Chapter 55
Dite, who had been speaking with a rare serious look in his eyes, suddenly stopped in his tracks, making a strange sound.
“Why the hell is that guy there?”
“What?”
Kiss, following Dite’s gaze, also stopped abruptly and froze in place.
The two girls walking ahead turned around with puzzled expressions.
“Uncle, what’s wrong now?”
“No, it’s just… over there.”
Where Dite was pointing was the “White Doll” store that Charlotte had been looking for.
Of course, Dite wasn’t pointing there because he knew that.
“Uh…”
Nina’s blue eyes widened.
Like the other stores around it, the White Doll shop had glass doors that made the inside clearly visible.
And there, Ravian and Katya were standing.
Even though only their backs were visible, there was no mistaking them.
While Ravian spoke with the clerk behind the counter, Katya stood a few steps away.
“Isn’t that Uncle Ravian?”
Before Nina could fully process the situation, Charlotte called out in a cheerful voice.
At the same time, Dite shouted loudly.
“Hey, you sneaky brat!”
Ravian, who had been peering at something over the counter, turned his head toward them.
Immediately, he scowled.
Katya, on the other hand, looked somewhat flustered.
Nina swallowed hard.
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, she suddenly felt as if she had made a huge mistake.
A moment later, Ravian came out of the store and strode toward them.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“You creepy bastard, and what are you doing here with him? I heard you hired that kid, but I never thought it was true…!”
Dite, newly appointed as the head of the city guard, had never had a direct encounter with Katya before.
Still, the Dozer family remained a person of interest to the city guards of Lohas.
Moreover, almost no one was unaware that Katya Dozer, daughter of the late Dozer patriarch, often caused trouble in Anubis’ district.
“You actually hired the Dozer kid as Nina’s nanny? Are you out of your mind?! You’re unfit as a guardian! As city guard captain, I personally…”
“Hey, Nina is my friend, okay? If you have a problem, tell me directly.”
Katya snapped back, causing Dite to hesitate and stammer, looking flustered.
“A f-friend…?”
Once again, Charlotte stepped in to calm the atmosphere and greeted Ravian warmly.
“Don’t mind him, Uncle Dite isn’t in a good mood today. Anyway, it’s been a while.”
“You seem to be in your best state today.”
At that moment, Kiss yelled at Ravian, who replied indifferently.
“What are you doing here, boss?! Didn’t you even care about the baby?!”
“What are you doing here with these kids?”
“Why? Why? Am I not allowed to come here with the baby? Is this your place?!”
“Yes.”
Surprisingly calm, Ravian kept his gaze fixed on Nina throughout the conversation.
While the exchange continued, Nina stepped back slightly, looking down and quietly sucking on her candy.
She felt awkward and didn’t know where to put herself.
The problem was, she didn’t even understand why she felt this way.
“Uh, Nina.”
Katya approached and spoke, making Nina flinch and look up, then immediately look down and say something absentmindedly.
“Do you want some candy too, Katya?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks.”
Katya accepted the candy, hesitated briefly as she looked at Nina, then continued in her usual cheerful tone.
“I was surprised when that man took you away on his own. But I see you’re here.”
“Mm. In the morning, I couldn’t find Katya…”
“Oh, that’s because Nina was in the bathroom, so I went to find another one.”
Nina knew that explanation wasn’t true, but she didn’t bother to argue.
Her gums throbbed again, and her head felt dizzy.
Why did her teeth hurt so much? Was her cavity really that bad?
Maybe she shouldn’t have eaten candy…
Meanwhile, Dite, having regained his momentum, led the conversation.
“Is she really okay?”
“Who are you to keep giving advice? I’ll handle it myself.”
“I’m the city guard captain, damn it. By the way, Ravian, do you know any good doctors? She came to our house to recuperate again, but the local pediatricians are all incompetent…”
“Are you asking me about pediatrics now?”
“I know it’s a bit contradictory, but my mother told me to ask you if she sees you.”
“Even if you know, these people are all quacks. Where does it hurt?”
“Huh? Oh, what’s the diagnosis again?”
“Uncle isn’t really an uncle. My lungs are just a bit weak, since childhood…”
“Nina?”
Katya’s surprised voice interrupted Charlotte.
Actually, Ravian moved suddenly, which broke the conversation.
Nina frowned deeply, covering her mouth with her small hand.
A partially bitten thin candy fell to the floor.
‘What is this?’
She had bitten the candy absentmindedly, but it felt strange in her mouth.
A metallic, slightly salty taste mixed with blood lingered on her tongue.
“What’s wrong?! Could it be poison?! Did you poison me?!”
“What nonsense!”
Ravian pushed aside the noisy Kiss and Katya and leaned toward Nina.
He held Nina’s shoulder with one hand as she stepped back, and with the other hand, he placed his palm under her face.
“Spit it out.”
Nina shook her head, almost in tears.
She didn’t want Ravian to see her cavity.
She didn’t want to spit the pieces mixed with blood into his hand either.
His absinthe-colored eyes were stern.
“Spit it out quickly, don’t swallow.”
“Ugh…”
Finally, Nina obediently spat out the contents of her mouth.
Among the blood-mixed candy pieces rolled a small white stone-like object.
For a moment, everyone silently stared at Ravian’s palm.
Dite spoke first.
“It’s a baby tooth, right? Well, the timing seems about right.”
“Tch, no wonder…”
Ravian clicked his tongue softly, shifting his gaze from the tooth to Nina.
“Did it hurt?”
“…”
Nina didn’t answer. She was not in a state to answer.
‘A baby tooth…?!’
Her blue eyes shook in shock.
All this time, her gums hurt not because of cavities, but because a baby tooth was about to fall out…!
“But… already…”
“Already? At your age, it’s perfect timing.”
“Yeah, mine started falling out around that time too.”
“Mine was slower, but still, it starts around then.”
As Charlotte and Katya backed up Ravian, Nina covered her flushed face with her hand.
She knew baby teeth fell as children grew, but she remembered her own teeth not starting to fall until after she turned ten.
She hadn’t thought of that possibility.
“Wow, the baby’s losing teeth…”
Kiss muttered in a dazed voice, looking impressed.
But Nina didn’t feel anything like that.
Of all places, it had to happen here.
‘I’m really such an idiot!’
“Nina, your face is red. So cute. Ask your parents to make a wish bracelet from it too. I still have the one from when mine first fell out.”
Charlotte’s words were kind, but they didn’t resonate with Nina.
Thinking she would now have to live with her silly-looking front teeth missing was utterly depressing.
Meanwhile, Ravian took out a handkerchief and wrapped Nina’s fallen baby tooth carefully.
