Chapter 24
After that, Bartholomew came to visit Lucy almost every day.
‘Well… to be precise, he comes to see Cerberus.’
Bartholomew would give Lucy a casual greeting, then spend the entire time Lucy was fishing playing with Cerberus.
‘Does he really like Cerberus that much?’
Holding her fishing rod, Lucy watched Bartholomew and Cerberus.
Cerberus bared his teeth and growled at Bartholomew, yet at the same time he rolled over onto his back, demanding belly rubs.
Lucy couldn’t understand Cerberus’s two-faced attitude at all.
Every now and then, Cerberus would suddenly bite at Bartholomew.
Each time, Bartholomew calmly dodged Cerberus’s teeth, so that Cerberus only ended up biting his clothes instead.
Bartholomew seemed to think even that was part of the game, because he went so far as to tease Cerberus by flicking his coat hem at him.
‘Well, as long as Bartholomew looks like he’s having fun, that’s good.’
Thinking that, Lucy focused on her fishing again.
Her fishing level had risen to 5 before she knew it.
It was still in the negatives, but her stamina had increased quite a bit.
At first, fishing had been nothing but boring to Lucy.
Still, it was far better than being locked up inside the annex.
Even on days like these, perfect for taking a walk, Lucy couldn’t go strolling around freely, so she enjoyed spending time outdoors like this instead.
Fishing was the art of waiting.
When a fish finally bit, a rush of dopamine surged through her.
After catching them, she released the fish back into the water.
Even so, it could still be boring at times.
Like right now.
Lucy let out a small yawn.
“Are you bored?” Bartholomew asked, apparently having noticed.
Lucy nodded honestly.
“Then shouldn’t you just stop fishing?” he said.
“But fishing improves my stamina.”
Bartholomew looked as though he couldn’t understand.
“Didn’t you say that you can move freely when I’m with you?”
“That’s true.”
Lucy took her eyes off the fishing rod and looked at Bartholomew.
“But I can’t always rely on you, Bartholomew.”
“……”
“What if you get annoyed and run away?” Lucy said with a grin.
She had said it jokingly.
Bartholomew replied while stroking Cerberus.
“Then what use am I?”
“Do you only make friends with people who are useful, Bartholomew?”
“……”
“Be honest. You don’t really think of me as a friend, do you?”
Bartholomew fell silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
“What exactly is a friend?”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
“I’ve never had a friend before, so I don’t know what a friend is.”
At Bartholomew’s serious words, Lucy was momentarily speechless.
Never having had a friend, so not knowing what one was…
She had thought that Bartholomew simply didn’t acknowledge her as a friend, but in truth, he didn’t even have criteria for acknowledgment in the first place.
Lucy put down her fishing rod and walked over to him.
She bent her knees and sat down, stroking Cerberus together with Bartholomew.
Cerberus stopped wrinkling his nose.
“There are many ways to define a friend,” Lucy said.
“What are they?” Bartholomew asked, his curiosity evident.
His blue eyes, fixed on Lucy, were calm and serene.
Thinking those eyes were beautiful, Lucy spoke.
“Someone reliable, who makes you feel at ease when you’re with them. Someone you can confide in, and who comforts you just by listening.”
“……”
“You could think of someone who helps you when you’re struggling as a friend, but for me, it’s the opposite. If I feel like helping that person when they’re struggling, then I think of them as a friend.”
“……”
“So? Do I fit even one of those?”
After thinking for a moment, Bartholomew replied,
“What if you do?”
“Then you and I are friends.”
“Which part is it that makes Your Highness think of me as a friend?”
“All of the reasons I mentioned.”
Bartholomew slowly turned his gaze away from Lucy.
He focused on petting Cerberus, but the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
“So please don’t think that I’m calling you out like this because I expect something in return.”
“……”
“And you don’t need to feel pressured to do anything either.”
Bartholomew quietly nodded.
Lucy smiled softly.
“But I’m bored. Would you stop playing with Cerberus for a bit and play with me instead?”
“With Your Highness?” Bartholomew asked, looking utterly unable to imagine what playing with Lucy would entail.
“How about going out together?”
Lucy rode in a carriage with Bartholomew toward the city.
They got off in the shopping district.
Lucy had finished reading all the fairy tale books she’d bought so far.
Her bibliophile level had gone up as well.
‘It doesn’t seem like a particularly useful skill, though.’
Still, since it was a skill, she figured it was better to let it increase.
Now, she needed new books.
Lucy felt secretly excited.
Her intelligence had increased, and she’d diligently read fairy tales—maybe now she could read books at a higher level.
She planned to browse the bookstore and buy every book whose title she could read.
Lucy had already been planning to visit the shopping district soon, and she thought it would be nice if Bartholomew came along too.
Based on her experiences, Lucy guessed that Bartholomew probably hadn’t had much chance to freely explore the shopping district.
Her guess was correct.
Bartholomew couldn’t take his eyes off the unfamiliar city scenery.
Lucy didn’t want to ask if it was his first time.
She simply slowed her pace and let him look around to his heart’s content.
“I’m planning to stop by a bookstore. Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Bartholomew?” she asked.
“A bookstore sounds good to me as well.”
Bartholomew’s only source of entertainment while confined to the estate had been reading books in the study.
Even then, the books he could read were limited, and he had already read all of them.
The same went for the books at the temple, so he wanted to see some new ones.
Lucy led Bartholomew to the nearest bookstore.
They browsed together.
The shop was filled with the distinct scent of books.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating dust floating in the air.
It was a quiet, warm, and cozy place.
Lucy couldn’t read most of the book titles, but she could manage the titles of thinner novels.
As she pulled out the books she could read, Lucy opened one and widened her eyes.
She tapped Bartholomew on the shoulder.
“Bartholomew, look at this.”
Bartholomew followed where Lucy was pointing.
There was an illustration of the author.
“Doesn’t he look like the attendant who used to serve you at the temple?”
Bartholomew’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
He really did look similar.
The only difference was the exaggeratedly long, curled mustache.
“Imagine that attendant with a mustache like this. Wouldn’t it be hilarious?”
Lucy giggled.
The corners of Bartholomew’s lips slowly lifted as well.
He nodded, smiling.
Seeing Bartholomew smiling from the side made Lucy feel inexplicably excited.
Each time Bartholomew showed a new expression, she felt a sense of pride.
“Um, excuse me.”
A bookstore clerk approached the two of them, who were standing close together, examining the author’s portrait.
“Our shop is closing early today, so if you’d like to purchase books, you’ll need to check out now.”
The clerk spoke apologetically.
Lucy nodded, placed the books she’d gathered onto the counter, and asked for recommendations for similar titles, ordering a few more.
Bartholomew also chose a book, and Lucy offered to pay for it as well.
“I can pay for it myself,” he said.
“Please think of it as a gift. I’ve been indebted to you so much.”
“Didn’t you say that friends don’t expect anything in return?”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
“So you’re acknowledging that we’re friends now?”
“……”
“This is a gift to commemorate becoming friends with you. Please accept it.”
Bartholomew didn’t refuse any further.
As Lucy told the clerk that the attendant who had followed her would carry the books, she asked something she was curious about.
“Does this bookstore usually close this early?”
“No. It’s because of the night market being held today—we had to close early.”
A night market.
Lucy’s eyes sparkled.
