Chapter 37

‘I’m done meddling in other people’s business. Never again.’

It felt like I was playing the field with two guys in the palm of my hand.

To top it all off, Grace—who kept stubbornly talking to Theo despite being constantly ignored—had joined in, making it the absolute cherry on top to feel like a wicked villainess standing in the way of a bright, cheerful female protagonist.

The only slight difference was that whereas people usually fought over a woman for the position of a romantic partner, these guys were vying for the position of family.

‘Can’t Frey just take both of me and Theo away?’

I let my eyes go out of focus as I imagined a scenario with a slim-to-none chance of happening.

‘Everyone will have figured it out on their own.

Regretting it with an empty heart wasn’t going to change anything.

Frey and Theo were still simultaneously spewing various remarks at me, and Grace was still clutching firmly onto the hem of Theo’s clothes.

Just as I reached my limit of holding back the desire to jump out of the suffocating discomfort and was about to put it into action, the carriage thankfully arrived at its destination.

Frey, acting as the guardian of three children, led us into a restaurant.

Having each ordered our food, we finally began a semblance of conversation.

It was me speaking to Grace that broke the ice.

“Grace, are you and Theo getting along well?”

It felt like an inappropriate question to expect agreement on, but I genuinely wondered if the two of them were doing well.

Because Grace could potentially be the key to Theo’s growth.

“Is there any need to be curious about that?”

It was Theo who intercepted the answer to my question.

With a beaming, smiling face, Theo slapped his hand over Grace’s mouth.

It seemed they were maintaining nothing more than the superficial outward shell of friendship.

“I really hope the two of you become real friends, though.”

“Really?”

Grace asked back, slightly narrowing her brows in suspicion.

“Yeah. Even if it’s not necessarily Grace, it’d be good for Theo to have lots of friends.”

This was still just my wishful thinking, but I hoped it would definitely come true someday.

Prompted by his small scuffle with William, Theo had broken down the wall between himself and the orphanage kids.

However, Theo refused to reach out to his friends any further.

Let alone speaking first, even when the other kids approached him, he would slip away before long.

My heart ached at the sight. Because I realized that even though I thought he had taken a single step forward, it was literally nothing more than a single step.

In reality, that progress would turn to foam if it didn’t advance to the next stage.

What mattered to Theo wasn’t simple interpersonal relationships, but rather not doubting himself by having his existence recognized and accepted.

And unfortunately, that wasn’t something I could help with.

I could haphazardly hand Theo a friend. But revealing himself to that friend and having his existence acknowledged with sincere feelings—that was entirely up to Theo.

That was why I had readily stepped back whenever Grace asked me to move out of the way.

“Iris must really cherish Theo.”

Watching me lost in thought, Frey spoke in a calm, steady voice.

I stopped thinking as if waking from a dream and looked at Frey.

“Um…. That’s right. Theo is a precious friend to me, after all.”

“Can I become someone like that to Iris, too?”

Frey’s voice carried a somewhat conflicted and hurt emotion.

“Who knows?”

I replied with a smile. It was a difficult question to answer.

Watching the two of us, Theo offered a slight smile.

“No way.”

“Theo.”

“I’m not trying to pick a fight, so you don’t need to look at me like that.”

Theo shrugged as if stating something obvious.

“Because I can tell. That you could never become that kind of relationship.”

“What are you basing that certainty on?”

Theo and Frey’s gazes collided in mid-air.

Theo let out a dry laugh and answered.

“Don’t you know that better than anyone?”

“……”

At Theo’s reply, Frey’s mouth snapped shut.

I silently watched the two of them.

The reason Frey couldn’t become family with me… Frey himself knew it?

“Here is your food.”

Just as a heavy silence fell, the food arrived right on cue.

I stroked my chest in relief and thanked the heavens.

Could any magical timing be this welcome?

Frey and Theo engaged in a war of nerves this time, trying to scoop food onto my plate.

“Eat up.”

“Eat what I gave you first.”

And once again, I firmly resolved never to tag along with these two ever again.

“……”

Amidst all that, I made eye contact with Grace, who was staring intently at me.

A pang pierced through my heart at the thought that I hadn’t taken care of Grace, who must have felt left out despite coming along to have fun.

I immediately scooped some chicken onto Grace’s plate and smiled.

“Iris seems like she just can’t stand not taking care of others.”

Then, Grace’s refined voice flew toward me.

“Huh?”

It sounded like something that didn’t necessarily imply a good meaning.

As I panicked, Grace broke into a wide smile and continued.

“I’m so envious. You’re just like an angel.”

“Ah…”

Only then was I able to offer an awkward smile. Still, I could tell that the tail-end of her sentence was just meaningless filler.

‘She has every right to be mad. The guy she likes is acting like that.’

I had no intention of getting angry just over a child’s jealousy.

It would be a despicable act for an adult to hit a child back just because they got hit once.

“Thanks. But I’m not actually that kind or anything. Just the same as any ordinary kid.”

Voices denying my words came from across and beside me, but I forced myself to ignore them and popped the food into my mouth.

Grace leaned her upper body toward me and whispered.

“No. Maybe you really are an angel, who knows. It’s not like that pretty blonde hair and blue eyes are common, anyway.”

I froze at those words.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, and an angel. Those were obviously remarks guessing at my appearance.

‘Then what about Theo…?’

I looked at Theo with an anxious gaze.

What did Grace think of Theo…?

Before my head could spin further and I could pose a question to Grace, she continued.

“Still, Iris, aren’t you scared having hair like that?”

“Huh?”

“Well, because it’s a rare color, you could get kidnapped, or there might be people trying to cut your hair off and sell it.”

This time, I couldn’t hide my displeasure at Grace’s words.

Because it had too dark of an edge to simply brush off as an innocent child’s question.

I was taken aback by the fact that eleven-year-old Grace had blurted out such words.

‘Where on earth did she hear talk like that…?’

Kids ask people around them easily. Especially if it’s gossip, it spreads even faster.

I found myself wondering where on earth Grace had been before coming to the Hyliss Orphanage.

At remarks that clearly crossed the line, not just me, but even Theo and Frey turned their heads toward Grace.

“What did you just say?”

Theo, in particular, took it as his own business and pushed Grace, burning with anger.

“I was just worried. If it were me, I think I’d be scared.”

Grace blinked her round eyes and looked at me. It meant it was up to me whether to let it slide or not.

I forced myself to remain calm and answered.

“It might be scary later, but I’m not worried right now. Because I’m living inside the orphanage.”

“I see.”

Hearing my answer, Grace nodded cheerfully as if her curiosity had been satisfied.

That action didn’t look like an act. So does that mean what she said earlier about envying me and mentioning angels was sincere, too?

I stared blankly at Grace for a moment, as if swept up by a storm.

Pure malice without bounds. I began to wonder if such a thing could genuinely exist.

Around the time I was deep in thought for reasons like that, Frey abruptly brought up a topic.

“By the way, Iris. Shouldn’t you tell Theo now, too?”

“Pardon?”

What is this talk again?

Has the table we’re currently sitting at transformed from a meal into a gathering of human hunters trying to hunt each other down…?

Having those thoughts, I grabbed Frey’s arm.

“But… If you bring it up so suddenly, Theo will…”

“He’s your best friend, after all. You can’t keep hiding it forever.”

Frey ran his mouth off, completely oblivious to my burning insides.

I had to debate hundreds of times whether or not to smack the palm of my hand down across those lips.

While Frey and me were bickering like that, the sound of Theo setting down his cutlery rang out sharply.

At that sound, I immediately looked at Theo. Then, Theo said with a relaxed expression.

“No need for that. I already have an inkling of what it’s about.”

“What?”

Theo shrugged indifferently.

“I already know what kind of talk it’s going to be, so there’s no need to mention it in front of someone who doesn’t know anything. So it doesn’t become a rumor.”

“……”

At Theo’s cynical words, Frey’s gaze sank chillingly.

And I ended up with a brand-new question.

For Theo to know what Frey was about to say—did that mean Theo wasn’t simply guessing that I might leave, but was anticipating the specific details?

Then why hadn’t he confided in me?

Throwing cold water on the flustered Frey, Theo muttered.

“Well, what can you do.”

His expression was so playful that it gave me goosebumps.

Frey seemed to be having the exact same thought as me.

“No matter what, there’s no way Iris is going to leave me.”