After my battle with Gesel, Sophie and I were finally given our mercenary ID cards. Gesel still seemed a bit down about losing the fight, but that only lasted a little while when I said I would treat her to something good, which she quickly dragged me away from the guild to go to a stall not far away that had pastries. While I liked sweets myself, Gesel was a connoisseur. “Gesel, when is the tournament again?”

“At the end of the week. So do not miss it. I want revenge for today!” Gesel said with a pout.

“Don’t worry, I will be there. That means I have some time to get a few things settled.” I was planning to take some missions from the guild, but I decided to hold off in case I needed to travel for a few days to complete them. Plus, one hundred gold was quite a bit of money and would also be a good starter fund for my factory. How much I will need in total, I do not know yet, but one hundred gold is enough to feed a family of four for years.

“As long as you show and do not lose until the finals!” Gesel said while stuffing a pastry in her mouth. I smiled and shook my head. It seemed she would not be happy until we had a rematch.

We chatted for a while before saying our goodbyes. Sophie and I went back to the inn to rest for the rest of the day. I planned to go back towards the east side slums tomorrow and check it out. But before that, I had planned to train with Sophie a little.-.

When we entered the room, Sophie and I were greeted by Annie and the other maids. “Annie, let’s have a small picnic out in the garden.”“Picnic?” Annie seemed confused by this word which made me realize that this world probably did not have a word for eating outdoors in the open. “Ummm… A picnic is when you take a blanket and lay it down outside and eat sandwiches and drink tea or whatever while chatting and enjoying the sun and fresh air.”

“I see… An outing!” Annie smiled and nodded her head in understanding. “I will get something prepared.”

“Thanks, Annie, and make sure you make enough for everyone. I want you three to join us.” Annie and the girls worked hard every day. I wanted them to enjoy some time like this as well. They were my age but worked every day and night, which made me feel bad.

Luckily Annie did not make a fuss saying they couldn’t do such things with the master of the house. It seemed she was getting used to having meals with Sophie and I, which was good because I wanted to be as good to them as I possibly could.

A little while later, Sophie and I were sitting on a blanket with Annie and the other girls. The sun was warm but not so hot that it would make you feel sick. We happily chatted about this and that when one of my most dreaded topics appeared. The topic about love!

It’s not that I really hated the idea of being in love, but I know I should not fall in love. If I fell in love, wouldn’t I just be tormenting myself once my loved ones began to grow older while I still stayed the same? Even now, my body seems to have stalled on the aging process. If my partner begins growing older and older and sees me not aging, will that make them hate me? Would they feel regret for being with me? I had a lot of fears when the word love came into question.

“So! Young Miss, have you ever fallen in love?” Brooke asked. She was the youngest of the group, so I guess the idea of love was like a fairy tale to her.

“No, I do not think the word love mixes well with me.” I was telling the truth, but everyone gave me weird gazes. “What!?”

Surprisingly the one to answer my question was Sophie. “What about Adel?”“What about Adel? We are really good friends.” I replied, not seemingly understanding the question.

“Faith, ummm… I am not sure if I should say this or not, and I do kinda feel bad for her, but it is kind of clear as day that Adel likes you not just as a friend.” Hearing Sophie’s words made my eyes go wide. I instantly remembered the scene from the fortune teller that showed me kissing someone with long golden hair like Adels. I couldn’t help but blush just thinking about it. But Me? Kissing a girl? No no…. Maybe? No..?

I quickly shook my head and waved my hands in front of me. “No! You must be mistaken. Adel just thinks of me as a really good friend or sister. There is no way she is in love with me.”

I heard four people sigh in unison as they looked at me with a pitied look, but I felt that maybe that look was not for me but for someone else. “What!?’

“Young Miss, we do not know the Princess very well, but with just one look, anyone can tell that she is in love with you. Does she not always go above and beyond for you?” Annie asked.

“Yes, she does but isn’t that because she is trying to keep me happy so I will not leave the….”

“Faith!” Sophie suddenly yelled, causing me to jump and sit straight up. Her voice sounded like my Mothers just now! Scary! “Are you just trying to deny it because you are afraid of love?”

“I…. Okay, yes, she does go way overboard when it comes to me. But isn’t it because I am her first true friend?” The more they press and the more I think about it, I am starting to see those subtle signs. But I do not understand, why me?

“Faith, while I myself have never been in love, I have seen my parents and how they act around each other. What about you? What about your family? How do they interact with one another.” Sophie’s words were like a bolt of lightning. Adel was kinda like how my brother was with Rachel, always doing things, trying to help her in any way he could.

I slumped down and fell into thought. Was Adel really in love with me like that? If she was, what should I do? I do not wish to hurt her feelings. Have I been leading her on? Right now, my mind was spinning around in circles with so many questions. What happened to me not wanting to fall in love!? I just told myself that love was not something that was really suited for me, so I was not hurting myself or those around me but now….

With Adel, it is different…. If she is truly in love with me, can I still act the same way? I scratched my head in frustration. It was not a fact that she is in love with me. She may be just over affectionate because I am her first true friend. I guess the best thing to do is just let things go for now and see how it turns out. To be honest with myself though, I do not wish to see Adel sad.

I looked at Sophie and smiled. It was best to keep things as is. I will not treat Adel any differently as I did not want such a kind, sweet girl to cry. If one day she does confess to me, then I will wait for that day and give myself time to figure out what I want to do and how I feel at that time. “If she is, she is. But I will not do anything at this time. Adel and I are friends, and I do not wish to ruin that right now. Sophie, you know how kind Adel is. So now, when I myself am unsure about things, it is wise not to mention it to her. She herself may not even realize it either. So let’s keep quiet about this for now.”

“Mmm… You are right….” Sophie nodded her head. Luckily she agreed with me. I just hope no one gets hurt in the end. But I guess I have to do some of my own thinking now as well.

“Alright, no more love talk! Let’s talk about the upcoming tournament!” I decided to change the topic, which caused everyone else to boo me, but I did not wish to stay on this topic anymore. Life is strange with many unexpected events. Maybe one day, things will play out just like the fortune foretold. If that is the case, I hope at least the bad parts can be avoided. If not I hope I can at least over turn what the future holds. I do not wish to go down a bloody path if I can help it.