Chapter 17
At that moment, someone who was probably the younger sister of the boy—who might have been my friend—called out to him.
“Aaron! Hurry up!”
Thanks to that, I learned his name was Aaron.
“Coming!”
He waved casually, then looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Invite me to your estate next time! Let’s have tea together!”
“…Sure. Go on. They’re waiting.”
“Alright! See you next time!”
Aaron smiled brightly and ran off. What a sociable kid.
Maybe it was because I was used to dealing only with stiff and prickly Kainess, but Aaron felt refreshingly different.
Still, asking to be invited was probably just a polite greeting, right?
While I was thinking about Aaron, I suddenly bumped into someone with a thud. It didn’t hurt, but the wrapped candies spilled all over the ground.
“I’m sorry.”
In the flustered moment, I hurriedly picked them up and apologized.
“……”
But the person who had hit my shoulder didn’t apologize—nor did he say anything at all. I had been standing still, and he walked into me.
Feeling wronged, I lifted my head sharply. A much taller man than I expected was crouching down, wearing a black robe pulled over himself, carefully placing candies onto my palm.
What the? It’s not even that late—why is he wearing a robe like that?
His strange appearance made me keep glancing at him.
After gathering all the candies, his large hand stretched out toward me. When I simply stared at it, he extended it again.
“Excuse me. If you bump into someone, you should apologize.”
I hadn’t planned to be picky, but not receiving an apology annoyed me.
“Do you know how important this candy is? It was meant to be a gift.”
“……”
The man awkwardly took the paper wrapping from me and poured the candies inside before handing it back quickly.
He glanced around, then disappeared without ever apologizing.
“What was that?”
I stared after him irritably. He was at least a head taller than most people, so even in the crowd he stood out clearly.
When Kainess grows up, he’ll probably have a build like that. Tall, broad-shouldered.
Maybe because I’d bumped into someone so large, I checked the candies again—only to find them a mess. Some were cracked, others scratched.
I was going to give them to Kainess to earn some points, but now they didn’t even feel right to eat myself.
“Ugh… I’ll have to buy them again.”
Frowning deeply, I returned to the candy stall. The vendor was smiling brightly.
“Mister, I’d like some candy.”
“Oh dear, another customer just bought them all. I’m terribly sorry.”
“What?! No!”
But he couldn’t magically produce candy out of thin air.
I whined a few times, asking if he had any hidden away, but he said everything was sold out.
Holding back tears, I had no choice but to return to where I was waiting for Brother Meyer.
Suddenly, irritation flared up toward that tall man.
“If I see him again, I won’t let him off…!”
He was twice my height and far larger than me, yet strangely, I wasn’t scared. Maybe I was just too angry about the ruined candy.
Crossing my arms, I waited for Brother Meyer, trying to calm down.
Then, in the distance, I spotted that tall man’s head again.
It floated above the crowd, slowly approaching.
“Hey!”
I immediately ran up and grabbed his robe. Startled, he stepped back quickly, but I tightened my grip.
“Are you running away again?”
He shook his head.
“Mister! You need to compensate me for my candy! It was all broken! I told you it was a gift!”
I shouted angrily, loud enough that people around us turned to look.
Suddenly, he thrust a paper bag he had been holding into my arms.
What?
When I looked inside, it was filled with candy. From the exact shop I had bought from earlier.
“Were you the one who bought them all?”
“……”
He really was strange. The culprit who had swept up all the candy was standing right in front of me.
Does this mister just really love candy?
“Do you like candy too?”
“……”
After a long silence, he gave a small nod.
So he’s a rich candy-loving mister, huh.
“I’ll forgive you for breaking mine. But next time, watch where you’re going.”
He nodded again. I wasn’t even sure if he was really a “mister,” but the way he nodded so earnestly was kind of cute.
“I was waiting for my brother, so I’ll be going now.”
I turned and walked back to my spot. Even after I returned, the strange man stood there stiffly, staring.
Seriously, what a weird person.
Looking down at the pile of candy in my arms made me feel oddly unsettled. He liked candy enough to buy out the entire stall—surely he didn’t give it all to me out of guilt?
Even Kainess, who liked sweets, wouldn’t be able to finish this much.
Feeling his gaze on me, I hesitated before walking back over to him.
I picked up the top two candies and held them out to him.
“You’re staring because you like candy, right? Regretting it?”
“……”
I could feel him staring at me. For some reason, I felt like he was looking at me as if I were ridiculous—but that was probably my imagination.
I shoved the candies into his robe pocket and quickly pulled my hand back.
“Take them. Thanks for buying the candy.”
After a light farewell, I waved.
“You can go now. Stop staring.”
He glanced at me a few more times before finally turning and leaving.
What a strange person.
All I could see was his black robe, yet he gave off a strangely familiar feeling.
I was about to head back when I noticed a neatly folded handkerchief on the ground.
Did that mister drop this?
“Careless.”
Wait—did he drop it?
Earlier, when I shoved the candy into his pocket, I remembered touching something soft. I’d thought it was the lining of the robe’s pocket—but it must have been this handkerchief.
It must have fallen out when I pushed the candy in.
“…Maybe I dropped it.”
Startled, I picked it up and looked around, but he was already gone.
What if it’s something important?
Feeling guilty, I clutched the handkerchief and waited there. If it was important, he would come back.
I stared blankly at the cloth in my hand. A strange curiosity rose—maybe I could figure out who that suspicious man was.
When I unfolded it, it looked like an ordinary handkerchief.
Except for one thing.
It had my initials embroidered on it.
Quickly, I pulled out my own handkerchief and compared them. It was definitely mine.
“…What? Is he seriously a stalker?”
Just as goosebumps rose on my skin—
Someone suddenly snatched the handkerchief from my hand.
It was that mister.
He must have run all the way back, because he was breathing heavily.
“You really are strange…”
I narrowed my eyes and poked his shoulder with my finger. It felt like pushing a rock.
“Who are you, mister?”
“……”
He didn’t answer, but he looked clearly flustered, awkwardly touching his face.
At that moment, a strange feeling swept over me, and I suddenly became curious about his face.
It’s unfair if only he knows what I look like. He could be dangerous. I should know.
While he was rubbing his face, I stood on my tiptoes and tugged at his robe.
Mister? No—what I glimpsed for a split second was a strong young man.
I couldn’t properly see him, because he quickly covered my eyes with his hand.
His one hand was big enough to cover my entire face.
“What the—seriously?”
He was so fast that the only thing I saw was black hair.
I wanted to see his face.
“You’re not a dangerous person, right?”
“……”
“I hope not. Aren’t you going to answer?”
“……”
Silence again.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll keep calling you ‘mister.’”
I said it in a subtle threatening tone, grabbing the hand that covered my face.
“I clearly warned you.”
Then, tightening my grip on his hand, I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Kyyaaaa!! Kidnapper!!”
My shout drew everyone’s attention.
Some people rushed over to help, and I could hear guards blowing whistles as they ran toward us.
“Mister, you’re in big trouble now.”
I was still holding his hand. Thinking of him as a criminal annoyed me, but he needed to be caught.
He was suspicious. Someone who might have deliberately approached the youngest daughter of the Bailey family.
I stared at him suspiciously. He had already pulled his robe back over himself.
Then suddenly, he twisted his hand sharply and slipped free from my grip.
“Ah!”
In that brief moment, he fled. I quickly told the guards which direction he had gone, and they chased after him.
One guard remained by my side, and Brother Meyer returned. I explained what had happened.
“It could have been dangerous. Next time, call us immediately.”
“Yes, I will.”
I hadn’t thought I’d be kidnapped in a crowded plaza. I had just been suspicious and wanted to know who he was.
“Let’s go home right now.”
Brother Meyer said firmly. It seemed my earlier words—“If not now, when will I ever come again?”—had raised a red flag.
Oh no.
According to the guards, they had cornered the man—but he had mysteriously disappeared.
Like magic.
“Are you just too embarrassed to admit you lost him?!” I snapped.
The guards repeatedly insisted they were telling the truth.
I didn’t find them convincing. Magic? Suddenly?
I stopped pressing them. It wasn’t like they’d give a different answer, and Father and my two brothers were already grilling them instead.
“There’s not a single lie in that, right?”
“Tell the truth. You just lost him, didn’t you?”
“What are the odds of a cornered suspect escaping? The plaza doesn’t have many corners, and the walls are quite high.”
Watching the guards squirm grew tiring, so I went up to my room.
I had an appointment with Kainess this afternoon. I needed to get ready, so I was short on time.
As I was about to climb the central staircase, Kainess suddenly stepped out from the main doors.
A whole hour earlier than our agreed time.
He always arrived exactly on time, as if he had set an alarm clock.
“Kainess…? Why are you here so early?”
