Chapter 31
“Why is Young Master Richard here of all places…?”
I blinked in surprise at Kiel’s sudden appearance, someone who definitely wasn’t supposed to be here. I was just trying to eat cake, and now this happened.
“Because I wanted to see you?”
Do you seriously think that counts as an answer? And stop tilting your head like that. It’s cute!
I widened my eyes and glared at Kiel, determined not to fall for his looks. He, on the other hand, seemed pleased just to have my attention and approached me with a bright grin.
Wait—why are you coming closer?
“Shuri. I honestly don’t know what I did wrong. If you tell me, I’ll fix anything. So… could you stop keeping your distance from me? Please?”
Kiel pleaded softly. His drooping expression looked utterly pitiful, and his eyes, glistening with unshed tears, sparkled like jewels.
That’s…!
Gasp. I almost fell for it!
Despite having a fairly high aesthetic standard, I was completely defenseless in front of Kiel’s face. Honestly, could that even be considered a human face? Unless he were some kind of hybrid between heaven and the human world.
As I muttered to myself, I noticed people behind us growing uncomfortable, unsure how to line up.
“…Young Master Richard. Please don’t cry, and if you’re going to stand in line, come properly to the side.”
With what little strength I had, I tugged on Kiel’s wrist. He stepped beside me, stared at the wrist I was holding, then quietly laced his fingers with mine.
…How did it come to this?
“Young Master Rich—”
“Kiel.”
“Ri—”
“Call me Kiel, okay?”
Kiel, now much taller than me and broader in build, bent slightly to meet my gaze. His face came closer. I tried to step back, but his grip on my hand kept the distance from widening.
Excuse me—this is way too close. Don’t you know about personal space? Huh? And I have zero immunity to your grown-up face! Move it! Keep a proper distance!
Startled by how close he was, I could only open and close my mouth like a goldfish. Kiel let out a low chuckle.
“Shuri. Are you conscious of me?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
I quickly turned my head away, which only made his laughter deepen.
What on earth happened in five years for him to change like this?
One by one, the differences began to stand out. My heart stirred for no reason, as if I’d been handed a question with no answer.
An inexplicable red alarm blared in my head, one I didn’t know when—or if—it would shut off.
“Shuri. But why are you here?”
“…To eat the limited-edition cake.”
Kiel looked absurdly pleased, swinging our joined hands back and forth.
He reminded me of a child at an amusement park, happily out with his mother. Maybe because of that image, the red alarm shut off. The unease from earlier must’ve been nothing more than fleeting nerves.
Phew. I tensed up for nothing.
“I knew it. So you’re standing in line to wait?”
“I… guess so?”
“Then let’s go in.”
“…What?”
Kiel gently led me out of the line, walked straight ahead, and stopped at the very front.
Uh—excuse me?
“Please line u—! G-gasp! I’m so sorry!”
The part-time worker managing the line bowed deeply.
When I looked up at Kiel, he scanned the worker with an unreadable expression. Then, as if it had nothing to do with him, he led me inside.
Having been forcibly given a free pass, I stared at him in disbelief.
Kiel looked around for a while before guiding me to an empty table. He released my hand and pulled out a chair for me.
Ah. He wants me to sit.
I awkwardly accepted his escort, clearly unused to such behavior.
Even afterward, I kept glancing at him unconsciously. The question of how he could skip the line at such a popular place refused to leave my mind.
“…Shuri. If you’re curious about something, you can just ask.”
Seeing him covering his mouth and avoiding my gaze, I realized my mistake.
This place was famous for making even high-ranking nobles line up, after all…
“How did you get through?”
“Oh. This place is—”
“Young Master!”
He was interrupted at the crucial moment.
I turned to see who dared cut him off and froze, my eyes widening. I didn’t have a mirror, but I was sure my expression was extreme enough that I’d bet all of Ventus’s assets on it.
Why is the manager here…?
The name tag on his collar clearly read Manager.
“What is it.”
Kiel’s voice turned the cozy shop into subzero temperatures. It felt like minus twenty degrees inside.
The temperature difference was so stark it caught me off guard. Still, this version of Kiel felt closer to the one I remembered, which oddly made me feel more at ease.
Ridiculous as it sounded, I even felt a hint of nostalgia.
Long time no see, this chill!
“I heard you’d arrived, so I came to greet you. But who is this lady…?”
“You don’t need to know—no. Remember her face.”
“Ah, yes. Understood. What would you like?”
“The limited-edition cake. And tea, choose whatever suits.”
“Of course. Please wait a moment!”
I sat there, dazed.
That Kiel being close to someone else? And that someone was the manager here?
His connections were no joke…
I stared at him with admiration, silently urging him to explain how he knew the manager.
“Oh. This place is my land. I bought it.”
His tone was as casual as saying Nice morning today, leaving me gaping.
Buying such a popular spot on such a busy street!
Now that was true wealth. I wasn’t exactly poor, but somehow I felt wronged. What a cruel, capital-driven world. Sob.
“I… see. But do you come here often? You seem close with the manager. I never knew you’d buy a shop just because you wanted cake.”
I knew he liked cake, but buying a shop for it was another level.
“I didn’t buy it because I wanted cake.”
“Then…?”
“Because I thought of you. I wanted you to come here with me, so I bought it.”
I caught the fleeting longing on Kiel’s face.
The ridiculous fantasy that he thought of me every time he saw cake nearly took over my mind, and I shook my head to snap out of it.
There’s no way.
“Every time I saw cake, I thought of you.”
—Wait, there is a way?!
Seeing his bitter smile, I felt utterly confused.
Kiel was always the one pushing me away. He never came to see me even once when I was sick.
I couldn’t understand why he was smiling like it had been hard.
I knew I was being petty. Still, I’d always believed he’d lived just fine without me.
Just like he’d said when we were kids—there was no reason he couldn’t live without me.
Yet looking at his expression now, things felt complicated.
“How have you been, Kiel?”
For some reason, his name felt unfamiliar. Maybe because this was the first time I’d called him without adding oppa since we were little.
But it didn’t feel bad. Rather…
“Hmm. A bit tough. I looked for you, handled my father’s work… and the hardest part was probably you not being there. I like it when you call my name, Shuri.”
His bitter smile softened into something gentle. His cheeks flushed peach-pink, his curved eyes making him look strangely endearing.
Seeing him smile so differently from the past, I found myself smiling back for the first time in a while.
“Shuri. Do you hate me?”
“Well… I don’t know.”
Maybe a little.
When I added that with a giggle, Kiel gently brushed my fingertips on the table. As I tried to pull away, tickled, he covered my hand with his.
“Shuri. Do you know why I didn’t go inside right away when I saw you?”
Nope. No idea.
But he continued without waiting for my answer.
“I wanted to talk to you more. Shuri, when you don’t say anything, I don’t know why you’re acting that way. But I don’t want to keep living like this, with distance between us. I’ll do better. Will you give me a chance to make it up to you?”
He met my gaze, then lowered his eyes. His trembling lashes looked unbearably pitiful.
“…Do whatever you want.”
It was practically permission.
Whether I gave him a chance or not, we were bound to see each other anyway. And honestly, I didn’t really mind.
I was planning a little timid revenge, too. Like dumping capsaicin into his cake.
“Okay!”
Kiel beamed, completely unaware of my thoughts. And the moment I saw that smile, I froze.
Kiel… you could smile like that?
Before I could recover, the cake and tea arrived.
The limited-edition cake was overwhelming. Its presence completely crushed Kiel’s. As if I’d never been flustered, I focused entirely on the cake.
“Want more? Or anything else you want to do? Let’s do it together today.”
While I was eating, Kiel asked with a gentle smile. Feeling happy from the sweets, I nodded without thinking.
“More tea? Or more cake? Or something else?”
For a moment, Kiel overlapped with Genie in my mind. The difference being he was willing to grant more than just three wishes.
As he rested his chin on his hands and smiled, I felt countless gazes on him. Every young lady in the shop seemed fixated on him.
He really was handsome. No—everything about him was top-tier. Family, looks, brains… personality? Let’s exclude that.
“Well, well. Isn’t that a rare face?”
A man approached with a nasty grin, and my brows furrowed instinctively. I quickly smoothed my expression and took another bite of cake.
Mmm. Delicious.
“Shuri. Should we order more cake?”
“Huh? Sure. Let’s get a bit more.”
I immediately adjusted to Kiel’s suddenly polite tone. It was probably because of that snide man.
From what I saw, he had blue hair and yellow eyes… Who was he? Someone bold enough to mock Kiel had to be from a family equal or higher than a ducal house.
Higher than a duke would be royalty, but royals were all blond. So that was out.
Then it had to be another ducal family.
Even among dukes, there were ranks. The Richard Ducal House stood far above the rest. That meant the most likely candidate was the next one below them.
The Seid Ducal House.
They only had one son. If this man was the Seid heir, their decline was only a matter of time.
Pick your fights wisely.
“Hah! Figures that’s all you’re good for. Why don’t you just become a butler? It suits you!”
The presumed Seid heir’s face was flushed red, humiliated by being ignored.
So annoying.
“Se—”
“Shuri. Do you need a butler?”
…What?
Just as I was about to call him out, Kiel asked me that.
Why a butler all of a sudden…? Don’t tell me he’s serious?
“If you need one, I’ll do it. I didn’t know, but I’m glad I can take care of you like this. You’re cute even when you’re chewing.”
Kiel smiled gently and reached out, brushing cream from the corner of my mouth. Then the cream disappeared into his mouth.
Yes—he licked his thumb.
And the whole time, his eyes never left me.
It was so natural that I could only stare at him, stunned.
Is he insane? No—wait. No, no! How is that a fifteen-year-old?! How did he grow up to be this sly?!
Aaaaah! My brain is overheating! Deep breaths, deep breaths. Pure thoughts, pure thoughts! He’s only fifteen! No matter how fast he matured, remember his age!
What on earth happened over five years to turn the king of bluntness and emotional walls into a full-fledged flirt? And why is he doing this to me?!
“Shuri.”
“Shur-er.”
“Shurer Clambach.”
“Poppy.”
After he called me several times in different ways, I barely managed to regain my sanity. When I came to, the Seid heir was long gone.
I need to train with a sword more. I’ve definitely lost a screw somewhere. I can’t be this weak.
“Are you okay? That jerk—no, that guy—must’ve startled you. Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, Kiel? I’m fine.”
The one not fine here is you, actually—but I swallowed those words.
If it’d been the Seid heir alone, I’d have brushed it off easily. The only reason I was shaken was because of Kiel.
“Let’s go. You said you’d let me do whatever I wanted today.”
That’s what doing things together meant, right?
Once the situation settled, my heart quickly calmed. The earlier confusion was clearly because Kiel had changed so much from the past.
If I just got used to this walking time bomb version of him, everything would be fine. Once I finished what I had to do, I planned to leave anyway—so it’d be okay!
Unaware that this thought would soon crumble, I stepped forward.
