Reborn as the Princess' Knight (GL)

Side Chapter: The Rainbow sheep and the Stubborn Gorilla (II).

The night market was full of life, nothing like Natasha's home.

The only thing she could think of a lively place… was the tavern where the drunken men would yell with one another telling their achievements in life, the women they have, and drink till they faint.

Everywhere she would see some vendors happily talking with their customers who were trying to get a bargain like it was some sort of game.

In her place… the people would kneel down and beg over the cold snow, making their knees red, they would continue to beg just to ask for an extra piece of vegetable just to have something on the table.

If not, their husbands would beat them until they learn how to beg better.

"It's really a lovely night, isn't it?" (Lord Vincent) asks Natasha while putting his hand at the back, feeling a little fidgety. It wasn't his first time going around the capital city in a dress and wearing a wig to hide his identity.

But it was the first time that he would be walking with someone other than Kein who knows that he's a man under that dress. "Are you liking the capital city?"

Natasha takes a look and feels a little envious, if she was born in this place perhaps Natasha wouldn't be the same person as she is currently. A hundred times she's walked down to the streets and saw that everything was at peace. "Peaceful. I've walked the streets even at night, there's not much danger. I don't see a thief in sight, the children seem to be well and there's not much beggars."

"Of course, this is the capital city… The beggars are placed on the other side. The kingdom is not as peaceful as many would perceive."

Natasha as an adventurer, would travel to many villages needing their help on defeating a monster or two and when the job would be done she would see empty huts, but still people hang on longer to the hopes that someone would help them. "Yet, life is easier here. Natasha wouldn't mind staying for a while."

Lord Vincent would look onto the capital city with the same perception. It is indeed lovely, the reason he became one of the Knights it was an honor to continue the line of work by the family but seeing the place like this somehow all peaceful, not in a state of barren war and misery would be worth the pain.

"Many people also help, like Lady Kein's side of the family where her father the Baron would fund the orphanage and I heard that the new academic school would be opening soon." (Lord Vincent) mentions Kein in the presence of the girl who was literally trying to move on from her but Natasha didn't seem to dislike hearing all the things Kein has made things for the better of the many.

"Education is a precious thing, the children of your kingdom are lucky to be able to know how to read and write your name." (Natasha) smiles fondly. "That girl is really something, she saved Natasha when Natasha was in the worst position."

"Taught me your language, helped me see things in a better light, and made a living for myself." she would tell him all the things she did for him, a long list it was and mostly she was the one who never forgot the small little things that meant a lot for the winshernian girl.

Lord Vincent would see how Natasha's eyes would sparkle when she talked about Lady Kein. He laughs softly in agreement. It seems that he wasn't the only one the girl helped out when they were lost and in turmoil.

"Natasha owes her life to Kein." She places a hand on her beating chest, a little painful it stings. "Natasha thought her heart would be of value, but it is nothing compared to the girl she likes."

Lord Vincent furrowed his eyebrows hearing the words that came out of Natasha's lips. Pretty pink lips that said so many painful things it made him feel a bit conflicted. "Pardon me but your heart would be worth more than the world to the person who would see you the same, Kein might not be that person but surely someone else is." (Lord Vincent) gracefully dips down a little giving an adorable smile.

"A lot of people in the world, love is exciting isn't it?"

Lord Vincent from his words, it looks like he's finally moved on and is ready to love again.

"You say that but you dare not to confess to the person you liked before." (Natasha) really didn't like cowardly people. In her culture if a man can't even claim a woman for his own, is he even really a man?

"Yes, but I had a good reason. He's happy with someone now and I have no right to be selfish and destroy what we have." (Lord Vincent) explains as they stop by a stall that was selling sweet candy.

"How many would you like?" The stall vendor would ask how many would he like, he raises two fingers and immediately he gives it to him. "Come again!"

"No matter how hurt  I am that he doesn't know a fraction of my feelings, it would be best to keep it all to myself." The tone of his voice was rather dejected but he still did his best to not show it and smiled.

"In my family, keeping quiet to have something not taken away from you... is what keeps you going. That's also a sign of strength." (Lord Vincent) tells Natasha but at this point was it really about the confession anymore?

Lord Vincent would go on to remember how many lies he's made.

How many dresses he has hidden, how many times he tried on makeup while looking at himself in the mirror and how many times he kept quiet about feeling good wearing clothes he knew weren't meant for him.

"Here is a treat, I hope you like sweets." (Lord Vincent) holds out the candied treat that was on a stick. It was an apple covered in sweet melted caramel and sugar. Natasha eyes the sweet treat that was placed in front of her, having a sweet tooth she swallowed the lump forming in her throat and felt grateful.

"Natasha will pay you back."

Lord Vincent shakes his head and tells her to not pay him back.

"I'm already thankful that you're here walking with me. Many people... I would imagine I wouldn't take kindly to what I'm doing." The images of so many of his other friends that doesn't know entered his mind, telling him how much they've lost respect for their superior because he was wearing things like that.

Natasha takes the treat in her hands holding it by the end of the stick. "Natasha may not understand since we've lived in different worlds, she understands why people would not take kindly to what you're doing. People, they don't like what's different from them."

"But you're not all different, I've seen worse people. You just like something others don't like and that's normal." (Natasha) takes a big bite of the candy feeling really happy, at first glance when you would look at her figure you would think she can't make such an expression.

Who knew it would only take a Pegasus and candy to make her smile.

Lord Vincent's ear feels hot and for some reason his heart felt like leaping out his chest hearing those words. "I erm... that's... um..." (Lord Vincent) was a little out of place, speechless he was because those words felt really comforting to hear.

He doesn't know what he was feeling nor knew how to deal with a fast heart beating after all these years. All this talk about their problems with one another... having a few arguments and it was a bit refreshing.

"Ah-" (Natasha) sees that all of her candy is gone and frowns. "Natasha... ate too fast." she mutters sadly seeing that the only thing that was left was a stick.

"Pfft... Hahaha-! You could be cute too, Lady Natasha." (Lord Vincent) compliments her and decides to talk to the vendor once more to buy a few more of the sweets before giving a few to Natasha. "We can eat more while we talk, here we have some more." He still hasn't finished so it was a little funny.

Natasha blinks and gratefully takes the treats in her hands before tucking a loose hair behind her ear feeling a bit shy. "Natasha will pay you back in some other way."

"As I said Lady Natasha, no need to pay me back, being with me is enough." (Lord Vincent) would go on to talk more about their differences and similarities.

Telling her why it makes him happy to wear this kind of clothing and to Natasha's surprise she was actually trying to understand his reason taking everything into consideration.

Boom! Pewww! Crackle!

The sound of the fireworks that were set off in different places could be seen, so many colors covering the night sky as the moon shined its light brightly for the people. Natasha was alert and took out her knife in public.

"Is there an attack?!" (Natasha) grits her teeth looking alert.

Explosives were a sign that someone was under attack and a village would be on fire but Lord Vincent sees that it was just some harmless fireworks from [Sprivanto] ones that were usually used on occasional celebrations.

"No, Natasha put your knife down. In [Sprivanto] they use these explosives for celebrations. They are sort of pretty once you get to see them up in the sky." (Lord Vincent) quickly explained brushing his hand over Natasha's telling her to hide the knife because they were still in public with occasional guards patrolling over the city.

Natasha looks around and sees the people looking over calmly in the sky admiring the view. Everyone was a bit surprised but it seems to be a nice one.

"The royal family is legalizing fireworks to use in our festivals now?!"

"They're really pretty!"

"No you fool! This is clearly illegal and someone stupid enough to set it off would be found out sooner or later."

They were having mixed reactions on what to feel because fireworks were certainly not allowed in [Puronia]. Natasha sighs in relief knowing that it wasn't an attack. Seeing that it was a false alarm and quickly stores her knife back to where it was.

"Apologies, in my country these kinds of things are a warning to hide in your bunker." (Natasha) bluntly says like it was some normal everyday occurrence. "Explosives being used this way is a little pretty, yes, but dangerous."

"Well someone set it off and I wonder who..." (Lord Vincent) will probably never know that it was the first light princess' that set that off as to set the mood while she confesses her feelings romantically speaking.

The two just ate their candy together in peace while watching the fireworks that lasted a few minutes. Somehow... they got closer a bit more after that, saying goodbye felt a little lonely but it was done.