[IHTTMBW] Chapter 50

I didn’t know why it was okay for him but not for Allenan, but Euphil was extremely wary of any physical contact between Allenan and me.

No, it felt more like he was just being mischievous. After all, when he was around, playing with me didn’t go as smoothly as Allenan would have liked. He preferred spending time with me alone.

“Aren’t you going to take a break? If not, we’ll keep going.”  

“Oh, no!”  

Since my sword training had suddenly become part of my routine, he had to adjust his schedule to come watch me. Moreover, he said there was a lot to learn from watching Euphil teach. Wow, Allenan, learning from someone his own age, and Euphil, teaching someone his own age. They didn’t seem like typical kids their age.  

“Here, take a potion.”  

“You sure know how to spend money.”  

“It’s for Myrthi, so it’s not a waste.”  

The best part was that Allenan would give me a potion whenever I got tired. This potion was worth about a month’s living expenses for a regular household, and drinking just one would restore most of my stamina and heal my injuries. Since I was only ten years old, I got a lot of small injuries from the intense training, which made Allenan feel terribly sorry for me. One day, he showed up with an armful of potions.  

Thanks to him, I was able to chug a potion during every break and return to my sword training fully recharged. The only problem was that with my full strength restored, my swordsmanship improved rapidly. My body recovered so quickly that I started building up the muscles needed for swordsmanship, and I could finally say I was getting stronger.  

“Haha, our little grandchildren are all so talented in swordsmanship.”  

“Hehe, am I good at it, too?”  

“Of course, you’re practically a genius!”  

Maybe he meant my face was genius-level? To be honest, Euphil was a real genius, but I was more like a budding sword prodigy, growing stronger thanks to my memories from my past life and the potion buff. That’s how I was getting stronger.  

Then, suddenly, Allenan whispered to me, making sure Euphil didn’t hear.  

“Myrthi, did you know there’s a festival today?”  

My eyes widened. With my quick instincts, I knew that reacting too obviously or speaking too loudly would ruin some kind of plan. So I acted casual, sipping my potion.  

Ah, I felt the energy surging through me!  

Then I heard an unbelievable suggestion. One I thought I’d never hear, especially from Allenan.  

“Let’s sneak out of the palace today.”  

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.  

“Leave the palace?”  

I asked in a tiny voice, desperately trying to keep quiet. My heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it would leap out of my chest.  

“Yeah, just for a bit, at night. There’s a night market during the festival—let’s go enjoy it and come back.”  

‘This kid is crazy…’  

Was Allenan a genius? No, but why had no one told me about the festival before? And why had no one mentioned going to the night market?  

“Don’t tell Euphil. He won’t let us go.”  

Allenan whispered, and I eagerly nodded.  

Of course, of course. If I could sneak out of the palace, there was no need for anyone to nag me about it.  

“If anything happens, I’ll protect you.”  

“Okay! I’ll protect you too, Lenan!”  

“Haha.”  

Allenan laughed, gently stroking my head as if I were adorable. Hey, kid, do you know how old I am? I thought, but I just smiled and giggled back.  

The plan to visit the night market was making my heart race. The festival was to celebrate the hero Vacheran’s return to the capital. Up until now, I’d only ever tasted the party food in the palace during such festivals, so the idea of going to the night market was thrilling.  

“Why are you so restless?”  

“Huh? I’m not!”  

Euphil seemed to sense something was off, but he couldn’t have guessed I was planning to leave the palace. Even Gelbart, seeing me in such a good mood, playfully ruffled my hair.  

‘The night market!’  

The night market. What was it, exactly? It was the highlight of festivals, a paradise of food, and a place filled with all kinds of exciting things to see.  

I waited all day, my heart pounding, for my first night market visit. And that night, after sending Orzette away, I anxiously paced around, waiting for Allenan.  

Tap, tap.  

I heard a knock on the window and quickly turned around. I rushed to the window, and there was Allenan, hanging from the tree like Romeo.  

“Lenan? Isn’t that dangerous?”  

“I’m fine, Myrthi.”  

His black hair shimmered under the soft moonlight, as beautiful as a dark flower blooming at night. Allenan’s blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he smiled at me.  

His smile was dazzling.  

“Come, jump into my arms.”  

I nodded eagerly and jumped into his arms. He didn’t seem to have any trouble holding me as he climbed down the tree.  

“Shall we go, princess?”  

After reaching the ground, Allenan politely offered me his arm. I took it with a bounce in my step.  

“Yeah! Let’s go to the night market!”  

It was my first adventure outside the palace.