“Ah, yes, that does seem better than the curse. If that’s what you want, Lorenz, I’ll be in your care for the next year.”
“It’s not a bother at all. Besides, it’s my fault you were cursed.”
“I’ve told you it’s not your fault.”
As petals danced in the wind, hiding their true emotions, the two smiled at each other.
From then on, Sophie stopped holding herself back. Only after letting go did she realize how much she had been enduring. For instance, the dresses she had always worn were uncomfortably tight, and she had hated them. Her elaborately styled hair, adorned with countless accessories, had always felt heavy. She had been so preoccupied with table manners that she couldn’t enjoy her meals, and the constant stream of studies and social events had been exhausting.
She cut her long, light-brown hair, which had reached her waist, to just below her shoulders. Both her maid and Lorenz cried out in dismay, but Sophie felt no regret. She thought it was a waste of time to maintain and braid her hair every day. With her hair now lighter, she felt refreshed.
“Wow! This looks delicious!”
“Can’t you do something about the way you talk?”
“Oh, it’s fine! Come on, Lorenz, let’s eat.”
They were at a restaurant in town, their table covered with desserts. Sophie, dressed casually in a manner unbecoming of a duke’s daughter, had her hair loosely tied back. Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed a cream puff with her hands and took a big bite.
“Ahhh, this is bliss. I’ve always wanted to eat to my heart’s content like this. You know, back then, proper etiquette dictated we could only have a little taste.”
Her ever-changing expressions were so unladylike that Lorenz couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Besides, the corset was so tight, I couldn’t eat much anyway.”
“Yeah, that looked uncomfortable. Why do you have to cinch it so tight?”
“Well, because it makes us look better, and that’s what men want,” Sophie replied with a mockingly exasperated expression as she reached for another slice of cake with her fork.
“Aren’t you going to eat? You secretly like sweets, don’t you? I’ll eat them all if you don’t.”
“If you eat all this yourself, you’ll upset your stomach.”
“In that case, help me finish it. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.”
Even between the two of them, the amount of food was too much. Afterward, they both felt unwell and laughed at their foolishness.
On another day, they disguised themselves as commoners and wandered through the streets.
“I’ve always wanted to try eating while walking. Here, grilled skewers and juice.”
“Don’t grilled skewers and juice make an odd combination?”
“Who cares? As long as it’s tasty. Oh?”
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