Thadeus looked at me with lingering eyes, then smiled.

“Then I have no choice. Shall we go enjoy the festival, Lady Clea?”

Thadeus extended his hand to me with exaggerated movements like a clown on stage. I pretended to give in and grabbed his hand, stepping down from the carriage.

The hand I held didn’t let go even after we left the carriage. Thadeus’s hand was rough-palmed, probably from rigorous training, with hard calluses embedded here and there.

To be honest, it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling for holding hands. However, it was large enough to completely cover mine and then some, and above all, I could feel its warm heat. 

Walking while holding this hand made me feel like everything would be okay no matter what happened.

‘Well, if push comes to shove, Thadeus will step in.’

I was surprised to feel this way about Thadeus of all people. When did we become this close? Just a month ago, we were busy growling at each other like enemies.

It made me think physical intimacy was frightening, yet I sensed the time to truly say goodbye was approaching. The time we’d spent together had been wrong, and we now had to return to our proper places.

‘Right. Today’s the last day anyway, and we came to a fun festival, so I should at least make this moment a pretty memory.’

As we walked, we’d somehow entered the festival street. The characteristically boisterous atmosphere and the bright smiles of passersby made me feel like smiling too.

“Where do you want to go?”

At Thadeus’s question, I looked around and spotted Pirder Toy Magic Shop. There would be plenty of fun things there. I snorted twice with excitement, and Thadeus silently led me there by the hand.

Inside was crowded with many people, just as I’d expected. The only unusual thing was that there were more children than full-grown adults. I wasn’t the type to care about that anyway, so I looked around at the toys happily.

“This…!”

The first thing that caught my eye was a cloud-shaped mustache. Made of fluffy cloud material, when you placed the mustache on your philtrum, it changed your hair to match the cloud shape too.

Plus, it would never fall off until you removed it with your own hands—what a marvelous toy! I attached the cloud-shaped mustache to my philtrum and ran to Thadeus.

“How is it? Suits me well, right? Should I buy this?”

“You’re going to buy that?”

His face turned sour. His gaze was close to reproachful, like he was asking why I’d choose something I’d regret.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“See. Just now…! That unpleasant look like you’re watching an immature younger sibling!”

“…So where exactly are you going to use this?”

“There are plenty of uses. For example, tricking Luina or surprising Rachel… Don’t you think everyone would love it?”

“Sure they would.”

Thadeus’s reaction, cold like he’d thrown water on me, made me lose the desire to buy the toy. He could’ve just played along a bit. I returned the cloud-shaped mustache to where it had been.

But I didn’t stop there and brought various things to him. Star candy that changed your voice by color, a hat that made you invisible, and even a ring that showed my current emotional state.

Besides these, the most impressive toy was a mirror that changed your gender. The usage method wasn’t particularly complicated. You just stood in front of the mirror, and it showed you what you’d look like as the opposite gender.

When I stood before the mirror, my waist-length, flowing sky-blue curly hair was cut into a neat bob that reached my chin. My soft nose bridge and round eyes had become sharper.

Even though the appearance changed, it couldn’t change the original atmosphere, so rather than a sturdy man, I looked like a delicate, pretty boy.

‘Ooh! If I’d been born like this, I would’ve been quite popular, wouldn’t I?’

I observed the reflection in the mirror with a satisfied face, then dragged Thadeus over. I checked the mirror planning to mock him thoroughly, but what was this? A beautiful woman stood there who made my heart sink just from meeting her eyes, someone I felt I could give up even my heart and kidneys to without realizing it.

“Good heavens…”

The already sharply upturned eyes looked enchanting, and the assertive nose bridge and features had softened slightly, becoming delicate. Not only that, the already fine-textured purple hair had grown long enough to reach the waist. Even at a glance, it gleamed so lustrous and full that I felt envious.

“This is ridiculous! How can it be this unfair!”

She was a beautiful woman incomparable to me. This mastered all aesthetic standards existing in this world.

If he’d been born a woman, I would never have thought to stand beside him. As I cried out in disbelief at this reality, Thadeus made his characteristically irritating expression.

“What can I do about being born this good-looking?”

I wanted to refute him immediately, but unfortunately, I had nothing to say. To think I’d experience here that God is unfair.

I couldn’t hide my gloomy mood when suddenly my stomach growled. At that sound, Thadeus let out a hollow laugh.

“Let’s go eat.”

Some time must have passed because the sun was setting. The streets were full of delicious food smells. Just what was visible included roasted chicken seasoned with fairy stardust, colorful buttered corn, and fluffy cloud cupcakes.

I couldn’t decide what to choose. As I stood there confused, Thadeus headed somewhere.

“Wait here.”

When he returned shortly after, both his hands were full of the foods I’d wanted to eat. Every single one. At least for this moment, he looked slightly cooler than Schwein.

“I didn’t say anything—how did you know?”

“I can see it all.”

Had he learned mind-reading in the meantime? I gobbled up the food Thadeus brought. I invited him to eat together, but he said he wasn’t hungry and just stared at me eating.

After filling my stomach thoroughly, I wandered the streets looking for other fun things to do. Then I discovered a crystal ball that tells you anything in the farthest corner.

The tent with the crystal ball had a somewhat deserted atmosphere unlike the lively festival street. One puzzling thing was that no one appeared to be in line. But the fewer people, the better for me, right? I quickly finished deliberating and told him.

“Let’s go there.”

Since childhood, Thadeus had hated things like superstitions and such. His face hardened when he spotted where my finger pointed, seemingly unchanged.

“Of all the places. There?”

“Yeah, it looks fun.”

His face clearly showed he didn’t want to go. Regardless, when I dragged him along, he followed me with a show of reluctance.

Inside the tent with the crystal ball was darker than outside where darkness had just begun to fall. 

Things presumed to be cards used for fortune-telling hung on the walls, and an elderly woman sat before the crystal ball.

The old woman who met my eyes slowly pulled up the corners of her mouth. She had golden eyes that seemed like they’d shine even in the dark night, and her penetrating gaze gave me chills.

“What a lovely young lady.”

I involuntarily flinched at the inexplicable sense of intimidation. When Thadeus, who’d been following behind, grabbed my shoulder asking what was wrong, the overwhelming tension finally eased a bit.

“Nothing, just…”

When I sat down, the old woman quietly gazed at the crystal ball. Then she let out an exclamation of “Oh ho,” before turning her gaze back to me.

“I can tell you came because of unrequited love.”

“That’s right, how did you know?”

Formal speech came out without me realizing it in the atmosphere that felt like I shouldn’t treat her carelessly. Then the old woman gave a meaningful smile.

“Something very wicked is attached to you, young lady. It’s been prowling around for a very long time, watching for a chance to devour you.”

“Something wicked? What kind of wicked thing do you mean…?”

“I don’t know how to put it… Perhaps you’d understand if I described it as something so evil that even if thrown into h*ll, it would come back to life?”

The moment I heard those words, something came to mind. Strange things had happened to every man who showed interest in me. They’d get seriously hurt, suddenly disappear, or run away in terror at the sight of me.

‘I knew something was strange.’

I’d thought before that maybe an evil spirit was attached to me. It seemed that was true. I swallowed and asked the old woman.

“How can I drive it away?”

The old woman narrowed her eyes and looked at me. Some emotion—pity or something—filled her eyes.

“It’s impossible in this lifetime. This only ends with death.”

At the chilling words, I felt my heart drop. To think such a wicked evil spirit was attached to me. I recalled the suspicious incidents that had occurred in succession recently.

“Definitely when no one’s there, doors suddenly slam shut, and I used to sleep well but recently can’t fall asleep. Just sitting there and suddenly the back of my head feels cold… This is all because of the evil spirit, right?”

The old woman said nothing and gave a meaningful smile. That smile felt like affirmation, making me feel even more frightened.

“I can’t go on like this. What should I do from now on? I want to escape somehow…!”

“Well. The more you struggle, the more it will tighten its grip on your throat.”

It truly couldn’t be anything but despair. Why did that evil spirit attach itself to me of all people? There are so many people in this world.

I felt gloomy, then suddenly endlessly wronged. This was completely unjust. If I’d done something so wrong, I’d have nothing to say whether an evil spirit or demon attached itself, but no matter how much I retraced my memories, I’d never done anything that wrong.

‘The only wrongs I can think of are fighting with Father and in anger filling his most precious wine bottle with honey instead of alcohol, or wanting to make Grandfather look cool so I secretly snipped off the beard he’d carefully grown while he napped…’

I let out a deep sigh and looked at the old woman with pleading eyes.

“Then what does it want? What deep grudge does it have against me to do this?”

“A grudge. You’ve simply done nothing wrong except catch its eye. Even if it devours you completely, it won’t end.”

I asked a few more curious things after that, but there were no significant gains. What I needed to remember was that even when fear rises, I must face the truth there, and I shouldn’t chase illusions. And if possible, she didn’t spare advice to try taming the evil spirit to my will.

To tame an evil spirit that made me shudder just thinking about it. I asked what she meant, but she didn’t give a detailed explanation. 

With that unsettled feeling, I tried to pay for seeing the crystal ball, but the old woman firmly refused.

“Seeing the crystal ball is this old woman’s only pleasure, so I’ll decline.”

After my turn ended, it was Thadeus’s turn to see the crystal ball. However, he had no interest and remained unmoved even when persuaded. 

Having no choice, I was about to leave when the old woman’s voice stopped my steps.

“Arrogant one. You’ve gotten everything you wanted in your grasp since birth. But what you want most will try to move further away from you. Even if you cover your beloved’s eyes and try to forget this moment by falling into sweet dreams, the cruel reality won’t change. Your past karma will overwhelm you soon. If you continue to act as you do now even then, the dream that touched your fingertips may truly become a mirage and disappear.”

Since she called him arrogant, it seemed to be directed at Thadeus. Moreover, the part about covering a beloved’s eyes and forgetting reality by falling into sweet dreams seemed to refer to Thadeus’s fiancée and us. 

The passage about past karma and his dream becoming a mirage and disappearing might also mean the engagement ceremony that would become a mess because of me.

‘I should have ended this absurd relationship sooner.’

The thoughts I’d had all along were nothing more than rationalization. Because I was caught by the wicked Thadeus. Because I too had a body that couldn’t escape the magic side effects.

But was that all? Even if that was true at first, was I certain no trace of emotion had mixed into the gaze I directed at Thadeus? 

There were times my heart fluttered at his words, and times I followed where the end of his black eyes pointed. Sometimes it felt like we’d returned to those old days when I thought we shared the same heart.

What meaningless thoughts were these toward someone I’d soon have to end the relationship with? 

I almost let out a hollow laugh at the useless sentimentality.

“Are you saying that to me right now?”