I Don't Know the Original, I'm Too Busy Trying to Make a Living-Chapter 171

After thoroughly touring the school, Penelope’s visit came to an end.

When Headmaster Bake offered to see her off, Penelope politely declined. She found the elaborate protocols, like involving students in formal receptions, inherently authoritarian. Once was enough; she had no desire to go through it again.

“I regret that I couldn’t give you a proper send-off. We wanted to show how deeply the students and I respect you, Milady.”

“Your words are more than enough. The welcoming ceremony already conveyed your feelings quite well,” Penelope replied with a gentle smile.

Seeing that she was firm in her decision, Bake didn’t press further, though there was a hint of regret on his face.

Were the students practicing hard for this? Did I reject them unfairly? No... if I accept it this time, every future visit will come with a flurry of loud greetings and grand farewells.

And if such practices became a tradition, it would only make matters worse.

Penelope didn’t want students burdened with anything beyond their studies.

For that reason, she and her group quietly made their way to the carriage, intending to leave the school unnoticed.

“Welcome back, Milady.”

To her surprise, Sir Lance was waiting near the carriage. He wasn’t alone; several other knights were with him, seemingly there to escort her back.

Penelope was puzzled. The knights who knew Ahwin was with her typically didn’t make a fuss about guarding her—it was unnecessary and inefficient.

Ahwin wasn’t fond of the so-called “frail” knights getting in the way, and Penelope preferred not to pull personnel away from their duties unnecessarily. That’s why today’s group had been kept to a bare minimum.

“What brings you here?”

“It’s unthinkable for the Lady of Halo to conduct official business with so few escorts. It seems the treasurer and other civil officials have underestimated the importance of proper protocol,” Lance replied firmly.

“......”

It seemed news of the students’ enthusiastic reception had already reached the castle. The captain of the knights must have heard and quickly sent Lance to maintain appearances.

He didn’t want to be outdone by the students, huh?

Appreciating the gesture, Penelope decided to accept their efforts graciously.

“Then please board the carriage. We will escort you safely,” Lance said. At his signal, the attendant standing by the carriage opened the door.

Sain climbed in first.

As Penelope was about to follow, she hesitated when Ahwin suddenly grabbed her hand.

“...What is it?”

“We’re already out; let’s go on a date,” Ahwin suggested casually.

“But the knights are here to escort us back.”

“They can handle that just fine.” Ahwin gestured toward Sain with a tilt of his head, implying that as long as Sain returned to the castle safely, there wouldn’t be any issues.

Using Sir Lance and the knights this way? Penelope couldn’t help but be impressed by Ahwin’s quick thinking.

“But we just went on a date yesterday.”

“And we can go on another one. Surely you didn’t plan for it to be a one-time thing?” Ahwin replied, his voice full of playful confidence.

How could he be so shameless? Penelope was at a loss for words, frozen in place. The idea of showing affection in front of Sain felt unbearably embarrassing.

At that moment, Rub climbed into the carriage, followed closely by Katherin.

Finally, Demian cleared his throat as he stepped in, shutting the door firmly behind him.

“We’ll head back first. Please take your time,” Demian said with a deliberate tone, his voice layered with amusement.

The door clicked shut, leaving Lance smiling subtly. Whether it was her imagination or not, the other knights seemed to be trying their best to stifle their laughter.

“I’ll take good care of Master Sain,” Lance assured her.

“Ah, I’ll leave him in your care,” Penelope replied, trying to maintain her composure.

“Then we’ll head out now. It seems we should hurry. See you at the castle, Milady,” Lance said before swiftly mounting his horse.

As he took the lead, the carriage followed, surrounded by the knights on horseback.

Soon, the carriage disappeared down the road in a cloud of dust.

Penelope stood there blankly, watching them leave.

Am I unintentionally making everyone cringe with this scene?

Was she becoming one of those couples?

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Penelope glanced at Ahwin, who was absentmindedly fiddling with her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He wore an infuriatingly smug expression, his chin tilted up with confidence.

How can even this look adorable? I think I’m doomed, she thought, sighing internally.

When Penelope adjusted her grip on his hand, his face immediately brightened, radiating happiness. At that moment, their carriage rolled past the school’s walls and exited through the front gates.

“So, where should we—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a thunderous cheer erupted outside.

“Wooooaaah!”

“It’s the Lady!”

“Long live the Lady!”

Startled, Penelope’s eyes widened, and she turned to Ahwin. He looked completely unfazed, as though he’d anticipated this all along.

Did Sir Lance know this would happen too?

Hastily, she darted toward the edge of the school wall and stood on her tiptoes. Beyond the gates, a massive crowd had gathered along the main road, cheering and waving toward the carriage.

It was like a festival. The townspeople celebrated with jubilant cries, and among the uniformed students, some were even scattering flower petals. Penelope immediately realized what Headmaster Bake had been preparing.

What in the world...

“It seems the news of your school visit spread across the entire territory,” Ahwin remarked casually.

No wonder the knights had suddenly appeared. This explained everything.

“Do you think Sain was startled by all of this?” Penelope asked, a touch of concern in her voice.

“He’ll have to get used to it eventually. Consider this a practice run for the future,” Ahwin replied nonchalantly.

“You’re being awfully shameless right now.”

Penelope could only imagine how overwhelmed Sain must have been, while Ahwin maintained his calm, matter-of-fact demeanor.

The crowd’s cheers weren’t even for her; they were aimed at the carriage, which no longer held her. It was an unintentional farce.

I really underestimated this school visit, she thought, shaking her head.

It wasn’t as if anyone could have predicted that news of her visit would spread so quickly and draw such a massive crowd—not even the treasurer had foreseen this.

Penelope continued to watch the carriage until it disappeared from view, leaving behind only a cloud of dust. Finally, she sank down onto the ground with a deep sigh.

Ahwin, startled, asked, “What’s wrong now?”

“I was so surprised. I didn’t expect the townspeople to gather like that,” she admitted.

“Think of it as the destiny of a beloved lord. Who told you to work so hard?”

“......”

Penelope pouted her lower lip in mock irritation.

“I only got to be with you because I worked so hard. °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° If the territory hadn’t developed this quickly, dating would’ve been out of the question.”

In a life where worrying about survival took precedence, romance was a luxury she couldn’t afford. Ahwin, realizing her point, scratched the back of his neck with an awkward expression.

“Help me up,” she demanded.

“Take my hand.”

Ahwin offered his hand gallantly. Penelope looked at it for a moment, then suddenly yanked him toward her.

Ahwin’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t topple over. His strong core kept him firmly balanced.

“......”

“......”

Penelope stared up at him in disbelief. Ahwin averted his gaze, feigning innocence.

Really? Are you just going to stand there?

With a scowl, Penelope tugged at his arm again. This time, Ahwin finally knelt before her, wrapping his arms around her. The motion was awkward and hesitant, but he followed through nonetheless.

Penelope, her face burning red, glared at him. “You’re so good at picking up on other things. Why are you so clueless about this?”

“What does ‘clueless’ mean?”

“It means... never mind. Just understand the gist.”

Before Ahwin could respond, Penelope leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

“......!”

Ahwin froze, clearly caught off guard by her bold move. But after a moment, he returned the kiss, leaning in with growing confidence.

The school grounds were silent, as most of the students had rushed to the gates. Hidden beneath the shade of a tree by the wall, the two shared their affection undisturbed.

The kiss deepened, and Penelope felt a tickling sensation in her chest, as though she might burst into laughter or cough. Ahwin’s skill and instinct seemed to grow with each passing second, leaving her feeling weak and lightheaded.

“......”

When she half-opened her eyes, she found his vivid green ones staring intently back at her. They shimmered like gemstones, beautiful and mesmerizing.

“PePe,” he murmured softly, “let’s go somewhere else.”