After erasing all the graffiti on the wall, I looked at the clean wall with a refreshed expression.

“Perfect.”

The wall was free of any graffiti.

Today was the day I was going out with the lady.

It wasn’t an event that happened every day. The lady, who usually detested going out, was finally stepping out of the house.

The Empire’s Top 5 Tastiest
“Friend of the Forest.”

It was a restaurant in Hamel, which lacked any notable tourist attractions but was turned into a hotspot thanks to its restaurant. Renowned for its juicy steaks and the fresh harmony of vegetables, today the lady and I were going there.

I had something to tell the lady today. I had been pondering over when to share the happy news. I planned to tell her that I had finally paid off all our debts.

I wondered how happy the lady would be to hear that we no longer needed the newspapers as bedding. I became curious about her expression.

“She’ll be pleased.”

Before heading back to the mansion. I checked the wall one last time for any strange writings.

I wanted to show the lady only good things since it was a rare outing after all.

“It’s clean.”

Whether it was scribblings that said to expel the evil villainess from the village or marks that labeled it ‘the house where the villainess lives’, I thought erasing them would let the lady leave the mansion with a lighter heart.

It could hurt the lady, who was sensitive at heart, to see such phrases.

Although she often cursed and grumbled, she was surprisingly afraid of cockroaches, and if she had a nightmare, she would cry and whine to sleep together.

Protecting the fragile heart of the lady was also part of a butler’s duty.

“A Song of the Forest?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t hear wrong?”
“What if I did?”
“I’ll be sulky.”

The lady, who was greedy for food and could be petulant. She seemed to me like an innocent girl, more so than many other people.

“Ricardo! When did you come!”

A loud voice echoed from the second floor of the mansion. She must be thrilled at the thought of eating meat.

She was like a child begging to go to an amusement park, looking like she would burst into tears if told no.

‘Does she like meat that much?’

I thought she ate it frequently, but it seemed the lady still wanted more.

Now that I had paid off the debt, maybe we could afford meat about five times a week.

We had escaped the life with the negative bank balance and become a sort of new humanity.

We’d remodel the mansion, fix the leaking roof, and hire cleaning staff—a formerly fallen noble who’s now prepared the groundwork for a luxurious aristocratic lifestyle, so buying meat should no longer be a frightening expenditure.

Still, I would have to compromise on the cuts of meat.

But first, I had to replace our cheap tea with something better.

I resolved to visit a tea house first when going to the bustling streets.

“Ricardo!”
“Yes!”
I had to hurry. She would probably start crying otherwise.

***

“You’re late.”

The lady was sitting on the bed, glaring at me.

“Why are you so late!”
“There was a lot of trash outside.”
“Still, you’re too late!”

The lady, impatient and eager to leave, disliked my tardiness. Her arms were crossed and her lips pouted, which I so wanted to pull.

-Intently.

The lady’s villainous gaze shot towards me.

“Ugh.”

I defended myself from a guilt-inducing psychic attack by tugging at the lady’s cheeks.

“Don’t pull on them!”

They were rather soft. I thought they felt like rice cakes.

When pulled to one side, they stretched.

“Don’t pull!”
“Ah…”
“They’re going to rip. Nooo… They’ll rip!”
“They’re soft!”

When stretched to the other side, they expanded in that direction.

“Hoooo!”

After enjoying the satisfying touch of her cheeks, I got hit with a ‘Woosh’ from the lady’s fluffy punch as I held her cheeks. Annoyed and unsatisfied, the lady threw a punch filled with irritation and intent. I dodged lightly and took out two papers from my pocket, and slapped them onto the lady’s forehead.

The lady stiffened like a Jiangshi (Chinese Vampire) and calmed down after smelling the paper.

“Sniff, sniff.”
“It’s the real deal.”
“Huh… It’s really true?”
“Of course, why else would I tell you to get ready?”
“Huh… I’m happy.”

The lady was excellent at switching moods.

She was dressed as a person for the first time in a while.

Her beloved pajamas, which she wore every day, finally went into the laundry basket, and she sat neatly on the bed dressed in a black dress suitable for a ball.

The lady, well-dressed after so long, was beautiful.

“Did you put on perfume?”
“Yeah. Wanna smell?”

The lady flipped her hair and showed me her nape. I felt my face flush with heat at the sight of her bare white skin without hesitation.

‘Insane.’

It was a gesture too overwhelming for a Confucian boy like me.

I turned my head away.

‘I’m going nuts.’

While the lady looked suitably like a goddess of beauty after so long, and I was thrilled to see her,

“Lady…”
“Hmm?”

Um…

“Are you planning to go out looking like that?”
“Why?”
“Because…”

I took out a mirror from the dressing table to show the lady her face.

The lady tilted her head, not understanding what was amiss.

“Why? Too pretty?”

No, it’s…
The lady had mistakenly applied makeup as if she was in a Japanese period drama.

With thick eye makeup.
Smears of lipstick.
And cheeks overly painted in red.

She seemed excited for the rare outing and had applied a bit too much on her face.

Like an elementary student who had covertly used her mother’s makeup.

I wiped Olivia’s face with a makeup removal pad.

‘Pfft,’ she grumbled with annoyance. I wiped off the lady’s makeup to preserve the dignity of the nobility.

“You’re too beautiful. I’m afraid if you go out like this, you’ll be harassed.”

“Really? Did I apply too much strength?”

“Yes, it’s a bit too much, and in many ways, it looks dangerous.”

“Is that so?”

The lady smirked, basking in the compliment about her appearance.

“Hehe. Please make me look pretty.”

Olivia looked at me with a foolish smile.

I couldn’t help but adore her.

Having corrected the lady’s makeup at numerous balls, I was accustomed to makeup. I had often tended to the lady, who in the past had swept up young ladies by the nape at balls looking like a warrior with her makeup removed.

I began to naturally correct Olivia’s makeup.

Not too strong.
Not too soft.
I finished the makeup in the style she liked.

I held up a mirror to Olivia’s face.

“Oh…!”

Olivia, with puffed cheeks, alternated her gaze between the mirror and me. She seemed satisfied, giving me a thumbs up and a contented nod.

“Beautiful.”

“It’s because your natural beauty is already there.”

“Heh…”

The makeup was not too heavy. Olivia, with red tint on her lips, smiled demurely.

The preparations were complete.

I crouched down with my back to the bed.

“Now. One, two, three…!”
“Heave-ho.”

Olivia expertly climbed on my back.

It felt like just yesterday when she was too embarrassed to be carried on my back, but now I felt warmth from the lady’s habit of trustingly entrusting her body to me.

We had reached a point where we could rely on each other’s backs, and that made me feel good.

I heaved Olivia onto my back and joked with her.

“Oof, you’re heavy.”
“That’s a lie.”
“It’s true. You haven’t been secretly eating chocolate, have you?”
“…Am I really that heavy?”

I teased her, but I felt like I had uncovered a secret I didn’t want to know.

The lady, trying to change the subject, hastily searched for another topic.

“Is the weather nice outside?”
“You’re banned for a week.”
“…Sorry.”

I wrapped a carrier around the waist, and we headed out.

***

We attracted a lot of attention.

Carrying a fully grown adult on my back was bound to draw the eyes of the townspeople.

“Mommy, why is that lady being carried?”
“Maybe she’s uncomfortable walking.”
“Where does it hurt?”
“Even mom doesn’t know?”

The overt stares made the lady hold my neck even tighter.

“Gah! Lady. I can’t breathe. Breathe!”

“Shh…”

Olivia was feeling embarrassed.

It was shameful to have a sore body.
All the conversations she overheard felt like ridicule directed at her.

As we moved further from the mansion, the lady became increasingly quiet. Despite wearing a hat with a deep brim, she was so jittery that she only looked at the ground.

“Heave-ho.”
“Am I heavy?”

The lady whispered in my ear in a faint voice that sounded nervously dark.

“No. You’re so light I hardly notice I’m carrying you.”
“That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s true.”

She felt lighter than the sword I usually carried.

I couldn’t tell if it was because I was so happy to have an outing with the lady after a long time or something else, but I felt surprisingly strong today.

If I wanted to leave Olivia with good memories, it seemed that she would only remember how many bricks were on the ground if we continued like this.

I changed our direction to the restaurant instead of heading to the tea house.

I decided to break the awkwardness by sharing an old story as we walked to the restaurant.

I wasn’t sure if it would amuse her, but I hoped it would help Olivia relax.

“Do you remember when your shoelaces broke at the Royal Academy? I had to carry you back to the dorm.”
“Right.”
“You were really heavy then.”

– Thump –

Olivia delivered a punch.

“It hurts.”
“I hit you so it would hurt.”
“Puhaha… Where’s a spot to hit such a lovable butler.”
“There are plenty.”

Olivia buried her face in my back.

The continual attention of the people was overwhelming, and she was thankful for the playful butler, so she pressed her face into me.

“We’re not turtles, why are you hiding in my shell?”
“I just want to be a turtle now.”
“Puhaha…”

The shy lady peeked through the bustling area shielded by the butler’s wide back. A turtle curious about the outside world, yet burdened by the stares of the people.

As her nerves slightly eased, she slowly began to look around.

“Oh…”

Olivia found the bustling scene of the town fascinating, having not seen it in a long time.

New buildings had risen.
Some familiar ones had vanished.
Buildings laden with memories remained as they were.

Olivia slowly relaxed.

During her Royal Academy days, she would come down to the manor to snack, and she even splurged on outfits from ‘here to there.’ A fond and somewhat nostalgic patina of memories vividly crossed her mind.

“Look over there.”
“Do you mean the cotton candy?”
“We used to buy it there all the time.”
“That’s right. It’s been so long.”

Olivia mustered the courage to speak.

“What if we buy some cotton candy after we eat?”

I answered heartily.

“Sure.”

The destination at the center of the bustling area came into view.

The restaurant was still bustling, even late in the day. I took out the meal ticket from my pocket and told Olivia to hold onto it.

“Show this to the waiter when you see them.”
“Okay.”

Malik had said.

-This is a special ticket, show it to the waiter, and you can get in without waiting in line. It’s an expensive ticket, so don’t be stupid and wait in line, go straight in.

-Oh…!

The bustling restaurant.
We slowly made our way into the shop, cutting through the long line.

“Excuse us.”
“Sorry.”
“Pardon me.”
“Sorry.”

Pushing through the massive crowd with Olivia and me, I spotted a waiter in the distance and called out loud.

“Over here! Lady, wave your hand!”
“Uh… Uh!”
“Manager~”
“Here… Here!”

Suddenly, somebody grabbed us.
I stopped walking and turned my head.
Behind Olivia and me stood a familiar person.

“Ha. What is this?”

Annoyance filled the voice.
A voice thick with disgust.

“What are you doing here?”

A man with green-hued hair.
Ruin was standing there, looking at us.