* * *
By the time Eren snapped out of it, he’d already been pulled into the shop by the woman.
Whether it was an exaggeration or not, the place was filled with accessories that looked like they came from a high-end jeweler.
The woman handed him another bracelet, the same kind she had tied around his wrist earlier.
He felt awkward—he wasn’t used to people giving him things so freely.
But he didn’t refuse.
Their carefree expressions and generosity were proof enough that Fridit was a good place to live.
“That bracelet comes in pairs. They say if you and your beloved each wear one, your feelings will never change.”
“…Is that so.”
“You accepted it without a fuss. Must mean you already have someone in mind.”
Eren quickly turned his head.
It was a reflex—the flush creeping up his face told him his cheeks had probably turned red.
The shopkeeper let out a teasing chuckle at his transparent reaction.
“Who is it? One of Fridit’s knights?”
“…Something like that.”
“It’s either yes or no. What’s ‘something like that’?”
Eren could hardly say ‘He’s the duke of the Fridit family’, so he just gave a sheepish smile instead.
Worried he might lose it, he gripped the bracelet the woman had given him tightly.
Seeing how he clutched the bracelet as if to never let it go, the woman’s lips curved mischievously.
Saying there was more to see, she once again took Eren by the hand and led him onward.
Deep inside the shop, there was a single door that seemed oddly out of place.
Standing before it, the woman slowly turned to look at Eren.
Her eyes, slightly unfocused and strangely clear, made him shiver instinctively.
It wasn’t threatening—but it did feel oddly dangerous.
“Go on in and take a look. If you see anything you want, just take it.”
She gently pushed Eren into the room, waving with a bright smile like she was sending him off to have fun.
Now practically locked inside, Eren stared at the closed door in confusion and mild panic.
“What the heck am I supposed to be looking at—EEK!”
Before he even realized it, a shrill scream burst out of his mouth.
His eyes darted around frantically, unsure where to look.
“Wh-what the… oh no…”
‘What the hell is all that?!’
Horrified, Eren clapped his hands over his eyes.
But even then, the images he’d seen lingered vividly in his mind.
It felt like he could still see them, even through his hands.
Long, thick, and grotesquely large implements, small twin pincers, and even a long, thin metal rod with an unclear purpose.
Just from what was visibly displayed, that was the extent of it—but Eren wasn’t naive enough to not know what they were for.
He had already seen the things Helid owned, after all.
The overt display of adult items on the shelf left Eren utterly appalled.
He rushed toward the door, reaching for the knob—
Clunk.
With a heavy sound, the doorknob refused to turn any further.
He was, without question, locked in.
In a panic, Eren ran to the opposite door, trying to open it—but of course, that one was locked too.
“Wh-what? Ma’am! Please open the door!”
He banged loudly and called out to the woman, but no answer came.
Not surprising—if she’d intended to let him out, she wouldn’t have locked the door in the first place.
Why he’d been locked in here so suddenly, he had no idea.
As his hand, which had been tugging relentlessly at the knob, dropped down, his eyes caught sight of a note posted on the door.
The edges were frayed. It read:
[If you want to leave this room, pick up three of the items inside.
The door is enchanted, so brute force won’t work ^^]
“What the hell…?!”
It seemed the only way to undo the spell was to hold three of the displayed items.
Eren hesitated, clearly distressed.
He had snuck out without a word, so if he was gone too long, someone might notice.
He had planned to return to the estate quickly, but this… this was way outside of anything he’d expected.
Sure, if he just stayed put and waited, maybe they’d let him out eventually.
But who knew when that would be?
Escaping wasn’t all that difficult—he just didn’t want to do it.
“Aaahh…”
Just looking at the tools made it obvious where and how they were meant to be used, and Eren was on the verge of a breakdown.
‘I wasn’t always this perverted!’
This was all Ashard’s fault—he never let Eren go once he got started.
“I-it’s just holding them…”
He wouldn’t use them, just hold them.
As soon as the door opened, he could toss them to the ground and bolt. No big deal.
With steely resolve, Eren clamped his lips shut.
He stormed up to the nearest shelf and, without thinking, grabbed the three closest items before walking to the door.
Clank— The heavy locking mechanism clicked open.
‘Good, now toss them and—huh?’
Just as he was about to throw the items away, the scenery before him shifted in an instant.
Laughter and voices echoed again.
Confused, Eren looked around.
“Where… am I?!”
He was back in the exact place where he had first met the woman, standing there dumbfounded.
More precisely, he had been teleported here.
Magic was common enough, but he’d never seen it used like this before.
All he could do was spin his head around in stunned disbelief.
As he looked around, a rattling sound came from his arms.
Slowly, his stiff neck lowered. It was only then that Eren realized what he was still holding—and his entire body trembled in horror.
‘Throw it… no! If I do, everyone will look!’
Throw them or hide them—this was the greatest dilemma of his life.
Unfortunately, he’d worn the Fridit household servant’s cloak.
If he dropped the tools and ran, rumors would spread instantly that a servant from the Fridit family had been caught carrying adult toys.
The choice was easy.
Eren quickly shoved the items under his cloak and slipped away.
He was about to find a quiet alley to dump them when—
A familiar carriage rolled by.
It was from the Fridit household.
Ashard, who had apparently gone out for a temple visit, was on his way back to the villa.
‘Oh no, no, no—!’
Eren had to arrive at the villa before Ashard did.
That man would come looking for him the moment he got back—and if Eren wasn’t there when that happened, it wouldn’t just be him getting punished.
The entire knight order might suffer.
Without another thought, Eren sprinted toward the estate.
The carriage would have to circle around the plaza, so if he moved quickly, he could beat it there.
“Hahh… huff…!”
Only when he reached the front of the villa, gasping from his full-speed run, could Eren finally catch his breath.
He’d never felt this close to death by exhaustion.
Taking a deep breath to calm his wildly pounding heart, he managed to recover—just barely.
As he stepped toward the entrance, the knights blocked his path.
They hadn’t paid attention when he left, but it seemed coming in was a whole other matter.
“Which department are you from?”
“…Kitchen! I work in the kitchen!”
The knights eyed him from head to toe.
A wave of panic welled up inside him.
At times like this, the best defense was confidence.
Straightening his back, Eren stared boldly into their eyes.
“…Go on in.”
Being shameless really was the best weapon.
As the knights stepped aside, Eren walked through the gate, proud and steady.
He thought he’d made it in safely.
But then—
Clink.
At that exact moment, the items hidden in his cloak clanked together with a metallic sound.
Loud enough that the knights had to have heard.
“Wait.”
Of course—one of the knights called out to him.
Eren turned around awkwardly, like a broken machine.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
“What are you hiding under your cloak?”
“…It’s nothing.”
His voice quivered ever so slightly.
He tried to meet their gaze again, confidently—but under their suspicious glare, his eyes faltered.
“What are you hiding?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Show us. Right now. Otherwise, we’ll report this to His Grace as an attempt to smuggle in something illicit.”
Eren instinctively clutched the items hidden under his cloak.
He was so close.
He couldn’t get caught now.
* * *
