#84. What Happened in Kalita (1)
While Sasha was too flustered to say anything, Pavel stepped right inside.
“I heard the carriage was attacked and your clothes were lost. You’re going out to buy some now, right?”
“Ah… yeah.”
“Let’s go together.”
Sasha stared at him blankly for a moment before speaking.
“You must be tired from fighting yesterday and riding all day today. Why don’t you rest? Nina and I can go. It’ll be uncomfortable for you and Nina to go around together anyway—”
“That’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“I just ran into her outside. She said she got busy and can’t come.”
…All of a sudden?
When she left, Nina had been so excited to find a carriage.
“So it’ll just be the two of us. No problem, right?”
Sasha couldn’t bring herself to say I’m uncomfortable with you.
“…Uh…”
She rolled her eyes, and Pavel, arms crossed, looked ready to counter anything she said.
“…Why are you coming? I can just buy the clothes myself. You don’t have to trouble yourself.”
“Of course I do.”
“Of course?”
“Because I want to be with you.”
“…!”
“Sasha.”
He stepped closer and gently took a strand of her long silver hair.
“Let’s go together. Okay?”
All her excuses fell apart.
Of course… because he wants to be with me…
Sasha bit her lip. The more she tried to ignore it, the more openly Pavel approached.
Still unsure how to handle it, she was confused.
So—
“Sasha.”
“…Okay. Fine. Let’s go.”
Hearing what he wanted, Pavel smiled brightly. Sasha only then realized what she’d agreed to, but it was too late to take it back.
Kalita was divided into four main districts around Hildebride Castle. Near the main gate was the commoners’ residential area. To the left was the nobles’ district, including the Volkov family’s townhouse. To the right were busy shopping streets, including Senua Street—their destination.
Senua Street was lined with dress shops and jewelry stores from end to end. Seeing it, Sasha felt a flicker of hope.
With this many shops, maybe I can find something decent…
But—
“Sorry, but all we have is the ready-made clothing you see here.”
Sasha looked over the pieces the shop owner brought, barely holding back a sigh.
Noblewomen like her usually wore custom-made dresses, from fabric to design. Ready-made clothes were for lower nobles or the middle class.
Still, she had no choice but to look—custom orders couldn’t be finished in a few days. The remaining ready-made dresses were all out of fashion and outdated.
“I’ll take that green dress over there.”
After visiting more than ten shops, she managed to find a few passable outfits. They would be altered to fit her and Pavel and delivered to the townhouse by evening.
At least the Grand Duke’s suit had a spare in the townhouse, so she didn’t need to find one for him.
“Ah, I’m tired…”
As they left the shop, Pavel offered his arm for her to take, but she smiled and declined.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m fine too.”
“….”
“I train regularly, so this much is nothing.”
“So you’re saying I’m weak?”
“…Maybe.”
“But you have gotten weaker.”
“Like you used to be?”
A few years ago, when Pavel first learned swordsmanship from her, “weak” had fit him perfectly—he’d been out of breath after the smallest run. Mentioning it made him glare, and she laughed.
“People say men get more tired shopping than women. But with us, it’s the opposite.”
“That’s because I train every day. Want to join me?”
“Ugh, no. I’d have no time to rest and just die from overwork.”
Her mock-disgust made them both laugh.
The lighthearted banter eased Sasha’s mood. Earlier she’d been uneasy, but now she felt more relaxed.
I can’t ignore his feelings forever… but I hope the moment I have to answer can be delayed.
For now, she enjoyed these small, silly exchanges.
“Wow…”
Kalita was truly the capital. Sasha, used to the bleak scenery of the North, looked around like a tourist, marveling at the beautiful sights.
“There are so many people.”
“Looks like something’s going on over there.”
“Where?”
Pavel pointed to a particularly crowded area.
“Want to check it out?”
“Sure.”
They walked over and found the reason for the crowd.
“Magic fair?”
It was a large event held every four years, displaying and selling magical items.
Given the current level of magic, I’m not expecting much…
Magic was rare now, unlike the flourishing magical age a thousand years ago. Still, she was curious about what had changed.
“…Want to go in?”
Pavel had noticed her interest.
“Why not?”
They went in, and while there was nothing special for Sasha, Pavel—raised in this magic-starved era—was fascinated.
“Wow.”
Seeing him enjoy it made the visit worthwhile.
Then—
“What’s wrong with this?”
They heard a distressed voice. A man clutched his head in frustration.
“I need to present this today to get investment!”
People glanced but didn’t step in to help—it didn’t seem urgent to them.
It looked like a magical item he’d prepared for years had broken.
“I worked on this for four years! It was fine yesterday!”
Sasha clicked her tongue inwardly, then found herself walking closer.
From a short distance, she examined the jar-like magical item in his hands. She immediately saw the problem.
There’s an error in the formula.
It looked like part of it had been accidentally rubbed away, disrupting the structure. She knew how to fix it.
Should I meddle, or not…?
She crossed her arms, thinking.
“Why?”
Pavel had come up beside her.
“I’m debating whether to help him or not.”
“That man?”
He gave a low hum.
“What should I do?”
Pavel answered right away.
“Whatever makes you feel at ease.”
“Huh?”
“If helping him now will make you feel better later, do it. If you think it’ll just cause trouble, ignore it.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. Is there anything more important than that?”
His genuinely puzzled tone left Sasha speechless for a moment.
His only standard for deciding… was her.
