Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Early summer in the Dirts Kingdom was cool.

Though the inside of the carriage shouldn’t have been hot at all, the flush on my cheeks wouldn’t go away.

I lowered my head, trying to hide my face somehow, but Lord Cyrus was sitting right beside me. There was no way I could fool him.

“Marie, don’t you look a little pale?”

Lord Cyrus asked with a concerned frown. He lifted my chin gently with his finger.

Our emerald-colored eyes met.

“Are you carsick? Or do you have a fever—?”

“N-no, it’s nothing!”

I hurriedly stood up. But since the carriage ceiling was lower than my height, I ended up banging the top of my head quite hard. Pressing the swelling lump that quickly formed, I fanned my face with my hands.

“It’s a little warm in here, isn’t it? I’ll open the window!”

Without waiting for his reply, I opened the window. A breeze swept through, soothing my flushed cheeks.

My red hair fluttered in the wind. Somehow, the sky had turned the same color as my hair. The day, which had simply been fun, was about to end.

The street of clothes and sundries had lost its crowds, but the dining street was much livelier than during the day. So this is where the night truly begins. It was still evening, but lively, slightly tipsy singing voices could already be heard.

“Many artisans like their drink. As soon as the sun sets, they close up shop and head to the taverns,” Lord Cyrus explained.

Looking around as he said that, it was true. Many men wore dirty work clothes or coveralls, and there seemed to be no women among them.

“Are there few women artisans?” I asked.

“Few? More like almost none. Female shop clerks are one thing, but the artisan district is a male-dominated world. Besides, the shops here aren’t exactly refined.”

“Oh... On the main street, there was a restaurant for noblewomen, right?”

“Want to eat there?”

Though it was tempting, I shook my head.

“I’m not that hungry yet, and I’m sure Toppo’s cooking is tastier.”

“Ah, that’s for sure.”

“If I had to choose, I’d rather visit those ‘not-so-refined shops.’ They seem lively and fun…”

The artisans who had finished their work for the day all had fulfilled expressions. It was a look I had never seen at the baronial family home or in the rundown villages of the Chadelan Territory. Their faces, stained with soot and paint, were very attractive.

Hearing a cheerful laugh, I couldn’t help but laugh along. Watching a group of middle-aged men walking with arms around each other—

Suddenly, I sensed something odd from the corner of my eye.

...In the middle of the line at a food stall, there was a single dip, where one person’s head was noticeably lower than the others’.

He was wearing the same dirty work clothes, but somehow stood out.

A child? No, the proportions were too tall for that.

From the window of the slowly moving carriage, I caught a glimpse of his face as we passed.

A small nose, a delicate chin, a slender neck—and from beneath a deeply worn hat, dazzling blonde hair shone—

“Watch out!”

Suddenly, Lord Cyrus grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Unconsciously, I had leaned out too far from the window. I sat back down with a thump and let out a relieved breath.

“Sorry, thank you.”

“What’s wrong? Was there something that interesting?”

I shook my head.

“No, it just seemed like there was a woman among the artisans. I was surprised...”

I tried to cut off the topic there, but it didn’t work on Lord Cyrus. He pursued the matter with a serious face.

“What is it? Is there really something bothering you?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Are there still things you want to see at the market? If you’re hesitant to tell me, you can tell Wolfgang or Mio... Although Mio is still on vacation right now.”

“It’s okay. Really, it’s nothing...”

Lord Cyrus still looked somewhat unconvinced but fell silent. Then he noticed he was still holding my arm and apologized, finally letting go.

The spot where he had grabbed me stung now. He must have gripped me stronger than I realized.