for nothing, was caught.
“Thank you for saying that. I mean it”
Luce’s words were a little shaky.
“Then, you weren’t serious until now?”
“The grumbling…you know, Dominic. You saw it right. I was pretending to be okay. I didn’t want to make it obvious that I was struggling and shocked. I didn’t want to talk about the subject. I felt like if I said it out loud, it would be like admitting it.”
“Mmhm.”
“It was like that all the time when I was in Xenon. I could see his traces everywhere I went. It was a place where we hung out together, a place where we sat and read a book on a sunny day, and a place where we took a walk, so it felt strange.”
As she said so, Luce fiddled with the necklace.
At the moment, his eyes were blinded.
‘Didn’t that sparkle just now?’
Dominic blinked as he watched Luce untie the necklace.
The necklace in Luce’s hand no longer shone. Did he see it wrong?
“But after coming all the way to the capital, my thoughts have changed. It reminds me of the fact that I came here to take the pharmacist exam. Being a good pharmacist, helping sick people, curing my headaches. make a lot of money as a bonus!”
“Yeah, you thought about it well.”
“Your words were very helpful. Thank you.”
Luce smiled as she put the necklace in her pocket.
Dominic thought that it had been a very long time since he had seen Luce’s smile, where he felt neither shadow nor pressure.
“Whether it’s a jewelry shop or a flea market, hurry up and sell it.”
“I will. Phew, I should listen to the landlord.”
“…Huh? You want to live together?”
“Let me ask you a favor. I can’t help it. Actually, it’s a lie that I sleep wearing only perfume.”
“I didn’t believe it in the first place!”
“Ey, then why is your face red?”
“I told you it’s not true!”
It was when the two of them were about to leave the balcony.
“T, that, customer!”
The manager rushed out.
“Me?”
“Yes, ugh. I think I should apologize first.”
She tilted her head because she didn’t know why, but the manager opened the binder.
There was a price tag she just saw.
‘Why is this?’
“I, stop, forget that I haven’t been able to give you any guidance on the events that will start from today.”
“…Yes?”
“Today, I forgot about the event where the annual accommodation fee is discounted by 90% for the guest who visits our hotel for the first time.”
There was a sticker on the pushed price tag that was clearly attached in a hurry.
The manager, who skillfully prevented Dominic’s hand from trying to remove the sticker that covered the zero, asked softly.
“What do you think?”
“That’s so good! Can’t you apply to me?”
Instead, when Dominic asked, the manager answered with a cold sweat that Luce came in first and claimed that it didn’t apply to Dominic.
Does this make sense? She doesn’t know if it’s a low-level worker, but how can a manager or something have forgotten about such a big event?
She thought it was strange, but when she came to her senses, Dominic pulled her hand to sign it.
“Wait a minute, Dominic.”
“Your worries are solved, so what’s the point of hesitating? Hey, can I come over sometime?”
Because of that, Luce didn’t see it.
Someone, who had been watching her while leaning against the back door of the hotel, disappeared in an instant.
“I’m leaving.”
“Let’s go together!”
Standing on the stone floor, Luce knew the dawn was coming.
Sunlight illuminated the entire capital. Only then could Luce take a closer look at the capital.
The first thing that caught her eye was the well-polished floor without a single spot.
She looked up and saw buildings with high, pointed roofs.
Even though they must have different uses, buildings with similar shapes had the power to oppress people with their shape and height.
The capital was clearly bustling and tidy. It was a well-organized city, densely packed with no gaps.
It feels suffocating.
However, the colorless gray-white buildings dry the mind with their existence.
As Luce stepped on the stone floor where not even a single blade of grass could be seen, someone’s comment passed by Luce’s ears.
The capital is a very cold, chilly place.
Luce looked at the bleak city and silently agreed with that assessment.
“Haa, it looks neat looking under sunlight like this.”
“Is that so?”
“I can see why the people living in Rodante decided to settle in the capital. It’s the city you vaguely dreamed of. It’s very lively and sophisticated.”
‘Is that so? Am I feeling this way because I don’t have very good memories of the city I went through in my previous life.’
Dominic looked pretty excited. The sound of his footsteps echoed lightly in his shoes.
Luce missed Xenon’s smell of grass and the soft soil ground.
A piece of paper was pushed in front of Luce as she swallowed her saliva.
It was a tourist guide and a list of accommodations in the capital that Dominic had taken from the stand while looking around.
Dominic stuck right next to Luce, who opened the map.
“It’s not far from here to the imperial palace, huh?”
“Since the academy brother Dietrich attends is the imperial one, it’s close to the imperial palace, well. My brother sleeps a lot, so while he was complaining that it was hard to stay far away, my parents worked hard to save money.”
Given the map’s scale, it took about 10 minutes by carriage from Dietrich’s house to the academy.
It was much closer than Luce expected.
A white building came into Luce’s eyes as she narrowed her eyes on the street.
“That must be it. “
‘It’s more like a hospital because it’s white than a school.’
“People in the capital seem to like neat and angular things.”
A tall building could be seen behind it. Perhaps it was the imperial palace.
Apparently, the nobles of the Vladin Empire seemed to like the Neoclassical style.
A long, white, and impressive colonnade held up the roof. The royal palace was so big and cold that no other building in the capital could compare to it.
Luce shook her head tiredly and turned her back on the imperial palace without any regrets.
“Let’s go in the opposite direction, not in the direction of the imperial palace. I think I’ll have an upset stomach if I see that building while eating.”
“It’s just cool, why?”
While grumbling, Dominic followed without hesitation.
“I know you want to live separately but don’t go too far. It’s not because I’m worried about you. It’s because I have a hard time moving your stuff. Hmm, the imperial palace is so big that it seems like you can see it from anywhere in the capital, but this valley is deep enough to cover it. Would you like to take a look this way?”
The first hotel she encountered looked a little old, but it was still neat.
The location wasn’t bad, and the size of the individual rooms seemed okay when she looked at the window size.
Luce, who opened the door wide because she thought it would be okay here, quietly closed the door.
“Why? I think it’s okay. The interior is not bad, and the candles are subtle, so it has a good atmosphere.”
“The sun is up now, Dominic.”
“Eung.”
“What do you think of the meaning that the light is soft even when the candle is lit?”
“Ah. The light doesn’t come!”
“The smell of mold that I smelled as soon as I opened the door is a bonus.”
The situation at the second hotel, which they arrived at after a short walk, was no different.
“Why this time? The sunlight was good and there was no smell of mold.”
“The building was clear. But the owner of the counter smelled like alcohol.”
“…Ah?”
“It’s clear that you’re struggling because business isn’t working. It’s a pity, but there’s a reason why people don’t visit hotels.”
The third hotel didn’t smell like mold, and it didn’t smell like alcohol from the boss, but the room was too small.
It was a situation where I had to sleep standing up when she put all of Luce’s bags in.
The fourth hotel met all the demanding standards.
“Wow, it’s really nice here. There’s a lot of space even considering the luggage. It shines and smells good.”
“Eung, I like it here, too.”
The gentle face of the manager smiled.
“I’m glad you liked it. These days, a lot of people are looking for a place to stay because of the qualification exam, so there’s only one room left.”
Dominic seemed to be in a hurry to hear that the good product was about to be sold out.
Luce also liked the room, so she approached the manager.
The manager held out a piece of paper with the price written on it with a smile on his face.
“….”
“….”
“I’ll be back after thinking about it….”
“Yes, please.”
Luce walked out and leaned against the table set up on the balcony deck.
“I’ve done the math, Dominic. If I live in this room, I’ll have to live with only bread for half the year.”
“The room is really nice. The lighting is good and the angle is slightly tilted, so you can’t see the Imperial Palace. The location is good, and the manager is kind.”
“That’s right.”
Dominic groaned and rested his chin.
“It seems that the time has come to accept reality, Luce.”
“It’s a rather heartbreaking reality….”
“Objectively judging, staying at Brother Dietrich’s house with me is the best option. I’m willing to wear an eyepatch for you. I won’t say anything even if you sleep wearing only perfume.”
A chuckle was heard from Luce, who was lying on her stomach.
It made her laugh, so it was a success.
There have been many customers in the hotel since morning.
Dominic, who was coughing while looking at customers coming and going, touched the table with his fingernails.
“I know you’ll be angry, but I have to talk about this.”
“….”
“You don’t have to pretend to be okay on purpose.”
Luce looked up at the unexpected words.
Dominic wasn’t immune to her green eyes being directed at him.
Nevertheless, Dominic didn’t avoid it.
“You can say it hurts when it hurts, and it’s hard when it’s hard. With that guy gone, all of the people in our territory’s expectations were directed at you, and you thought you shouldn’t fail because you don’t have parents. You don’t want to be in debt, so you’re thankful for someone being nice to you, but how burdensome would it be?”
“….”
“I think it’s kind of cool to see you do well on your own, but sometimes… it’s a bit pitiful.”
“Dominic.”
He had never said anything like this to Luce.
Although it was embarrassing, Dominic emphasized it one by one.
“Look at it now. You can ask me for some money, or you can take on the chores instead of living with Brother Dietrich and me, but you’re just trying to laugh it off with silly jokes. Like you’re going to endure everything on your own.”
“….”
“I know it’s presumptuous, and I don’t know if I’m telling you properly because I’m not good at talking, and I think you might get angry because I jump to conclusions on my own, but I’m saying it because I think I’ll have to say it someday.”
Luce’s big, pure eyes suddenly became wet.
Her eyes were so pretty that they crossed the threshold. Dominic turned his head away and covered his reddened ears.
“Why are there so many people? What is that black robe?”
Dominic’s hand, who was grumbling for nothing, was caught.
“Thank you for saying that. I mean it”
Luce’s words were a little shaky.
“Then, you weren’t serious until now?”
“The grumbling…you know, Dominic. You saw it right. I was pretending to be okay. I didn’t want to make it obvious that I was struggling and shocked. I didn’t want to talk about the subject. I felt like if I said it out loud, it would be like admitting it.”
“Mmhm.”
“It was like that all the time when I was in Xenon. I could see his traces everywhere I went. It was a place where we hung out together, a place where we sat and read a book on a sunny day, and a place where we took a walk, so it felt strange.”
As she said so, Luce fiddled with the necklace.
At the moment, his eyes were blinded.
‘Didn’t that sparkle just now?’
Dominic blinked as he watched Luce untie the necklace.
The necklace in Luce’s hand no longer shone. Did he see it wrong?
“But after coming all the way to the capital, my thoughts have changed. It reminds me of the fact that I came here to take the pharmacist exam. Being a good pharmacist, helping sick people, curing my headaches. make a lot of money as a bonus!”
“Yeah, you thought about it well.”
“Your words were very helpful. Thank you.”
Luce smiled as she put the necklace in her pocket.
Dominic thought that it had been a very long time since he had seen Luce’s smile, where he felt neither shadow nor pressure.
“Whether it’s a jewelry shop or a flea market, hurry up and sell it.”
“I will. Phew, I should listen to the landlord.”
“…Huh? You want to live together?”
“Let me ask you a favor. I can’t help it. Actually, it’s a lie that I sleep wearing only perfume.”
“I didn’t believe it in the first place!”
“Ey, then why is your face red?”
“I told you it’s not true!”
It was when the two of them were about to leave the balcony.
“T, that, customer!”
The manager rushed out.
“Me?”
“Yes, ugh. I think I should apologize first.”
She tilted her head because she didn’t know why, but the manager opened the binder.
There was a price tag she just saw.
‘Why is this?’
“I, stop, forget that I haven’t been able to give you any guidance on the events that will start from today.”
“…Yes?”
“Today, I forgot about the event where the annual accommodation fee is discounted by 90% for the guest who visits our hotel for the first time.”
There was a sticker on the pushed price tag that was clearly attached in a hurry.
The manager, who skillfully prevented Dominic’s hand from trying to remove the sticker that covered the zero, asked softly.
“What do you think?”
“That’s so good! Can’t you apply to me?”
Instead, when Dominic asked, the manager answered with a cold sweat that Luce came in first and claimed that it didn’t apply to Dominic.
Does this make sense? She doesn’t know if it’s a low-level worker, but how can a manager or something have forgotten about such a big event?
She thought it was strange, but when she came to her senses, Dominic pulled her hand to sign it.
“Wait a minute, Dominic.”
“Your worries are solved, so what’s the point of hesitating? Hey, can I come over sometime?”
Because of that, Luce didn’t see it.
Someone, who had been watching her while leaning against the back door of the hotel, disappeared in an instant.
