Chapter 18

“In that case, we will tailor the dresses you selected today to fit Lady Poblian’s measurements and send them to the Grand Duke’s estate.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, please leave it to us.”

Shopping finished, we stepped out of the boutique under the Madam’s most lavish send-off. To be honest, a part of me worried that when the dresses arrived at the estate in a few days, Lady Aria or the Grand Duke might fall over in shock.

“Esteban, don’t you think we bought a bit too many clothes?”

The Madam hadn’t mentioned the prices specifically, but I could tell every dress Esteban picked was a high-end luxury item. Even in Ariel’s closet—and she was obsessed with dresses and luxuries—there hadn’t been anything that looked more expensive than the ones we just chose.

Seeing me ask with a voice full of anxiety, Esteban merely blinked and asked back, “Was it that much?”

“It was a lot! I think we bought more today than the number of dresses I actually brought with me!”

“Isn’t that just because you were so late to humanize?”

“……Esteban, you really need to be a bit more considerate when you speak.”

When I puffed out my cheeks and grumbled at his blunt point, Esteban simply shrugged. I spoke up teasingly to the boy who wasn’t even pretending to listen.

“Don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other. If you keep acting like that, you won’t be popular with the girls later.”

“What?”

“I said you won’t be popular! Girls generally like guys who are kind and gentle.”

I thought back to the original story, where Esteban had a massive falling out with the heroine, Serian, because of his harsh way of speaking.

‘I mean, he’s a romance fantasy male lead, yet he earned the nickname “The Lord of Terr—” Anyway! There’s a reason he got a nickname like that.’

Thinking he might have actually processed what I said, I tilted my head to study his face. Esteban’s brow was slightly furrowed.

‘So he DOES care?’

They say people start noticing the opposite sex when secondary sex characteristics kick in; it seemed Esteban was no different from any other boy his age.

‘Looking at him like this, he really is just a kid……’

“……What about you?”

“Huh?”

I flinched, caught giggling secretly. I looked at him with the most innocent expression I could muster, pretending I hadn’t been laughing, only for Esteban to ask with a look of slight annoyance.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

I stared at him blankly. Seeing him wait for an answer with his mouth clamped shut, I asked tentatively, “Are you asking what kind of guy I like?”

“Yes.”

“Uh…… Well, I suppose a kind person is best? But usually, people end up meeting someone who is the exact opposite of their ideal type.”

“Who says?”

“It’s not that someone said it, it’s just what I’ve seen from living life.”

I felt Esteban’s skeptical gaze scanning me from head to toe. His eyes seemed to ask, once again, ‘Exactly how long have you lived?’ Of course, on the outside, I looked like a thirteen-year-old shifter kid.

‘Appearances aren’t everything, Mr. Male Lead.’

But I just gave him another clueless “Hehe” smile. Esteban frowned at me for a moment before turning his head away. His gaze was fixed on the square where the festival was being held.

‘Does he want to see it?’

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I saw the Grand Duke’s carriage approaching. Noticing the carriage, Esteban turned his head back as if he had never been looking at the festival in the first place. The transition was so natural that I wouldn’t have noticed it if I wasn’t paying close attention.

“Hmm……”

Pretending not to see the approaching carriage, I poked my head out next to Esteban and asked, “Esteban, are we going back to the estate now?”

“We should.”

Seeing him answer so stoically, I lightly grabbed his sleeve.

“The Madam at the boutique mentioned it earlier. That there’s a festival in Central Square today.”

“…….”

“Can’t we go see it for just a little bit?”

I saw him hesitate, and that was all the confirmation I needed. Esteban wanted to see the festival, too. The only reason he wouldn’t say it was likely because of his rampage. He was afraid of what might happen if he lost control in a crowded place.

It tugged at my heart that young Esteban had to give up his rights to enjoy things as a child simply because of the danger of his power. After a moment of thought, I clenched my fists.

‘Esteban, trust me! This big sister will make sure you get to see that festival!’

I took another step toward the still-hesitating Esteban. When our eyes met, I made the most pitiful face possible.

“I’ve never been to a festival before……”

“…….”

“Can’t we just look for a moment?”

‘Technically, I’ve just never seen a human festival.’

Esteban, unaware of my internal monologue, seemed to be agonizing over what to do. Deep down, Esteban really was a kind boy, contrary to his grumpy words.

‘If he wasn’t, he would have just ignored me when I said I wanted to see the festival.’

But perhaps he couldn’t say yes because he was kind—he didn’t want innocent people to get caught in a disaster because of him. Seeing him still unable to answer, I reached out and took his hand. I saw his eyes go wide with surprise.

“If we hold hands like this, wouldn’t we be able to deal with things quickly?”

“…….”

“No matter what happens!”

Esteban looked down at our joined hands for a moment before answering in a voice so small I almost couldn’t hear it.

“……If it’s only for a moment.”

“Really?”

The boy nodded and squeezed my hand a little tighter. I pulled him along, smiling at his pure, age-appropriate reaction.

“Then let’s start over there, Esteban!”

***

A man passing the square in a carriage frowned as he spotted a familiar face. Silver hair that seemed to shatter the sunlight and red eyes that took after his father.

“The Winchester brat.”

The man’s gaze then drifted to the girl leading Esteban. The child with wheat-colored hair and purple eyes was exceptionally small, even compared to other children. Seeing her treat the Winchester heir so casually suggested a close relationship, yet no particular noble family came to his mind.

As the man pondered, a purple necklace the child was wearing caught his eye.

“……A mana stone?”

Seeing the subtle distortion of the air around that specific spot, it was clearly a mana stone necklace. And those who wore such stones were usually shifters.

The man tapped the window frame of the carriage, his lips curling into a crooked smirk.

“So that shifter brat is the one he brought in to stop the rampages. Hardium Winchester, have you finally lost your mind?”

Turning his gaze away from the pair as they vanished from sight, the man stroked his right eye, which had turned white, and muttered, “I was planning to send another gift to Winchester soon, but it seems there’s no need. It looks like they’re going to ruin themselves on their own.”

At that moment, the carriage stopped, and the door opened with a knock signifying they had reached their destination. Stepping out with a cold expression, the man entered a building a short distance from the square. Inside, a woman’s voice, bordering on a scream, could be heard.

“I—I have something to tell His Excellency! Please, let me see him!”

The sobbing woman turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. Shrouded in shadow, she reflexively raised her hands against the man entering with the sun at his back, before hurriedly bowing her head.

“I—I greet the Marquis!”

“Yes, Beth. I heard you were looking for me quite desperately.”

Ilain Alpenso. He was one of the empire’s greatest mages and Beth’s true master. He drew the sword at his waist and leveled it at Beth’s neck.

“Speak. I’ll at least listen to your final words before you go.”

Beth trembled violently at the cold sensation against her throat, then spoke cautiously.

“The shifter the Grand Duke brought…… she is no ordinary shifter.”

“……What do you mean?”

“The—the public thinks she’s just a pet fox brought in to calm Esteban’s mind, but that shifter has the ability to stop Esteban’s rampages!”

“An ability to stop rampages?”

Ilain’s eyes narrowed at Beth’s unexpected words. He spoke to the trembling woman in a slow, deliberate voice.

“Even the owner cannot control that mana, which leads to a rampage. How could a mere shifter possibly stop it?”

“I—I don’t know exactly what her ability is. But I can swear on my life! I experienced her power firsthand!”

Beth grew frantic as Ilain remained silent. Closing her eyes tight, she shouted at him once more.

“The moment that child grabbed my hand, I felt something being pulled out of my body, and my consciousness vanished!”

“…….”

“I—I’m certain! That child might have the ability to steal the fundamental mana that is directly linked to one’s life force!”