Chapter 109
Nina’s voice turned sharp, and Messi gave a troubled smile.
“Because the air over there is bad. The smog.”
“Then why are you and Katya fine?”
“Katya grew up there, so she’s probably immune. And I’m used to those kinds of places.”
Nina shook her head.
She wasn’t convinced anyone could be immune to smog, but regardless, she couldn’t allow Messi and Katya to go alone.
Because there was a chance—however small—that the child in question really was a “Hameln child.”
What state would that kid be in right now?
It might be dangerous. Especially for Messi…
Meanwhile, Messi and Katya completely misunderstood Nina’s serious expression.
“Fine, all three of us will go—and just in case, we should bring someone else too, so we don’t get in trouble later.”
“What? Who? I told you earlier—”
“That weirdo who walks around wearing that ridiculous mask. If it’s that guy, he’d happily help Nina even if she said she wanted to turn the sewer into her secret base.”
Even as Messi said it, she sounded oddly displeased.
Katya, on the other hand, perked up.
“Günter, right? That uncle? Yeah… if it’s him…”
“Of course, you have to convince him, Nina.”
“Sure. Like the hide-and-seek incident.”
After exchanging their little agreements, both of them turned together and stared at Nina.
Nina’s jaw dropped helplessly.
At the same time.
Ravian was sitting in a cafe in the central district of the Red Zone, dealing with a middle-aged noblewoman.
“…This is all my fault. I should never have hired that stupid nanny…!”
The noblewoman burst into loud, messy sobs, and Ravian simply stared at her blankly.
The coffee he ordered long ago was cold.
“Now, now… madam, please calm down…”
Ditte hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. The noblewoman blew her nose loudly—HONK!—and wiped away the blue streaks of makeup streaming from her eyes.
Her expensive silk handkerchief was covered in smeared blue eyeshadow.
Ditte made the face of a man chewing something painful, but he said nothing.
Because this woman was one of his mother’s acquaintances.
The two men had ended up in this situation thanks to the Marchioness Franck, who begged them to help a friend who had lost her child.
Anyone would feel sympathy for a parent who lost their child.
But even Ravian—dragged here against his will—and Ditte—the captain of the city guard—were starting to hit the limits of their humanity.
“My husband thinks it’s Hameln’s doing. If our Melody ends up like that prince in the capital… dear heavens, our poor child wouldn’t survive it! What am I supposed to do now?”
Blubbering, she suddenly reached both hands across the table and grabbed Ravian’s.
Ravian groaned. Ditte audibly gagged on his own saliva.
“Please find my daughter. Your name was Ravian, right? I heard you’re capable enough to catch even Hameln.”
Ravian silently vowed to hunt down whoever spread such ridiculous rumors.
“Oh, my poor baby… she’s probably cold and terrified…!”
“It’s been hot since last week, actually…”
The noblewoman ignored Ditte’s useless remark and rummaged through her handbag.
“If you find Melody, I’ll give you a generous reward. Here’s a down payment.”
“No, madam, we don’t need any kind of—”
“Please, take it. It’s my sincerity.”
“We don’t need—wait, why are you carrying gold bars?! Aren’t they heavy?!”
Ditte’s raised voice made people turn and stare.
The noblewoman blinked innocently.
“Is that bad?”
“Of course it is! It’s dangerous! What if someone pickpockets you—?”
“My, Captain Ditte really is as kind and gallant as the rumors say.”
Blushing shyly, the noblewoman grabbed Ditte’s hand this time.
Ditte instantly went corpse-pale. Ravian pressed his fingers to his forehead.
By the time the noblewoman finally left, both men were furiously scrubbing their hands with napkins.
“Why does that old hag keep grabbing people?!”
“The kid definitely ran away. Someone needs to tell your aunt to stop befriending weirdos.”
“No use. Even my father complains she never listens. She’s too nice—last time she bought some bizarre item because someone recommended it… but seriously, have you ever seen anyone carry gold bars around?”
“No. This is a first. I feel like I hallucinated it.”
Ravian shotgunned the cold coffee and practically fled the cafe.
Ditte quickly pocketed the gold bar and chased after him.
“Hey, Ravian! Wait!”
“No thanks. The girl clearly ran away.”
“No, idiot, come here! I have something for you!”
“I’m returning it.”
“You ungrateful brat, it’s for Nina!”
A few minutes later, Ravian ended up being dragged by Ditte to a toy store.
“Behold! I reserved that!”
In the display window stood an enormous dollhouse.
Ravian stared at it blankly, then slowly turned his head toward Ditte—with absolute contempt.
Ditte bristled.
“What? What??”
“No matter how terrible your taste is, how can you give that as a gift?”
“You country bumpkin! What’s wrong with it?! It’s a limited-edition Normange model! All the noble kids in the capital love it! Charlotte has one, so Nina should—”
“You know the kids’ social scene is just a display for adults, right? Look at that thing. Does it look fun for an actual child?”
The dollhouse was clearly expensive—every piece of furniture and every doll was handcrafted ceramic. Something nobles displayed in their halls.
Not something a child actually plays with.
But Ditte, who had grown up constantly replacing toys shattered by his monster younger brothers, still didn’t understand.
“What? Even if she breaks one or two, that’s what kids do! You’re so—”
“If Nina cuts herself on broken ceramic, I’ll personally break your head into pieces.”
“…!”
Only then did Ditte realize the very simple logic—ceramic breaks → sharp pieces → injury.
He went pale.
“No! She can’t get hurt! Ugh—now I understand why Charlotte treated hers like treasure… like it was a holy artifact or something…”
“That was a gift from you too…?”
“No! Her dad gave it to her! Anyway, what do we do now? What looks good to you?”
“In my opinion, that one next to it looks more—”
Ravian stopped mid-sentence, but it was too late.
Ditte was already sprinting into the store.
“Hey, wai—”
“Hey, shopkeeper! How can you call that a kid’s toy? Cancel my reservation and swap it out!”
The store owner looked stunned at the captain of the city guard throwing a tantrum like a thug, but obediently processed the exchange.
What choice did he have?
While clerks packed the new toy in a special gift set, Ravian asked:
“Why is this one so much smaller?”
“Excuse me?” said the owner.
“That one looks different from the display.”
The owner glanced at the window and laughed.
“Oh, that’s the fully assembled model.”
“Assembled…?”
“Yes. You assemble it yourself at home. That’s the charm of dollhouses.”
“…Huh? Ravian, you didn’t know? The fun part is putting it together.”
As Ditte chimed in, Ravian’s eyes shook violently.
“Who talks about ‘charm’ and ‘fun’ with a children’s toy…”
“Of course you wouldn’t get romantic childhood nostalgia. Fine, since I’m gifting it, I’ll come help assemble—”
“If you finished paying, get lost.”
“You ungrateful bastard! That’s how you treat someone giving a gift?!”
“It’s not a gift, it’s a bribe. Get out, you corrupt cop.”
“WHAT?!”
Shortly afterward, the penthouse security team found themselves staring in confusion as their boss arrived—with an enormous toy package wrapped in a giant pink ribbon.
