Chapter 4
With his chest puffed out proudly, Derick gave a playful grin.
“Don’t worry. I, Derick, will stick close by your side and protect you. Right, Sir Theodore?”
“Just stay away from me, please.”
There was no need to go around bragging about being royalty. Theodore pushed Derick away in disgust.
Not that it made any difference—the guy’s ridiculously bulky frame didn’t budge an inch.
Hayden, who was used to the two bickering, simply chuckled from the side.
Annoyed by that reaction, Theodore spun on his heel and left the lord’s castle.
Maybe it was because the village was small, but even the so-called plaza wasn’t all that big. Thanks to that, he was able to spot Piggy without much trouble.
“Is it true she turns into a mermaid when she gets wet?”
“That’s what they say! Just wait—I’m going to prove today that Ayla really is a monster and get her kicked out of our village.”
The backs of the children gathered at the edge of a shadowy alley looked familiar.
Some of them were noble brats who still hadn’t returned to the capital even after the banquet.
The excited kids were carrying water buckets nearly as big as their torsos as they headed toward a run-down shed at the end of the alley.
Then suddenly, they sensed a shadow looming over their heads and looked up.
“Huh? Why is it so dark—ugh!”
The shadow turned out to be none other than Derick, who had quietly approached from behind.
Startled by his massive frame, one of the kids reflexively hurled the bucket into the air.
And like some kind of domino effect, the rest screamed and flailed wildly.
Maybe everyone who hangs out with Piggy Evans is an idiot.
Frowning at the pathetic scene, Theodore walked up to the shed.
The wooden door, worn away in places, was fastened tightly with a bolt.
Just from the looks of it, he could already guess who was inside.
And sure enough—
As he yanked on the noisy, creaking door, a flash of sky-blue hair came into view.
Thud.
Seeing that familiar, refreshing color again, Theodore leaned his head crookedly against the doorframe.
“Hey, Ayla. Every time I see you, you’re locked up somewhere.”
‘Why does this piss me off so much?’
His eyes, which had curled upward in amusement, sharpened.
To be honest, he hadn’t thought much of it when he came here.
He was just curious about the mermaid-like girl with her fairy-tale looks and wanted to see her one more time.
Maybe use the opportunity to thank her for saving his life.
But seeing that sky-blue hair quietly tucked between piles of musty hay made him feel like someone had just smacked him in the back of the head.
Actually—quietly tucked away wasn’t quite right.
Whether she’d been planning to break the door down or not, Ayla was standing with a rotting wooden stick raised high in the air.
“Theo?”
Her pale blue lashes fluttered quickly, as graceful as the curve of her plump cheeks.
“Just asking—you’re not planning to hit me with that, are you?”
Theodore nodded toward the club Ayla had raised as if she was about to swing it.
As if nothing had happened, Ayla quickly hid both hands behind her back. Then she fidgeted, unsure where to look.
They weren’t close enough to greet each other warmly, but still—he didn’t expect her to be this openly wary of him. It felt like she was even more awkward than when they first met.
Theodore’s lips jutted out slightly in a pout, feeling strangely disappointed.
Whether she noticed or not, Ayla waved him off as if telling him to get lost.
“You shouldn’t be here, Theo. If Piggy finds out we know each other, she’ll start picking on you too.”
Ayla stood on tiptoes and peeked over Theodore’s shoulder.
Luckily, Piggy’s gang was still preoccupied with Derrick.
Though calling it a “standoff” was generous—Piggy seemed too shocked by Derrick’s size and was trembling on her own.
“Looks like she hasn’t seen you yet. Hurry and go before you get caught.”
But no sooner had she said that, Piggy spotted Ayla coming out of the storehouse.
“Hey! You! How did you get out? And who’s that?”
Clearly, Piggy’s slow mind couldn’t connect that Derrick was a royal guard.
If she had realized, there’s no way a lowly country noble would have dared point fingers at royalty.
“How dare you! Do you even know who this is—!”
Outraged by her rudeness, Derrick raised his voice, but Theodore shook his head.
“We’ve been spotted. What now, Theo?!”
“Well, what do you think?”
Theodore calmly looked at Ayla, who was stomping her feet in panic.
Then she suddenly threw her cloak over his head, causing him to gasp.
“What is this?!”
“If you wear this, they won’t recognize your face…!”
Seriously? Theodore glared at the chick-yellow cloak. For the record, yellow was his least favorite color.
He was about to take it off, but stopped.
Ayla had grabbed his hand—and taken off running.
“Stop right there! Ayla, if you get caught, you’re dead meat! You stinking little monster!”
Piggy’s shrieking voice echoed from behind.
But it seemed Derrick had blocked her, so she couldn’t follow and just screamed from where she stood.
They ran across the plaza and didn’t stop until they reached a quiet forest path.
Panting, Ayla finally halted.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
Unable to keep her wobbly legs steady, she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Their hands were still tightly clasped, so Theodore had no choice but to lean down to match her eye level.
“I think we can let go now, don’t you?”
“Oh! Sorry! I was just in such a hurry!”
When he lightly shook their interlocked hands, Ayla pulled away as if she’d touched fire.
But that wasn’t the end of it. As if she was afraid he’d be disgusted from touching her, she even started rubbing his palm with her sleeve, mumbling nervously.
“Just in case you’re wondering—I don’t have any kind of disease!”
“No one said you did.”
“And curses don’t transfer or anything! That stuff about catching diseases or curses from touching a mermaid is all nonsense.”
“I know. I already touched you once—back when you fell into the sea.”
“Oh… right, that happened.”
Perhaps taken aback by his calm—no, downright indifferent—response, Ayla scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
Then, Theodore lightly tapped her ankle with his foot, and she jolted up in place with a startled yelp.
“Wah!”
“Are you just slow or plain dumb? Your ankle’s all swollen. What were you planning to do, run on that?”
Sure enough, whether it was twisted or not, Ayla’s pale ankle was red and puffy.
“Was this that bastard Pigi again?”
“Huh? Oh, no! This happened when I tried to climb a pile of straw.”
She explained that she fell while trying to escape through the window by scaling a stack of straw, lowering her head as she did.
Judging by her red-tipped ears, she seemed frustrated to have been caught in such a sorry state not once, but twice.
“Are you stupid? Why do you just let it happen? If he bullies you, tell him to stop! And if that doesn’t work, hit him! He keeps going because you’re an easy target.”
“How could I? Pigi’s a noble.”
For a commoner to harm a noble was nearly a serious crime, so Ayla shook her head so hard it looked like it might come off.
“It’s fine. I’m used to it by now. It doesn’t really bother me anymore.”
Yeah right—it clearly did. Theodore felt a tension pinch the back of his neck at her bitter smile.
Why was he getting so irritated?
He’d always been indifferent to others, so this sudden emotional turmoil over Ayla’s situation felt unfamiliar.
“Whatever. Just give me your ankle.”
“Uh… Theo, about back then—when you saw me in the sea. When I turned into a mermaid… could you keep that a secret from everyone?”
As Theodore swept his bangs aside, his brows furrowed.
Maybe she mistook that as a refusal, because Ayla rushed to explain.
“Please! You probably heard it too, but if people find out I’m really a mermaid, they might kick me out of this village. That would break my parents’ hearts too…”
“I won’t.”
“…Huh?”
