Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 2.7

Although winter seas are notoriously rough and make voyages difficult, the early summer sea was calm and the ship journey proceeded smoothly.

While Jerf had duties as a guard, the guard captain role was handled by another knight. This meant he was only nominally present as a guard. There were plenty of other knight guards anyway, and his actual work amounted to just a few hours of patrolling the ship.

During his free time, he spent his days relatively freely. Watching Mariadoll paint the pictures Ben had commissioned, or giving the knights light training sessions on deck.

Mariadoll, too, had little to do except when Melfi invited her for tea. She passed the time painting, strolling around the ship to relax, or secretly watching Jerf practice his swordsmanship, enjoying the feeling of being on a small trip.

So even four days later, when the ship arrived at the port of Cortaus and the guard knights and maids were bustling about, the two of them leisurely packed their belongings and stepped onto solid ground for the first time in days.

“Lord Jerf, is it really alright for us to be so free?”

“The guard captain told us to take it easy today and prepare for tomorrow. Besides, guarding isn’t my actual job to begin with, so I don’t see any harm in taking him at his word.”

Jerf’s real task was the meeting with Dennis, the military strategist and prince of Cortaus.

“I see. By the way, everyone else is boarding the carriages to the castle. Shouldn’t we be going too?”

“I told you—the work starts tomorrow. That means today is a holiday. Since it’s your first time in Cortaus, there’s no harm in doing a little sightseeing. Who knows—it might even give us something to talk about when I meet Prince Dennis?”

Not that the days on the ship hadn’t felt like a holiday already, but considering that starting tomorrow they’d be in the spotlight, it felt fine to relax today.

Since Jerf had already spoken with the guard captain and Melfi, Mariadoll had no reason to object.

“In that case, I’ll guide you. It’s been four years since I last visited this country, so my memory might be a little hazy in places, but I think I’ll manage.”

“That’s reassuring. Please do.”

They left their luggage with the carriage and set off to explore the port town.

The port lay at the center of a calm bay, with a gentle slope rising eastward from it. A street lined with shops selling food, souvenirs, and sundries stretched all the way to the capital’s main street.

At the intersection stood a bronze statue of the founding king, and heading north from there, the castle came into view.

The western side was a commoners’ residential district, bustling with the unique energy of a downtown area.

“The west side sells perishable goods like fish and vegetables, so let’s head east. It’s a bit of a walk, but if we keep going, we’ll reach the castle. If we get tired, there are hackney carriages passing through.”

Jerf’s right leg was bad, and he walked with a slight limp, but perhaps because he was naturally strong, he could manage long distances. Mariadoll thought he’d be fine walking as far as the castle, but she didn’t want him to overexert himself.

As Mariadoll, having volunteered as guide, moved to walk ahead, Jerf took her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“L-Lord Jerf?”

“Wouldn’t want you getting lost in an unfamiliar town. This should be fine.”

“I’m not a three-year-old, you know.”

“But I’ve heard Cortaus is more physically affectionate than Dunbargas. No one would look twice at an engaged couple holding hands while walking through town.”

In Dunbargas, even engaged, unmarried couples walking hand-in-hand was rare. In contrast, Cortaus was known for closer physical proximity regardless of gender—friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while might hug, for example.

With his usual nonchalant tone and attitude as he held her hand, Mariadoll felt it would be stranger to act embarrassed.

Blushing slightly, she nodded and began walking east, hand in hand with him.

Even though they’d had a proper lunch, the unusual foods and delicious smells kept tempting them, and the two made little progress as they kept stopping along the way.

What’s more, perhaps because of the open, carefree atmosphere unique to a port town, the distance between them felt closer than usual.

Under the early summer sun, Mariadoll began to perspire, and soon she spotted a gelato shop.

They bought several different flavors, then decided to sit on a stone bench at the side of the road to eat.

“It says ‘lemonade flavor’—the tartness is really refreshing. That shop has been around for a long time and is quite famous in this area.”

“Worth the wait in line, then. The blackcurrant is good too, and the vanilla is rich.”

Mariadoll couldn’t help laughing at the sight of Jerf, with his stern face, eating gelato.

Jerf, who had a bit of vanilla at the corner of his mouth, looked at her quizzically and asked, “What is it?” The vanilla looked utterly out of place next to the furrow in his brow.

“You’ve got gelato on your mouth. If the knights saw you like this, they wouldn’t call you ‘Sergeant Demon.'”

“Mariadoll, if anything, I’d prefer to stay ‘Sergeant Demon.’ The real me is something only you need to know—and if possible, I’d like you to know even more.”

As he said this, he unexpectedly kissed her cheek.

“!! We’re in the middle of town, you know.”

“Is that a problem? That couple over there was doing the same thing.”

Following Jerf’s gaze, she saw a man and woman sitting on a bench, leaning close together and talking affectionately. The man lifted a strand of the woman’s hair and whispered something near her ear. Mariadoll wanted to say they were in public, but when she looked around, she spotted other couples here and there doing similar things.

“Nice country.”

“I’m not sure my heart can take this.”

“What’s the ‘Seductive Sorceress’ saying that for?”

“That name is becoming a burden now.”

Still, being a saint was even heavier. She couldn’t help thinking that all she did was see dreams and paint them. And thanks to Jerf, the physical strain had lessened considerably.

“Mariadoll, you only need to be seductive in front of me.”

As Jerf narrowed his gentle red eyes and whispered sweet words, Mariadoll’s cheeks flushed even redder.

As if enjoying her reaction, Jerf scooped up some of his gelato with a spoon and pushed it into Mariadoll’s mouth. The rich taste of vanilla spread through her mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

“I want to try the lemonade too.”

“You want me to feed it to you, is that it?”

“Of course.”

Mariadoll shot him a light glare as he chuckled, then somewhat roughly scooped up some lemonade gelato and stuffed it into his mouth.

Her attempt to hide her embarrassment was completely obvious, and Jerf’s smile deepened.

“Honestly. If you keep that up, I’ll leave you behind.”

“Sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away. By the way, I keep seeing those golden bracelets everywhere—are they a local specialty of Cortaus?”