Episode 42

Rosanna had met Raymond later than she had met Kyle. And yet, she seemed closer to Raymond.

Kyle was the one who had spent more time with her. He was the one she had once said she cared about. And yet, watching them now, something inside him crumbled.

This bitter feeling was probably…

He clenched his hand under the table, trying to shake off the negativity. He was about to lower his gaze when the conversation suddenly shifted toward him.

“Basilio, was it? The theology student doesn’t speak much, does he?”

“…I was just enjoying your conversation. Quite the adventure story. It’s interesting that you met there—what a strange coincidence.”

“A bad one.”

Rosanna leaned past the armrest, closing the space between her and Kyle. Just like in the carriage, Kyle naturally found himself offering her his arm again, and his gaze followed suit.

“Tell me more about your travels. I’ve never been outside Ingdberry.”

“What? Never? Not even to the nearby villages?”

“No.”

“So you’ve never ridden a train either?”

Kyle simply smiled. Rosanna, realizing he was confirming it, was momentarily stunned. The fact that he had never stepped beyond the capital despite being an adult was shocking. His world was much smaller than she had thought.

To live in a country that had invented the steam locomotive and never have ridden one… She had assumed that at least everyone in Ingdberry had.

“Fix your expression. You’re being rude.”

Raymond’s sharp remark cut in.

“What? What did I do?”

“You look like you’re wondering how someone could be that poor.”

“It’s fine. He’s not wrong.”

Kyle unlinked his arms and laced his fingers through Rosanna’s. The way their intertwined hands rested on the armrest was in plain sight, making Raymond fall silent.

Before the tension could settle, Nina suddenly reappeared.

“The desserts are being packed! But before that, try this.”

She shoved a white tray toward Rosanna. There were two customers, but only one cupcake. Kyle had been entirely disregarded.

It wasn’t surprising. From the very first time they met, Nina had only ever seemed interested in Rosanna. Rosanna, for her part, had met plenty of people who displayed strange possessiveness. Even when she wasn’t actively trying to charm them, they would still become infatuated and follow her around—something that had always been exhausting. If it was just another case of that, she couldn’t be bothered to care.

Without hesitation, Rosanna picked up the cupcake and held it out to Kyle.

“You must be hungry after all that shopping. Eat.”

“You should have it, Rosanna—”

“I’m fine. I’ve built up plenty of shopping stamina.”

“There’s such a thing as shopping stamina?”

Kyle laughed at the joke, his expression finally relaxing for the first time that day. Seeing that, Rosanna also grinned.

“Of course! A shopping novice like you needs to eat and recharge.”

“Let’s share it.”

“I don’t need any. I’d rather just watch you eat. That’s better.”

Rosanna brought the cupcake closer to Kyle’s lips.

Nina, watching from the side, muttered anxiously to herself. “No, that’s not for him… That’s not his… Ugh, my creation…” Her barely audible mumbling was so jumbled that no one could make out what she was saying, but Raymond immediately knew she had done something reckless.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Nina and pulled her behind the counter to interrogate her.

Rosanna, unconcerned with who was coming or going, remained focused on Kyle. She placed a hand on his thigh and leaned in with an almost teasing tilt.

“Want me to feed you?”

Her voice carried an unmistakable trace of amusement.

“I approve of you showing a little affection in front of Raymond. That should put his mind at ease. He was jealous, you know.”

Kyle, unable to either confirm or deny it, simply held onto the cupcake she was offering him.

“…Alright. I’ll eat it.”

As he took a bite, trying to endure his embarrassment, Rosanna rested her chin on both hands and watched him. His puffed-out cheeks moved as he chewed, a different kind of endearing than Henry’s. When she playfully poked his cheek, Kyle could only sigh.

“We really need to go now. We’re late.”

“As soon as they finish packing, we’ll leave.”

“…You’re not planning to make any more stops, right?”

“I promise. We’re going straight there.”

Rosanna casually pointed to the now-empty plate.

“Was it good?”

“Yes. I can see why this place is famous. My friend mentioned it before—he said that when they opened Liberty, they also started selling desserts, but… this place is their strongest competitor.”

“That tea department store? Ah, right, your friend is the heir to Liberté & Tea. I’ve heard he’s quite capable, even in high society. Though the owner is considered too progressive, I hear Parliament has a favorable view of him.”

Kyle’s expression brightened at the mention of something Vlad had told her.

“He said his father is likely to become a member of Parliament. Soon, Matteo will take over as the head of the company.”

“…Why are you so happy about that?”

“Because I’m proud of my friend.”

Rosanna pouted. He got all shy when talking about himself, but when it came to praising someone else, he lit up.

“No praising other men in front of me. Insult them instead.”

“…Where did that come from?”

His amber brows furrowed slightly. Rosanna didn’t answer. Instead, she ran her thumb across his lower lip.

Kyle froze from the unexpected touch, and before he could react, Rosanna licked her own thumb.

Kyle belatedly touched his lips.

“Was there something on my mouth?”

“Not really. I just figured there’d still be some sweetness left. It tastes good.”

It was unclear whether she meant the lingering cupcake crumbs or something else entirely. Kyle tensed his legs, trying to fight off the heat rising in him. He should just take her words at face value, but why did he keep twisting them? Every time Rosanna said something ambiguous, every time her words sounded like an invitation, his thoughts spiraled into chaos.

Just then, Raymond appeared like a savior.

“The packing’s done. Let’s load them onto the carriage.”

“Let’s split the load. Rosanna, take your time coming out.”

Kyle hurriedly followed Raymond outside.

After stacking the desserts onto one side of the carriage seat, Raymond turned to face him. The look in his green eyes was one Kyle recognized well—the same look volunteers at the orphanage had given him when he was younger.

“Basilio. If anything happens, come find me.”

“…Anything?”

“There will come a time when you won’t be able to handle that woman alone. If you don’t want your life to become a headache, make sure you do. We’re not friends, but we’re both orphans—I’ll help you.”

It was the first time someone had said it to his face.

Kyle had always believed Rosanna was too much for him, but hearing it from someone else hit differently. It tore open wounds that hadn’t fully healed. At the same time, an instinctive defiance flared in him—who are you to tell me that?

“I know I’m lacking. I appreciate your concern, but I’ll handle it myself.”

“No. You don’t know. Not yet.”

Raymond’s gaze sharpened, like a predator revealing its true nature.

“You will soon. The more time you spend with her, the more you’ll see her for what she really is.”

“…That’s an unpleasant thing to say. Since you’re a friend of hers, I’ll assume this wasn’t meant to slander her… and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

Jingle. The bell above the shop door rang.

Rosanna had just walked out, shaking off Nina’s overbearing farewell, and now she approached them.

“What were you two talking about?”

“I was just saying I hope the orphanage children enjoy the desserts.”

Kyle fabricated a response, casting a glance at Raymond.

“They’ll definitely love them, so don’t worry, Raymond.”

“…Strange. He actually said something like that?”

“It’s time to go. Come on, get in.”

Rosanna voiced her suspicion, but Kyle quickly ushered her into the carriage as if to cut the conversation short. Worried that Raymond might say something odd again, he hurriedly climbed in after her. However, contrary to his fears, Raymond simply gave them a small nod in farewell.

“Whew…”

Kyle exhaled, easing his posture and sitting up straight.

“Did something happen with Raymond? Was he rude to you?”

“…No. He’s just a difficult person to deal with.”

Kyle stole a glance out the window, watching Ruby’s fade into the distance. Raymond was already gone, having returned inside.

—

Inside the shop, Raymond headed straight for the counter.

Nina, knowing she had done something wrong, was crouched in the corner, trying to look as pitiful as possible. It was a desperate attempt to avoid Raymond’s piercing gaze, but it wasn’t working.

“Get up. We need to finish our conversation.”

Nina sluggishly stood.

“What did you do to that cupcake?”

“…What do you mean, what did I do?”

“Your behavior was suspicious.”

“I just mixed in some Modified Lycan-Beta. I adjusted the formula a bit. That woman was supposed to eat it—I needed observation data.”

Raymond’s glare turned even sharper.

“It has no effect on humans! I swear! The theology student is perfectly fine.”

He took a step forward, towering over Nina with an oppressive presence.

“Stay out of this from now on. Avoid getting involved as much as possible.”

“Why?”

“You’re interfering with the mission.”

Nina clenched her jaw, fuming silently. She knew her actions had been suspicious, so she couldn’t argue.

“Then hurry up and get close to her. Capture her already. There’s so much to experiment on. High-ranking vampires make fascinating research subjects.”

“…Yeah. First, let’s head inside.”

Raymond leaped over the counter and made his way to the storage area. Nina trailed after him, her irritation simmering.

Inside the meeting room, Noel was already there, having arrived earlier than scheduled.

He shot Raymond a smirk.

“Seems like the target has let her guard down. Even a half-blood is still kin, huh? Guess it was easy to befriend her.”

“It’s just the mission.”

“I’m just looking out for you. If you get too attached and turn traitor, I’ll have to be the one to take you out first. And I really don’t want to kill a comrade.”

“A comrade, huh?” Raymond scoffed.

“How touching.”

 

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ✩ ﾟ｡ ⋆

☕ Hi, friends! Your support means the world to me. If you’d like, you can buy me a star here: Click the link on the image! 💖

Thank you for keeping me inspired! 🌸

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ✩ ﾟ｡ ⋆