Emilia Pov
"We're going on a date."
The instant that I heard those words come out of Hadrian's mouth, I had the sensation that I had been struck by lightning, and for some time after that, my body felt as if it had become paralysed.
But after that, I quickly responded to make sure I hadn't misunderstood what I had heard.
"what... what are you talking about?" I questioned.
"Yeah, just like I said a moment ago, we're going to go on a date for the entire day."
Hadrian said this to me while he gave me a slight smirk, and it appeared as though he was making fun of me.
After that, I took a few slow, deep breaths and focused my attention on slowing down the rate at which my heart was beating, which was extremely fast at the time.
"It's up to you, and I don't care if the later mother finds out about this, so don't drag me into it."
I said it in a low voice, but my expression was much calmer this time. However, right at that moment, Hadrian, who was sitting next to me, said something.
"The journey to the Raupe's residence served as a warning right from the beginning, as things would become more interesting and dangerous as Alice headed to the next place,"
After listening to Hadrian's words, I found myself unconsciously adopting a more solemn appearance.
"Yeah, I know that, but isn't it still dangerous to leave Alice alone with just Sascha, Sucht, and a few soldiers?"
But then, when we started to get serious about what we were talking about, Hadrian suddenly laughed while looking at me.
You seem to have underestimated both of them, especially Sucht. Who do you think ordered Sucht to come this time?
When I heard that, it did surprise me a little bit. However, I do agree with what Hadrian had to say.
Even so, I'm still a little worried, but for the time being, I'm trying to keep my thoughts from going too far in that direction and instead focus on looking forward to the date that Hadrian meant.
Obviously, this does not mean I am happy or excited about it. Instead, it simply means that...
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Following our exit from this residential area, the carriage in which we were riding continued our journey through the streets of the capital city.
And yet again, I was taken aback by the breathtaking beauty of this city when I got a better look at it from up close.
For one thing, the city is spread out over a vast area, and for another, the city's architecture, landscape, and people are all incredibly stunning and fascinating.
Even though I've seen it quite a few times, this is the first time that I've really paid attention to it and made an effort to enjoy it.
Unconsciously, as I looked out the window, a beaming smile spread across my face, and I felt a surge of joy.
Soon, I would be able to see the area that is designated for buying and selling in this capital, and of course, due to the fact that the site is also extensive, this location is automatically quite crowded and very lively.
Hadrian gave me an order as soon as the carriage came to a stop next to a reasonably busy street and handed me a black cloak that was not very long.
"We've arrived at our date place. You can put on this cloak before going out."
At first, I was a little confused, but then I realised something, and without waiting very long, I put on the cloak that Hadrian had given me right away.
Because the black cloak wasn't too long or thick, it still blended in with my clothes and didn't cover my entire body.
I could see that Hadrian was also dressed in the same cloak, but it was white in colour. Of course, the white cloak also fit him very well and added to the mysterious atmosphere he created.
Then, Hadrian moved closer to me while extending his hand to pull the hood on my black cloak, making me appear even more mysterious than I already was.
After that, we alighted the carriage, and Hadrian assisted by taking my hand as we walked down the steps.
And contrary to what I had anticipated, the pedestrians' reactions around the street were neither overly dramatic nor more than a little bit surprised.
That can't possibly be because of the cloak I'm currently wearing, can it? Because I believe that the symbol that has been engraved on the carriage is sufficient to make them recognise the two of us as individuals who are related to the palace.
However, when I turned around to look behind me, the carriage I was riding in appeared to have changed slightly. Although it retained its luxurious and majestic appearance, the symbol that had been engraved on the side of it was no longer visible.
With that, I just sighed. It's natural that these passersby only showed a slightly surprised expression because I'm sure they must have thought that Hadrian and I were just ordinary nobles who decided to stroll around this area.
When Hadrian noticed that I was being quiet, he immediately pulled my hand as we walked towards the market, which appeared very crowded.
My heart, which had been beating more steadily, started beating more rapidly when the two of us walked hand in hand for some reason. In addition, I felt an odd sensation somewhere inside of me during that time.
"why have you been keeping your head down since earlier? Here, let me lend a hand..." After that, Hadrian stood in front of me, grabbed both of my cheeks, and attempted to force me to look at him.
"Listen... put other concerns out of your mind for the time being because today is going to be filled with excitement and good times all the way through the day."
Hearing that, it was as if the world had stopped moving, and the voices that had been very lively around me disappeared. Even the people that had been around me seemed to have disappeared, leaving only Hadrian and myself in front of me.
"Do you understand?"
Afterwards, I fixed my gaze squarely on Hadrian's face and smiled as broadly as I could muster, followed by a slight nod.
Hadrian appeared satisfied with my response and started to take my hand once more before we continued walking forward.
Even though it seems like a lot of people are in this market, people are avoiding getting too close to Hadrian and me for some reason. This has created a sufficiently large space for us to walk forward without encountering any obstructions.
People didn't find the phenomenon to be strange, and as a result, they unconsciously maintained a distance of about two meters from Hadrian and me.
Hadrian took me to a shop on the side of the road that sold cakes with a variety of toppings on them. The owner of the shop was initially a little surprised, but he then smiled and politely made our cake orders.
Hadrian and I walked out of the shop, each of us carrying a cake in our hands.
This cake is a little different from the cakes I usually eat at the palace because it has a crunchy consistency, a conical shape, and a variety of sweet toppings so that it can be eaten directly without the need to use a spoon.
When I was eating this cake and trying not to get my clothes dirty, Hadrian, who was sitting next to me, suddenly made a comment that caused me to blush a little bit.
"I had no idea that you could make such a cute expression while eating a cake."
"Who cares about little things like that..." I continued to eat the cake in my hand without paying attention to what he was saying, and as soon as I took a bite, a smile broke out on my face because of how delicious it was.
And now that I'd reached the point where my heart was satisfied, I started asking impatiently, "Where do we go from here?"
Hadrian, observing the excitement on my face, simply gave me a reassuring smile and said, "you should thank me because we left so early so that we have plenty of time to spend the day."
After that, we started walking to many exciting places, many of which I had never seen before, even though most of the places we visit are related to food or drink.
But even so, I can say that I am totally satisfied... huhhh, if only things like this could happen every day, but I doubt that this is even possible...