Chapter 63
“So, what exactly are you giving us?”
The shopkeeper rummaged through a wooden box behind him and pulled something out, handing it to me.
I blinked, glancing between the object resting on my palm and the man’s face.
A long, gaudy red… what even was this? An arm warmer? A sleeve cover? What do you even call this thing?
“What is this?”
“It’s a glove!”
…A glove?
I had assumed it was just some kind of thick arm warmer—but a glove? No way.
If the color was bad, it could’ve at least looked decent! It didn’t even have separate finger holes—it was just a piece of red fabric! Was this guy trying to scam us?
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“Kidding? Not at all! This is a handcrafted masterpiece, made stitch by stitch by an artisan—for lovers who have to hide their affection from others!”
“We’re not secretly dating.”
“…Well, it’s also a suitable gift for couples who’ve hit a rough patch! Come on, just try it on first!”
It was possibly the dumbest thing I’d ever heard in my life, but before I could protest, the shopkeeper grabbed both my arm and Jeiath’s.
Then, he slid our hands into opposite ends of the “glove.” Inside that red scrap of fabric, I could feel Jeiath’s hand brushing against mine.
…Bring me the so-called artisan who made this.
“My word! I’ve never seen a couple suit these gloves so perfectly before!”
Completely oblivious to my internal screaming, the shopkeeper kept rambling on, half compliment, half nonsense.
Fine, fine. It’s ugly as sin, but whatever—it’s supposed to be a gift for lovers. But why did it feel like he was trying to push us out of the booth?
Almost as if he was saying, “Here, take this instead of the grand prize and get lost.”
I narrowed my eyes and asked,
“…Mister. You’re not trying to cheat us out of the gold turtle, are you?”
“Wh-what? You think I’d do something like that?!”
“Yes.”
“…Ahem!”
The fact that he didn’t even try to deny it told me everything I needed to know.
So, this guy really was trying to avoid giving us the prize we earned.
“You’d better hand over the gold turtle while I’m asking nicely.”
“P-please, can’t you just let it slide this once?”
“Let it slide? Why should I?”
“If I give that away, my family will starve!”
“Then why—”
“Enough, Senika.”
Just before my voice could rise any higher, Jeiath stopped me by taking my hand.
How could he stay so calm? He was the one being cheated out of his rightful prize!
But when he shook his head at me, I swallowed my words.
Ugh, fine. We’ll play nice.
“Alright then, mister—”
“Wishing your business prosperity,” Jeiath interrupted smoothly, pulling me out of the booth before I could say more.
“Hey—! Jeiath!”
“Ah, so that’s why? You could’ve just told me sooner.”
Once we’d left the booth, I scratched my cheek as Jeiath explained. It was… kind of embarrassing, honestly.
“Haa…”
He let out a quiet sigh. Not one directed at me, but more like at the exhausting series of events we’d just been through.
And I couldn’t blame him. He’d been dragged into this crowded mess because of me—definitely not his kind of outing.
I could understand why he stopped me, though. The gold turtle prize was the shopkeeper’s means of survival.
Still, that didn’t mean we had to let him get away with breaking his promise. We had won fair and square, after all.
But I didn’t push it further for one simple reason.
“It’s not like one gold turtle is going to change our lives.”
Besides, standing around arguing over it was just a waste of time. There were still other booths to visit.
Honestly, I was just too lazy to fight about it. Jeiath chose to let it go—he was the rightful winner, so who was I to argue?
It was a good day, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
Though… did we have to keep walking around like this?
I glanced down at the so-called “glove.” The outdated red fabric stood out like a sore thumb, drawing stares wherever we went.
Thanks to that, everyone kept assuming we were a couple.
Not that I really cared…
But Jeiath’s expression bothered me. Ever since that shopkeeper called us lovers, he hadn’t looked very happy.
Could it be… he actually hated being mistaken for my boyfriend? Was that why his mood dropped?
But—he’s the one who said he liked me! Did what happened yesterday make him change his mind?
That doesn’t make sense, though… he was joking around with me just fine yesterday.
I could never read Jeiath’s mind before, but now it felt completely impossible.
It was strange—shouldn’t I be the one upset about being mistaken for a couple? Usually, he’d be the one milking the misunderstanding to get closer.
“Jeiath.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you hate being mistaken for my boyfriend?”
“…”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“…”
When I called his name, he answered easily—but to my questions, he stayed silent.
Ugh, forget it! I’m done overthinking. If he doesn’t like it, he can say so himself.
“Hey! Let’s go check that out!”
Since we were being seen as a couple anyway, I decided to make the most of it and drag him along for fun.
I tightened my grip inside that ridiculous piece of cloth and ran off, pulling him with me.
Meanwhile, Jeiath was… less than thrilled about the situation.
Being mistaken for Senika’s lover—
He didn’t hate it. It just wasn’t something he’d wished for. That was all.
‘…This is a strange feeling.’
If he had to put it into words—it wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t quite pleasant either.
No, maybe it was pleasant… just in a bittersweet way.
Like a fleeting midsummer night’s dream.
Because by tomorrow, this illusion of being her lover would vanish.
Jeiath’s gaze lingered on Senika, who laughed brightly as she strung beads together, unaware of his thoughts.
‘As long as you’re happy…’
That was why he hadn’t answered her earlier question.
To him, if Senika was smiling, his own feelings didn’t matter.
Even he could admit—it was blind devotion. No one told him to feel this way, and yet here he was.
The world had a word for it:
“Fate.”
He wasn’t sure if that’s what this truly was. But if he was going to be foolish about it, he might as well dress it up in something poetic.
“All done!”
Finishing her craft, Senika immediately darted toward the next attraction.
“I heard something interesting from the person sitting next to me while I was making this—”
But Jeiath wasn’t listening to her words anymore. His attention was fixed on the way her lips moved, chattering nonstop with that radiant energy of hers.
He didn’t mean to stare, but he couldn’t help it.
Her small, red lips—and honestly, everything about her—was so irresistibly charming it hurt.
‘…My emotions are stronger than usual.’
And he knew why.
Senika may have forgotten, but he was also undergoing his adult maturation cycle, which made him sensitive to pheromones.
He just hid it well so she wouldn’t notice. Inside, though, his emotions were a storm—wild and uncontrollable.
He had never once lost control back in the North. But now, with her standing right before him, his restraint was unraveling.
“Jeiath! Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah.”
She pouted.
“Then what did I just say?”
“You said you wanted to go watch the puppet show.”
“…I’ll let that one slide.”
“Let’s go.”
Even when he seemed distracted, Jeiath always remembered what she said. He just filtered out the less important parts.
Rumble—
As they headed toward the central plaza where the puppet show was being held, thunder rolled across the cloud-darkened sky.
Something about it felt off—not just the weather. A prickling sense of foreboding hung in the air.
It’ll be fine… at least until the rain starts, Jeiath thought.
Seeing Senika’s bright excitement made it hard for him to suggest returning to the estate. He didn’t want to dampen her mood—or remind her of the work that awaited her there.
When they arrived, the plaza was packed wall-to-wall with people.
“They really did hire a famous troupe, huh.”
Senika explained that their family had paid an enormous sum to bring them in from another country.
Jeiath didn’t care either way.
He found her changing expressions far more captivating than any performance.
But then—he caught a faint burning smell.
And with it, a surge of killing intent.
‘What the…?’
He whipped his head around, scanning their surroundings. Nothing. The smell vanished just as quickly.
Still, even if only for a split second—he’d felt it clearly.
Danger.
Without hesitation, Jeiath grabbed Senika and pulled her up from her seat.
She blinked in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Huh? What is—”
BOOM!
Before she could finish, an explosion erupted behind the puppet stage. And as if it were a signal, more blasts followed throughout the plaza.
“Kyah!”
Screams filled the air as flames shot upward, thick black smoke billowing everywhere. The once-cheerful crowd descended into chaos.
In the panic, Jeiath lost his grip on Senika’s hand.
He tried to push through the panicked masses to reach her, but the surge of people was too strong to move against.
‘Damn it!’
At least she wasn’t alone—her knight, Ludius, should’ve been nearby.
Still, he couldn’t shake the anxiety clawing at his chest. Not seeing her in his line of sight was unbearable.
Then, he felt it—dark, ominous energy gathering around him.
His hand went to his sword.
He couldn’t risk using pheromones here—it would endanger the civilians.
Drip—
Rain began to fall, pattering against the cobblestones.
The downpour helped subdue the fire, but the thick smoke now made it almost impossible to see.
It was far from a good situation.
Clang—!
“Oh? You managed to block that?”
