* * *
“Then, before I go, I’ll come again next time, teacher!”
“Alright, take care.”
I watched the children walk away, their bright laughter trailing behind them.
Their hair, bouncing with their steps, reminded me of soft down.
Leaning against the doorframe, I adjusted my arms around the basket they had given me as a gift.
I had told them time and again they didn’t need to bring anything, yet they always insisted.
Their innocent sincerity warmed my heart.
Even children, despite their limited experience, seemed to understand the weight of parting.
The way they prepared gifts made that clear.
It was a reminder that innocence should never be mistaken for ignorance.
I watched until the children completely disappeared from sight before lowering my gaze.
My eyes drifted down, eventually landing near my feet.
There, untouched and pristine, lay a bouquet of baby’s breath.
The white blossoms were bound together by a striking green ribbon.
…Again.
I stared at the bouquet for a moment before bending down.
Setting the basket aside, I gently tapped the flowers with my fingers.
By now, I no longer needed to wonder where they came from.
Kaindel must have been here again.
Without me even realizing it, once more.
A note…
Lifting the bouquet slightly, I wasn’t surprised to find a small piece of folded paper tucked beneath it.
Letting out a sigh, I picked it up.
I already knew what it would contain.
Kaindel’s habit of leaving flowers and notes behind wasn’t as innocent as the gifts the children had brought.
What does he have to say this time?
Holding the bouquet between my chest and my knees, I unfolded the note.
Unlike the usual brief messages, today’s was long—an entire page filled with writing.
It seemed he had a lot to say this time.
Blinking a few times, I began to read.
[This will probably be my last visit, Isa.
Have you given it much thought? I doubt you’ve come to a conclusion yet, but I hope at least something has changed. Even if it’s just wishful thinking on my part.
Isa, soon everything will be over. In just a few days, the marriage with the princess will be nullified as planned, and her schemes will fall apart.
Things will get chaotic.
People will talk about me and the princess.
There may even be those who try to seize power in the confusion.
It might not be so easy to resolve. But once everything is settled, I’ll come to you.
By the way, have you heard from Sehir about the Spencer family?
I hope you don’t just dismiss it as nonsense. I doubt you would, but still… I put in quite some effort to find this information. It’s reliable—you can trust it.
Actually… should I be honest? This will be my last letter, after all.
To tell the truth, I didn’t want you to know about the Spencer family.
Because if you found out you had a real family, I knew you’d leave me without hesitation. If this had been before, I would’ve met with them first, then introduced them to you myself.
Personally. Because if you had another option, I knew you wouldn’t choose me.
But I suppose that was just my own selfishness.
Now, though, things are different.
Thank you for existing in my life, Isa.
That alone is enough for me.]
“….”
My fingers clenched around the note.
The paper crumpled slightly, trembling in my grip.
Something was welling up inside me.
A lump in my throat.
A sense of sinking deep into the ground.
The only thing I knew for sure was that it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
Why?
Frustration surged.
I was angry at Kaindel.
Angry that he kept acting so foolishly, making me unable to ignore him.
I hated how he kept getting under my skin.
And yet, at the same time, a strange sense of relief settled within me.
I didn’t know where it came from.
Or rather, I didn’t want to know.
Flashes of past conversations surfaced—the words my companions had spoken when they visited a few days ago.
My mind felt tangled.
The way Kaindel had behaved at the Alice Inn, his actions during the goblin attack, the fact that he had found the Spencer family…
It was a strange feeling.
Unlike the helplessness I usually felt when thinking about Kaindel.
This time, I didn’t feel powerless.
Rather, I felt like there was something I needed to do.
Something I could do.
I sat there for a moment before abruptly standing up.
This feeling—I wouldn’t be able to shake it off unless I saw Kaindel.
Whether I needed to yell at him or demand answers, I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was certain.
I had to see him.
“Kaindel…”
Where is he?
Muttering to myself, I scanned my surroundings.
Everything looked as it always did.
Whenever Kaindel left flowers for me, he would linger nearby, hesitating—watching to see if I found them.
So he had to be somewhere close.
He had to be.
“Damn it.”
But no matter where I looked, Kaindel was nowhere to be seen.
When I didn’t want to see him, he would appear so easily.
But today, of all days, he was nowhere to be found.
Was he doing this just to drive me crazy?
Anxiety flared in my chest.
I hadn’t even sorted out what I wanted to say to him yet.
But none of that mattered anymore.
“If you still don’t get it after all that, you really are an idiot.”
“…”
“I thought he was the only one with feelings for you. But judging by your reaction, it seems I was wrong. It was hard to watch, honestly. I only realized recently that you two are actually lovers. Though I suppose you already know why.”
When I stayed at the Schudelgarten estate, I had hesitated even to approach Kaindel.
What if I was just bothering him?
What if he pushed me away?
I wanted nothing more than his affection.
What if I did something that annoyed him?
Those fears had kept me frozen.
I couldn’t even take a single step toward him.
But now, for some reason, my legs felt incredibly light.
Like I could run anywhere.
Like that time when I’d boldly claimed to Kaindel that running was what I did best.
The moment I took the first step, the rest followed easily.
I didn’t even have the presence of mind to check if I had properly closed the door behind me.
I hadn’t felt the dull sensation of it shutting, which meant it was probably still open.
But I didn’t care enough to go back and check.
I walked quickly—almost running.
I searched the alleys where Kaindel might be hiding, scanning for a tall silhouette among the crowd.
I checked near the tree where he had hidden before, peeked over walls, and paused every time I saw a horse that looked like his.
Whenever I spotted a man with his face hidden under a hood, I instinctively leaned in for a closer look.
Yet no matter how long I searched, he was nowhere to be found.
Was I looking too close to home?
Should I head to the town square instead?
Just as I was debating my next move—
“Oh! Watch out!”
A woman’s urgent cry rang out from above. Her voice was filled with panic.
Looking up instinctively, I saw it.
A sudden downpour—water cascading straight toward my head.
I glanced to the side and spotted an old building.
Judging by the situation, someone must have tossed out leftover water from an upper floor.
And I had been standing in the worst possible spot.
I sighed.
It was my fault that I didn’t pay attention around.
The distance made it hard to avoid.
And it wasn’t like it was a flowerpot—just water.
Even if I got hit, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
I didn’t like the thought of being drenched, but this wouldn’t have happened if I had been paying more attention to my surroundings instead of focusing entirely on finding Kaindel.
Things like this happened all the time in the village, so I should have been more careful.
Kaindel… Should I wash up first and then go look for him?
But by then, he’d already be gone.
He did say it was the last note.
Once I leave too, I probably won’t ever see him again in this place.
Just as I closed my eyes, trying to clear the whirlwind of thoughts circling my mind before the water could hit me, a cool hand landed on my shoulder.
Before I could react, that hand gently turned me around, pulling me against a firm chest.
The sudden shadow cast over me darkened my vision slightly.
“Why didn’t you move out of the way?”
“…Kaindel?”
It was a voice I knew all too well, one that rang sharply in my ears.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Kaindel standing there, shielding my head with his robe.
The moment our eyes met, he smiled as if he had been waiting for it.
His green eyes, always beautiful, curved into crescent moons as he did.
“It’s been a while, Isa.”
* * *
