Chapter 16: Mid Autumn Festival - Part 1
It had taken Irene a lot of time to convince the old Duke to send her out. Duke Seymour had been adamant about not letting her leave the mansion on the pretext that she was yet to recover. Her body was still weak, and she could not handle the festival's excitement. But Irene had requested him, pleaded with him even, forcing out her puppy eyes to break the man's unwavering heart. Eventually, unable to see his daughter's heartbroken face, Seymour relented.
Irene looked back as she glared at the two men following her silently. Though her father had agreed to her request to go to the festival in her state, he had also ordered two guards to accompany her and Reyna. He did not allow even one word of protest, compelling Irene to give up.
The guards looked at each other in confusion before they stared at her innocently. They had no idea why she was glowering at them when all they were doing was following their master's orders. They blinked at her, and Irene lost all her ability to blame them after seeing their innocent eyes.
'Ah, that was my get-my-things-done face.' She cursed silently before she continued to walk with Reyna, who at that moment was busy admiring the colorful street in front of her. Although it was not the first time she was walking around the streets during the Mid Autumn Festival, she was still excited and eager to experience the festival with full vigor.
Irene was pulled in by her enthusiasm and she too became thrilled at once, forgetting the two annoying bodyguards who were enjoying the festival secretly. They walked on the street that led to the kingdom center, observing the various stalls around them.
"Milady, the Mid Autumn Festival will start officially in an hour or so. His Majesty, the King, will address the people first before the festival begins." Reyna explained, keeping in mind that her Lady had forgotten everything.
"Interesting. Who is the King of Rothnia?" Irene asked, her eyes sparkling in delight while Reyna's smile slipped momentarily. Irene was too busy admiring everything around her to notice it, and Reyna had been careful enough to quickly return to her usual self.
"Kieran Allendale," Reyna answered and bit her cheek.
"Kieran Allendale? That's a nice name. He sounds powerful and intimidating. How is he as a king?" Irene queried as she looked at the shop selling dresses at an affordable rate. The shop was filled with ladies as they haggled with the owner to buy the dresses of their choice.
"He is powerful and intimidating, Milady and extremely vicious," Reyna commented, and Irene's head snapped towards her at once.
"Vicious? Why do you say so, Reyna?" Irene's face scrunched in confusion, and she gave her a puzzled look, urging her silently to continue. "Did he do something evil?"
"This is what the people of Rothnia say about him, Milady. It is said that he was not as ruthless as he is now. An unfortunate event in the past turned him cruel and heartless." Reyna revealed, and Irene's confusion increased all the more.
"Do you find him vicious too, or are you too following the herd blindly?" Irene looked at a group of girls holding a weirdly shaped candy in their hands, and her eyes sparkled. Even before Reyna could reply to her previous question, Irene wrapped her arm around hers and pointed toward the candy. "Reyna, what is that?"
Reyna's eyes followed her finger, and her lips widened in an excited smile. "Milady, that is rock sugar candy." Reyna immediately licked her lips, which Irene did not miss, and she smiled knowingly.
"Shall we buy it? I want to know how it tastes?" Irene pulled her gently with her while the two guards followed them closely lest they should miss them in the crowd.
"Milady, do you want to eat it?" Reyna was flabbergasted at her interest in having it.
"Why? Should I not eat it? Is it inedible?" Irene was confused and she stared hard at the colorful rock sugar candy. This was the first time she had seen something like this, and she wanted to taste it.
"No, no, Milady. You should. You should." Reyna did not hide her joy and she nodded at her fervently. "You must try it. It is sweet to taste." She licked her lips at once and looked at the colorful sticks in the stall.
"Then, why did you stop me before?" Irene waited for the people before her to finish buying what they wanted.
"Milady, that is because you never..." Reyna shook her head, her lips losing her smile.
"Did I never eat this in the past?" Finally, Irene caught onto the meaning and pointed at the sugar stick, her eyes widening in disbelief, and Reyna confirmed them by shaking her head again. "Why? Am I allergic to it?"
"No, no, Milady. You just did not wish to eat something so cheap and easily available." Reyna kept her voice low not to annoy the stall owner. He was almost done with the couple in the front, and soon, it would be their turn.
"Was Sylvanie an idiot? She must be. Otherwise, why would she not enjoy her life?" Irene mumbled under her breath. But Reyna heard her clearly.
"Milady?" She gave her a confusing look, making Irene chuckle in embarrassment.
"I was scolding my past self. How could I be ignorant and stupid?"
Reyna did not get the opportunity to refute her words, for it was now their turn at the stall. "What flavor would you like to have, Milady?" The stall owner did not miss the elegance and exquisiteness of the dress the woman in the front was wearing, and he immediately realized that she was an aristocrat. He was especially respectful towards her, and Irene, for a moment, went blank on seeing his behavior.
"Milady," Reyna nudged from the side, waiting for her to choose.
"Which flavor is the best?" Instead of asking the stall owner, she asked Reyna, and the girl was touched to find out that her Lady was asking her opinion, which had never happened before.
"Milady, raspberry, grape and cherry are good," Reyna suggested.
"Then, give two of each flavor she just said." Irene did not hesitate to buy them, for she too wanted to taste the different flavors. "Which flavor do you want?" She then faced the two guards who were keeping an eye out for danger behind them. Her question startled the two men, and they stared at her dumbfounded. "Well, tell me," Irene spoke again, bringing them out of their trance.
"No, no, Milady. Thank you for asking. But we do not..."
"Why?" The man did not even have time to finish when his Lady interrupted him.
"Milady, it is too sweet for us. We are not comfortable eating it." The other guard spoke, coming up with a valid reason at the last moment.
Irene gave him a mysterious look, skeptical about his words. But eventually, she gave up persuading them. It was true that some men did not have a sweet tooth and they disliked sweets.
The two guards sighed in relief and looked at each other in wonder. They were still shocked to think their Lady had even considered them when buying the candy stick. This had never happened in the past, and her gesture touched them incredibly. Like the other servants, they too started to like their Lady without her memories. At least she was not demanding and arrogant like before.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone