Chapter 10

Shortly after, the square they arrived at was already brimming with the heat of the festival.

The hottest spot of all was in front of the so-called “Baby Angel Fountain,” located at the center of the square.

Since it was winter, no water flowed from the fountain’s statue of a chubby baby angel holding a bow and arrow. Instead, lively music poured forth from the band stationed in front of it.

People gathered around, dancing joyfully to the rhythm of the music. As the crowd clapped along with the beat, Elena found her shoulders moving to the rhythm without realizing it.

“Kyawuwa!”

Little One, more excited than Elena, tapped her shoulder with his tiny hands and bounced up and down.

Hearing his laughter, which rose higher than the violin melody, people turned to look at them and smiled.

“Byauya!”

With Felix’s help, Elena unwrapped Little One from the baby carrier, where he had been unable to move freely.

While Elena adjusted the carrier, Little One, now in Felix’s arms, kicked his legs harder than ever. His cheeks, already red from the cold air, had grown even rosier.

“Little One, shall we dance too?”

Holding Little One close again, Elena supported his bottom with one hand and held his tiny hand with the other.

Every time she awkwardly spun in place while attempting a standing dance posture, Little One squealed with delight.

It was Elena’s first time celebrating Festival Day with so many people, and she was as exhilarated as Little One.

Because of that, she completely forgot about Felix.

After spinning and spinning some more, Elena finally remembered him and looked around. He stood a short distance away from the dancing crowd, arms crossed, watching them.

‘Is it just me, or does Felix look like he’s smiling?’

But as soon as she gestured for him to come over, his expression turned into a scowl, confirming that she must have imagined it.

“We can just have fun by ourselves, right, Little One?”

“Mya!”

The area around the fountain, packed with people, was hot despite the cold weather, and Elena and Little One danced until sweat beaded on their foreheads.

When they finally approached Felix after dancing their fill, he handed them a bottle of water that he had heated to a lukewarm temperature using magic.

While Elena drank from the bottle, Felix used a small spoon to feed water to Little One, who gulped it down eagerly.

“Hello, baby!”

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out from below.

Looking down, Elena saw a girl who appeared to be around seven years old, staring up at Little One.

The girl, who had her brown hair neatly braided into one ponytail, seemed fascinated by Little One, even though she herself was practically a baby in Elena’s eyes.

Elena crouched down so Little One and the girl could face each other.

“Bwa.”

Thankfully, Little One didn’t shy away from the girl, perhaps recognizing her as another child.

The girl grabbed Little One’s outstretched hand and widened her eyes in surprise.

“Wow! His hand is so small! How cute!”

“Abuu.”

As if he understood the compliment, Little One smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared.

“What’s your name, baby? My name is Sarah.”

The girl, Sarah, asked Little One his name while looking at Elena. The sudden question left Elena at a loss for words.

‘Even if she asks for his name, I don’t know it.’

Elena herself didn’t know Little One’s name and had been calling him “Little One” for convenience.

When Elena didn’t respond, Sarah directly asked her again.

“What’s his name?”

“Oh, um… well…”

“Does he not have a name?”

“No! Of course, he has a name. Why wouldn’t he?”

Elena avoided Sarah’s suspicious gaze by looking up at the sky.

Since she was crouching and Felix was still standing, his face came into view before the grayish sky did.

The moment she saw his face, Elena blurted out without thinking.

“Felix! Yes, his name is Felix.”

And the moment she said it, she immediately regretted it.

‘There are so many common names like Tom, Jackson, or John. Why did I have to choose Felix?’

Felix instantly furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her intently.

Avoiding his gaze, Elena turned back to Sarah.

“Felix, huh? Hello!”

“Aung!”

Little One waved his arm enthusiastically as Sarah held it.

Every time Sarah said the name “Felix,” Elena broke into a cold sweat, nervously glancing at the real Felix for his reaction.

At that moment, all she could worry about was the scolding she would get from Felix once they returned to the lodging.

The peaceful and joyful atmosphere of the Festival Day made her think that nothing worse than Felix’s nagging could happen.

But that assumption was entirely wrong.

Sometimes, misfortune strikes without warning, even during the happiest moments—a lesson Elena had learned in the past but had apparently forgotten.

* * *

When Little One, who had been happily playing with Sarah and her friends, started fussing, the group decided to head to a restaurant for lunch.

Elena and Felix, having skipped breakfast, ordered hearty dishes like meat pie and pork ribs—meals more suited for a festive dinner.

Since they would likely have a simple meal back at the lodging due to Little One, their choice of menu was perfect.

Little One, hungry from dancing, ate his chicken soup with gusto and even finished half a banana.

He also enjoyed the tiny pieces of cheese Elena fed him, chewing them with his four small teeth.

By the time they left the restaurant, Little One, now full and drowsy, was nestled lazily in Elena’s arms. But as soon as they stepped outside, he began fussing again.

A quick glance at the time confirmed that it was his usual nap time. Over the past three days, Elena had realized how precise Little One’s internal clock was.

Following Felix through the still-crowded streets, Elena carefully made her way forward.

Even as they walked, Little One made no effort to hide his discomfort.

“Amua. Hau!”

“Okay, just a little longer. Let’s get back to the lodging and sleep.”

Elena patted Little One’s back, trying to soothe him as he rubbed his face against her shoulder.

His fussing when hungry seemed cute in comparison to how cranky he became when sleepy.

“Auuung.”

“Yes, good boy. If you keep this up, I won’t be able to walk properly… Ow!”

While Elena slowed her pace for a moment, a burly man bumped into her shoulder as he walked past. The impact was strong enough to leave her shoulder stinging, yet the man didn’t apologize or even glance back.

‘No matter how busy you are, that’s just rude.’

Still, Elena tried to let it go, telling herself to be generous since it was Festival Day.

But then, a woman bumped into her back and hurried away without so much as an apology.

Just as anger began to rise, Elena noticed the commotion around her.

The sounds she had missed while trying to calm Little One finally reached her ears.

“Run over there!”

“Call the guards!”

“Hurry!”

People ran past her, shouting urgently.

Her surroundings seemed to slow down, and her ears rang with a sharp, piercing sound, muting everything else.

She didn’t even have the presence of mind to look back. Though she didn’t know exactly what was happening, she could tell the situation was serious.

Sensing the tension, Little One stopped fussing. Elena held him tightly, her eyes wide with fear.

Somehow, in the brief moment she had slowed down, Felix had disappeared ahead of her.

But there was no time to stand still and look for him. Following the flow of the crowd, Elena quickened her pace.

Before she could take even a single step, a hand shot out from behind and grabbed her arm.

“Ah!”

“Quiet.”

A low, chilling voice, resembling that of a beast, rang directly in Elena’s ear. It was a voice that sounded as though it scratched against vocal cords, cracking with every word.

At the same time, a blade as cold as the voice pressed against her neck.

The sword, poorly maintained, bore rough nicks and scratches along its surface. Though it wasn’t razor-sharp, it was threatening enough.

Turning her eyes slightly, she caught sight of the man’s hand and arm, both covered in scars.

“Mua!”

Little One, fearless as ever, raised his head and let out a loud cry toward the man behind Elena.

“No, Little One.”

Elena quickly pulled Little One’s head back into her embrace and whispered to him. Almost immediately, the man behind her tightened his grip on her arm.

The cold blade pressed closer to her neck. Though the edge wasn’t sharp enough to cut her skin yet, even the slightest added pressure would leave a wound.

“Don’t move.”

Her heart pounded so loudly that she could hear it in her ears.

‘Why is this happening all of a sudden…?’

In her 18 years of life, Elena had never faced such a dangerous situation. 

Why did it have to happen today, of all days, on what had been a peaceful and joyful occasion?

Who was this man? Why had he singled me out among so many people?

But more than these questions, Elena was most concerned about Little One in her arms.

“Ma-mu.”

Little One squirmed nervously, and Elena held him tighter.

His warmth filled her arms, and the sweet banana scent lingering on his cheeks somehow calmed her frantic heartbeat.

‘Get a grip, Elena. Right now, Little One needs you.’

Though her abilities were nowhere near Felix’s, she was still a student at Verka Academy, learning magic.

If she could just find an opening—if the blade at her neck moved even slightly away—she might be able to use magic to escape.

Following the man’s lead, Elena took a few steps backward.

She softly blew a “shhh” sound into Little One’s ear to soothe him and ease his anxiety.

As she carefully searched for the right moment, she raised her head.

“Elena.”

A few steps away, Felix stood with a hardened expression, calling her name. Though there was some distance between them, the way he bit down on his lower lip was so vivid it felt like he was standing right in front of her.