Published: August 10, 2026
As I kept trying on one outfit after another like that, I wondered how much time had passed. At last, I decided I'd better stop here and changed back into my original clothes.
At the counter, the shopkeeper counted coins as he let out an exasperated sigh.
"Brother, that's mighty generous of you, doing all this for your lady. But if you buy this much, how are you going to carry it home? No, wait—do you even have a place to put it?"
"That's true. It would certainly be hard to carry around. Sorry, shopkeeper, but could you deliver the items to Granado Castle?"
"...Piii⁉"
The shopkeeper's spine snapped straight.
After leaving the clothing store, we walked through the royal capital's market for the first time in a while.
Even after finishing the shopping we'd come for, I kept stopping over and over, saying I wanted to go into that shop or that this one looked unusual and interesting, and I kept tugging Lord Cyrus's hand every time.
I bought matching scrunchies for Ceri and my daughter too, then we continued on.
Soon, a fragrant, appetizing smell began wafting through the air. As we moved further along the market road, there were more and more shops selling food, and further on, it became lined with restaurants and eateries. This shopping street was divided into sections by the type of goods sold.
I gently tugged at Lord Cyrus's finger and whispered,
"Could it be over there?"
"Probably. Except on the hottest days of summer, they usually have it..."
As we talked, a cheer rose from far away. That had to be it. Still holding hands, we hurried over at a trot.
Sure enough, there it was!
What we headed for was a somewhat peculiar-looking street stall. It was a very small stand, with a huge lump of meat perched right on the table—sheep meat called doner kebab, being roasted over a spit.
As we approached, the shopkeeper greeted us with an extremely bright smile.
"Welcome! The most handsome man in the three kingdoms and the most beautiful lady in the world! Two, right? Okay, as always!"
He spoke so quickly and without waiting for an answer, carving off slices of meat with his knife.
Haha, that was just like him. Not even when we hadn't said we were buying anything—that was the rule of this stall. We didn't stop him and ordered more.
"Ah, two doner sandwiches. And dondurma too!"
"Right away!"
The shopkeeper said happily, then thrust an iron spatula into a stockpot... and gluuuued.
A white mass stretched out long in front of me as I peered in, stringing between the pot and the spatula.
Ohh, no matter how many times I see that, it's so interesting. So mysterious!
Dondurma means "frozen sweets" in Ips. Its main ingredients are sugar and sheep's milk, and while it's basically ice cream, thanks to the starch from a plant called salep, it doesn't melt easily at room temperature and stretches out like that. The fact that it tasted perfectly delicious made the experience even stranger.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Please enjoy."
"T-thank you."
Just as I reached out to take it, it dodged straight upward with a pop. I chased after it and tried to grab it again, but this time it dodged sideways. Every time I reached out, the dondurma fled front and back, up and down, left and right with little hops. I flailed my hands, jumping and hopping all over the place, until I was sweating.
"Grr, enough already!"
I finally raised my voice, and the shopkeeper picked up the cone and handed it over. He was smiling from ear to ear. I sighed in relief and reached for it... only for him to suddenly flip it upside down, making me miss again.
Honestly! It's fun no matter how many times they do this, but no matter how often it happens, it still annoys me!
At last, I finally got it for real. I wasn't going to let it be snatched away again, so I bit into it in a hurry.
"Mmm... chewy!"
"Tastes good."
Lord Cyrus was eating the same thing beside me.
...Why does Lord Cyrus get to eat it right away without being put through that prank? Unfair.
After lightly filling our stomachs with the doner sandwiches and dondurma, we returned to our market shopping course.