I changed into the gifted clothes and gazed at myself in the mirror, lost in worry.
The sudden deluge of gifts made me wonder if someone had commented on my shabby, impoverished appearance.
I had, in fact, once ventured out bundled up like an Eskimo, swathed in a thick coat, fur boots, and heavy gloves. It was a desperate attempt to stay warm, but someone must have witnessed it and tattled.
‘Is he embarrassed to be seen with me, so he bought these as a subtle hint?’
The possibility wasn’t zero.
I turned to my excellent makeup artist maids with a determined expression.
“Make me look fierce. Like the Refund Sisters*.”
“Princess, that doesn’t suit you. But I’ll try…”
The maid reluctantly applied intense makeup, and I was shocked by my resemblance to a metal band guitarist.
“When the other maids do it, it looks alluring and sexy, making people want to offer their body and soul.”
“Everyone has their own unique style. A little liveliness is enough for you, Princess.”
Anticipating this, the maid smiled as she vigorously wiped off the makeup with cleanser.
“Actually, your natural self is the most lovely.”
“Yeah. I love myself.”
No matter how I was reborn, I would have loved my appearance.
But that didn’t mean I would go out looking like a hunter from the frozen wastes. I intended to observe proper dress etiquette for the occasion and location.
* * *
Arriving in the city with Masera, I shivered and huddled up.
As it was a district packed with luxury boutiques, many fashionably dressed people prioritized style over warmth. I seemed to be the only one with the weak thought that it was better to be warm than stylish.
Masera looked at me, who was clinging to him and obstructing the passage, and asked,
“Why are you dressed so lightly?”
“To look fashionable.”
“Why didn’t you wear something warmer, like you did the other day?”
“Which time?”
“When you were bundled up like a snowfield hunter to buy cat treats.”
He saw that? I only went out like that for a moment, but it felt like the whole world had witnessed it.
I scrutinized his expression, wondering if it was a roundabout way of criticizing me, but I detected no mockery or disapproval.
“Wouldn’t you be embarrassed to be seen with me if I really went out like that?”
“Why would I be embarrassed?”
Masera looked genuinely puzzled.
“It suited you well, like you were wearing a bear costume.”
He made a comment that was hard to tell if it was a compliment or a tease, and then stopped.
“This is the restaurant you said you wanted to try before.”
I looked at the building he was pointing to.
Ah, that famous restaurant known for its tenacity and diligence, which had put up a sign saying ‘We’re open!’ even after being bombed!
“But that place is incredibly popular, so even with high status, you can’t get in without a reservation…”
“We can just go in.”
Ah, he made a reservation in advance? He’s so thorough with his preparations.
I followed him, and when the employee asked about a reservation, Masera replied,
“I didn’t make one.”
……?
He meant to just barge in? I wore a dumbfounded expression.
Then, he took something golden and gleaming from his coat and showed it to the employee.
“Ah! It’s an honor to have you. Please, come in.”
The employee bowed respectfully.
Upon closer inspection, it was the War Hero Medal, which was respected everywhere in the world and considered the highest honor.
To use that as an all-access pass…
‘Wow! How impressive.’
If I lived with such a proud man, I wouldn’t have to rush to get into popular restaurants.
The meal was delicious as expected, and after finishing dessert, we discussed our next destination.
“How about the zoo? It’s run by the country and protects rescued animals.”
It was a question in name only, and since he had agreed to follow my suggestions, we would have to go anyway. As expected, Masera nodded without objection.
The zoo we arrived at was quite large, with a store selling snacks and souvenirs.
“Would you be willing to try that together?”
“I would disobey even the Commander-in-Chief if ordered to do that.”
I pointed to the tangerine hats and animal headbands displayed outside the store, and was naturally refused.
I wanted to experience the couple vibe of an amusement park at least once, but it was a shame.
Soon, I discovered a white fox called a snow fox and was completely captivated.
“Oh my goodness… It’s so fluffy, white, and pretty…”
Masera asked me, who looked like I was about to enter the enclosure.
“Do you want to raise one? If you do, the cats in the residence will be in danger.”
He was quite knowledgeable, as expected of someone who had finished reading the ‘Intensive Study of Cats’ book.
Following the snow fox, we went to see the bears, and there were quite a few people watching, as the bears performed tricks and received treats.
“But if they do that, can they survive when they’re released back into the wild?”
“Probably not, they won’t be able to return to the wild.”
Masera pointed to the sign with the bear’s introduction.
– Hello, I grew up in a circus from when I was a cub.
A circus bear?
I tended to become even more sentimental when it came to animals, so this was dangerous.
– I lost my mother to a hunter and…
No! This was going to push my tear button!
I couldn’t bear to read any further and looked at the bear again. People were having fun and throwing treats at the bear.
Just then, I heard a familiar man’s voice from somewhere.
“Lost his mother to a hunter and lived as a clown in a circus. It looked fun from afar, but it’s a tragedy up close. Maybe it’s because I know a similar story.”
Who was it that was talking with similar sentiments to mine?
Looking around, I widened my eyes as I discovered a handsome gentleman with black hair.
It was Makia, standing in a coat and looking at the bear.
Unlike his sophisticated attire, he was wearing a rabbit ear headband on his head.
And he was with a man in a black suit with slicked-back hair, who looked like a henchman from an organization.
Two dark men wearing rabbit and giraffe headbands at the zoo…?
It was impossible to see it as anything other than a visit with a special purpose.
“Stan, did you know? If you eat chocolate and gum together, the gum melts.”
“Amazing.”
The two men’s conversation was really nothing special.
“Princess, hello.”
I was going to pretend not to know him to respect his privacy, but Makia greeted me first.
I pretended not to know him, acting as if I didn’t see the man he was with.
“Oh, what a coincidence? Hello.”
I had already told Masera about Makia.
I said that I had met him at the orphanage when I was young, but Masera said that there were so many kids coming and going at the time that he didn’t remember.
More than that, how should I introduce this person who was wearing an animal headband and enjoying the zoo with a man?
“Brigadier General, this is the volunteer I met at the orphanage I mentioned before.”
As expected, Masera was looking at them with wary eyes.
Makia smiled at him and reached out to shake his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I work in sales for a mechanical parts manufacturing company.”
Behind Makia, who was shaking hands, the excited children waved at me.
“Princess! The uncles brought us to the zoo!”
They were the children from the orphanage I had volunteered at before.
The man with the sharp henchman impression, wearing a giraffe headband, was staring at the glass wall.
There was a giraffe there.
He was just a warm-hearted man who liked giraffes.
I regretted my narrow-mindedness in judging him by his first impression.
* * *
While Cynthia’s attention was focused on the giraffe, Makia gave Masera a thin smile.
“I guess I’m the only one who remembers you. We met at the detention facility.”
“…I suppose so.”
Judging by his hair color, he seemed to be a Medean, but his refined young noble-like vibe reminded him of an Esatain.
Seeing his luxurious clothes and accessories, Masera guessed that he had been adopted into a good family.
Makia, who was quick to notice, said.
“I didn’t get adopted either. They said there was something wrong with me? So I enlisted as a child soldier like you, Brigadier General.”
Makia gestured to the bear picking up and eating an apple that had fallen on the ground and continued.
“Doesn’t seeing a bear begging for treats remind you of the old days?”
He had volunteered for the army, believing that he wouldn’t starve, but that wasn’t the reality. The children, exhausted from hunger, did errands for the soldiers to get food.
Masera felt a strange sense of unease as he watched him bring up a past he didn’t want to remember.
“You were hospitalized in the National Hospital, right? When you were little. I was there too at the time.”
As soon as those words were spoken, Masera’s face visibly hardened.
