episode_0006

It had been about three days since she started traveling with her. Serin, who had thought of herself as relatively calm, now acted lively as if she had completely adapted to the situation.

“Excuse me, Rian. Can we just watch the clowns over there for a bit before we go?”

“Don’t you want to go back quickly?”

“I do want to go back… but since we’re already out, can’t we enjoy ourselves a bit?”

Her brain quickly worked through her request.

“The answer is probably already decided.”

Normally, rejecting Serin’s request would be the right thing to do, as the Emperor’s patience was uncertain. However, given Serin’s situation of suffering cruel abuse in the palace, the path to truly help her was far from conventional wisdom.

It was impossible to refuse her pitiful request.

“Alright… let’s go together. Just be careful of your belongings. Pickpockets are common in crowded places.”

“Trust me. I’m keeping the money you gave me safe.”

“Make sure to use it when you really need to.”

“…Got it.”

Accepting Serin’s determination lightened my heart. I hoped that this little escape would ease the burden on her mind.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Ah, Rian…?!”

I grabbed Serin’s hand without hesitation, as a preventive measure against getting separated in the crowd.

As we pushed through the crowd, her face flushed with heat. The scene of people jostling seemed unusually hot. Perhaps because of this, Serin found it difficult to make eye contact even when she reached the front.

“Hey, Rian. Is this something you normally do? Grabbing a woman’s hand like this.”

Serin fanned her face vigorously as she made a comment.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m just curious about the frequency.”

“It’s only the second time in my life, surprisingly.”

“Really? And the first time was…?”

There was a strange chill in her voice as she asked about the first time. Her slightly annoyed expression conveyed a sense of discomfort. I recounted the memory with a heavy heart.

“She was a fallen noble lady, serving in the military while enduring the cold winds.”

There was a knightly family known as the ‘Fallen Nobles’. The downfall of this family, once a symbol of ancient power, was inevitable.

Overnight, the sole heiress of the family was burdened with the family’s debts and sentenced to serve in the military until the debts were repaid.

I reached out to the emaciated heiress, offering her a helping hand. So, if we were to rank the order of hand-holding, she was the first.

“Could it be… that I’m asking about a sensitive topic?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’m more…”

Sniff!

I felt sorry for Serin, experiencing a collection of unpleasant memories. Words of apology stuck in my throat.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it, Serin. How about the performance?”

“It’s fascinating and entertaining.”

The clowns, all wearing masks, were showcasing their clever tricks. From juggling as if possessed to contortions defying logic, it was a spectacle worthy of applause.

“You’re wearing a mask too. Even if I barge in, you won’t feel uncomfortable.”

“If you lack talent, you’ll be kicked out quickly.”

“Your face is your talent… or not. Hey, Rian.”

“Why do you say that?”

“We seem to have become quite close, don’t you think?”

“Really?”

My heart skipped a beat at the unexpected truth. So this means we’re actually friends. I’ve never had friends my age before, so I honestly felt happy.

“If you take that back, what will I become…!”

“Let’s do it. Friends. Forever.”

Moved by a sense of gratitude, Se Rin responded immediately, but her expression showed dissatisfaction with the conditions.

“It can’t be forever… It’s just something people don’t understand.”

“Is it not enough?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Are you lacking in friendship tokens?”

It was said that those in power exchanged goods as a sign of friendship. Se Rin, being a princess, believed that she was no different in this regard. But what more could I prepare here…

As Se Rin’s contemplation deepened, she tightly grasped my hand with both of hers.

“Where did you pick up such things?! Why is friendship token even mentioned here! We’re not some street thugs from the neighborhood!”

“Are Se Rin’s parents also street thugs?”

“Seriously, I never even considered something like a friendship token. I’ve never received one in the first place.”

‘It seems that she cannot receive friendship tokens after all…’

She was confirmed to be an outcast in the palace. Whatever journey lies ahead, I will do anything if it’s Se Rin’s request.

“Instead of something like that, just one thing… Just one thing! If you could do that, I would be completely happy.”

“I will listen.”

I shouldn’t have agreed so quickly.

Just 10 seconds after making a manly decision, Se Rin demanded a favor that would make me a liar.

“When we’re alone, can you take off the mask just once?”

“No, I cannot.”

Being rejected so abruptly in the flowing conversation, Se Rin’s eyes lost focus. Soon, she regained her composure and clung to me as if pleading.

“5 seconds would be enough. No, 3 seconds! Even 1 second is fine!”

“I’m sorry. It’s difficult to take off something that’s hard to remove…”

Sometimes when Roderick sees my face without the mask, he shudders. He says that if I show my face recklessly on the street, I’ll be stabbed. He even said that my hair will be full of torn strands.

The exact reason for such a disaster is unknown, but it’s something that cannot involve Se Rin.

“Ugh, making people curious and being irresponsible… Isn’t it uncomfortable to slightly lift it and push it into your mouth until mealtime?”

“I’m used to it.”

“Ugh…”

Se Rin stared at the sky as if she were suppressing her anger. Perhaps at that moment, the street performance in broad daylight was of no interest to her. During that time, I had to concentrate on preventing Se Rin from unexpectedly removing the mask.

Today was a day when the expression “you reap what you sow” shone brightly.

If I had shown even a little interest in the street performance, we could have stayed in a proper inn for the night.

Even if I complained, it would have made me feel better, but Lian didn’t even show a hint of discomfort.

It was an absurd idea, but somehow I felt like I was being sympathized with…

More importantly, the fact that Lian’s identity was so close to the male lead.

Unless it was a miracle of 0.0001% of poor quality, I had marked Lian as the male lead for a long time.

‘The polite tone and the multidimensional aspect of sarcasm are strong evidence.’

Now, if I could just properly remove the mask, everything would be resolved, but that was the most difficult part. I wasn’t suspicious for no reason; I just wanted to admire the appearance that was close to praise.

‘Today, there were more than one or two things that bothered me…’

According to my male lead radar, Lian was indeed confirmed as the male lead. When I see him embracing all kinds of tantrums like the blue sky, it truly seems like the typical mindset of a male lead. The fact that Lian had held hands with a noble lady was a part that made my heart feel ashamed.

‘But what is this about friendship tokens, what is it, friendship tokens! Darn, isn’t it cute?!’

Talking seriously about friendship tokens while trembling. It makes me want to tease him here and there.

Sitting on the ground and daydreaming like this for about an hour, I got up and moved closer to Lian.

“Excuse me, Lian.”

“Yes, Se Rin.”

“Earlier this afternoon, I feel like I relied too much on intimacy, so I’m reflecting on it.”

“Selin did nothing wrong.”

Wow, sweet as honey. Even his voice is sweet, and his demeanor is sweet. He truly was my favorite male lead. Talking to him seems to significantly lower my vocabulary level.

I gathered my thoughts and made a serious proposal to Ryan.

“Ahem, so here’s the thing. Let’s make a deal. I’ll show you some amazing things, so Ryan, can’t you just show me your face once?”

“I’m very curious, but it’s awkward.”

“I’ll even teach you some effective workout techniques. I’ll be your personal trainer. So, please consider it. Okay? Ryan!”

Great value for money!

I’ll show you everything. From a 900-degree backflip to modern strength training!

“…”

Ryan falls silent. This isn’t easy. I didn’t know I would revolutionize the palace with modern workout techniques.

“Oh, I forgot again. You’re supposed to at least experience a sample of this, right?”

“That… seems reasonable.”

His voice seemed somewhat hesitant. But I was already an expert at shattering such prejudices at the core of the system.

“Alright. So, could you come closer and take a look? Don’t worry, it’s not a fluorescent dinosaur.”

“…? I’ll look forward to it.”

I grabbed Ryan’s sleeve and provided him with the opportunity to observe from up close. Taekwondo is a formidable weapon, so starting with a fitness experience would be the safest bet.

“Alright, spread your legs as wide as your shoulders and point your feet slightly outward. Now, you’re going to squat down and stand up…”

The squat, the alpha and omega of lower body exercises, but it probably won’t be anything special.

In this world, the limits of physical abilities are high. So, not only is there no difficulty in exercising with just your body, but you also need to use magic to increase the weight for the exercise to be effective.

“But once you feel the stimulation, you’ll know how great this exercise is!”

I demonstrated the squat a few times. Now it was time to observe Ryan’s posture, but before that, I wanted to hear his impressions.

“Hehe, what do you think? Looks simple, right? But surprisingly… Ryan?”

I momentarily took my eyes off Ryan to focus on the demonstration. But when I looked back, Ryan was covering his eyes with his palm and bowing his head deeply.

“Ryan? Did you see it properly?”

“Vulgar…”

“What?”

“I think it’s vulgar… How can a lady spread her legs like that… as if, as if she’s relieving herself… ugh.”

“Insane.”

In an instant, my vision whitened out. Simultaneously, a ringing sound echoed in my ears, reminiscent of a traffic accident. My mind became hazy, and the world seemed to spin.

Vulgar. Spread. Relieve.

The key words my favorite had conveyed to me in one breath.

It’s, it’s unbelievable. This must be a dream. Yes, we’re all dreaming of flying in the sky.

… Escaping reality for a moment.

I bit down hard on this thought and let out a silent scream.

“Aaaaaaah!!!”

For me, squats were murder.

In a psychological sense.