WTMDO 64

Feeling awkward, I accepted the paper bag he handed me.

“I was going to buy it for you… Well then, thank you. But… are you going to eat it here?”

“Yes.”

A straightforward answer. I had half expected it, but still—he said it as if there were nothing strange about it.

In every way, the man before me was utterly unlike any noble I’d ever known.

I handed him his crêpe, then carefully unwrapped my own. The thinly baked crêpe was filled to the brim with strawberries and whipped cream.

When I glanced at him, he was already taking a bite—biting into a strawberry coated with cream with an elegance so natural to him that it almost felt out of place.

I took a bite of my own crêpe.

Strawberries and whipped cream—those were the only ingredients, and yet I could immediately understand why Arthur liked it so much. It was always delicious.

I was supposed to eat this with Arthur.

Still, letting Edward Callinan eat a crêpe alone in the street somehow felt discourteous. And so, this slightly ridiculous situation had come to be.

“Do you like crêpes?” he asked.

“Ah… yes. They’re Arthur’s favorite food.”

“And you?”

The question caught me off guard. I looked up at him, unsure what he meant.

He met my gaze and repeated himself.

“Not Arthur—you. Is a crêpe your favorite food too?”

“……”

I’d never really thought about that. If Arthur liked something, then so did I. But if I had to name my own favorite…

“Macarons,” I said softly.

“……”

“I like crêpes too, but I love macarons the most.”

Among the pastries my father made, macarons were my favorite.

Lined up in neat rows, they had always looked like jewels conjured by magic. Even now, I’d never eaten a macaron as good as my father’s.

He stared at me for a while before letting out a quiet chuckle.

‘You haven’t changed.’

I thought I heard him murmur.

“What do you mean, I haven’t changed?” I asked.

“…Still so fond of sweets.”

“I—I’m not that fond of them! I just eat them when they’re around, that’s all.”

“You don’t sound convincing when you say it like that.”

His hand came toward me. Startled, I widened my eyes and looked at him.

His hand paused midair, then slowly descended—stopping just beside my lips.

He brushed something away with his fingertips.

I could only stare blankly at the smudge of white cream now resting on his fingers.

“…Ah.”

My cheeks burned.

I wasn’t a child like Arthur, yet I’d managed to get cream on my mouth—so very unrefined. Especially in front of someone like him. If we’d been back at the Aspania estate, Meg would surely have scolded me for it.

I could only stare at his fingers until I finally regained my senses and blurted out,

“Y-you could’ve just told me. Why did you have to wipe it off with your hand?”

“You got something on you,” he said calmly.

“If you dislike my hand, I’ll use a handkerchief instead.”

He took one from his suit pocket and, before I could react, brought it to my lips.

The gesture was so natural—like that of a longtime lover—that I froze on the spot.

Whenever he came this close, all my thoughts scattered, whether I liked it or not.

The soft fabric brushed against the corner of my lips, wiping away the cream.

It felt entirely different from his touch. I swallowed hard before speaking again.

“I told you, I can do it myself…”

“Isn’t this something lovers would do?” he asked mildly.

“If you’re going to keep up this act, you should at least do it somewhere crowded,”

I shot back.

“Doing it here won’t have any effect.”

My tone grew curt with tension.

Of course, speaking like that to a nobleman was unthinkably rude. I knew that.

But still…

My gaze dropped to his handkerchief. The once-clean fabric now bore a faint smudge of whipped cream.

“Anyway, thank you. I’ll wash that for you.”

“There’s no need.”

“Even so. I’d feel uncomfortable if I didn’t.”

I spoke firmly, lowering my gaze. Eventually, Edward Callinan yielded and handed me the handkerchief. I slipped it into my pocket and started walking.

Why does this feel so uncomfortable?

Why do I feel so uneasy?

And why… do I have so little courage?

The silence between us thickened again, as though an invisible thread was binding us in awkward stillness.

It was suffocating. We walked slowly through the crowded streets, not knowing where to go.

And in that moment, I realized— this might be the only chance I’d ever have to ask him what I needed to know.

“I heard you’ve become the headmaster of Bluebird Academy,” I said.

“……”

“Congratulations. I don’t really understand those things, but… it sounds impressive.”

Once my lips started moving, the words spilled out without hesitation.

He looked down at me, clearly wondering where I was going with this.

I pressed on.

“Back at the Natural History Museum—you knew so much about Arthur. Now I understand why. You even knew his class schedule. I didn’t. I’m at the estate most of the time, so I wouldn’t know such details. What kind of sister am I, not even knowing that?”

“……”

“You could have told me sooner that you were the headmaster of Bluebird. You seem to have a lot of secrets, Edward.”

But this wasn’t what I had meant to say.

Secrets?

He had no reason to tell me personal details about himself. And yet, here I was, talking nonsense.

He must think I’m absurd. Maybe I should stop.

But there was still one thing I had to say.

“Do you… know someone named Louizar Canton?”

At the sound of that name, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

It was enough of an answer.

So Louizar was right after all.

Edward Callinan knew about Louizar Canton—and about my debt.

Before he could speak, I continued.

“My debt. I heard you paid it off.”

“……”

“Was it really you who did that?”

It was a foolish question; I already knew the answer.

If it was you who paid my debt… then why?

He finally spoke, slowly.

“…Consider it an advance payment.”

“An advance? You never mentioned that before. The contract said that once everything was resolved—no, actually, how did you even know about my debt—”

“Did you think you could claim that money yourself?” he interrupted.

My words faltered.

“What made you think you could trust me—or Dianther, for that matter—with a contract like that?”

“I—”

“You can’t answer, can you?” His voice was sharp.

“You could’ve been used and discarded. Someone like you would be easy to take advantage of.”

I stood there speechless, feeling the sting of his words.

“Don’t trust people so easily,” he said quietly.

“And don’t assume everyone thinks kindly of you.”

But I couldn’t agree.

Just days ago, he had asked me to trust him.

So did that mean he wasn’t included in his own warning?

He’d always acted—and spoken—as though he wanted me to trust him.

A surge of emotion rose in my chest.

I stopped walking and turned to face him. The mouth of an alley loomed just ahead.

“Then… what about you, Edward?”

You tell me not to trust anyone—what about you?

“I entered this contract because of my debt. I don’t know how long you’ve known about it, but now that you’ve paid it all off, I have no reason to continue. If I were to disappear now… what would you do? You and Lady Dianther are still engaged, aren’t you?”

Then why do you trust me?

What did you see in me that made you pay my debt?

He looked at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes fixed on mine, utterly steady.

As always, I was the only one trembling.

Silence wrapped around us. The once-familiar scenery suddenly felt foreign.

After what felt like an eternity, he took a step forward.

“You asked what I’d do if you disappeared,” he said.

Another step.

“I’d make sure you couldn’t.”

His eyes met mine.

“So you’d never disappear from before me again.”

His voice was quiet—almost a whisper.