Chapter 9

Noah, after a moment of hesitation, suddenly sat up. The woman handed him the handkerchief.

“Here. She said she came to return this.”

He stretched and took it from her, looking completely unbothered by the footprint left on his shoulder.

“Thanks, Kaya.”

“Well then, I’m leaving. Take care of the rest yourself.”

The woman, whom he called Kaya, turned away with a cynical wave of her hand.

Moments later, the sound of the door slamming shut echoed, leaving only Karina and Noah in the room.

“Thank you. I didn’t expect you to come all the way here.”

Despite his disheveled appearance, Noah smiled brightly as he expressed his gratitude. Karina looked at him with a sense of discomfort. His unkempt hair, sticking out in all directions, was particularly irritating to her.

As she debated how to respond, Noah perched himself on the armrest of the sofa.

“I’m curious if you made good use of it. I felt bad for rushing you, so it’s been bothering me this whole time.”

For someone who claimed to have been bothered, he had been sleeping soundly. Karina could only muster an awkward smile.

‘Maybe I should’ve just left.’

For some reason, the atmosphere felt off. It was likely because of the man sitting there, smiling innocently while his hair looked like a bird’s nest.

“Don’t just stand there. Have a seat.”

“…On that sofa?”

She asked, hoping she was wrong, but Noah nodded as he reached out to pet the wolf’s head.

The wolf bared its teeth in clear displeasure. Karina flinched and took a step back, but Noah smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. It may look like this, but it never bites.”

Before he could even finish speaking, the wolf snapped its sharp teeth at the air. Noah casually pulled his hand back and began stroking its head again.

This was definitely a strange place. Karina instinctively took a step away from Noah, who was smiling like an angel.

“It’s fine. I prefer standing.”

“That’s unusual.”

“Yes. By the way, I had the handkerchief washed once—will that be okay?”

Karina quickly changed the subject. Thankfully, Noah didn’t seem to notice.

“It’s fine. It’s mine, after all.”

His words didn’t quite make sense, but Karina decided not to dwell on it and was satisfied with changing the topic. After all, the condition of the handkerchief wasn’t the important matter here.

After confirming that Noah had tucked the handkerchief into his pocket with a cheerful smile, Karina brought up the main issue.

“Um… Do you happen to remember what happened at the party?”

At her cautious question, Noah, who was dodging the wolf’s playful lunges, tilted his head in confusion.

Karina placed her hand over her pounding chest and lowered her gaze. Soon, a puzzled voice reached her ears.

“What are you referring to?”

“The party at the Duke Russell’s household. If you don’t remember, there’s no need to force yourself.”

Her added remark carried an unavoidable hint of hope. If he didn’t remember what had happened that night, she could leave immediately. But Noah’s next words dashed her hopes.

“Oh, you mean that night. Now I remember.”

Noah clapped his hands together and nodded, his eyes sparkling as if he’d fully recalled the event. Resigned, Karina quickly continued what she had intended to say.

“Actually, I wanted to talk about what happened that night.”

Specifically, she wanted to ask him to forget what he had seen. However, before she could choose her words, Noah cut her off.

“No, there’s no need to explain.”

“Pardon?”

Noah looked at Karina, his gaze warm and gentle, as if he were trying to reassure her.

“Things happen in life, don’t they?”

“…”

“I was a bit surprised at the time, but I don’t think about it at all now.”

Karina nodded involuntarily. She wasn’t sure, but it seemed like he was trying to be considerate of her.

His sky-blue eyes, catching the light, shimmered like clear water.

He was a mysterious man in many ways. Perhaps it was because of what he had just said, but she started to think he might not be such a bad person.

“Sometimes, small matters can feel like mountains. So, Miss Karina, don’t worry about it.”

His calm tone softened the tension that had gripped her heart.

At that moment, Karina’s impression of Noah Velcarid began to tilt ever so slightly in a positive direction.

“But honestly, stepping on someone’s foot isn’t such a big deal. Haha, really, don’t worry about it.”

His pure laughter filled the empty room. Karina froze, her smile stiffening on her face.

With a relaxed expression, Noah reached out again to stroke the wolf’s head. The wolf, as if unwilling to engage, continued to stare blankly ahead.

“Oh, if it really bothers you, could you buy me a pair of shoes?”

As if the thought had just occurred to him, Noah pointed to his shoes. The tips were covered in dirt, as though he had been rolling around somewhere.

“I spent all my money on repairing the mansion, so I can’t afford new shoes.”

His clear, shameless eyes turned to Karina. She alternated between looking at his dirty shoes and the man, Noah Velcarid.

The precariously balanced scale in her mind snapped and plummeted. The angelic man’s smile gleamed like a light in the darkness.

***

“Miss, please wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”

Sitting up as the blanket was pulled away, Karina stretched her arms with an unusually refreshed body. Becky, rummaging through a drawer, asked her a question.

“That’s strange. Did you move the navy handkerchief that was in the drawer? I haven’t seen it since yesterday.”

Karina’s stretch faltered awkwardly. Without turning to look at Becky, she replied.

“I must have lost it.”

“What? That expensive-looking handkerchief? Where?”

“Don’t worry about it, you don’t have to look for it.”

Becky kept muttering how strange it was and searched every corner of the room, but Karina feigned ignorance until the end.

After getting ready quickly and stepping out of her room, Karina ran into Laura on the way and chatted with her as they headed to the first floor. Asillis was already there, waiting. Not long after they began eating, he asked a question.

“By the way, where did you go yesterday, Karina?”

Karina swallowed the food in her mouth and answered while picking up her water glass.

“I was going to stop by the bookstore for a bit, but I forgot my money and had to go back.”

“Oh dear. You should’ve been more careful.”

Laura, who hadn’t noticed the blatant lie, scolded her, saying she should always keep track of her belongings.

The bookstore she hadn’t visited yesterday could easily be visited today. Karina replied with a light-hearted “I’ll be careful,” without much guilt.

“Are you planning to go alone again today? If you’re feeling lonely, I can come with you.”

Laura kindly offered to accompany her, but Karina shook her head.

“I can manage on my own. It’s a place I always go to anyway.”

Only after Karina mentioned that she’d take a servant along did Laura drop her insistence.

Karina recalled the list of books she had prepared in advance. It had been a while since she last visited, so there were many books to borrow.

‘There’s plenty of time today. I’ll take my time and go at a leisurely pace.’

Having resolved one headache-inducing matter, Karina intended to spend the day peacefully, continuing her meal with that thought in mind.

***

Karina’s plan wasn’t particularly grand. She would take a servant, visit her usual bookstore, and then stop by a cake shop recommended to her there.

“A few days ago, Young Lord Phyllis stopped by the bookstore and handed these out. They were really delicious.”

When Ellie, the bookstore owner, told her this, Karina hesitated for a moment but decided it was fine.

‘He wouldn’t still be there if I went now.’

Phyllis, who occasionally accompanied her to the bookstore, wasn’t much of a reader compared to her. He had probably stopped by while running errands nearby, so chances of running into him today seemed slim.

Having reached that conclusion, Karina borrowed her books with ease and left the bookstore, soon spotting the cake shop and heading toward it.

“You little thief! Get back here right now!”

But just then, a harsh voice rang out from one side of the market.

The commotion’s center was a fruit stall. A young man was walking toward a boy who had been caught by the merchants.

“You’ve been caught red-handed today. You must’ve had a good time stealing my fruit all this while.”

“Ugh, let go of me…!”

The boy, who had been struggling fiercely, was eventually forced to his knees on the dirt ground.

“All this fuss over one lousy apple! Geez, so petty.”

Even while kneeling, the boy maintained a defiant attitude, which made the merchants laugh bitterly. Karina walked to a spot where she could see the situation better.

“Just one apple? Do you know how much we’ve lost because of the things you’ve stolen?”

“It’s not just food. Last time, he stole my shoes when I took them off for a moment.”

“I had a brand-new coat stolen as well.”

The atmosphere was growing more menacing. From the sound of it, quite a few merchants had been victims of the boy’s thefts.

As Karina quietly stood there watching, her servant, Jack, approached cautiously and whispered.

“Miss, you don’t need to get involved. It’s a bit pitiful, but it’s best to let them handle their own business.”

After a brief hesitation, Karina nodded and turned away.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

But almost immediately, the murmuring grew louder. Karina turned back so quickly that her earlier response was rendered meaningless.

“W-What the… Who are you people?!”

The man who had shouted initially stammered as he stepped back. Karina’s eyes widened at the sight of those standing in front of him.

A red-haired woman, standing protectively in front of the boy, took a bite out of an apple and spoke.

“What’s it to you? What, are you interested in me or something?”

The woman, Kaya, wearing a defiant expression, propped her foot on a nearby box and chewed on the apple. Behind her, Noah, who had been standing idly and drawing attention with his presence, followed her lead and picked up an apple.

The sound of crunching echoed through the tense marketplace.

‘Why are those two here…? No, more importantly, are they paying for those apples?’