Reborn as the Princess' Knight (GL)

Chapter 68: Festival with Vivienne (XII).

Kein's POV

"Ubie nuts..." I held the purchased apple in my hand and gave one to Vanilla looking at the old lady still selling those very same ubie nuts from before.

She was sitting in a corner against a wall, the ubie nuts still have a faint purple color and smoky smell. It was placed on a dry loomed wooden tray that you could carry over the top of your head. Seeing her gave me a nostalgic feeling about the memory of the past.

I unconsciously walked over to her and leaned in over to greet the old woman.

"H-Hello..." I waved a little at the old lady who tilted her head up when I approached her.

"Oh... Hello young lady..." She turns to me with a smile and blinks squinting her eyes. "Aren't you the little girl who would come here before often?"

So she remembers!

It made me rather happy when she knew who I was. Back then when we were in our childhood years and adolescents years we would often come to her and buy a little pack of this. I could remember Rose's little moan when she would eat them.

Since Rose can't eat meat this was one of the few things we could buy and enjoy together, carrying it into our usual spot in the color changing tree and having our little treat there.

"Yes I am her. You remembered me. I haven't visited in a while..." I kneeled down to her level and Vivienne did the same.

"Usually there would be two of you coming by and buying my roasted ubie nuts. A nice little maiden of the church… Oh where is she, the two of you are usually together." she puts her hand on her chin thinking a little.

She mentions Rose and I suddenly missed her. I'm glad that she also remembers her.

"Ah no she's not with me today- she's busy with things..." I avoided the topic and thankfully her attention seemed to be elsewhere by looking at the little blonde girl I have by my side.

Vivienne looked down on the ubie nuts that were displayed and smelled the smoky sweet scent before pointing at it with a little grin.

"Mama!"

The old woman looks at us both, putting two and two together.

She looks at Vivienne with such curious eyes and asks.

"What a lovely daughter you have." she tells me looking at Vivienne kindly who waves her hand with the mention of the word daughter. This time... it felt like I couldn't put myself to deny that she is my daughter.

"H-Hello...!" the little blonde girl says her greetings not looking away from the sweet tempting figure of the ubie nuts or at least I think she is. "Mmm..." she couldn't even look at the grandma in front of her, just completely focused on the food.

I sighed, shaking my head while looking at Vivienne who was shyly poking the nuts in fascination. "Oh... Vivienne, don't poke them. Grandma is selling them to be eaten and your hands are not clean." I tell her gently to take her hands off the wares to not get poked.

She touched Vanilla's mane before and while we take great care of Vanilla it's not sanitary to do such things. Vivienne seemed hesitant but she was rather obedient about my order and kept her hands to herself this time.

"Unmu... Okay..."

She gives out a cute little sad pout before looking away.

Ah... that was actually really cute. I wanna try pinching her cheeks- the way she gets real angry is the same with how Rose does it! Puffy cheeks and her gray eyes would just look away from mine when we fight in arguments.

Its her first time trying something like this so I can understand why... she seemed to be so eager to try them but I feel bad for Vivienne poking her wares. "Sorry about that grandma... she never seems to get full."

"Hohoho... It seems that she's rather fond of these." The old lady motions towards the roasted fruit and takes a scoopful of it. She seemed to have taken in Vivienne because her next move was rather unexpected.

She put that scoopful into a small paper bag, it seemed a little warm thankfully not hot enough that it would hurt someone.

"Here you go little one." she offers it to Vivienne who gives her a shocked noise before hesitating, just like before when Ellis offered her some free fruit too she quickly turned to me and gave a hopeful look.

Wait- is she asking for permission if we can eat these?

"Ah it's alright to eat, Vivienne. You can take it go ahead." I told her reassuringly and she gave me a sigh of relief taking the warm paper bag out of grandma's hand happily but rather shyly.

"T-Thank you..." she tells the elderly woman, nodding her head once more. "I... like it. Thank you..." the blonde girl continues to tell her looking at the elderly woman in such a thankful regard. Both of them were communicating with each other just by staring.

Vivienne slowly bows her head and I looked at her in confusion.

Weird- usually she wasn't shy when it came to my father or anyone else. There was even the time when she was modeling for other people with the dress outfitting.

She didn't do anything like this with anyone, even me.

The both of them did a puzzling move. The elderly lady whom I would always see selling her wares made me feel something in my stomach sensing something dangerous yet it seemed to be not doing anything.

Instinctively I put Vivienne behind my back and I tried my best not looking a bit rude with my actions. The elderly woman just stared at me for a bit before laughing and waving a hand at Vivienne.

"Mm... You're very much welcome. I'm glad you like it. Treasure it now... alright?" she spoke so casually with my daughter that it made me wonder if they somehow knew of each other before I met the girl.

"Mm!" (Vivienne)

Eh?!

"Vivienne, do you know this person?" I pointed at the elderly woman who made another weird rich lady laugh before denying my accusations.

"Hohoho... no. This is our first time meeting, isn't that right?" she turns to Vivienne who nodded quickly while eating down her roasted snack. Ah... maybe I was overreacting a bit from the looks of it.

"Is it still ten silver coins?" I took some leftover change coins from my pockets and counted the silver until it got to ten.

"No need- no need." She stops me from further counting my coins, refusing my pay before I could even offer it. "The festival is near and... this old lady just wanted to bless the two of you before getting in spirit. After all, the light goddess roams to teach of generosity."

"I was never once religious. I thought generosity was already a thing for human kind, you don't need a deity to teach you how to be generous." I told her and she just laughed at me again.

"Hohoho..."

Not the rich ojou-sama laugh- it's giving me the creeps honestly. I should keep Vivienne away from the distance of this woman. I don't trust her at all, after not visiting for a while, who knew what kind of things happened to her and that she's gotten mentally ill!

"You're right, young one, you don't need the laughing tale of a goddess to be generous." She looks at her wares, taking another scoopful and putting it on a small paper bag.

"Here..." she offers it to me and I tilt my head in confusion feeling like there was a string attached to the sudden gifts.

I randomly thought of poison but Vivienne seemed to be fine... but just in case I'm going to stop by near the church to have her healed just in case something happens. "It seems to be unfair... if I just give only to your daughter. For all the times you've bought from this old lady all these years of watching over you. This is my thanks."

"No... I couldn't possibly-"

"Do take it." she pushed the paper bag onto me some more and I gulped.

With my old teachings of my East Asian ways. When you receive a gift make sure to refuse it once to act all humble and respectable before taking it for yourself.

"Ah... Thank you." I tell her thankfully, taking the roasted nuts in my hand. I didn't realize we've actually been here for a while so we should get going. "I think we should actually leave now, what do you think Vivienne and Vanilla lets go visit the next-"

For the first time in a while I turned to Vanilla who was bowing her head slightly now too-

"Eh? Vivienne? Why are you bowing your head?" I blinked in surprise looking at my Pegasus. When I tried holding her neck to lift it up she refused to not stop bowing, it made me worry.

For a Pegasus to bow to someone it would usually be because it was a person with such a high status that they were required to bow down. "There's no one here though-"

Other than the old lady who was selling her roasted nuts on the street she didn't seem to look like someone of higher status. Or is it because that magic has no effect on me that I can't sense it?

"Your little Pegasus is too polite." she laughs softly now but for some reason her voice changed. It was no longer raspy and like an older woman.

The voice that spoke for a bit seemed so young and beautiful before it changed. "Take care of your daughter, she seemed to have traveled so far to get to you after all."

Eh?

Am I hallucinating or did I just hear a really beautiful voice that belonged to someone young coming out of the old woman in front of me?!

And what did she say about Vivienne?!

Traveled so far to get to me?!

"Cough! Cough! Excuse me- I think my throat caught something." The old woman coughed and complained, I forgot all about what she said for a bit, turning worried.

"Ah- Wait I have water over at my [Storage Ring] if you'd like-" I know I have some water here- the habit of leaving extra water and dried fruit inside it never left me. I was thankful to be prepared- I also have medicine here and that should help with her cough.

I was about to reach for it but she shook her head.

"My throat is alright now... I have to try and get more customers. Enjoy the festival, both of you and remember the light goddess is always watching."