27 Chapter 27- Going On A Date

Ah! So hot! It’s way too hot! Curse this AC-less world! None of the stupid stores has any AC and I’m burning out here!

I internally complained as I hid behind a food stall on the street. The owner gave me a confused look and I only said that I was taking a short break. He gave me the stink eye and told me to shoo. What a rude person.

I decided to hide in a nearby alley that had a nice cool shadow. I peeked around the corner to see Alex and Prince Leonhardt looking at different stalls that were selling cheap jewelry. Alex would occasionally look around and smile when her eyes caught mine. She was making sure that I was nearby. Seriously, does she think I would ditch her? Well… Maybe I would have, but if I get the chance to see Lady Claudia then I would tail them for as long as it takes!

“But it’s really hot out,” I grumbled as I took off my straw hat to fan my sweat covered face. This clear sunny weather was not good for my albino skin. I have to wear a long sleeve blouse and a long skirt to keep my body from getting sunburned. And they don't keep me cool either. God, this body is so delicate.

Placing my hat back on my head, I looked around the corner to see them moving again. I left the alley and followed a few feet away from them, using the crowd to cover me so the prince didn't notice. I’m sure his knights are also following while keeping an eye on me since they have no idea what my motives were. They deemed me harmless since none has confronted me yet. They’re probably on guard in case I actually do something.

While walking around in the sun for what seemed like hours, Alex finally stopped and pointed to what was a small family restaurant while tugging on Prince Leonhardt’s hand. The prince looked at the building and smiled. The two entered the place and quickly jogged up to the large window, peeking inside.

Yikes! I quickly duck my head down when they sit down at a table by the window. Prince Leonhardt could have spotted me easily. That was close!

Waiting a minute or two, I also entered the building. The host bowed and guided me to a table. I requested a table by the window, just a few seats away from Alex and Prince Leonhardt. I hid my face behind the menu as I glanced at them. I was quite happy that they didn’t enter some expensive-looking place as it would probably be impossible for a commoner like me to enter without a noble escort. The food here was also reasonably priced so I could order a snack while they ate.

I then noticed Alex glancing at me. She gave me a quick wink and went back to looking through the menu. I guess she figured I must have been tired. What a sweet girl she was.

A waiter came to my table and asked if I was ready to order. I looked through the menu and ordered a cold drink with a plate of apple pie. Once the waiter got my order, he reached for my menu. I jerked and quickly asked him to leave it as I might order something else.

He smiled and nodded, placing the menu back down. He said my food will be out shortly and I watched him walk over to Alex’s table. I opened the menu and hid my face, so the prince didn't notice me in case he looked over in this direction. The restaurant seemed to consist of the working class and noble class. As expected of family restaurants in the capital. They reasonably priced their items so both classes can order.

I looked back at Alex’s table and noticed the waiter taking their menus and leaving. Guess they’re done. Alex and Prince Leonhardt began chatting. I wish I could listen in as sitting here alone was kind of boring.

“Your drink, Miss.”

My waiter placed down a glass of lemonade. I thanked the waiter and he maneuvered over to Alex's table with their drinks. I eagerly drank the lemonade and hummed in delight. It was cold and refreshing, just what I needed to cool me down on this unbelievably hot day.

I glanced around the table and caught a pair of odd-looking people sitting a few tables away. They were glancing at my table and Alex’s table. They also carried a sword by their side and they were wearing quite the fancy attire as well. My only conclusion was that they were part of the prince’s secret bodyguards. My guess was confirmed when a waiter bowed to them when they showed him some kind of badge. The waiter immediately left and came back with glasses of water for them and a basket of fresh bread.

As long as they aren’t causing me trouble, then I won’t cause them trouble. I placed my attention back on the heroine and the prince. This was such a beautiful scene. The angelic heroine giggling so cutely and the handsome prince smiling at the girl across from him. I wished I had a camera to snap a photo. It would look so good for a poster with the name Fight for Love and Acceptance right under it. I could probably make bank off of that if I was back in my previous life.

“Your pie, Miss.”

The waiter placed down a slice of apple pie topped with whipped cream. I thanked him and gave him a bright smile. He bowed and left. I picked my fork and dug it. It was delicious. The crunchy crust with the soft apples and the taste of cinnamon. I am actually impressed. I was afraid food would taste bland in this era. Then again, this world is based on a story, the author must have made sure to exaggerate the taste of the food in their written works. Thank god for that or I’d be eating bland meals for the rest of my sad life.

It seemed that Alex and Prince Leonhardt also got their food. They both had some kind of steak dish. The more expensive items on the menu. Prince Leonhardt must have offered to pay like the gentleman he was. If this date played out well, it could boost Prince Leonhardt’s affection points. This was good. Keep up the great work, Alex!

As I ate the last piece of my apple pie, I let out a satisfying sigh. Alex and the prince were still eating, so I couldn’t leave. I just sat there observing them as I absentmindedly drank my lemonade. It started to get boring and I was half tempted to ditch Alex and walk around the city to sightsee.

As I made up my mind and stood up, my eyes caught a few strands of black drills. Wait… could it be? I squinted my eyes at the table that was occupied by a single person in a peach-colored blouse and coffee-colored dress. When she peeked her head above the menu she was hiding behind, I beamed. It was Lady Claudia! Oh my Celestia, she’s actually here! Her clothes were so average looking that I never noticed her.

She was also busy glaring at Alex’s table that she didn't notice me yet. Has she been tailing them for as long as I have? I don’t know, but here’s my ticket to escaping boredom!

I quickly waved the waiter over and asked if I could move over to the table Lady Claudia was at. He said it was alright, so I did just that. I also ordered another lemonade for Lady Claudia since it looked like she didn’t order anything yet.

I waited when the waiter prepared the lemonade first before making my way over to her table. When the waiter placed the lemonade down by Lady Claudia, she gave a confused expression. I hid behind the waiter so she doesn’t see me yet.

“I didn’t order this…”

“Yes, but this kind Miss ordered for you,” said the waiter.

“Kind Miss?”

I poked my head out from behind the waiter and greeted, “Good afternoon, Lady Claudia!”

She gasped, “Reiré?!”

I giggled and sat down across from her. I turned to the waiter and asked, “May we also order a basket of biscuits?”

The waiter nodded. “Of course. I’ll be right back with them.”

I watched the waiter leave and then placed my attention back on the girl across from me. “So, how's your day going?”

“Better before you showed up. Who said you can sit at the same table as the magnificent I?”

I giggled, “You looked a bit lonely, so I thought to keep you company.”

Lady Claudia blushed and looked away. “Who said I was lonely! I was definitely not lonely! I am quite busy, in fact!”

“Stalking the lovebirds, perhaps?” I pointed back to the table where Alex and Prince Leonhardt were at.

“Stalking?! I was merely observing!” Lady Claudia stated. “And it was mere coincidence that I caught them in this place.”

I nodded, pretending like I believed her. “Right, of course. A mere coincidence.”

“Your biscuits.” The waiter placed down a basket in between us and bowed before leaving us.

I reached for one of the soft steaming biscuits and insisted, “Lady Claudia, please have some too. I ordered just for you after all.”

Lady Claudia glanced at me and then down at the basket. She sighed and reached for one too. “I haven’t eaten since this morning, so I’ll accept your generosity.”

“So you’ve been tailing them since the beginning. I’m quite surprised that we missed each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m also following them,” I revealed.

“Is that so? Then that means our encounter here is also not a coincidence.”

“Yes, but I honestly didn’t notice you until I was ready to leave since I was getting bored.” I ate the biscuits and reached for another.

Lady Claudia drank the lemonade I ordered for her and nibbled on the biscuit. “If you were gonna leave, why come to me?”

I smiled, “As I said. I thought I’d keep you company. And maybe keep you from scowling too. You’ll get wrinkles like that.”

Lady Claudia knitted her eyebrows in irritation and frowned.

“Yes, yes, like that,” I pointed out. “Let’s make that frown upside down,” I chuckled.

Lady Claudia sighed as she drank her lemonade. “You really know how to irritate me.”

“I’m just bringing a little fun into your life. By the way, why are you dressed like a commoner?” I forgot that the reason I didn’t notice Lady Claudia was because of her wardrobe. If I didn’t catch her drills, I might have walked right past her table without realizing. I expected her to be wearing some fancy-looking dress that complimented her eyes. In the novel, it was said that Lady Claudia had a good sense of fashion.

“I am going undercover,” she answered. “Isn’t it expected to change my identity?”

“I understand your thinking, but…” I let my eyes roam over her fair skin and neatly kept hair. Whether she changes what she wears, she still extrudes a noble aura. It’s pretty easy to tell that she’s a noble and if someone from the academy saw her, they would instantly recognize her as Lady Claudia. If anything, it would be better if she wore a hat to somewhat cover her face.

“But what?”

I smiled, “Nothing. I think you look very cute in that outfit.”

Lady Claudia glared at me as anger was apparent on her face. “You say I look good in commoner clothes? Are you mocking my noble status?!”

I giggled, “But isn’t that what you’re trying to do, currently? I’m not dishonoring your noble status, Lady Claudia, I’m commenting on your good disguise.” Well… good attempt at a good disguise.

Lady Claudia blushed as she cooled her head. “Oh…” she quickly picked her lemonade and tried to hide her embarrassment by drinking.

I couldn’t stop the light chuckle from escaping my lips. “No need to be embarrassed, I should have used better words.”

Lady Claudia quickly nodded her head, agreeing with me. “Yes. It’s your fault for making me misunderstand. You should have used…”

Her voice suddenly died out as she glanced past my head. Hmm? Confused, I turned around and followed her line of sight to see an empty table. What exactly is she looking at? There’s no one there… wait… There’s no one there!

I turned back to Lady Claudia and we both had the same expression. Alex and Prince Leonhardt had left. I quickly reached into my satchel and pulled out my wallet, but Lady Claudia stopped me.

“No need, I’ll pay.”

“But I was the one that ordered,” I said.

“Doesn’t matter.” Lady Claudia slammed some money into the table and stood up.

The money on the table was more than enough to pay for both drinks and the biscuits. Lady Claudia began to walk away and didn’t even wait for a waiter to come over and calculate her change. Seeing Lady Claudia almost out the door, I hurried after her.

“Tch!” She clicked her tongue as she looked around.

I also looked around, but I could not catch the couple. They must be long gone now. To think that Alex actually ditched me… Well, I shouldn’t be talking since I was about to ditch her.

“Just great…” Lady Claudia grumbled.

“I’m sure we can still find them,” I said. “But while we search, why don’t we have some fun ourselves?” I suggested.

She gave me a confused look. “What do you mean?”

I grinned, “It’s a nice day out. Why don’t we have a little date of our own?”

Lady Claudia had a dumbfounded look. She then recomposed herself, turned on her heels, and walked away.

“Lady Claudia!” I called out. I ran in front of her and stood in her way. “Hear me out.”

She huffed and placed her hand on her hips. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“They are both in the city and probably aren’t far from us. Isn’t it kind of sad that you’re stalking-”

“Observing,” she corrected.

I rolled my eyes and rephrased, “Isn’t it sad that you’re observing Alex and Prince Leonhardt having fun while you're miserable? Cause, I’m sure having a miserable time just staring at a lovely couple being cute together. I want to have some fun too, don’t you?”

Lady Claudia frowned and glanced around the street where people chatted and laughed. Everyone in the city was having fun shopping and eating with their loved ones on this fine day.

“So? What do you say?” I inquired.

Lady Claudia sighed, “Fine. Let’s do what you want, but I’d like to focus on finding Prince Leonhardt.”

I smiled, “That's fine by me. Let’s look around.” I pulled Lady Claudia into a walk. “I haven’t really seen the city since I came here.”

“Is this your first time here?” she questioned.

“Yes. I’ve looked around when I came here with Lady Rium, but that’s from inside a carriage. This is the first time interacting with the shops and people,” I answered.

Lady Claudia smiled, “The capital is a good city. I come here twice a year when the Royal Castle hosts a party for the two princes.”

If I remember, she’s probably talking about the birthday party for Prince Leonhardt and Prince Clovis that occurs in the game. Only the high nobles and the closest friends to the princes are invited. Alexandra was of course invited, being the heroine and all. I wonder if I can get myself an invitation?

“Let’s go this way,” Lady Claudia voiced, as she pulled me down a different street.

It was a much quieter area from the busy main road. I window shopped as Lady Claudia looked around for a pair of teenage blondes. I would sometimes pull Lady Claudia into a clothing shop to have her try out some of the dresses, and mainly to get out of the sun since my skin was burning under my clothes. Lady Claudia would be super annoyed at first but being dressed in fancy clothing made her quite happy compared to the commoner dress she had on. We would also stop by a small café for some refreshments to cool down our bodies. It was actually starting to feel like a date.

Of course, while I had my fun, Lady Claudia was still invested in finding Alex and Prince Leonhardt. For all I know, they might be in some random shop. I looked through a lot of the shop’s windows, but I didn't see them.

“I don’t see Alex and Prince Leonhardt anywhere.” Not like I was actually trying to find them.

“Ugh! Where could that stinky commoner take my Prince Charming?!” she frowned.

I couldn’t help but giggle at her frustration. “They could have gone back to the Academy. Here.” I handed Lady Claudia a cookie.” We stopped by a bakery earlier and I bought a bag of cookies covered in strawberry jam. It was pretty good.

Lady Claudia took the cookie and ate it. She quickly frowned, looking like her expectations were crushed. “It’s alright, not as good as yours though.”

I smiled. So she was expecting it to taste like mine. These are cookies made by the best bakers that could actually open a bakery in the capital. Shocked that my sweets are better. It made me happy that Lady Claudia preferred mine over the professional bakers. “If you like my cookies that much, I’ll make you some on the first day of the week.”

Lady Claudia beamed upon my offer, but then she quickly switched her expression to a frown. “Whatever, I don’t care.”

I chuckled. She really isn’t honest.

We walked around a bit more and we walked far. It’ll be a pain to walk back to the academy. I ate my treat as Lady Claudia looked through the windows of random shops. I also glanced around, seeing if I could catch the heroine or not. I abruptly paused when I caught sight of a girl with bright strawberry blonde hair. Wait… is that… It is…

No, it was not Alex, but Lady Alexis. She just walked out from an alley wearing a brown cloak. What is she doing this far out in the city dressing like that? I watched how Lady Alexis glanced around her surroundings and pulled up her hood before walking away trying to not draw attention. I would like to chase after her, but I do not want to ditch Lady Claudia. I’ll be confronting her with Alex soon anyway, so I’ll stay out of her business this time.

As I was about to turn my cheek, I saw another hooded figure come right out of the alleyway that Lady Alexis came out of. And that’s when it clicked. Lady Alexis was meeting her partner!

The hooded figure glanced around and began to walk away. I quickly walked after them before they disappeared into the crowd.

“Reiré? Where are you going? Have you found His Highness?”

I glanced back and yelled, “Excuse me, Lady Claudia! I promise I’ll be right back!”

I jogged after the mysterious person and grabbed a hold of their shoulder, stopping their movement. They snapped their head back at me, but I still couldn’t see their face that was still covered by their hood.

I gave a polite smile and asked, “My apologies, but may I speak to you?”

The other party was quiet. Then they shook off my hand and bolted.

“Wha-! Hey!” I immediately gave chase, causing my hat to be blown off my head. I didn’t care about that as the other person ran down the street. “Hold on! I just want to talk!” For them to run right away means that they know about me. Lady Alexis must have kept them updated with the people she encountered in the academy.

“If you're running, then you just deemed yourself a criminal!” I shouted, but they didn’t stop. The innocent never run after all.

We ran for a while and the other person jumped into an alleyway. If they think they can shake me off then they’re wrong. I dashed into the empty alley without hesitation. The alleyway was narrow and it was hard to run through. Soon, we came out into a larger and busier street.

I was starting to slow down as my stamina was running low. If I don’t keep up, I’ll definitely lose them in the large crowd. “Someone, please stop that hooded figure!” I screamed out.

Luckily, some kind men stood in the hooded figure’s way. I finally caught up and grabbed their wrist. It was pretty thin, they must be female. My assumption was confirmed when I pulled back their hood to see long brown hair. The girl quickly covered her face with her other hand as she tried to pull away from me.

“There’s nowhere to run now!” I stated.

The girl gritted her teeth and pulled a cloth up from her neck to cover half her face. She must have been prepared if someone caught her. Her grey eyes glared at me as she reached into her robe. Then my eyes widened as my vision was suddenly covered with white. She threw some kind of powder at me. I coughed as I accidentally breathed some in. I hope it’s not something dangerous.

I then felt the girl push me away and I lost my grip on her. I ended up falling onto the main road. I heard loud neighing and people screaming. I looked up and saw a pair of horses rearing up in shock. I panicked as I saw the hooves ready to stomp down and trample me. I was too shocked to move. My body didn’t listen to me even though I knew what could happen. All I did was shut my eyes in fear.

“Reiré!”

Suddenly, I felt my body being tackled by someone. I clung to the person that slammed into me and both of us rolled against the ground. When I felt something soft against my cheek, I opened my eyes and I saw clear blue eyes giving me a look of concern.

I was so surprised to see her. “Lady Claudia?”

“You insolent fool! Why did you sit there unmoving?! Did you want to die!? Do all commoners act like that or is it just because you are brain dead?!” Lady Claudia screamed in my face.

As Lady Claudia scolded me, I looked past her to see the carriage horses being calmed down by their driver. Everyone was gathering around seeing the commotion I have caused. And during the chaos, it looked like my target had escaped. I couldn’t help but sigh. My body was so tense before, but it finally relaxed. I was so exhausted and my mind was completely fogged up.

“Are you listening, Reiré!?”

Lady Claudia was fuming, but I could see it in her eyes that she was worried for me. It made me feel warm to know that she actually cared for me. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My eyes suddenly became blurred and I felt dizzy. Was it just me or was it getting harder to breathe?

“Reiré? Reiré, what’s wrong?” Lady Claudia shook my shoulder and it made me feel nauseous.

I moved my hand to touch my head and felt something. Opening my palm, I saw a blue button. Where did this come from? And that’s when I remembered. When that mysterious girl pushed me away, I pulled on her sleeve. It must have been from her cuff. But that wasn’t my concern. I could feel my heart beating fast and my breathing had become irregular.

“Reiré, your skin is burning!” Lady Claudia voiced. She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped a layer of sweat off my face.

Sure enough, my skin was completely red. Maybe that’s why I’ve been feeling so hot all of a sudden? My head hurts as well and when I looked at Lady Claudia, I could see three of her.

Ah, crap. I suddenly felt my throat tighten, and I could barely breathe anymore. Don’t tell me I’m having a heat stroke? Curse this terribly hot weather.

“Reiré? Reiré!”

Lady Claudia’s worried tone was all I heard before I blacked out from heat stroke.