Viloti never meant to say those things to gain Felyn’s sympathy.
She didn’t have Zervanie’s level of scheming.
She got up at 7 a.m. to bathe, started her makeup, hair, and nails by 8, began picking her outfit at 10:30, and arrived in Hambolt by 12:30.
She came early because she was afraid of being late, afraid something unpredictable on the road might stop her from making it on time.
Viloti never thought of telling Felyn about all these things. In her mind, they weren’t worth mentioning at all.
“Not coming in?”
When Felyn invited her, Viloti shook her head.
She didn’t want to take advantage of him, what if next time, Felyn decided not to go on a date with her?
“Then I’ll wait outside with you.”
Felyn knew Viloti too well.
Once she made up her mind, no amount of talk could change it.
“Felyn, it’s not time yet for our date, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
“You look so pretty today. You standing alone out here gives me a sense of crisis.”
Hearing that, Viloti looked up, her eyes widening slightly.
Her lips parted a little, and a soft pink blush spread across her cheeks.
“I-I wouldn’t go off with someone else…”
Then her voice got quieter and quieter. “I’d only go with Felyn…”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“No!” Viloti suddenly raised her voice.
Felyn took the dessert coupons from her hand and held them up to the light.
They were real, but nowhere did it say they had to be used by two people.
“Did Zervanie make that up just to set me and Viloti up?”
That thought convinced Felyn even more that Zervanie had truly let him go.
Otherwise, there was no reason… unless she was into that kind of thing. But in all their time together, she never showed any such tendency.
“Well, the timing’s perfect. Let’s go to this place, okay? You haven’t eaten lunch yet, right? And I haven’t either. I’m starving.”
Felyn knew that without an excuse, there was no way he’d convince this stubborn young lady to change her mind.
But if Felyn said he was hungry, then Viloti’s mental priority system would kick in.
Felyn being hungry was more important than not sticking to their scheduled meeting time.
“Mhm!”
After a string of little detours, Miss Viloti’s long-awaited date finally began ahead of schedule.
Passersby couldn’t help but stare at this incredibly attractive couple.
As the afternoon breeze stirred, Viloti’s hair occasionally brushed against Felyn’s shoulder, bringing with it a trace of girlish fragrance.
Felyn and Viloti walked close together.
Their hands nearly touched, But Felyn kept a perfect, polite distance.
They walked in silence.
This wasn’t Felyn being indifferent to Viloti.
He’d always interacted with her this way during their contract period.
She just wasn’t a talkative girl.
If Felyn had been too chatty, she probably would’ve kicked him out during the contract.
The light-blue barrette clipped behind her ear on the side facing Felyn.
He hadn’t seen that face from the side in a while.
During those years of their contract, Felyn had seen that side profile every day.
He accompanied her through school, day after day,
Always looking at that face,
Watching her blink with that slow rhythm,
Noting the curve of her ever-still lips,
And the little tear-shaped mole near the corner of her eye.
Memory was strange like that.
Even though their contract had ended recently,
It all felt like it had happened a lifetime ago.
What was it that he used to do for Viloti again?
At that time, there was a lot of criticism surrounding her.
Most were neutral, but some were downright hostile.
Her aloofness didn’t help her public image.
So more and more people targeted her.
They scribbled insults on her textbooks,
Smeared glue on her seat,
And excluded her from school activities.
Felyn quietly resolved every one of those problems before she even noticed.
He swapped out her books with new ones,
Gave her his own chair,
And joined her in school events without a second thought.
It wasn’t just because of the contract.
Felyn had genuinely wanted to help her.
She was just different, just didn’t fit in, And for that, she had to be scolded?
Why did people have to conform?
Why did everyone have to be part of a “group”?
Felyn hated being forced into that kind of structure.
Being lumped in with strangers and called a “community”
It was miserable.
Over time, the things he did for her became widely known.
He got labeled as a simp.
And gradually, no one dared mess with Viloti anymore.
After all, here was a guy who’d lost his entire family overnight,
Fallen from nobility to commoner.
The fact he hadn’t lost his mind was already impressive.
If he saw someone bullying the one he cared about.
He might just take them down with him.
And so, under Felyn’s fearsome reputation,
Viloti’s school life gradually returned to peace.
Later, the Silafiel family rose again,
And Viloti got into the capital academy early thanks to her own efforts.
No one dared talk anymore.
Felyn found himself a little nostalgic for that time.
Viloti was always quiet,
And he didn’t need to say much either.
The job paid well,
Wasn’t hard,
And came with gourmet food from the Silafiel family for lunch.
“Felyn, is there something on my face?”
Viloti gently touched her cheek, blinking nervously.
Realizing he’d been staring too long, Felyn awkwardly smiled.
“Nothing at all.”
“Oh, okay…”
Holmholt in the afternoon was a bit too hot.
The two ducked into the shade along the street.
If he hadn’t been born Felyn in this world.
What kind of life might he have lived?
Would he be out on his day off with a sweet girl eating desserts?
Would a girl fall in love with him?
Would he get to have a soft, sweet romance?
Maybe he wouldn’t need to fight to get into the capital academy.
He could’ve just lived a plain, peaceful life in Saiwa.
But even now, Felyn was content.
The clingy noble girls were getting fewer,
And life was looking a little more hopeful.
“Felyn, c-can I go in there?”
Viloti suddenly stopped walking.
She turned toward a store by the road.
Following her finger, Felyn saw, It was a charm shop.
“You want to buy a charm?”
“Mhm! Is that okay?”
Watching her blink excitedly,
How could Felyn say no?
“Welcome!”
The shop was larger than Felyn expected.
The clerk enthusiastically introduced everything to Viloti,
Assuming that once they got her, they’d get his wallet too.
After all, couples were always like that.
The guy would just follow along with whatever the girl wanted.
Seeing Viloti’s delicate features and flawless skin,
The clerk thought: any demand from this girl, her boyfriend would say yes.
Felyn didn’t know the clerk’s inner thoughts.
He wandered over to a quiet shelf,
Curiously eyeing a hand-drawn charm.
[Tidal Heart]
That was the charm Miss Adelina bought but hadn’t given to Felyn yet.
“This one’s sold out?”
“Yes, it’s very limited.”
This charm symbolized love.
Legend said that the wearer could feel their partner’s emotions no matter the distance.
Felyn didn’t take it seriously.
Probably just marketing.
“Felyn, which one do you like?”
Viloti looked up and asked him.
“Me? I don’t really know much about charms.”
“T-then can I choose one for you?”
“Sure. If you choose it, I’ll like it no matter what.”
The shop girl glanced between Viloti’s nervous little smile and Felyn—
And thought: did this guy drug her or something?
(End of Chapter)