Chapter 57
“Until now, festivals were nothing more or less than work to me. So even when I saw people enjoying themselves, it didn’t stir any feelings in me. I thought the laughing and chattering had nothing to do with me.”
Claude continued speaking.
“But starting today, I think my perspective will change a lot. If I can’t have such enjoyable times again, I’d feel really regretful. And I’ll never forget today for the rest of my life.”
Claude looked straight at me as he spoke.
‘Ah, thank goodness.’
His face looked more at ease than I had ever seen it.
He was looking at me with a smile that seemed more relaxed than ever.
I felt certain that he was as happy as I was.
I gently lowered the paper bouquet that had been hiding my face.
Whoosh.
At that moment, the wind blew, tangling my hair.
Startled by my suddenly obstructed view, I instinctively squinted.
I waited for the wind to die down and carefully tucked my hair behind my ears.
It was then.
There was something lonely in Claude’s eyes as he looked at me.
‘Ah…’
Of course, it could have been a simple illusion.
Or maybe it was just that he had stepped out of a noisy tavern into the quiet surroundings and wasn’t used to it yet.
But for some reason, it strangely bothered me.
‘And his words about never having enjoyed a festival before… for some reason, they weigh on my mind too.’
It felt like there was some unknown circumstance behind it, making a part of me uneasy.
“It’s almost time for the beautiful produce contest that Estelle is participating in. Are you aware?”
“Of course. If we go now, we can get a good spot to watch.”
“That’s right. So… um.”
I mustered up my courage.
“Would you like to go together? I’ll take responsibility until the very end.”
“Hmm. It seems like a lot of seats are empty.”
“But this is actually a good turnout. In the past, only the participants’ families barely showed up, and it was even smaller than this.”
Claude, looking around the contest hall, murmured with a low voice.
Hearing that, I gave a somewhat awkward smile, trying to explain myself.
“Would you like to go together? I’ll take responsibility until the very end.”
Before parting ways with Claude, I had bravely suggested going together to watch Estelle.
I had asked him if he would like to join.
Even though I had said it, I worried if I was bothering someone busy.
I fiddled with my fingers as I looked up at him.
Soon, Claude, whose mouth had been tightly closed, opened it.
“Shall we?”
It was a positive answer.
And so, I headed to the contest hall with Claude.
But, how should I put it…
Claude seemed a little disappointed.
The Beautiful Produce Contest.
Compared to the hunting contest, martial arts contest, or arts contest, the name was longer, and it sounded like it would be flashy, but the stage was smaller, and there were fewer seats in the audience.
Moreover, even those few seats were largely empty.
He probably didn’t show it, but he must have been disappointed.
‘Still, this is more than before.’
There was a time when less than a quarter of the seats were filled. Now, a little over half were occupied.
And that’s not counting the officials, just the general audience.
‘All thanks to Marcus’s efforts.’
The diverse produce and performances he had showcased in past contests.
Without that, this contest would have long been discontinued due to lack of participants.
‘…And if it had been discontinued, Estelle’s fame stat would have been in dire shape.’
It was a relief that it wasn’t.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Claude that it was thanks to Marcus’s accomplishments that the audience had grown, making this contest perfect for boosting Estelle’s fame stat.
‘It would sound way too wordy.’
Instead, I smiled awkwardly and led him to a central seat.
“You can sit here.”
Thanks to arriving earlier than expected, we could sit near the stage.
It wasn’t the very front, but it was a central spot, and the stage offered a full view of the participants’ faces.
When I tried to sit down, Claude tilted his head in curiosity.
Then he pointed to the side and asked me,
“Isn’t this the general audience section? Why not sit in the officials’ seats?”
“Oh, Estelle said we’d have a better view here. The officials’ section is off to the side and partially blocked.”
At first, I had intended to sit in the officials’ section.
The seats were more spacious, the chairs larger, and it was more comfortable.
Plus, I could go check on Estelle preparing in the waiting room.
But this morning, Estelle had asked me.
She told me not to go to the waiting room since what she had prepared was a secret until she went on stage.
She wanted me to watch her from start to finish without obstruction, so I had to sit in the central general audience section.
How could I say no to that?
Of course, I agreed.
‘And I wanted to capture every moment of Estelle without anything blocking my view.’
Sure, a camera could have helped, letting me blink or look away briefly… but I didn’t have one.
So what else could I do?
I had to capture everything with my own eyes.
Every single second.
I gave Claude a thumbs-up, my eyes burning with excitement.
Then I sat down and looked straight at the stage.
“……I see.”
Claude nodded, somewhat bewildered.
Then he sat beside me, following my gaze toward the stage.
“The Beautiful Produce Contest will now begin!”
Not long after we sat down, the host appeared on stage.
After briefly introducing themselves, the host announced the start of the contest in a booming voice.
“The first participant! Oh, you’re from the neighboring village? Mr. Kepa from Tremang Village!”
From the neighboring village to the farthest village in the empire, participants began to appear one by one under the host’s guidance.
Each introduced themselves and showcased the produce they had grown.
They also explained why they chose the produce and how and where they cultivated it.
“Oh, what’s this?”
“This is wheat. I personally procured it…”
As the contest went on, my anxiety grew.
‘Could this overlap with the produce Estelle prepared?’
From fruits like apples to grains like wheat, participants had brought a wide variety of produce.
Estelle’s turn was last.
I felt like I had already seen almost all the autumn produce.
“Now for the final participant.”
When the host said this, I straightened up, biting my nails.
‘No. I trust our Estelle.’
Even if some produce overlapped, Estelle’s would surely be better.
I straightened up, believing that.
I was preparing to respectfully welcome Estelle’s stage performance.
“The main character always appears last! Please welcome Miss Estelle!”
With the host’s introduction, Estelle appeared on stage, pulling a large cart.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, my heart clenched.
Pink hair in twin braids tied with ribbons, a yellow checkered shirt reminiscent of a chick.
Overalls with cuffs rolled up at the ankles, and rounded shoes.
‘Ah, of course.’
Estelle had appeared exactly like the little farmer I had imagined.
“Cute.”
“What did you just say?”
Oh no.
I had thought it silently, but it slipped out.
I scratched my cheek and gave an awkward smile.
“Ahaha. No, she was just so cute that I couldn’t help it… Whoever sent her this outfit, it suits her so well and is adorable. Right?”
Then I looked at Claude with a coy expression.
Claude, pretending not to notice, played it cool.
“Hmm. It does suit her.”
Ugh. Not being honest.
I smiled at Claude and turned my gaze back to the stage.
