Chapter 19
It was only because Nina resembled Anna.
No matter how cheeky Nina acted, no matter how boldly she lied or touched his shoulder—it was all bearable because she resembled Anna…
“Sh*t.”
No. That wasn’t it.
If it were just that, it wouldn’t be bothering him this much.
Ding-ling. The sound of a toy store door opening rang just as Lavian was lighting his cigarette. He paused without thinking.
Soon, two little kids came bouncing out, hugging a large stuffed doll wrapped in a scarf.
‘They still sell those things?’
Staring at the prince doll the kids were holding, Lavian racked his memory.
What was the name of the book that doll came from?
‘Was it the Dwarf Prince? No, The Little Prince?’
It was definitely some kind of prince.
Anyway, the reason Lavian remembered it was because of Anna.
Anna had loved the fairy tale that featured that prince.
Especially the part with the rose.
“You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”
What happened to that rose in the end?
After the foolish prince left—what became of the rose?
His stomach churned suddenly.
‘Stupid bastard.’
Stupid bastard. Irresponsible bastard. Selfish bastard…
“Mister, are you okay?”
A small voice popped into his awareness, and Lavian slowly lifted his bowed head.
A girl hugging the cursed prince doll had approached him.
She looked about Nina’s age.
“I’m fi—”
He was just about to say, I’m fine, go away.
Suddenly, the scene before him blurred, and a memory washed over him like an overlapping afterimage.
Light blonde hair fluttered.
Anna smiled at him as he sat there blankly.
No, it wasn’t Anna.
Anna had never set foot in this city while alive. So it couldn’t have been her.
Meaning, this memory…
‘Mister.’
It was Nina, after all.
But even if it was Nina, it didn’t make sense.
‘It’s okay.’
Nina raised one hand.
Her tiny hand, like a leaf, was wrapped tightly in bandages.
Even her fingertips…
“Are you okay?”
The moment he blinked, the afterimage vanished like mist.
The girl hugging the prince doll remained, eyes wide, staring at him.
“Are you sick?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
Lavian forced himself to reply calmly, though his heart pounded wildly in his chest.
‘What the hell was that?’
It was similar to what he experienced when he first met Nina at the bar.
He’d brushed it off back then as just a drunken hallucination…
‘That was the first time I met her!’
So what was that just now?
It was too vivid to be chalked up as stress-induced hallucination.
It felt like… like a forgotten memory had been suddenly reawakened.
“Damn it!”
Lavian sprang to his feet.
And then took off running toward somewhere.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the general store, Nina had been completely absorbed in browsing at first.
‘Is Lavian having a long talk with Dité?’
The shop was packed with trinkets, stationery, snacks—you name it. And full of people.
Mostly teens in school uniforms and young kids accompanied by their guardians.
A small child wandering around alone naturally stood out.
“Looking for something, sweetie?”
A store clerk in a black uniform approached Nina.
The clerk had a seemingly kind expression, but Nina, who was highly sensitive to people’s moods, could sense the irritation underneath.
I should just ask quickly.
“Where are the books?”
The clerk scanned Nina with a side glance and subtly bit their lip.
Too clean to be some street urchin looking to steal, but her clothes were too cheap for a well-off child to be out shopping alone.
She was probably some house’s errand girl. That made sense.
Still, being spoken to so rudely by a brat doing errands wasn’t pleasant.
But with so many eyes around, they couldn’t start arguing with an ill-mannered kid either.
Swallowing their annoyance, the clerk jerked their chin stiffly.
“Fairy tales are that way.”
Leaving behind the clerk who inwardly seethed with irritation, Nina trotted over to the fairy tale section.
It must’ve once been alphabetically organized, but now it was a mess from all the kids rummaging through it.
I hope that book’s still here.
The one with the title about a Northern Duke or something.
It was a fairy tale that had recently become a huge trend across the continent, regardless of social class.
But Nina had a different reason for looking for it.
Hamelin definitely…
In that dream, when she had been kidnapped by Hamelin.
She still clearly remembered the fear—being trapped, unable to see where she was or who was around her—and hearing Hamelin read aloud from a fairy tale book.
Probably just a creepy hobby of his, but still… just in case.
If things followed the future Nina knew, it wouldn’t be long before children with markings on their fingernails started appearing.
Hamelin’s mark.
I wish I had at least seen his face before I died.
The only thing Nina knew about Hamelin besides the nail markings was how obsessively he fixated on her.
If she could just look closely at that fairy tale book he always read, maybe she’d find some clue about who he really was.
“Sold out?”
She stood on her tiptoes to look at the top of the shelf but then abruptly turned around.
She’d been feeling someone’s gaze for a while—but now it had narrowed sharply.
“Need help?”
A girl appeared suddenly and asked without much surprise.
She had bright orange hair tucked under a scarf and held a mop handle in one hand.
Her face, dotted with faint freckles across her nose, was cute—but her eyes, a piercing navy blue, gave off an oddly cold vibe.
Nina hesitated briefly, then asked,
“Do you work here?”
“Just help with cleaning sometimes. Looking for a book? I can grab it.”
The girl looked about ten years old, a head taller than Nina.
She could probably reach the top shelf of the children’s section.
“I’m looking for My Dad Is the Northern Duke—”
“Oh, that one.”
The girl scoffed knowingly and reached deep into the shelf.
“It’s right here. Only one left. One of the staff hid it.”
“Why would they?”
“To buy it with their employee discount and give it to their kid.”
“I see… Ah, thanks.”
Nina, caught off guard by the unexpected explanation, took the book with a dazed expression.
The girl stared at her intently.
With a look that seemed both analytical and… a bit fascinated.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Nina. You?”
“I’m Katya.”
Just then, a loud noise erupted from the opposite side of the store.
Students in school uniforms had knocked over a display stand.
Katya sighed deeply.
“Ugh, annoying…”
“I’ll help.”
Feeling thankful for the book, Nina cheerfully helped Katya clean up the mess.
While they were putting everything back, something caught Nina’s eye.
“How’d you get hurt?”
“What?”
“You’ve got a bruise on your arm. Must hurt.”
Katya stared at Nina strangely, then scowled and pulled her sleeve down to hide her forearm.
“Just got it while working. But hey, do you have money?”
“Huh?”
“Do you even have the money to buy that book?”
“Ah… I’m not the one paying, but…”
“Someone else is? Where are they?”
There was a twisted smirk in Katya’s voice.
Nina flinched at the sudden shift in tone.
“Just outside for a moment—”
“Where exactly? Because no one’s waiting outside right now.”
