In a room so dark that it was impossible to distinguish anything, a man sat on a creaky chair, twisting his long hair around his fingers.

“Hmm. Why?”

Lately, he had been troubled by a question that occupied his mind even before sleep.

“Why did you go back there?”

Even though she said they wanted to leave as soon as possible and never associate with those people again, that child still chose to return there willingly and become even more deeply entangled with them.

“There must be some reason.”

He slowly scanned the desk with his eyes. It was piled high with stacks of white paper. Among them were notes about the fairy apple tree, legends about fairies, and records tracking someone’s movements. The man picked up one of the letters.

[Fairy apple tree. Please secure as much as possible. I’m willing to spend any amount of money.]

He tapped the desk in a rhythmic pattern, from his index finger to his ring finger, like playing a piano. When he first read the letter, various hypotheses had formed and disappeared repeatedly in his mind.

Now, only one hypothesis remained. Creak. The eerie sound of the chair groaned as the man leaned back fully, gazing at the ceiling.

“Perhaps it’s best to confirm it myself.”

He raised his left hand into the air. Though it was a simple gesture, someone, unseen until now, emerged in the empty space.

“You called, Master?”

A shadowy figure, dressed in all black, bowed toward him, waiting for orders.

“Could you deliver this to that child through the one in the Arcel family?”

The man, his lips curled into a wide smile, handed him the letter he had written.

***

“Just when I thought I’d finally spend some time with Titi.”

Sigh.

With a deep breath, Ciela reread the letter she had received through Ken’s subordinate.

[If you want to get the fairy apple, you have to come today~]

Crinkling the letter, she read the wave-like ending, and without realizing it, her grip tightened.

‘So reckless.’

She had a rough idea of why this was happening, but that didn’t mean she liked it. After scattering her hair, Ciela tucked the letter into her chest.

‘I had to meet him to sell the Sirka anyway, so I’ll just treat it like I’m meeting him a bit earlier.’

The only small comfort was that Titi had been unusually well-behaved today. Normally, when Ciela mentioned meeting Ken, Titi would make her dislike clear, but today, he was peacefully asleep, snoring quietly.

‘It’s a shame I won’t get to see her cute little act of trying to stop me from leaving.’

While she thought of Titi, Ciela had already arrived at the meeting place. After confirming the store name on the letter, she pulled open the café door.

Ding.

The sound of a bell greeted her, followed by the shop owner’s welcoming voice. The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, soothing her senses.

‘Found it.’

Ciela quickly spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Milk-brown hair grown thick and shaggy like a mushroom, covering even the bridge of his nose. Flawless, snow-white skin and a sharp jawline. It was unmistakably – Uncle Ken.

‘That distinctive appearance stands out no matter where he is.’

Suddenly, their first meeting came to mind.

“I’ll help the guild grow quickly, but in return, you’ll have to be my hands and feet.”

With her options within the family severely limited, she needed help from others. That’s why she had sought out his hideout, which she knew from the original story. Ken, curious about how she had discovered the guild’s hideout, had grasped her hand when she boldly proposed her offer. From that moment, their relationship had begun.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Despite the noise around him, he seemed to sense her presence and turned his head toward her immediately. Even with his hair partially covering his eyes, Ken’s face lit up with a broad, joyful smile.

“It’s been a while, Uncle.”

“We’re not that far apart in age. How much longer are you going to keep calling me ‘Uncle’? Don’t you think ‘Older Brother’ would suit me better?”

“I’ll think about it—once you cut your hair. But more importantly, about the fairy apple tree?”

Sitting across from him, Ciela posed her question, fully aware that he would never actually cut his hair.

“Ugh, that’s so unfair. But I do know where the fairy apple tree is.”

Ken replied with a hint of smugness.

“You haven’t secured it? You just know its location?”

“Heh, no need to worry. It’s in a safe place where no one can easily get to it, so I haven’t officially claimed it yet. But…”

Ken paused, reaching under the table with one hand. After a brief moment, he placed a basket on the table.

“I did find it. Here’s the proof.”

With a swift motion, he pulled the cloth off the basket, revealing a round fruit with a hue reminiscent of the sky. The blue-toned fruit, exactly as described in the texts, shimmered before her eyes.

‘It’s clear.’

It was definitely the fairy apple.

“You really found it.”

Ciela bent her long, thin fingers, curling them before stretching her arm out toward the basket. But Ken, avoiding her hand, lifted the basket out of her reach.

“Before I hand this over, I’d like to hear a bit about your situation.”

Ciela let out a deep sigh. Even though his eyes were hidden behind his hair, she could feel his persistent gaze on her.

“I was going to tell you anyway, even without you acting like this.”

“Oh, what’s this? Are you finally trusting and relying on me…?”

“It’s just that your question will be answered clearly by my actions moving forward.”

“Of course. Figures. Boo-hoo.”

Ken made a mock sobbing sound before propping his chin on his hand.

“All right then, tell me. Why did you go back there?”

“It’s a bit long story—are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Of course.”

Ciela carefully explained everything that had happened up until now. As her story grew longer, Ken’s light smile gradually faded. His mouth settled into a thin line, and what had once been a feather-light atmosphere around him began to feel heavier.

“My story is finished now.”

“Wow, this is beyond what I imagined…”

Ken let out a hollow laugh, running his hand over his mouth, as if stunned. The sudden connection between the search for the fairy apple tree and her return to the Marquis’s estate had crossed his mind before, but hearing her confirm it left him unexpectedly displeased.

“Should I just kill them all for you?”

“No, thanks. Why do you think I returned to the Marquis’s estate?”

That single statement carried a weight of unspoken meaning.

“Fine, fine. I won’t take what’s yours.”

Ken said, shaking his head in resignation. Then, as if flipping a switch, his lips curved upward again, his demeanor becoming lighthearted once more, almost to the point of feeling like a different person.

“I’ll get the fairy apple tree for you right away, as promised.”

“Thank you.”

“Hmm.”

Ken sat with his legs crossed, seemingly lost in thought, idly swinging his suspended foot up and down.

Searching for traces of fairies, which were already regarded as mere folklore, was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Even in the original story, there wasn’t so much as a mention of fairies.

“But if it’s about transferring a curse, isn’t that a different story?”

Ciela’s head shot up. Meeting her gaze, his lips curved into a sly, knowing smile.

“You think I can’t find what those guys did? If we shake down the Arcel family enough, something’s bound to come up. Don’t you think so?”

“…That does make sense.”

Ciela replied, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly as she nodded in agreement.

‘He’s right. If there’s a way to transfer a curse, there must be a way to reverse it as well.’

It was something she hadn’t considered, too focused on revenge to prioritize finding fairies.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

She said, bowing her head politely. Her hands trembled slightly as she did so.

At that moment, Ken extended a basket toward her.

“I was going to give this to you anyway, so take it.”

As she received the basket, the sweet scent of the fruit filled her nose. Reflexively lowering her head, Ciela noticed a paper bag wedged in the gap of the basket. Even just holding the bag felt surprisingly heavy.

“What’s with the paper bag?”

“It’s a gift I brought, thinking you might need it. There’s also some interesting information I’ve recently discovered, so check it out later. For now, we should enjoy ourselves.”

Ken’s voice brightened as he called over a staff member. At the end of his bouncy tone, a light humming followed. A few moments later, the various sweet desserts he had ordered filled the table.

“If the fairy apple helps you recover, we can go on a dessert tour together later.”

“I’ll consider it once everything is done and I have some free time.”

“Oh! Great, great! If it were before, you’d have turned me down flat. What’s changed?”

“If I’m feeling better, it wouldn’t be a problem. It’s nothing special.”

Ciela, her eyes fixed on the desserts on the table, sipped her sweet yet slightly bitter tea. The only sweetness she could indulge in right now was this.

‘I’m grateful that you pointed out what I had missed first, but there’s no need to tell the truth.’

However, Ken, with his arms crossed, looked at her slyly, as though he already knew everything.

“Is this my chance? Then maybe you should start calling me ‘big brother’…”

“Uncle, just focus on eating your dessert.”

“…Fine…”

Before long, the dessert plate in front of Ken was completely emptied. Ciela wiped her lips with a handkerchief and pulled out an elegant black box from her belongings as she spoke.

“I already told your subordinate about this. You remember, don’t you?”

“Is Sirka inside that? Did you find it through your usual personal methods again?”

“No. Someone gave it to me.”

“What? Someone gave it to you?”

Ken shot up from his seat.

“Don’t tell me it was a man! I’m not ready to let you get married yet…!”

Instead of exhausting herself trying to explain, Ciela chose to simply ignore him and move on.

‘He quieter down earlier than I expected.’

In that brief moment, Ken fell silent. Normally he would have been talking non-stop by now, but Ciela sensed that something wasn’t right. She shifted her gaze to him. Although his eyes were hidden by his hair, his head was tilted in a strange way.

‘What did he see to make him act like that?’

Ciela turned her head slightly to the side, curious.

“!”

Ciela caught her breath and her heart skipped a beat. A tall man in a dull, mismatched coat approached the café. That alone wouldn’t have been a problem. But as he lifted the cloak just enough, his face became unmistakably familiar.

“Your Grace?”

Sadly, it was none other than him.