Chapter 68
“How could this be. I never imagined it.”
“I thought you already knew.”
Although I may be a Londoner, I still have affection for Korea, where I was born and raised.
“To think I'd be welcoming the New Year in London!”
Since I came to England on a one-week trip after taking about three days off after Christmas, if I think about it, welcoming the New Year here does make sense. Why hadn't I thought of that at all?
Actually, today isn't New Year's Day—tomorrow is.
“So that's why today was a day off....”
“That's right.”
Lately, since Ophelia handles my schedule completely, I seem to have lost track of dates a little. In fact, even back when I didn't have Ophelia, I only had workdays and off days at my part-time job, so I never really paid attention to the date—just the day of the week.
If I wore short sleeves and got cold, I'd think, “Ah, autumn's here,” and if it felt a little hot, I'd wonder if it was summer.
But if you say you came overseas for a New Year's trip, you do get this super-famous influencer vibe.
“Mm... what should I do? There's nothing to do in London.”
Actually, that was a lie. If I'd spent New Year's in Korea, what would really have been different? Not much. I might have met up with Han Dohee or Chaea unnie, but if I think about it, that's only from my point of view.
From Chaea unnie's or Han Dohee's point of view, I'm probably not close enough for us to spend New Year's together. They have family, so they should spend it with their families.
“Then there's nothing we can do! I'll call the golems too!”
“I do have one thing to tell you about that.”
“Huh? What is it, Ophelia?”
Ophelia seemed to search for the right words while rubbing her chin for a moment, then nodded.
“The summoning skill may not work properly.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because the distance is too great.”
“Huuuh..!!”
I hadn't expected this at all either. According to Ophelia, Korea and Britain are about 127 degrees of longitude apart. It's a little disappointing to call it the opposite side of the Earth, but it's almost that far.
Of course, the summoning skill is incredibly strong. I'd even called Minyum and Ophelia in Seoul from Busan before... but still, the gap between Seoul and Busan and between Korea and Britain is enormous.
“Umm... what should I do...”
It's New Year's, and I'd have to be apart from Suri and Minyum? That's a little disappointing. Thinking about it, it's not just a little disappointing—it's really disappointing. If I power up the summoning skill right now, couldn't I make it strong enough to summon the golems on Earth even if I were on the moon?
If Ddaengdaengi, Minyum, and Suri can all be temporarily boosted a lot, do you think I can't do the same by spending mana myself?
“Yah! Turn me into a super-strong princess—!!!!”
“....”
“Nope.”
No, maybe if I try a few more times it'll work? Hunters are supposed to work hard dozens or even hundreds of times to hone their abilities, after all.
“Yah! Strengthen me!”
“Yah! Power up, Princess!”
“Yah! Eve, click!”
Ddaengdaengi, who had been watching my tearful efforts from the comfort of the bed, got up with little waddling steps and said one thing.
“Transform! Ultimate Princess!!”
ㅡBeep....
“Huh? What was that?”
ㅡBeep-beep....
“If you're going to do weird things, at least wear some pants, okay? Got it, sorry.”
* * * * *
“Nyang-nyang.”
“Is the meal to your liking?”
“Yep.”
I don't know whether I'll go outside today, but I should at least have brunch. Looks like there are people working today too, huh? The hotel staff are working, and since it's not a holiday, it's just a day off for me.
Britain is nice, but I don't have any friends here, and I can't call Minyum and Suri over, so it's a shame. If I had a day off in Korea, what on earth did I usually do at home? That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
[Insaeng-anmanghetda : I've got the day off today and nothing to do
What should I do for fun in England?]
-ㅇㅇ : Spending New Year's in England?
ㄴ Insaeng-anmanghetda : Yep
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : Go to the London Eye.
“The London Eye? I'm the London Eye.”
“The term 'London Eye' refers to a giant Ferris wheel located between Westminster and Hungerford Bridge.”
“Ahh.”
So the London Eye wasn't a kid after all.
The London Eye is a Ferris wheel that once held the record for being the tallest in the world, and its height is a whopping 135 meters, according to Ophelia. It's so big that one ride takes 30 minutes, and you can take in the London skyline at a glance, making it one of London's must-visit attractions.
But right now it's peak season, so same-day reservations are almost impossible, and apparently you can only ride it next year....
“Hmm, the London Eye.... If I reserve now, could I ride it before I head back home?”
“As it happens, I received a reservation schedule from Miss Eleanor. She booked a slot for 3 p.m. today, so she said to use it if you're interested.”
“Hwaeek!!”
I never expected them to be this considerate. Royal Mayfair really is a luxury brand, huh? I like it. 3 p.m.... 12 minus 15... no, 15 minus 12, then.
“3 p.m.! Then I'm going! Ophelia, you're coming too, right?”
“Yes, I will accompany you.”
“Yay!”
The London Eye ride schedule had been decided. Since they said Mayfair had specially booked one of the hardest time slots to reserve, not riding it would be like losing half your life.
But it's only 11 o'clock right now, so there's still plenty of time. I guess I can take my time, wash up, get ready, and head out.
The London Eye normally runs until 6, but since December 31 has shortened hours, it seems Eleanor's reserved slot is the last one.
Just as people gather in Times Square in America to welcome the New Year, Britain apparently treats the area around London's River Thames as that sort of place.
There'll be tons of tourists too, and it'll be bustling all over the place, so it should be fun.
My heart suddenly started pounding. I thought it would be a boring last day of the year, but I never expected an itinerary like this.
“Then there'll be a New Year's countdown too, right?”
“Yes. When the Big Ben clock tower strikes 12, the bells ring.”
“Wow...”
As expected, the star of the show is Big Ben's clock tower. People gather along the south bank of the Thames, count down there, and then everyone claps and cheers together.
“Then should I go wash up?”
“Yes, I'll help you.”
* * * * *
London's New Year's celebration can only be properly enjoyed if you have an 'entry ticket.'
There are about three or four good areas to enjoy the New Year's celebration, and first is the South Bank area. It's closest to the London Eye and where the most people gather.
It's also the best place to watch the fireworks, and security staff patrol it diligently for safety.
The second is near Westminster Bridge, close to Big Ben. The bell-ringing is called tolling, and it's a spot where the sound carries incredibly well, so it's a pretty good one.
It's a little far away, but some parts of the Embankment area also require tickets, and it's a place where you can enjoy things a little more leisurely and quietly. Other than that, maybe Trafalgar Square? That's all information Ophelia explained to me.
Naturally, we'll be entering the ticketed area around South Bank. Believe it or not, I'm the child model for Royal Mayfair.
“Yay!”
“Princess. A large crowd is expected, so please be careful not to stray from my side.”
“Yep. You heard that too, Ddaengdaeng? If you get pickpocketed, it's bye-bye for us, okay?”
ㅡBeep?!
“Pray hard that the pickpocket turns out to be someone who gives out lots of dog treats.”
ㅡBeep-beep-beep!!!
We washed up leisurely, got dressed, and after finishing our preparations, we set out around 2 p.m. Since it's a famous tourist spot, there'd be tons of people, and with year-end traffic control and all sorts of things to consider, we left an hour early.
Although it wasn't Miss Eleanor, an old chauffeur from Mayfair was taking us from Claridge's Hotel to the London Eye. His wife was in the front passenger seat too. Amazing—really amazing!
“Huh..! These people are...!”
“Ohoho, you're the little kid we saw back then.”
“Oh my, what a coincidence.”
They were the elderly couple who had sat at the table next to ours at the restaurant and smiled at me when I had my first meal in London with Eleanor. It was such a strange coincidence that, apparently, the grandparents remembered me too.
“Yes, we thought you were a remarkably cute little kid.”
“Th-thank you..!”
“Thank you for helping us with the ride.”
“Hoho, no need to thank us for that.”
No, then Eleanor is with Mayfair too. Were these grandparents with Mayfair as well? Or are they just acquainted with Eleanor?
From what I heard, Eleanor asked them to come pick us up, so of course they must know each other!
Anyway, while riding in the car, the grandparents and Ophelia chatted about various things while looking around—mostly about growing flowers and plants—and the Chihuahua the grandparents kept even got into a battle of nerves with Ddaengdaengi.
ㅡGrrrrrrrrr..!!!
ㅡBeep-bee-boop-beep-beep-beep..!!!!
Those tiny things sure had a lot to be upset about. Saffron, the Chihuahua on Grandma's lap in the passenger seat, deliberately turned its head back and bared its teeth at Ddaengdaengi sitting on top of my head, trembling all over.
Ddaengdaengi responded by displaying a tiger picture on its face-screen monitor, but the resolution was too low to see well.
“Ahem, Saffron? That's rude to our guests. Quiet down, please.”
“Ddaengdaengi, hurry and apologize too. Say, 'I'm sorry~.'”
ㅡBeep..
ㅡGrrr..
In the end, they shared dog treats, and it was a happy ending with the two of them getting along.
ㅡScreeech..!
“Now then, we've arrived, young lady.”
“Gasp..! Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma! Are you heading back now?”
“Not at all. We were planning to go to the London Eye too.”
“Wow, then we're on the same schedule!”
“Indeed, indeed. Hoho.”
Surprisingly, the grandparents were also going to ride the London Eye, so they'd come to pick us up on the way as well. They said there was one more person with them besides the two of them, and that's when an unexpected face appeared.
“Grandpa! Grandma!”
“Oh-ho, our granddaughter. Have you been waiting long?”
“Huh!”
“Gah, you are....”
My archenemy and rival. Eloise Whitmore was the old couple's granddaughter.