The confrontation with him did not last long due to the assistant who came to see the Crown Prince, and it ended rather chaotically…
But why is it that the more I walk, the more I feel the burden on my back?
No, it really looked like I got hit hard.
Until the moment I left the royal palace, I couldn't erase the conversation of these two people from my mind.
“In the end, Salt is doomed to fall.”
This thought aroused an indescribably complex feeling.
Of course, I was not completely oblivious to this fact. Duke Blair was gradually updating me on the situation regarding Salt.
Since he had supported the people of Sault with food aid, perhaps knowing that I was worried about them, he shared the information he obtained as much as he could within his means.
Because of that, I knew that Raiden was projecting military power towards Salt and that the King of Salt was trying to resolve the situation through Limaya.
However, I did not take any specific action.
Because what mattered to me was not the stakeholders who should truly be held responsible, but the vulnerable people who would be unwittingly sacrificed.
Additionally, in the original story...
The "last" king of Salt, Verga, realized that he could no longer resist the Klitan army and surrendered voluntarily.
Raiden spread a map in front of Verga's eyes and erased Salt's name.
Although some minor disturbances occurred, the kidneys eventually entered Salt without bloodshed.
Most citizens have already been severely affected by a prolonged famine and epidemic.
So I no longer feel anxious at all.
The famine and epidemic had been somewhat mitigated by Duke Blair's assistance, so I felt I had done what I could within my means.
“So that's enough, right? Why am I still so worried?”
She let out a deep sigh.
At that moment.
“Why are you late?”
A familiar voice broke into my thoughts.
When I realized I had reached the place where the carriages were waiting, I spotted a familiar figure and smiled sheepishly.
“Oh, Ian.”
right.
Only then did I remember that I was born much later than others.
“Excuse me. Have you been waiting long?”
“More than just waiting... I thought something had happened.”
Since I was late without telling them, Ian naturally thought so.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked towards the carriage.
“It's not serious...”
I briefly explained the whole situation that has happened so far.
Ian, who had been listening quietly, asked with a stern face after a while.
“So you met His Highness the Crown Prince?”
"Yes. Fortunately, it wasn't a long conversation, but I guess I was just unlucky today. Oh, would you like to see this?"
I showed him my broken-heeled shoes with a cheerful smile, and his expression grew serious.
I showed it to him to make him laugh...but maybe it wasn't very funny?
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, a deadpan voice came out of him.
“Don't tell me you walked all this way barefoot...”
“Yes, but since it was the royal palace, there were no shards of glass or stones or anything like that. Haha!”
“That's not the problem, uh...”
“Oh, I'm fine. Since I'm a distant relative of Duke Blair, not Salt, when I grew up in the countryside, I sometimes wore perforated shoes. Haha!”
After arriving directly in front of the carriage, I calmed him down and entered slowly.
“Ian,”
Just before leaving, after hesitating for a moment, I carefully opened my lips to his.
"Yes?"
I wondered if I was bothering him too much, and then suddenly I said what I wanted to say.
“Are you busy today?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“Hmm.”
Honestly, my mind was so confused that I didn't want to go straight back to the Duke's residence.
“…I thought it would be best to fix the shoes before returning.”
I made a fairly reasonable excuse and deliberately wiggled my toes.
“There should be spare shoes in the villa in Huangdu.”
“Oh, that's true, but...”
huh? I suddenly stopped talking, and wondered how Ian, who was on his first field mission, knew about the spare shoes in Huangdu Villa. Did Liam or Bonita tell him a secret?
I looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but quickly remembered that that wasn't the important thing right now, and shook my head.
“Oh, that's true, but… I was thinking maybe I could buy some comfortable shoes nearby. Anything cheap.”
In addition, the villa only had expensive shoes like the ones I wore today, which was exhausting.
But buying a pair of comfortable shoes from the market was easy.
Considering the money she has earned so far, spending some of it abroad will also help stimulate the local economy.
“Besides, I don't want to be alone, lost in my thoughts!”
As Ian sighed inwardly, his question came back.
“Do you mean the market and not the upscale shopping area frequented by nobles?”
“Yes, actually, I heard that those who attended the tea party will go shopping together, so we should avoid that place.”
He even invited me to go with him, but I refused, claiming that I was tired.
Enough unnecessary chatter, please!
“…Then let’s go there. I’m well acquainted with the geography of the Pirna commercial area.”
“Business area in Pirna?”
“It's the name of a nearby market.”
My eyes widened in astonishment at this information that came naturally from him.
I hadn't asked him about his exact origin before, so I didn't know that Ian was actually from Huangdu?
Since he seemed familiar with Duke Blair's area, I naturally assumed that he was born and raised there…
“Now that I think about it, I've never heard anything about Ian before.”
The carriage started, and I glanced sideways at him as he sat next to me.
But…
“It may be impolite to intrude on the work of someone who does not talk about his primary job.”
Because I also felt very embarrassed when acquaintances asked personal questions during business relationships, I was especially cautious.
I also didn't want to make Ian, who was already very nice to me, feel uncomfortable.
Anyway, Ian wasn't exaggerating when he said he knew this area well. After getting out of the car, he quickly led me to a street full of shoe stores.
“Very cheap! Only 3000 Tri per pair! Locally made! Handmade shoes from the finest Minotaur leather on end of season sale!”
"Don't go there! Come over here! Unlike those unscrupulous stores that sell goods from Alra or Tes disguised as local products, this is a real luxury store!"
...Yes, we have already been to the market.
I used to frequent markets like this in Salt, but this was my first time in a market in the Kletan Empire.
But aggressive falconry was as fierce here as there. I got scared and hid behind Ian.
“What do you think of these shoes? They are cheap, but considering the condition of the leather, they don’t look bad.”
We stopped at a stall, and Ian recommended a new pair made locally, and only then did I breathe a sigh of relief and start joking around.
“I'll have to avoid high heels from now on. Hmm, now… what should I do?”
Not yet ready to return to the Duke's residence, I turned my gaze aimlessly toward the noisy crowd.
“Aren't you hungry?”
"I'm not, maybe because I learned a lot at the tea party. If you're hungry, Ian, shall we go get something?"
“I'm not hungry either. Um…don't you want to go to the villa?”
I didn't feel like going home in this mood.
After some thought, I gave a hesitant answer.
“Hmm...yeah.”
After a moment of silence, Ian looked me straight in the eyes.
“What about the public library?”
“Public library?”
“There is a public library nearby. If you like reading books...”
As Ian saw
I don't read a lot, so he was probably making this suggestion.
And if so... he really understood me!
“I want to go!”
Library in two colleges, especially the one in Huangdu.
It must be very large and contain a huge collection of books, so why had I not thought of visiting it before?
I quickly got excited, so I looked at him expectantly.
“Can we go now?”
Without saying a word, Ian took the initiative, showing his broad back.