Chapter 41

“That’s…”

I solemnly pulled out the item I had hidden behind my back.

“Tada!”

“What is this?”

“It’s a telescope. I borrowed it from Evelyn.”

It had taken quite a bit of effort to borrow it, since I’d heard it was Evelyn’s most precious possession.

“Why would a dog have something like this?”

“Theo, what on earth do you think Evelyn’s notebook is filled with?”

“Is… is that really okay?”

Of course, it wasn’t the most ethical thing to do.

I cleared my throat and quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, from now on, I’m going to use this to keep an eye on you.”

“That feels a bit like something a stalker would do.”

As Theo said that, he gently pushed the telescope—and me—away with his hand.

“Well, you’re saying you hate it, but I have no intention of forcing it on you blindly.”

“When you put it that way, it’s a different story.”

Saying that, Theo pulled my hand back toward him.

Guided by Theo, I stepped one pace closer to him.

“Why do you look so amused…?”

Theo actually seemed to be enjoying the situation. A look of intrigue flashed across his face.

“To think you’re going to guard me…”

“Um, should I replace the word ‘guarding’ with something else now?”

Though I was the one who brought it up first, hearing Theo say that made me feel like a real creep.

“No. I don’t plan to.”

Theo smiled brightly.

And I knew that whenever Theo smiled like that, something disadvantageous to me was bound to happen.

“Should I just stop here…”

“But Iris, didn’t you say you trust the priest?”

“Huh? I did.”

‘More accurately, I wanted to trust him.’

I muttered inwardly.

“Then why are you watching over me? Isn’t it because you’re worried the priest might actually do something?”

“It’s not so much doubting the priest… I guess it’s just out of fear that, even in a millionth of a chance, I might lose you.”

At my reply, Theo fell silent for a moment. Then, wearing an inscrutable smile, he said.

“Then does it start today?”

“Yeah, well, more or less.”

“Then good luck.”

“Huh?”

Leaving behind a bewildered me who couldn’t quite grasp the situation, Theo began to walk away.

Lightly—or rather, was he walking fast?

I stared blankly as he vanished into the distance.

‘What is he doing?’

He’s definitely walking fast on purpose, right? Don’t tell me he’s trying to ditch me?

My mind went blank with sheer absurdity.

But this wasn’t the time to stand around. I started running to catch up with Theo.

As if teasing me, Theo’s pace quickened a bit more as well. That childish and mischievous game showed no signs of stopping.

I couldn’t stop until I was completely out of breath, and eventually, I shouted at Theo.

“We’re not playing tag here!”

At the shout that echoed across the orphanage grounds, Theo glanced back slightly. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a way that clearly showed he was enjoying himself.

Slowly coming to a halt, Theo spoke in a playful tone.

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“Hey!”

“If you’re going to watch from afar, aren’t you not supposed to talk to me?”

This little brat….

I wanted to say something back, but no words came to mind. My chest felt stuffy with no way to express my frustration.

Pointing a finger at Theo like it was a formal declaration of war, I yelled.

“If I catch you, you’re dead…!”

Finding something so funny, Theo burst into laughter.

It was about the same kind of laugh he’d given when he pretended to be mad at me earlier.

‘What’s so funny about this…?’

Though once again, I couldn’t quite sympathize with whatever his humor point was.

As I stood there glaring at him, Theo began walking toward me.

“You were the one who ran away. What happened to that?”

Reaching my front, Theo held out his hand.

“Let’s go.”

Even though it was a completely natural part of our daily routine, my heart pounded as if something extraordinary had happened.

It was definitely no different from usual…

Tilting my head and hesitating for a moment, I reached out and took Theo’s hand.

***

Having officially started my job as a bodyguard, I thoroughly kept an eye on Theo whenever unavoidable circumstances didn’t get in the way.

Sometimes, getting too caught up in the role of a bodyguard, I would frantically spin around in circles near Theo until I got reprimanded.

“Iris, for the first time, I think I’m embarrassed of you.”

“What? You’re embarrassed of me?”

With a benevolent expression, Theo nodded. There was no other response.

Still, it was impossible to break my willpower with something like that.

I didn’t care if it looked overly cheesy or clingy.

Truth be told, even though I shouldn’t have, I was actually having fun with this roleplay.

Especially seeing Theo flustered was the most entertaining part.

It felt like getting payback for all the times I was the one being teased.

However, that didn’t mean I wasn’t taking the role seriously. While occasionally teasing Theo, I always kept my surroundings in check.

Watching me suspiciously peer around today as well, Theo let out a resigned sigh.

“Whenever the two of us were together, I was always the one getting stares, but it looks like you’re drawing even more attention now, Iris. Is this a good thing?”

“How does it feel to lose your sense of presence for the first time?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking how it feels to encounter a presence that far surpasses your own?”

Yet, there were times when even I had to keep my distance from Theo’s side.

“Iris, I’m going to go take Theo!”

Those were the moments when Grace appeared.

Without even giving me a chance to speak, Grace quickly grabbed Theo and swept away like the wind.

If it had been the first time, I would have panicked, but now it wasn’t surprising no matter where or how Grace popped up.

I only thought, ‘Ah, she’s taking Theo away and pretending not to see me this time too.’

Because Grace’s purpose for speaking to me was always just one single thing.

‘Well, at least it’s within the expected range.’

With a peaceful mind, I began tailing Theo and Grace.

And as if waiting for that exact moment, Evelyn, who had been sitting nearby reading a book, came running toward me.

The momentum was so fierce that I instinctively shrank back.

“Evelyn?”

“Iris, I heard you’ve been secretly following Theo around lately.”

I nodded without a word.

I’d been making it so obvious that it would have been weirder if the kids hadn’t noticed.

Especially Evelyn, who frequently kept a watchful eye on what I was up to.

“Oh, they’re moving.”

While I was talking with Evelyn, Grace and Theo had started walking.

I chased after them with hurried steps, leaving no time to chat with Evelyn.

And Evelyn, true to form, trotted right along behind me.

Slowing down to settle back into position, I turned my head toward Evelyn.

“Evelyn, why are you following me?”

With that, Evelyn pulled out her notebook and waved it in the air as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You borrowed my telescope, Iris, which left my notebook out of a job.”

“Ah…”

It seemed Evelyn had a rather profound sense of professional duty.

‘Is this just pure destiny at this point?’

I gazed in admiration at Evelyn, who looked like she was born to be a journalist.

“So, I’m going to join in on your endeavor too. I might stumble upon some good information.”

“Eh? But I’m just trying to protect Theo…”

Our objectives were entirely too different. At this rate, it wouldn’t just be tailing—it’d genuinely turn into digging up dirt on Theo.

However, Evelyn scolded me in a stern tone.

“Iris, you know what kind of telescope that is, don’t you? I only lent it to you because it’s you.”

“Th-That’s true.”

Evelyn’s telescope was the one and only keepsake left behind by her parents, who had passed away in an accident.

It was the only item that had remained mostly intact from the house that burned down to ashes.

Knowing that story, I had no choice but to nod.

“Alright. Just promise you won’t write down anything too overly detailed, okay?”

“Of course. The information I collect has no malice in it. You can look at it if you’re curious.”

‘Is that even true?’

I recalled the day Evelyn first saw Grace, furiously scribbling anger into her notebook.

Still, since I’d wanted to take a look at least once, I smiled awkwardly and scanned through the pages of Evelyn’s notebook with my eyes.

– Helena can fit ten cookies in her mouth at once. (However, she can’t chew them, so she always spits them out. Blech.)

– Father Arthur told me I look like an ugly doll. (I’m never letting that old geezer hear the end of it.)

– Director’s dessert preference: Shortcake. (No matter how pitifully I look at her, she won’t share.)

– Derek confessed to Anna by giving her what he thought was a flower, and got rejected. (Of course you get rejected if you hand her weeds. I feel bad for Anna.)

– Taylor lets out terrible farts in secret every night. (He tries to pretend otherwise, but I know everything. Someday I will bring this to the light of the world.)

– Grace: Dangerous individual (x10000)

I bit my lip hard to keep from laughing.

The notebook, which felt like an extension of Evelyn herself, was filled with incidents and anecdotes that occurred within the orphanage.

However, my attention was drawn more to the subjective notes Evelyn added right below each entry.

It literally contained the world as seen through a child’s perspective.

‘Is this a diary or an information log?’

At any rate, it was certain that Evelyn wasn’t secretly writing down malicious fabrications.

I handed the notebook back to Evelyn and refocused my attention on Theo and Grace.

Their relationship was still much the same.

Grace was endlessly talking or making demands to Theo, and Theo, while showing clear signs of annoyance, inevitably went along with it.

Watching the two of them, Evelyn asked me: “By the way, why are you tailing them like this?”