Chapter 62

“Wow, where did you get those shoes? They’re fascinating.”

The shop assistant showed interest.

“Oh, I developed them myself.”

“You did? That’s impressive. These would be so useful for children. If you ever make more, would you consider selling them at our store?”

Seriously? 

While she had assumed the shoes would be practical, hearing such words from a clothing store employee made it feel entirely different.

Elena nodded.

“Sure.”

“Promise me. If you make more, please contact us here.”

The shop assistant even handed her a business card.

Her name was Angela Onis. The clothing store Elena and Felix had visited was the capital branch of the Onis Trading Company.

So, the woman Elena had assumed was just a simple shop assistant was actually…

Now that she thought about it, Angela’s striking red-brown hair was a characteristic of the Onis Viscount family.

When Elena looked at her with startled eyes, Angela waved her hands dismissively.

“There’s no need to look at me like that. While this store is run by my father, my brother will inherit it, and I’m just the branch manager. Still, if you send the shoes, I can ask my father to review them positively.”

This could be an opportunity. For someone like Elena, who had been worrying about what to do after graduation, it was a ray of hope.

She nodded vigorously.

“Understood. But since I’m still a student, I don’t have a business card. Instead, if anything comes up, please contact the Bellote Trading Company.”

Angela’s eyes widened.

“Bellote… as in the toy shop?”

“Yes, that’s right. Just ask for Elena from Bellote.”

“I see. No wonder you seem to understand children so well—you’re from the Bellote family. All right. If I need anything, I’ll contact you through them.”

Having gained an unexpected opportunity, they exchanged light farewells and left the store. Standing in front of the door, Elena raised her fist high into the air. Little One mimicked her, lifting his tiny fist into the air as well.

Elena hugged Little One tightly and kissed his chubby cheeks several times.

“It’s all thanks to you, Little One.”

“Ma?”

Little One grinned. If not for him, she wouldn’t have come to the clothing store, nor would she have shown these shoes to Angela.

“You’re my luck, Little One!”

“All right, all right. That’s enough.”

Felix grabbed her arm, which was still brimming with excitement.

“Let’s go buy Little One some toys.”

His calm voice helped settle her excitement.

“Okay, let’s go.”

They each held one of Little One’s hands and decided to head to the nearby Bellote Trading Company branch.

At that moment, a familiar figure appeared in the distance. Elena called out to him cheerfully.

“Oh? Thomas!”

Thomas, who had been looking at something, spotted them and ran over with a bright smile.

“Wow, what a coincidence meeting you here. The capital feels so small.”

As they exchanged greetings, his gaze suddenly fell on Little One.

“But who’s this child?”

“My nephew.”

Elena lied smoothly.

“Your nephew?”

“Yes. A cousin living in the capital left him with me for a while.”

“That’s so… Oh, I see.”

Naturally, Thomas was initially confused. However, after Felix cast a memory-altering spell, he quickly accepted the explanation.

Phew, it was a relief Felix was there. If she had met Thomas alone, he might have become suspicious.

“But Thomas, what are you doing alone? Where are the others?”

She regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. Thomas had once mentioned that he considered himself an oddball, and no one from his department joined his club.

That was probably why he was wandering the capital alone.

Fortunately, Thomas didn’t seem bothered by her question.

“Oh, I was just sightseeing in the capital. I was also brainstorming ideas for our next invention.”

“Do you want to join us? Oh, but if having a baby around makes you uncomfortable, it’s okay not to.”

“I’d love to!”

Thomas responded enthusiastically. It was only then that she realized she hadn’t asked Felix for his opinion. She glanced at him, but he didn’t seem upset.

“So, where were you headed?”

“To buy some toys for Little One.”

“Little One? Oh, you mean the baby. Hi, I’m Thomas.”

“Woo.”

Little One hid behind Elena’s legs. Thomas laughed.

“He’s shy, isn’t he? Don’t worry. He’ll fall for my charm soon enough. I’m great with kids.”

“Stop rambling and let’s get the toys.”

At Felix’s words, they headed to the Bellote Trading Company. Thomas seemed deeply moved by Little One’s sound-making shoes, one of their inventions. Inspired, he even passionately talked about creating toys for children.

Listening to Thomas chatter endlessly, they eventually arrived at the Bellote Trading Company.

“Welcome to the Bellote Trading Company.”

Thomas exclaimed upon hearing the name.

“Wow, your family has a store in the capital too?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Elena scratched her cheek.

“Uh, yeah.”

Felix added, 

“There are branches in other places too.”

“Wow, you’re from an incredible family, aren’t you?”

Well, Elena wasn’t sure about that. It was true their family was wealthy, but their reputation in high society was mediocre.

Some people looked down on them for making children’s toys, even calling them nouveau riche.

Not that Elena had personally heard such remarks—thanks to attending the academy, she hadn’t debuted in high society yet—but she had heard similar things as a child.

People had even questioned why her mother, the daughter of an Earl, had married her father.

“Well, it’s not really a big deal.”

She responded somewhat bitterly and went inside. Worried she might run into someone she knew, she scanned the store, but there were no familiar faces. It was a relief. If someone she knew had been there, explaining Little One’s presence would have been difficult.

Thomas wandered around, examining the toys.

“The idea of opening the lid by turning the handle is brilliant.”

He connected everything to invention.

“This music box is great too. Should we invent something that plays music?”

Elena nodded absentmindedly while showing various toys to Little One. His eyes grew wide with excitement every time he saw a new toy.

They bought a few of the toys he liked the most and left the store.

Before returning to the inn, Elena remembered something she had forgotten because of Little One.

“Oh, right, Thomas. Cedric is participating in this year’s martial arts tournament.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Let’s all go cheer for him.”

“But can you bring a baby to the tournament?”

Thomas asked with concern.

“Oh, that’s true.”

Felix solved their problem.

“We can buy seats in the special section. There should still be tickets available.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll make the reservation. Actually, why don’t you and Little One head back first? I’ll handle the reservation.”

“All right.”

With that, Elena returned to the inn with Little One. Having received new toys, Little One played enthusiastically, switching between them.

But even he couldn’t resist sleep. Soon, he began whining in her arms.

Come to think of it, Elena was tired too, having moved around nonstop since morning.

She laid Little One on the bed and lay down beside him, patting his belly. Soon, she heard his soft breathing as he fell asleep.

She closed her eyes too, hoping Little One would have sweet dreams.

***

In her sleep, Elena felt something was off. She wasn’t in pain, but her heart pounded heavily, and her stomach churned.

As she gradually regained her senses, she heard a faint sound of someone crying.

Crying? Who could it be?

At first, she thought Little One might be whimpering. However, when she squinted her eyes and looked around, she saw Little One sleeping soundly, breathing softly.

Then who on earth was crying? Could something have happened to Alice or the others?

She sat up, thinking she might need to offer some advice if any of the children were upset.

It was only then that she remembered this wasn’t the dorm she shared with the other students. This was the room Professor Deros had arranged specifically for her, Felix, and Little One, so she could secretly care for the baby while the other students toured the capital.

Could it be Felix, back in the room, who was crying?

No, this wasn’t Felix’s voice.

Then who could it be?

Elena turned her head toward the direction of the sound, her face tense. A man was standing there.

A man she had never seen before. 

How could such a man be in our room?

Was he an intruder? A thief? 

But she couldn’t scream for help because of what the man was doing.

He wasn’t doing anything threatening. He was just standing there, staring at her, tears streaming down his face.

The room was dimly lit by the thick curtains drawn over the windows. Even in the faint light, his bright blonde hair stood out, and his heavy breathing was audible as he sobbed.

He was as tall and well-built as Felix, yet he cried like a child.

And then…

‘His face… It feels oddly familiar.’

She was sure she had never seen him before, yet there was an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. His sharp, cat-like eyes, in particular, reminded her strangely of Felix.

At that moment, their eyes met. The man’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at her.

“Is it really… truly? No, it can’t be…”

The man muttered incomprehensible words and stepped closer. Though his movements weren’t threatening, Elena instinctively held the sleeping Little One closer to her.

“Don’t come any closer.”

At her words, the man stopped in his tracks.

His gaze shifted to Little One in her arms. He reached out toward them, and Elena noticed a bracelet on his wrist that didn’t seem to match his appearance.

“Could it be…”

At that moment, Little One woke up from the commotion. Spotting the man, the baby clung tightly to Elena’s neck and shouted.

“No!”

Simultaneously, the man’s figure began to fade until he completely disappeared.

“…What was that?”

Elena rubbed her eyes and looked again at where the man had stood. But there was no trace of him, not even a hint that he had been there.

She laid the now-fussy Little One back in bed and searched the room thoroughly. Yet she couldn’t find any sign of an intruder.

The door, which had been bolted shut, showed no signs of being opened or broken. The windows were also securely locked.

If the man had been an intruder, either the door or the window should have been damaged.

Elena sat still, holding Little One, until Felix returned.

She stayed on high alert, worried that whoever the mysterious man was, he might reappear.