I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 33
CHAPTER 33
‘Is it right?’
I stretched my neck a little more to get a closer look.
But the distance between where the royals were and where the commoners were was quite far.
Also, because people were moving around here and there to get a better view of the ceremony, I couldn’t confirm properly.
‘Isn’t it?’
I furrowed my brows.
It honestly couldn’t be someone I knew.
How much time had passed since then?
It had been such a long time that even if it were a human, or rather any living being, it would have been customary to have died by now.
‘They must be someone who looks similar.’
No, their appearance wasn’t something that would occur twice in this world. They were probably just someone with a similar appearance.
‘But it’s strangely unsettling.’
Yeah, it felt like someone was following in their footsteps, step by step. But that couldn’t be true. I had felt this unsettling feeling in my past life too.
‘Should I check?’
Yeah, let’s go. It’s better to do it than to keep feeling this way, and it’s better to confirm cleanly rather than to continue feeling this way. Besides, the ceremony was about to end.
“This year too, may Pandelion and the Temple of Detmé prosper eternally in peace!”
A thunderous cheer rang out as the High Priest, energized by the new holy relic, finished his words. Alright. I had been sitting for a while, so I slowly got up as people began to move. And that person also stood up.
“Sister, where are you going?”
After patting Arkin’s head, who was trying to hold onto me, I quietly started walking.
‘Ugh, it’s crowded.’
The Temple of Detmé wasn’t small. But because both nobles and commoners gathered, it couldn’t help but be crowded.
“Hahaha, that’s why I’m saying!”
“This year’s wheat harvest will surely be abundant, so we should expand the warehouse in advance.”
“Just a moment! Excuse me!”
‘I might lose him at this rate!’
It wasn’t easy to follow one person through the crowd.
‘Where is this?’
I was standing alone in a strange place.
Blink, blink. After blinking for a moment, I glanced back.
‘There’s a temple over there, so is this a garden? But there are too many trees for that.’
Oh, Lady Saila said the Detmé temple was connected to the forest.
‘Then this must be a place connected to the forest.’
That’s right. There’s a fence over there to keep people from going in. But that guy went over there earlier. It was only now that I noticed there was a fence because he had disappeared into the forest so naturally.
“Hmm.”
I approached the fence. The white fence, suitable for a temple, was as high as an adult’s thigh.
If one wants to, there’s nothing they can’t overcome. But the height was too high to pass by as if there was nothing there, just like that guy did.
“….”
I glanced at the fence once, and then at the direction where that guy disappeared.
“Your Highness.”
What?
When I turned around, there was a girl about my age standing there.
“That’s a restricted area.”
“Ah.”
I nodded, unconsciously taking my hand off the fence where I had placed it.
“Thank you. Lady, um…”
“Lady Floyd. Milia Floyd of House Floyd.”
When I hesitated, not recognizing the name, she bowed slightly. Her red hair swayed following her gesture.
“Oh, you’re a daughter of the Floyd family.”
I was already getting a suspicious look from Marquis Floyd. There’s no need to stick around with someone from the Floyd family.
“Thank you for letting me know, Lady Floyd. Well then, I should go back to the temple now.”
I smiled and took a step forward.
‘Huh?’
I got stuck.
Wasn’t she just standing slightly to the side a moment ago?
As I turned to avoid Milia, swish!
Milia swiftly blocked my path again.
What’s this?
Blinking my eyes twice as I got blocked twice, Milia smiled innocently as if she knew nothing.
She just blinked her eyes innocently, without saying a word.
Then, I heaved a sigh and asked.
“Do you have something to say to me, Lady Floyd?”
“I have nothing to say! I’m just glad you recognized me, Your Highness!”
She didn’t say it. She showed it through her actions.
Milia confessed with a small voice, looking genuinely happy while smiling widely.
“I came because I wanted to talk to you, Your Highness.”
So she followed.
“So what do you want to say?”
I asked quickly, wanting to hear and then send her away, but there was no answer.
She just blinked her blue eyes, stared at me, then raised the corners of her mouth.
“You don’t remember me, Your Highness.”
Milia greeted me again.
But unlike the formal greeting earlier, this one was a casual greeting between friends.
“Let me greet you again, Your Highness. I’m Milia, your closest friend.”
“Friend?”
I had a friend like that?
Wow.
“Yes, um, sorry, but I was your closest friend, Your Highness.”
Milia continued with a smile.
But despite her smiling mouth, her blue eyes were scanning me slowly.
“We used to have tea parties together, and we even went to the villa.”
She even glanced at me sneakily.
See this?
“Your Highness even bought me a dress as a gift.”
“Ah…”
I bought a dress as a gift?
A dress??
Suddenly, before coming here, Betty’s words came to mind.
“Your Highness, you only have four dresses. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. Even the most recent one was made last year.“
And when I regained my memory, the only food in the palace was a pile of sprouted potatoes.
So I gave her a dress.
Me, who had nothing to wear or eat.
‘It’s really strange.’
Was my money going to be spent on Floyd dresses while Baron Dean scratched away at it?
“It seems so.”
I smiled broadly.
“From Lady’s words, it seems like we were close.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Seeing that I believed her words, Milia nodded.
“Besides, you also gave me a necklace as a gift. But I couldn’t wear it often.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, well, it didn’t really match the dresses I usually wear.”
Saying that, Milia glanced at me to check my reaction, then smiled sneakily.
“Do you understand, Your Highness?”
It was a question asking if I was okay, but it wasn’t meant that way.
It was more of a command for me to understand.
I smiled faintly, squinting my eyes slightly.
“Well, yes. That’s possible.”
Yes, it’s possible.
If you receive a gift that doesn’t suit you, you might not be inclined to use it.
Yeah, I understand.
But, I don’t understand the character who speaks it out loud.
“Be happy! I knew you’d say that, Your Highness.”
Milia laughed brightly and then discreetly linked arms with me and exerted some force.
‘Ow!’
It was so painful that my eyes squinted involuntarily. It felt like she was scratching me with her nails.
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it, when I just regained my memory, weren’t there strange marks on my forearm?
‘That was the nail mark.’
“I was very worried. You said you lost your memory, so I thought you forgot our memories together, too?”
Saying that, Milia rested her head on my shoulder.
“But still, you haven’t changed. You’re still my closest friend.”
A self-assured smile.
It was a face that naturally expected my approval.
‘Hmm.’
I smiled gently.
“You’re rude, Lady Floyd.”
“What?”
“You’re rude.”
I pushed Milia’s forehead with my finger. Milia froze as if surprised.
“Lady Floyd must be young and doesn’t know manners yet.”
I continued to stare at Milia while still smiling.
“First of all, I’m not Lady Floyd’s friend. I don’t know if we were close in the past.”
I briskly brushed off where Milia had grabbed me, making a loud noise.
Milia’s face stiffened at that action.
“But it’s not now, is it? I don’t even know who Lady Floyd is.”
“But, Your Highness. We were close friends-“
“And.”
I wiped away the smile that was about to hang on my lips.
“Who dares to touch a noble’s body first?”
As I stepped forward, she flinched and stepped back half a step.
“I already know that the Marquis Floyd is a high-ranking nobleman with imperial connections.”
But.
“Even so, that doesn’t give you the right to freely touch the body of a noble.”
Milia bit her lip and couldn’t say anything.
Because everything I said was right.
“Lady Floyd.”
I smiled again.
“I hope you know your place well. If you make a mistake and cross the line, you might get hurt badly.”
It’s like hitting the back of my hand like the executed Baron Mer, right?
Don’t you think?
Milia’s face turned red with anger.
“Oh, and do you happen to know Baron Leold Dean?”
“…I do.”
A much rougher voice came out than before.
Well, she couldn’t not know.
“But why do you ask about Baron Dean?”
“Oh, that’s it.”
I sighed deeply.
“It’s said that Baron Dean touched some jewels while embezzling money from the royal family.”
“…Oh.”
“Oh, and among them was a precious necklace that His Majesty the Emperor had given if I remember correctly.”
Milia’s body trembled slightly.
“…Do you happen to know what kind of necklace it was, Your Highness?”
Her voice had softened considerably compared to before.
Her blue eyes were shaking.
Ah, as expected.
“It was a beautiful pearl necklace.”
“…!!”
“Why are you like this, Lady Floyd?”
I smiled, but Milia’s face froze coldly as if there was something stuck in it.
“You don’t look very well.”
“Well, I, I seem to have forgotten something. I apologize first, Your Highness.”
After hesitating for a moment, Milia bowed her head and quickly disappeared towards the temple.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue.
I was just trying it out, and as expected.
‘I wonder where this damn Baron Dean has hidden his guts. Did he stash them away with the Floyd family?’
Stashed them with the Floyd family?
This is annoying.