Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Since this is a smirking kind of chapter, please be mindful of your surroundings if you’re reading outdoors.

For the first time in my life, I walked through the royal capital’s market. It seemed that most of the goods were aimed at women. Shops selling clothes, accessories, and cute knickknacks lined the streets. The prices were usually affordable enough that even children could buy something, and bargaining was possible everywhere.

Every time something unusual caught my eye, I stopped, wanting to see this or have that, pulling Lord Cyrus’s hand along.

For Ceri, I bought a lace scrunchie; for Johan, some rare flower seeds. For Wolfgang, I got some citrus peel (peel) for herbal tea. While paying at a tea shop, I discovered a mysterious glass bottle near the counter. Inside was some kind of brown powder? I didn’t know what it was, but the label had a stylish pattern, and I wanted the container alone.

“Hey, Cyrus, what is this?”

My way of speaking had become much more natural. Apparently, Lord Cyrus understood what it was just by looking at the bottle. He immediately said,

“It’s a spice. You know, in the Eastern Republic they put spices in their tea.”

“Then maybe I’ll buy some of this for Mio, too. Also, I want some plain ginger. Toppo wants to try grilling pork with it.”

Lord Cyrus furrowed his brows, looking a bit troubled.

“Marie, you only buy things for other people. Use some for yourself too.”

“But it’s more fun that way.”

I retorted. Even Lord Cyrus mostly bought gifts for me. I already had five bracelets on my wrist, two pendants, and small hair ornaments scattered across my head. Since many shops catered to women, it was inevitable, but buying only things for others—that was Lord Cyrus’s habit, wasn’t it?

“Cyrus, you should buy something too. It feels like I'm the only one having fun.”

When I said this, half in jest, he nodded emphatically.

“Well, it’s almost noon, so let’s get something to eat.”

“Not food, though.”

“I was just hungry. We’re getting to the part where more eateries appear.”

“Part?” I tilted my head as we left the tea shop, then caught a soft, appetizing aroma wafting from across the street.

I saw a few food stalls here and there, and as we walked further, it became mostly restaurants. There had been almost none before. I realized the market was divided into sections by product type.

“What should we get? Marie, do you have any requests?”

Lord Cyrus asked, and I shook my head. It wasn’t that I didn’t want anything—I had too many choices to pick from.

Just walking around, delicious smells came from all directions, accompanied by the sizzle of food grilling right then and there. Because of that, I found myself more drawn to the stalls than to the restaurant buildings.

I kept looking around curiously.

There was a skewer shop selling salted meat and meat soaked in a sweet and spicy sauce. Three skewers for one yuiro. Nearby, a shop made fresh fruit juice on the spot. Next to it hung a large dried fish as tall as I was, priced at three yuiro.

The market’s knickknacks were affordable, but the food was surprisingly cheap.

And interesting too. Many dishes and ingredients were new to me.

Ah, I can’t decide what to choose!

While I was happily troubled by this, Lord Cyrus suddenly tugged my arm sharply. His green eyes sparkled like a child’s.

“Found it! Marie, let’s eat that!”

“That”...?

He pointed to a rather curious-looking stall. It was a tiny stand with a large lump of meat standing prominently on the table. Or rather, thin slices of meat were stacked on an iron skewer, forming a solid chunk that was roasted. As we approached, the shop owner greeted us with a very bright smile.

“Welcome! The most handsome man in the three kingdoms and the most beautiful lady! Two, got it? Thanks for coming!”

He spoke quickly and started slicing the meat with a knife before we could even say we wanted to buy anything. I quickly looked at Lord Cyrus, but he was smiling happily.