“A favor?”
“Yes, perhaps you might recall it? A while ago while I was training alone at the gymnasium… Your Ladyship offered me some advice.”
Yelena nodded her head. Of course she remembered. She had pitied him, who was struggling to reach the tip of her husband’s toes, so she had advised him to start by aiming to reach the sole of his shoes instead.
“On that day, thanks to your ladyship, I was reborn.”
“…?”
“If it wasn’t for the advice that your ladyship gave me, I would have already given up my knighthood after being overcome by those feelings of helplessness and hopelessness in the face of that insurmountable wall. Her Ladyship is the benefactor who saved my path of knighthood.”
Yelena was taken aback by this unexpected conclusion and, for a moment, she was struck speechless.
Had it really gone like that?
At that moment, Colin shouted with a voice that was unwilling to concede, “I too have been favored by Her Ladyship!”
“…you as well?”
“Yes. Do you remember, Your Ladyship? Some time ago, you listened to me tell the whole story of what happened 8 years ago while I was in my cups.”
Yelena turned to look at Colin. Of course she remembered that incident as well. He had told her an anecdote about the monster subjugation that took place 8 years ago.
The main content of the story was all praises for her husband, so she had enjoyed listening to the whole thing.
“The truth is that, at that time, I was being bullied by the other knights in my division. The reason for their bullying was because I had a habit of telling the exact same story whenever we all went out for drinks.”
Colin continued speaking with a determined expression.
“However, on that day, thanks to her ladyship listening to my story from beginning to end, I was able to finally satisfy my yearning for someone to listen to me and break that habit.”
“…”
“Thanks to that, the bullying also naturally resolved itself. Her Ladyship is my savior for rescuing my place in the division!”
This side wasn’t willing to back down either.
While Yelena was still dumbstruck, Thomas finally jumped in.
“Hmph, your two stories are nothing compared to mine.”
“What did you say?”
“Milady, do you recall? A while back your ladyship caught me while I was unaware and stomped on the instep of my foot with your heel.”
The atmosphere of the courtyard cooled instantly as Yelena turned to look at Thomas with a disturbed expression. The faces of the two knights standing beside her bore similar expressions.
“Thomas, you…”
“I’ve been having some doubts about his tastes for a while now, but…”
“What? Hold on, it’s not like that! Listen to the whole story!”
Realizing that he was about to create an absurd misunderstanding, Thomas quickly continued speaking with a flushed red face.
“While my guard was still up from that incident, I managed to avoid an attack that came at me as I was walking down a public street!”
“Thomas, is that just how your day usually goes…”
“Ahem! If it wasn’t for her Ladyship, I wouldn’t have been so vigilant on that day and after getting stabbed I would have left this world. Her Ladyship is the benefactor who saved my life!”
While it was the most convoluted and doubtful of their three stories, it was also the most intense.
After some contemplation, Yelena pointed at Thomas.
“Sold to the highest bidder.”
“Hurray!” Thomas let out a joyful shout.
Max and Colin turned to glare at Thomas with a mixture of jealousy and envy in their eyes.
Yelena decided not to punish them for their fight. She felt that things would just be simpler that way.
***
As always, the shopping district was bustling.
Even if you didn’t absolutely need to buy something, it wasn’t a bad idea to take a look around every once in a while to see if there was something that could change your mind.
Or at least that was what Yelena thought as she weaved through the shopping district on her own two legs.
“Other than the store we just left, there are two other places that handle painting supplies. Would you like to head there right away?”
“Hmmm…”
The maid’s words left her lost in thought for a while, but Yelena eventually shook her head.
“No, let’s have a short rest before we head on over.”
In their search for the right paint, they had already been to three stores. Although it had been fun to take a look around the lively arcade, the fact was that her overworked legs were demanding a break.
‘I’ve set my sights too high.’
Finding a blue paint that suited her tastes wasn’t as easy as she had thought it would be. In hindsight, Yelena realized that she should have lowered her expectations.
Was it really too much for her to have set the color of her husband’s eyes as the highest standard?
‘Though it does make sense, where else could I find a shade of blue as perfect as that.’
It couldn’t be helped. If she couldn’t find something she liked even after visiting all the painting supply stores, then she would have no choice but to compromise, for now at least. But in order to take a look at the remaining stores, she would have to replenish her lost stamina first.
“Is there a tart shop nearby?”
Since she was lacking in energy, then she naturally needed to recharge with something sweet.
The maid attending her answered Yelena’s question, “There is one store that is famous for their seasonal fruit tarts.”
“Let’s go.”
Without a second thought, Yelena had the maid take the lead. Among the various types of tarts, Yelena was especially fond of the ones that had thick cream or cream cheese and were topped with seasonal fruits.
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