“What business do you have with my fiancée?”

I approached and pushed his hand away.

I protectively embraced Bea and lightly brushed her hair, in sign of reassurance.

You’re safe now, don’t worry.

“Fiancée? Heeh? This young lady is way too good for someone like you. To hand her over to me, right…..I’ll give you 20 gold coins. Come now, give her to me!”

He was an arrogant young man with a medium body build.

He was wearing a rather fancy attire. His black clothes were brand new.

One gold coin is about 100.000 yen, so 20 would be 2 million yen (1)……He’s making fun of me.

I ignored him and continued to gently brush Bea’s hair.

Her hair was really soft and thin.

(Dad, what’s with that guy? Is he an enemy?)

Toto was sitting on my shoulder, glaring at the man.

…..What amazing magical powers….She’s releasing as much of an amount as my mother-in-law.

“Toto, stop it. This is a job for them to take care of.”

I said and stopped her.

It would be great to finish this matter with a ‘throwing away punch’, but that would also mean that this place would become an empty lot. Such a magical power that would only result in a major threat for the townspeople, should probably be stopped.

It’s just too scary.

The man didn’t seem to understand what I was saying; irritated, he started to yell.

“Oi! I told you to hand over that woman! You dare to disobey me!? Don’t you recognize these clothes?”

I actually do….You fool, you’ve done it this time…

Enraged, the man was staring at me.

And then, someone tapped his shoulder.

“What? What do you want? I am currently trying to get this woman to……”

He turned his head and what he saw was the town’s soldiers.

Well, when you make a ruckus on the roadside in broad daylight, this is what would normally happen.

“So, what do you want from this young lady?”

The soldiers encircled the man, looking at him with grim expressions.

It’s only natural.

“Furthermore, those black clothes…..You are not from our empire, are you?”

Precisely.

The black attire is exclusively used by the Frontier Count’s Household; it’s a taboo for other people to wear black clothing.

The Frontier Count’s Household is allowing its black knights to wear them however.

In order to avoid mistakes, black has become the distinct color of the Frontier Count’s Household.

The black color is banned for clothes and flags, and since at funerals people normally wear white, it was no problem at all.

Ah, the only exception is Toto.

No one can tell a spirit to follow the men’s rules and she’s basically treated like someone from the family anyway.

Once in a while, an outsider wearing black clothing comes to the empire, causing a major uproar.

……Well, this guy is done for.

“Well, we can thoroughly hear you out at the station. Oi! Take him away!”

Thus, the black impostor was unwillingly taken away…

Black attire fraud….There’s nothing that can be done for these idiots, who show up occasionally.

When we were about to enter the shop again, the soldier called us to halt.

“Wait! I want to hear about the circumstances…..I see……Such a beautiful young lady!”

Grinning, the soldier was looking at Bea.

…….Don’t say?

“So the victim was this young lady……Ze…Zest-sama! Thank you for your contribution!! I’ll go right away to deal with that idiot! Excuse me!”

He ran away, lamenting……What is this? I have a prickling pain in my chest…..

I felt tired.

It would have been better if I would’ve released my stress on that black clothed impostor.

“Erm, Zest-sama…..I’m really starting to feel embarrassed.”

Ah, I was still protectively embracing Bea.

I promptly apologized to her.

“Those two, are they newly-wed?”

“Ahh! Amazing, in broad day light…”

“They’re young after all……”

Yes, I am sorry.

We ran into the shop, attempting to avoid being made fun of for any longer.

But well, after we got inside, Bea started to punch me lightly, her face bright red.

The shop employees were watching all this with tepid eyes. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see them.

I didn’t see them!

Because it was important, I had to repeat it to myself.

The materials the shop keeper prepared were absolutely wonderful.

Since Toto said she didn’t want to change her clothes, they only made some underwear and pajamas for her.

Bea took the opportunity to get some clothes done for herself too, so she was consulting with Tania.

As for me? I was quietly enjoying some tea, while agreeing with them once in a while. Yes, I’ve become a ‘yes-answering machine’.

Finally, the measurements were taken and the design was chosen; the goods would arrive in a three-day time, it seems.

We’ve already received Toto’s clothes.

Because she’s so tiny, the seamstress finished them pretty fast.

We thought about returning to the castle, but it was rather early.

Since we were already there, we decided to go look for a good restaurant or something.

We told the driver and he recommended a good shop.

I left it to him, since I wasn’t familiar at all with the imperial capital.

We decided to go there.

The shop was pretty stylish and it also had a beautiful open terrace.

I had the feeling that any girl would love this place.

Bea’s eyes were sparkling.

We asked for some tea and cookies, and we were now savoring them.

“These cookies are so delicious, don’t you think? What is different about them, I wonder?”

Bea was savoring the cookie with a crunching sound.

She looked just like a squirrel.

Toto was challenging the cookie as well, having no intention to lose.

Yes, you two are mother and daughter, there’s no mistaking it.

I sipped some of my tea, while looking at them. I was completely under their charm.

I thought about how great it would be to have some coffee, but lately, I was starting to feel I was already a part of the ‘black tea faction’.

I was also starting to think about not wanting to return to Japan anymore.

Together with Bea and Toto….If I can be with these two, there’s nothing more I can ask for.

I became a little too serious all of a sudden.

So, to change my mood, I looked around the shop.

This was a rather popular shop in the imperial capital, with refined furnishings and a very good taste.

It was only that this shop was full of women, so I felt a little uncomfortable.

We asked for some more cookies, and this time all three of us started to munch.

Bea was wiping away all the crumbles that Toto was leaving behind.

They act indeed like mother and daughter.

A lot happened, but after we enjoyed the delicious cookies and tea, our mood changed completely into a happy one.

Still, it was really unfortunate that I didn’t knock that black clothed impostor down……

We left the shop and started to look after our carriage.

At that moment, I felt someone’s presence, sneaking behind our backs.

Someone else is looking for trouble?……What idiot is it this time?……

“Beautiful young lady, if you don’t mind, I’d like to invite you to have dinner with me. No, there’s no need for you to act with precaution, you can feel at ease. Certainly, I am a dog type kemonobito, but I’m herbivorous, I won’t eat you.”

He grasped his forehead with one hand and looked upwards…..What’s with that stupid pose?

“Albert, you idiot! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Albert, sit!”

(This dog, can I send him away flying?)

Unfortunately, it was out of question; he was part of the Frontier Count’s Army, after all………

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(1) 2 million yen = 19.307$/17.275€