Chapter 96
“No, my stockings! My stockings are missing!”
Nina flung open every wardrobe door stuffed with clothes, stamping her feet in a panic.
Messi’s eyes shook like an earthquake.
“They’re all right here, though?”
Lavian, looking dazed, pointed toward an open drawer, but Nina shook her head furiously.
“Not those—I took them out last night, and now they’re gone! Where did they go?”
“Um, Nina, isn’t this it?”
“No! The pattern is different!”
Messi looked from the stockings in his hand to the ones in the drawer, his face nearing pure chaos. To his eyes, not a single one looked any different.
“Kiddo, how about you dry your hair first?”
When Lavian cautiously suggested it, Nina unexpectedly spun around and walked straight to a child-sized vanity.
She picked up an opaque glass bottle, immediately set it back down, then clutched her head in both hands.
“I’m going crazy…! Katya, Katyaaa!”
Her expression was so terrifying that neither man dared to even ask what was going on.
The two of them gulped in unison.
“I—I’ll go get Katya.”
“I’d better hurry and get ready too.”
Both scrambled to make excuses and bolted in opposite directions.
“Um, is she… like this every day now?”
“No, I’ve never seen her like this either. But boss, could you actually tell the difference with those socks or whatever?”
“Nope. Women’s stuff is one thing, but kids’ stockings? That’s beyond me.”
“So even the boss can’t manage….”
The two exchanged uneasy words, wiping sweat from their brows, when Kiss approached.
Glancing around nervously, he spoke up.
“Boss, about the fireworks later—”
“Get lost, you kidnapper.”
Lavian didn’t even look at him, and Kiss’s face twisted in frustration.
“You always do whatever you want! Do you even know how much I care about the kid?!”
He shouted miserably, then stormed off in the other direction.
As Lavian stared after him with a baffled look, Messi muttered with a bitter smile:
“Good thing he doesn’t have in-laws.”
“Someone make him one, so we can send him back.”
The afternoon sun was blazing by the time Nina and Lavian finally left the hotel, long past lunch.
‘Did I pick the wrong outfit?’
She kept fidgeting with the ribbon around the waist of her sky-blue dress, carefully chosen but awkward to wear. Maybe it was because she’d never worn it before—it didn’t sit right.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry, just a sec…”
Nina stopped in front of the hotel, struggling with the ribbon until Lavian bent down and briskly turned her around toward a nearby pillar.
While she held on to it, he adjusted the ribbon, tying it firmly at her back before straightening up and brushing off his hands.
“There. Now it won’t come undone. Where’d you even learn to tie it like that?”
“Katya helped me…”
Nina mumbled, a little embarrassed.
So it was supposed to be tied in the back. No wonder. She tugged on the knot—it was perfectly snug.
‘Is there anything he can’t do?’
She wanted to marvel aloud, but she knew he’d just accuse her of mocking him, so she kept quiet.
“Let’s go.”
“Mm. Look, mister, I can reach your hand now, right?”
Nina stretched out her small arm and grabbed his fingers. Lavian flinched slightly.
“Yeah. Congratulations.”
“You’re totally thinking that even if I grow, it’s all the same.”
“…Not at all.”
He was clearly thinking exactly that, but kept a straight face. Nina felt a twinge of annoyance but decided to hold back for the sake of their pleasant outing.
They took the tram again and arrived at the main street.
Because of the festival, all trams and carriages were banned beyond that point, so they had to disembark and walk into the crowd.
The street was packed with people enjoying the festival’s last day: onlookers in colorful clothes, busy street vendors trying to sell off the rest of their stock, and pickpockets hoping for one last score—all mixing together in a strange, heated atmosphere.
Nina clutched Lavian’s middle finger tightly so as not to be swept away. Her heart pounded with both worry and excitement.
Her wish to enjoy the festival with him was finally coming true.
‘They said at the Crystal Temple that if you wish hard enough, it’ll come true….’
But it had taken nearly eight years for her wish to be granted. She’d even had to die and come back once—though that had only been in a dream. A dream so vivid that sometimes she wondered if this reality was the dream instead.
‘I’ll enjoy this moment to the fullest.’
Resolute, Nina looked up at Lavian with sparkling eyes.
And, as always, he looked amazing. Even in this crowd, he stood out unmistakably.
Nina knew all the glances sneaking their way were directed at him.
Whether he noticed or not, he suddenly scooped her up into his arms.
She blinked in surprise.
“We could just hold hands…”
“Look, I get you’re excited about growing taller, but if you drift off here, I’ll never find you again.”
His smug tone was so irritating that despite how much she liked him, she wanted to hit him.
‘Patience. This isn’t bad, really.’
Indeed. Before, she’d had to beg him to carry her. Compared to that, this was progress.
Comforting herself, she quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
From her higher vantage, the scenery was much clearer.
“Mmm, something smells good…”
Her stomach growled loudly—she’d skipped both breakfast and lunch.
Without meaning to, she muttered aloud, and Lavian glanced around.
“Want to eat somewhere else first?”
“Somewhere else? There’s plenty of food here.”
“Food? This junk? Street food’s not a meal—it’s trash.”
“But they say the highlight of a festival is the street food…”
“Who says that?”
He frowned at her strange claim.
It wasn’t that Lavian didn’t know how to enjoy a festival. As someone who liked entertainment, he actually enjoyed them a fair bit.
Yes, he was absurdly picky with his palate—befitting a former prince—but he also appreciated a unique atmosphere. And as head of the organization that dominated Lojas, he was partly responsible for keeping the city’s festival orderly.
But letting Nina eat some suspicious, low-grade street food was another matter entirely. For some reason, it bothered him far more than expected.
Absolutely not. No way.
Still, Nina misread his reaction.
‘Is it beneath him? Well, he was a prince… while I’m a princess in name only….’
Her small face showed both gloom and self-mockery.
‘Well, just for today, it should be fine.’
Lavian quickly flipped his stance with a little cough.
“Fine. If you say so, then it must be true.”
“Huh?”
“What should we try first?”
Surprised by his sudden concession, Nina lit up with delight.
“Um, that one!”
Worried he might change his mind, she hurriedly pointed at a skewer stall nearby.
The vendor, head wrapped in a cloth, beamed at them.
“What can I get you?”
“Could you make one suitable for a child? Cut into small pieces.”
“Of course I can.”
“Keep the change, just make it quick. One child’s portion, one regular.”
“Yes, sir! What a darling daughter you have.”
Overjoyed at the unexpected windfall, the vendor showered them with flattery.
In Lojas, everything was always so transparent.
Soon, two skewers were ready, sizzling and fragrant.
“Enjoy!”
Lavian deftly picked them up and handed one to Nina.
“Here, this one’s yours.”
“Thanks!”
She accepted the specially prepared skewer with sparkling eyes.
Chunks of meat and seafood alternated on the stick, generously seasoned and grilled to perfection, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.
Of course, what made Nina’s heart swell wasn’t just her appetite.
