I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Chapter 255

As soon as they entered the market, Ethan, who had already gotten a little sidetracked to buy a snack that looked like roasted potatoes with cheese and a seasonal watermelon juice to share, asked about the day's plans.

“Have you decided what to buy, Lily?”

“Well, I haven't made an extremely detailed plan. I have a rough idea, though,” Lilith replied.

“And how rough is that?”

“First, I’m thinking of securing ingredients that can be preserved for a long time. If fresh meat seems cheap, I’ll buy a lot and get Sally’s help to smoke it. If there’s no significant price difference, I’ll buy processed meats like sausages. For carbohydrates, I plan to get biscuits or dry bread and supplement moisture from other ingredients. You can sandwich juicy fruits like tomatoes between bread or soak them in stew until they soften. As for vegetables, I’m prioritizing tomatoes, but I haven’t decided yet. If there aren’t any good options, I might buy a few limes; they could serve as a dessert instead of a cooking ingredient.”

“...That sounds like you’ve thought it through quite a bit.”@@@@

“I haven’t settled on exactly what to buy yet. I’ll probably take some time comparing things. And it's not just ingredients—we also need to buy camping tools.”

They had basic items like tents and utensils loaded on the Blackwood carriage, but they needed to restock single-use items. Especially since they were heading to the Witch’s Forest, insect repellent was a must.

Lilith had to be careful with the ingredients, too. In this summer heat, meat or bread could spoil quickly and contaminate the other food in the cart. Although she could use cleansing magic to cut out the rotten parts, once something spoiled, she’d have to throw it away. And cooking with spoiled ingredients was off-putting anyway.

“If you’re making stew, how about fondue? Cheese is an aged food, so it shouldn’t spoil easily, right?” Ethan suggested.

“Oh, that’s a great idea! Parmesan or Gouda cheese doesn’t spoil easily! Plus, with a cheese dish, we can use less meat and still get enough protein...”

Thump.

“.......”

Just as Lilith was getting excited discussing their travel menu with Ethan, she felt someone bump into her side, diverting her attention.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

A rough-looking person, their hat pulled low, muttered an apology in a hoarse voice and disappeared into the crowd before Lilith could respond.

Feeling uneasy, Lilith reached for the cloth pouch in her right pocket and, as expected, found it gone. The thief hadn’t even checked the contents before swiping it.

“Lily, was that person just now...?”

“...Yes, it looks like they were a pickpocket.”

“Shouldn’t we chase them? With all these people, they could disappear quickly if we leave them be...”

“It’s fine. We’ll find out where they are soon enough.”

“...Huh?”

It would be foolish not to prepare for pickpockets when coming to a market in a medieval fantasy world.

The gold coins she had brought for shopping were, of course, stored in a place where no one could ever steal them.

...Instead, the pouch the pickpocket had taken contained something special.

“Aaaaaagh!!”

“They seem to have run into that alley,” Lilith noted calmly.

“...Yeah, seems like it.”

Lilith and Ethan quickly moved toward the direction of the scream they had just heard.

The pickpocket had certainly picked the wrong target.

Perhaps getting rid of someone like him was the real cleansing magic.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

“You damn woman! Where are you?!”

For someone like Lilith, who had sparred enough with Ethan to block at least half of his strikes, dodging the blind thief’s wild stabs was no challenge at all.

If anything, his reckless attack made her think she might have underestimated him.

Deciding she would never see this person again, Lilith deftly dodged his attacks and tripped him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Thud!

“Aaaagh!!”

The thief, unable to resist, hit the ground hard, flailing his knife aimlessly in desperation.

As Lilith watched, Ethan stepped in to deliver the final blow.

“...How dare you swing a blade at someone like that.”

Slash!

“Aaaaaagh!”

The thief’s knife flew into the air, along with the hand that had been gripping it.

Leaving the now handless and blinded thief in the alley, Lilith and Ethan walked back out, just in time to meet the imperial guards arriving at the entrance.

“Halt! We heard a scream from this alley, and—oh, my...”

The guard grimaced at the sight of the thief lying on the ground, clutching the stump where his hand had been.

“If you don’t properly explain what happened...”

“I am Ethan Richard Blackwood of the Blackwood Duchy. I’m currently staying at the palace for certain reasons.”

“B-Blackwood Duchy, you say?”

“And this is my fiancée, Lady Lilith Blackwood Rosewood. You’ve probably heard of her.”

“Lady Lilith? The one close to the Third Princess...?”

“Her beauty and figure are as rumored...”

“That man just stole from Lilith and, not satisfied with that, ran at her with a knife when she tried to get it back. The knife in his severed hand should be enough evidence, but do you need anything else?”

“N-no, sir! Sorry to have detained you!”

“Alright then, carry on.”

Even though the same words were spoken, they carried a lot more weight when coming from a duke’s son. The guards clearly didn’t want to cross the Blackwood family and didn’t dare ask anything further.

Lilith and Ethan walked through the now parted guards and returned to the market to begin their actual shopping for the camping trip.

“.......”

Neither of them noticed the gaze following them as they left the alley.