Chapter 102”:
Cheshire, who had been responding politely, now turned his gaze toward the irritatingly grinning Lavián.
“I was thinking of switching to a guard dog business—how about you guys get one too?”
“No thanks. I’ve had enough of dogs…”
“I think Nina would like it. Nina, do you want me to get you a cute and smart puppy as a gift?”
“Hey, don’t try to lure the kid! First it was parfait, now a puppy? You’re a textbook kidnapper.”
Lavián’s words were hardly polite, but Nina didn’t bother arguing.
A puppy would be cute…
Considering her situation, raising a dog didn’t feel right. Humans can eventually forget and move on after a separation, but animals probably can’t.
“I’m not trying to lure you—I just wanted to apologize for today and give a gift…”
“Gift or not, finish cleaning the place properly first before talking about gifts.”
“Alright, understood.”
While Cheshire and Lavián bickered back and forth, they had already reached the entrance to the Blue District.
Compared to the hotel area in the Red District, or even the casino they’d visited before, the bustling and noisy entertainment district left Nina momentarily stunned.
So this is the bobcat territory… But why…
Why did it feel like she’d been here before?
The Blue District was clearly a place Nina had never visited.
The entertainment district had a strange, fascinating atmosphere—exactly the kind of street that could be called a gang territory.
And yet, a strange sense of déjà vu kept rising, making her a little confused, as if she’d encountered this glamorous street at some point before.
“Perry, take Den inside first.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following Cheshire’s instruction, Perry obediently complied. Den held Perry’s hand as he walked, waving slightly toward Nina.
Nina waved back.
Cheshire crossed his arms and turned to face Lavián and Nina.
His lemon-colored eyes glinted in the lamplight, a bitter smile curling his lips.
“I saw something I shouldn’t have.”
“What are we going to do now?”
Lavián asked slowly.
The serious tone made Nina quietly listen.
“At this point, it’s a bit awkward to say we’ll handle it ourselves. So… what should we do?”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
The fact that the pursuers had kidnapped Den today—and Nina along with him—meant that information had leaked within the bobcat organization.
Cheshire showed a troubled expression.
“Well… even the crocs got hired? That royal family really has its standards.”
Pretending to ignore their conversation, Nina recalled some information she knew.
So those pirate-like guys earlier were the crocs.
The crocs, including Norman, were infamous not just in their homeland of the Three Kingdoms but even across the Empire.
Even if a client changed their mind and canceled the request, the crocs wouldn’t stop pursuing their target.
They were notorious for abducting their chosen target to extract money, no matter who it was.
If there was no way to extort money, they were infamous for brutally mutilating the hostage and sending the corpse to the original client.
“Yeah, keep some dignity. You’re not alone anymore.”
Lavián’s meaningful remark sent a sudden chill down Cheshire’s spine.
“Really…?”
“Yeah. I gave a small gift as the brother-in-law, but it seems they didn’t like it. Maybe I should give a proper one this time.”
Contrasting the light tone of his words, his absinthe-colored eyes burned coldly.
From the perspective of the Norman royal family, things had indeed gotten seriously tangled.
Even though Cheshire had benefited unintentionally, he didn’t look particularly pleased.
“They might have liked it. Those crocs are pretty famous.”
“This isn’t just your organization’s problem. I can’t stand the ignorant crocs from a backwater kingdom crawling to the Empire’s port and causing trouble, as a veteran.”
True to a former prince’s style, the excuse sounded grandiose.
It was obvious he was upset just because Nina got caught up in it, but Cheshire didn’t bother pointing that out. He was just as upset about what happened to Nina and Den.
“And even though you say that… aren’t you secretly thrilled inside?”
“What are you talking about? I feel so bad about Nina right now I can barely lift my head. Once we finish cleaning, we’ll come back and have fun with Nina. We’ll make up properly for what happened today.”
“Doing good deeds doesn’t count as an apology. Find that two-timing guy properly. Let’s go.”
Lavián’s curt reply turned toward the opposite street.
“Take care, Nina.”
“Bye, sir.”
Nina waved back to Cheshire before turning her attention to Lavián.
As they walked along the levee path that connected to the main street, a brief silence fell.
Left alone together, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Nina glanced at the colorful lights beyond the levee and looked up at Lavián.
What could he be thinking?
His thoughtful expression worried her, yet she wished he’d say something.
She didn’t even know what she wanted to hear…
“I won’t get to see the fireworks.”
That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
The words hit her like a bolt from the blue, leaving her momentarily stunned.
“Why not?”
“Why? Well…”
Lavián replied as if her question was strange, his tone blunt.
“After what just happened, do you think we can watch fireworks?”
“Yes.”
Nina answered without a moment’s hesitation.
She wasn’t going to give up the finale of the festival date that easily!
Today might be the last chance to watch fireworks with Lavián…!
“How many times do I have to tell you? Missing fireworks because of that would be more unfair.”
“…”
“Sir, I really don’t mind! I wasn’t scared at all. See? I’m fine even now—”
Lavián’s footsteps abruptly stopped.
“Don’t joke around.”
“Huh?”
Nina looked confused.
He dropped his head to the side, clenched his teeth, and stood still for a moment.
Then he seemed like he might grab his head with both hands, but instead,
“You can’t be fine, you idiot…!”
His shout exploded.
Nina’s eyes went wide at the almost wailing scream.
Thud.
Lavián collapsed at her feet as if he couldn’t stay upright.
“What do you mean ‘I’m fine’? It’s not fine at all… not fine in the slightest, so why do you keep saying it’s fine…?”
His voice sounded like pained groaning, almost sobbing.
His slumped shoulders trembled faintly.
Nina watched him half-dazed.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t been scared. Of course she had been—it was terrifying.
She had almost burst into tears when she first saw Lavián after being rescued, even though she had felt relieved then.
But showing it wouldn’t help anyone.
If she whined on top of causing trouble, it would only make things worse.
If she hadn’t insisted on checking out the haunted house, this messy situation might never have happened.
And yet…
Why was Lavián acting like this?
She had never seen or imagined him like this before.
It didn’t even feel like his sudden suffering was just because of the earlier commotion, which confused her even more.
Why… why are you crying…?
Even if she couldn’t fully understand the situation, she felt an urge to comfort him.
“Sir… what’s wrong?”
As Nina cautiously spoke and reached out to touch his head, Lavián suddenly pulled her into his arms.
The teddy bear in her hand fell to the ground.
“I thought I’d lost you…”
Nina buried her face in his shoulder and didn’t move.
She hardly even breathed, completely stunned in a different way than before.
Lavián tightened his arms around her and continued in a trembling voice:
“I thought something had gone wrong… I was so worried, you idiot…”
A warmth spread through her chest, making Nina blink rapidly.
She didn’t know why tears were coming—she wasn’t sad or upset.
Instead, it was the opposite.
She couldn’t describe it well, but a warm, wonderful sensation spread from her chest throughout her body, as if hundreds of lights had suddenly turned on around her.
“Yeah… thank you for finding me, sir.”
Thank you for finding me again.
Nina whispered from her heart and squeezed her eyes shut.
