The Great Wish - Chapter 8.6

Vol.2 Chapter 8 Part 6 

The shingled roof of the saloon was red. The saloon was already filled with people. A middle-aged man who was carrying plates of food in both hands looked at Kuhn and Sienna and spoke. 

"There aren't any vacant tables available." 

"We sent an errand boy earlier to reserve our table." 

"Jack! Come and take care of this reservation." 

A young man rushed over to them at the man's call. 

"Please follow me." 

The man led them to a table. Three men were already sitting there. They seemed to be enjoying themselves as they drank their liquor. The young man called out to them. 

"The table's customers have arrived, so please move somewhere else." 

"Huh?" 

"We haven't even finished half our drinks, damn it." 

The men grumbled as they got up. They took their drinks and plates of snacks with them. 

Sienna frowned as she sat at the table covered in crumbs. It was as if they were kicking the men out, and it felt uncomfortable. 

"What will you order?" 

"Beers and... What's on today's menu?" 

"Mutton. It's good meat." 

"Then two of that. Is the storyteller here today?" 

"I haven't seen them yet." 

"When they come, send them over here. The regular storyteller, not a random one. I'll pay them for their troubles." 

"Understood." 

 The young man hurriedly wiped the table with a rag and left. 

"Is it called a reservation if we have to kick out the ones who were already sitting here?" 

"They didn't want to waste an empty table, and the people who reserved the table may not show up. That's why you have to give them a deposit when you reserve a table." 

Sienna recalled how Kuhn had handed the boy the silver coins earlier. 

"If you choose to sit at a reserved table, you can eat at a discounted price. However, if the people who reserved the table show up, you have to leave." 

"Is the discounted price proportional to the amount you had to deposit to reserve the table?" 

"Only a portion of it. And the food is pricier for those that reserved the table." 

Sienna calculated the numbers in her head and frowned. 

"So they only get discounted a portion of the deposit. The one who reserves the table pays more. It doesn't look like there is any loss on the saloon owner's part in this situation." 

"And that's what it means to be a businessman." 

Sienna looked around the saloon. The ceiling was low, and the columns were mottled and messy. If she hadn't seen this for herself, she would have never known a place like this existed. The lives of the commoners and the lives of the nobles were so different. 

Every table was filled with boisterous laughter, so it was incredibly loud. Every time a waiter slammed down a glass of beer on a table, the beer sloshed onto the table. 

"Owner! One more beer!" 

"Why isn't my food here yet?!" 

Shouts burst out from here and there. It was total chaos. 

'It's strange.' 

Sienna was sitting in the middle of all this clamor. She felt as if she were dropped into a completely different world. 

So many things had happened to her in the past few months. Thanks to that, her world had quickly widened. And it was just as confusing for her. When would all this confusion end? 

She felt as if this period of her life would be a turning point for her. But she wasn't sure if it was changing her life for the better just yet. 

Sienna met Kuhn's eyes as they bored into her. This man was also one of the causes of her present confusion. He would jest with her as if he were flirting with her but then keep his distance and act polite. 

Often times, she would turn her head without much thought and catch his eyes staring at her. Even though he knew he was caught staring at her, he wouldn't turn his eyes away. She didn't feel any lecherous or greedy thoughts coming from his gaze. It wasn't unpleasant, but she wanted to know what he was thinking. 

"You said this is the saloon where the envoys of neighboring countries frequent?" 

"More like the envoy's entourage. Noblemen don't come here." 

"I was told I'd be able to hear some entertaining stories here, but this place is a lot different from what I expected..." 

She imagined groups of twos and threes freely enjoying each others' companies. However, every table had its own party and they didn't mix together at all. 

"That's why we need a storyteller." 

"Storyteller?" 

"Someone who has the gift of the gab. They overhear bits of conversations here and there and weave it into a story." 

"Like an information merchant?" 

"It's not that specialized. He'll just talk to you in exchange for a small amount of money or even a drink. But he doesn't always come at the same time, so we may not even get to see him today." 

Kuhn could have given the storyteller some money ahead of time so that he'd be available when they wanted to see him. However, Kuhn didn't do that. If the Princess got everything she wanted today, she wouldn't feel the need to come out again. 

If she felt that she was missing something, she'd come out for another outing, and Kuhn would be able to spend some more time with her. 

Their ordered beer and food came out. Sienna tried beer for the first time in her life and found that it wasn't to her taste. 

'It tastes unpleasant and bitter.' 

She only took a sip and placed the beer back on the table. The mutton was pretty good. 

"Aren't you going to drink some more?" 

Kuhn pointed at Sienna's abandoned beer. 

Sienna shook her head. When Kuhn reached out his hand and took her beer, Sienna's eyes widened. 

"That's..." 

"What?" 

Kuhn asked after he gulped down the beer. Sienna was at a loss for words. 

'I drank that.' 

Sienna would never touch the food eaten by others. She'd never shared a dish with her parents either. 

However, this might not be the case for commoners. She saw that in other tables, two or three people would share one plate of food. 

As she thought about the different culture of the commoners, she noticed that the saloon was getting even more crowded. 

'There are more people here now than before.' 

She saw people drinking while standing up because they hadn't been able to find a free table. 

'Huh?' 

She saw a young man with a large physique sitting alone at a table diagonal to them. He looked very similar to the man who had appeared in her dream. 

Sienna narrowed her eyes to get a better look at him. It was dark inside the saloon, so she couldn't see his face. 

"Ed." 

Sienna turned her gaze back to Kuhn. 

"If you don't like the beer, should I order a different drink for you? Since this is a saloon, they'll only have liquor, but they might have some fruit juice." 

"No. I don't want any liquor." 

She turned her eyes back to the large man, but he had disappeared. Bewildered, Sienna looked around the saloon. He wasn't here. She should have just approached the man when she had the chance to get a better look at him. 

"Are you looking for someone?" 

"...I thought I recognized a knight here. I must have been mistaken." 

Russ Kali. She only knew one of the twins' names. She had tried looking for this man among the knights in the Palace and the capital, but there was no knight of that name. She had asked for a list of knights in every territory, so she would be able to get her hands on it soon. She was looking forward to finding his name in that list. 

The person Sienna wanted to meet wasn't Russ. It was the other nameless twin. She didn't think her words would get through to such an unruly man like Russ Kali. But as long as she found Russ Kali, she'd be able to find the other twin.  

But what she didn't know was that the man she wanted to meet, Martin, was currently leaning on the front door of the saloon as he breathed a sigh of relief. 

In the end, they weren't able to meet the storyteller. When she was told that he usually showed up late at night, Sienna gave up hope and got up from her seat. As the sun began to set, they walked along the western path. There were a lot more people out and about now than before. 

'It's already this late?' 

They'd only visited a few places, but half of the day was already over. 

From a very young age, Sienna's life followed a routine. Yesterday felt like today, and today felt like tomorrow. Her days were regular and followed a strict protocol. 

 Her time was always steady. It never felt too fast nor too slow. 

'Why does it feel like time flies whenever I'm with Kuhn?' 

When they had finally returned to the safe house, they found Gilbert fretting anxiously as he paced around the room on the first floor. When the two of them entered the house, Gilbert didn't recognize them. His hand automatically went to the sword at his belt. 

Before Gilbert made a grave mistake, Kuhn quickly took the initiative. 

"Did you wait long? I should have contacted you earlier in the day. I was too thoughtless." 

Gilbert looked puzzled before his eyes widened. 

"You..." 

Kuhn's disguise wasn't that elaborate. He just looked a bit different due to the makeup and the fake beard. Those who already knew him would be able to recognize him if they just looked closely. 

Gilbert looked Kuhn over in surprise. 

"What about Her Highness?" 

Kuhn coughed in order to hide the laughter that was threatening to bubble out of his throat. 

"She's next to me." 

Gilbert immediately turned his eyes to the person standing next to Kuhn. He gazed at this unfamiliar man before turning his eyes back to Kuhn. Gilbert stiffened and turned his head back to Sienna. He cautiously called her as doubt filled his eyes. 

"Your Highness...?" 

"Prepare for our return to the Palace." 

It was definitely the Princess's voice. The effects of the herbal medicine had worn off as they were walking to the safe house, and now her voice had returned to normal. 

Gilbert stared at her, his mouth open in shock. It was quite a sight to see.