The dog was baring its teeth while its owner was nowhere to be seen, and other customers had backed away in surprise.

“That’s a hunting dog, isn’t it? Shouldn’t someone do something?”

“Hmm. A dog that big could tear apart even an adult.”

Everyone just whispered among themselves, but no one stepped forward.

Noah’s face turned pale.

“So-sorry… But you tried to take it first.”

However, the dog seemed to be provoked by the child’s frightened appearance, and it suddenly lunged at Noah, knocking him down.

“Grrrr, woof!”

“…!”

Hot breath and fearsome teeth came right up to Noah’s face.

‘It’s really going to bite!’

Noah squeezed his eyes shut.

That’s when it happened.

“Yelp!”

The previously aggressive dog suddenly lost its nerve and tucked its tail.

“…Are you alright?”

Then a calm, low voice was heard.

Who is it?

Noah quickly opened his eyes.

‘A black wall…?’

No, looking again, it was a person.

A beautiful man with smooth black hair was gripping the large dog’s scruff with one hand.

He was tall and solid enough that Noah had mistaken him for a wall, giving off an intimidating presence. Yet at the same time, his movements were as graceful as a black panther.

The hunting dog seemed to instinctively sense a stronger presence and whimpered. The owner, now aware of the situation, finally rushed over and kept bowing in apology.

After the brief commotion passed.

The man extended his hand toward Noah, who was still on the ground.

“Here. Get up.”

He grabbed Noah’s hand and lifted him up effortlessly with a single pull.

Noah stared up at the man in a daze.

‘So cool……’

He was like a hero straight out of a fairy tale.

Of course, unlike the sparkling heroes in stories, the man before him was dressed all in black to avoid drawing attention…

If anything, that only enhanced his dignified atmosphere.

‘Could this be the strong and cool person Lady Calliphe was looking for?’

Just as Noah was thinking this, whispers from the other customers nearby could be heard.

“Who is that child?”

“Is this the time to look at the child? That person who just saved the kid, could it be……”

“Oh my. Isn’t that Duke Ortega?”

“You’re right! They said he came to the capital, it must be true!”

Duke Ortega?

Noah’s ears perked up.

“Ah, yes. Lady Calliphe used to have someone she liked. Duke Ortega, he was her first love.”

The words of the nice maid sister flashed through Noah’s mind like lightning.

While Noah’s heart started pounding.

The Duke was already being guided by a clerk who had hurried over.

“Your Grace, I apologize. The item you’re looking for is currently being viewed by another customer who arrived first.”

“…Has it been sold?”

“No. They’re still in consultation.”

“Then place a reservation for me. I’ll return shortly—”

Noah couldn’t hear their conversation.

Thump-thump, all the anxious Noah could see was the Duke about to leave the store.

As the Duke turned around, Noah hastily grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“Ah, no.”

“What do you mean, no?”

The Duke looked down questioningly. Noah’s eyes spun around frantically in urgency.

“Well, umm, that is……”

I need to say something quickly.

If I don’t, if I don’t!

‘Lady Calliphe might marry that redhead!’

Noah’s nerves were on edge from the sudden sense of crisis.

With heightened senses, Noah could hear the surrounding people’s whispers.

“Duke Ortega? Why is he here alone without any attendants?”

“He must have come in a hurry or had a reason to move secretly. For example, that child……”

“Black hair. The same as the Duke’s.”

“And the face looks a bit similar too…”

“Could that be the Duke’s child? Haha, just kidding.”

At that moment, a brilliant idea struck Noah, who clung to the Duke’s leg like a cicada.

And shouted loudly.

“D-daddy!”

“……!?”

“Don’t abandon me!”

?!

In that instant, the store fell completely silent.

The startled Duke Ortega tried to remove the child’s hands.

“Wh-what. You must have the wrong person. I’m not your father.”

“Mom is waiting too! Please don’t leave!”

“……!”

Duke Ortega’s blue-gray eyes wavered in confusion.

He sensed numerous ears perking up in his direction. The customers in the store, even the clerks at the counter, were all pretending not to look while straining to listen.

Come to think of it, the child’s hair color was black, just like his own.

Feeling a rare sense of dizziness, Duke Ortega pressed his forehead.

“…It seems we need to talk.”

* * *

Crunch crunch.

The child was eagerly munching on a large cookie, holding it with both hands.

It was the Duke’s attempt to silence any more shocking declarations from the child.

“……Is it good?”

Nod.

Duke Ortega, Lynen, watched the black-haired child with complex emotions.

The child appeared to be about the same age as his nephew whom he had been searching for so long.

Feeling his gaze, the child glanced at him nervously, then slightly turned away to hide the cookie from him.

Though grateful for the cookie, there was a clear intention not to share it.

Just who could his guardian be?

“……”

Lynen, who couldn’t take his eyes off the child’s black hair, carefully asked.

“…Where are your parents?”

“You mean my sponsor?”

“No, the parents who gave birth to you.”

Then the child answered indifferently.

“Don’t have any.”

“Don’t have?”

“Yeah. Never had them from the start. Don’t even know their faces.”

“……I see.”

It was quite common for poor parents to abandon their children.

Lynen also carefully examined the back of the child’s hand.

“Young master must surely have a scar on the back of his hand. Since it was pierced by a sword.”

The Knight Commander had definitely said so.

But the child’s hands were smooth without a single scar.

“He was crying for his father until the moment he fell into the river……”

Apart from the black hair, the child had no similarities with his nephew. The features didn’t resemble either Lynen or his older brother, the previous duke.

Hah.

Lynen rubbed his brow and shook off his thoughts.

“Alright. Now tell me.”

He was in the store’s lounge with the child.

Since he had asked not to be disturbed, they could talk comfortably.

“Why did you call me daddy?”

“I really wanted to meet you, Your Grace.”

“Why?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“What favor?”

“Please marry my sponsor.”

Lynen’s elbow, resting on his knee, slipped.

“……What?”

“Please marry my spon—”

Thump. Lynen quickly stuffed another cookie in the child’s mouth.

“Mmmpf.”

After silencing the child, Lynen took a moment to compose himself and asked again.

“Why are you saying such things?”

“Because my sponsor needs to get married, and you were their first love.”

“…And?”

“I want my sponsor to marry someone they like. And, and you’re so cool!”

The child’s seemingly calm face revealed a blind devotion toward their sponsor.

But Lynen thought about another important issue the child was overlooking.

‘What about my opinion?’

Though bewildered, he was also curious. He wondered who this sponsor could be that the child was so devoted to.

Lynen first responded to the child’s request.

“I hope your sponsor has the marriage they want. But I can’t agree to this.”

“Why not?”

“Because I also want to marry someone I love.”

Gasp. The child swallowed hard, seemingly realizing their mistake belatedly.

“I didn’t think of that.”

“It’s alright.”

“Then… would you try to like them starting now?”

“…That’s alright too.”

The child didn’t give up. Instead, rolling their eyes around, they asked.

“Can I ask just one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“This isn’t about me though.”

It definitely is.

“Someone I know did something wrong to the person they like.”

“Hmm.”

“So now they’re not on good terms. How can they become close again?”

That was something he could answer with common sense.

“They need to sincerely apologize.”

“How?”

“While saying sorry……”

Lynen carefully chose words at the child’s level and answered seriously.

“……give them a hug.”

“Will that make them close?”

“Well… if the other person hugs back, probably.”

Actually, Lynen didn’t know either since he had no experience.

Fortunately, the child seemed to accept this, nodding their head.

“Thank you.”

“Sure. Now let’s get up. Did you come here with your sponsor? Where are they?”

“On the second floor. But right now there’s a bad mister……”

“Bad mister?”

Aaaaah!

Suddenly, a scream came from the second floor.

“……!”

The child dropped their cookie and rushed up to the second floor urgently.

“Wait…!”

The child didn’t look back even when Lynen called out.

Lynen hesitated for a moment.

He didn’t need to follow the child. After all, they had just talked briefly, and the child had their own guardian.

But…

‘He would be about that age now too.’

And the same black hair.

Though there were more differences than similarities, still.

“…The mention of a ‘bad mister’ bothers me as well.”

Let’s just check.

Lynen hurried up to the second floor.

And what he saw was—

“Take that.”

Thwack!

“Aaaah!”

It was Calliphe, giving a forehead flick to a young man much taller than herself.

‘Ah.’

Lynen unconsciously rubbed his brow.

‘I shouldn’t have come.’

—

T/N: Lynen coming to the store just to shop and suddenly becoming a father 🧍